T-03
Oxytocin trial dose explorer
The per-compound data component: every intranasal oxytocin dose used in the trials this site cites, filtered by indication, dose, duration and result, with each row showing whether the trial hit or missed its own prespecified primary endpoint and linking to the study. Answers the question the calculators cannot: not how many sprays is 24 IU, but what happened when people actually took 24 IU.
The per-compound data component: every intranasal oxytocin dose used in the trials this site cites, filtered by indication, dose, duration and result, with each row showing whether the trial hit or missed its own prespecified primary endpoint and linking to the study. Answers the question the calculators cannot: not how many sprays is 24 IU, but what happened when people actually took 24 IU.
Sorting by daily total shows the pattern the marketing does not: the highest daily doses, 48 IU and 96 IU, belong to the largest and longest trials, and those are the trials that missed their primary endpoints.
Published records (23 of 23)
| Indication | Year | Population | Dose and route | Duration | Missed own prespecified primary endpoint | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autism | 2021 | 290 enrolled (146 oxytocin, 144 placebo); 277 in modified ITT | 48 IU/day total target, intranasal | 24 weeks | yes | No between-group difference on the primary endpoint (ABC modified Social Withdrawal): least-squares mean change -3. |
| Autism | 2020 | 106 enrolled, 103 analyzed | 48 IU/day, intranasal | 6 weeks | yes | Primary endpoint (ADOS reciprocity) improved in both arms with no between-group difference. |
| Autism | 2023 | 87 (45 oxytocin, 42 placebo) | 16 IU twice daily (32 IU/day), intranasal | 12 weeks | yes | No effect of oxytocin over time on the primary caregiver-rated Social Responsiveness Scale. |
| Autism | 2022 | 109 randomized, 103 completed | 3, 6, 10 or 20 units/day intranasal (TTA-121), plus placebo, crossover | 4 weeks per period | yes | An inverted U-shaped dose-response curve peaked at 6 units/day. |
| Weight and obesity | 2024 | 61 (54% women, mean BMI 36.9) | 24 IU intranasal four times daily (96 IU/day) | 8 weeks | yes | No difference in body weight change at 8 weeks (0. |
| Appetite | 2015 | Healthy men | 24 IU intranasal, single dose | Single dose | no | Reduced caloric intake at a test meal after a single dose. |
| Appetite | 2016 | 18 obese men, 20 normal-weight men | 24 IU intranasal, single dose | Single dose | no | Markedly reduced hunger-driven food intake in obese but not normal-weight men, and reduced snack consumption in both groups. |
| Body composition | 2021 | 21 (mean age 67.5 y, BMI 30 to 43) | 24 IU intranasal four times daily | 8 weeks | not stated | A safety and preliminary-efficacy pilot reporting improved lean muscle mass and lower LDL cholesterol. |
| Sexual function | 2015 | 30 premenopausal and postmenopausal women | 32 IU intranasal on demand within 50 minutes before intercourse | 8 weeks per arm, 22 weeks total | yes | Both oxytocin and placebo improved sexual function and depression scores over time, with no statistically significant treatment, sequence or interaction effect. |
| Sexual function | 2014 | 29 couples (58 participants) | 24 IU intranasal | Acute | no | No change in the classical parameters of sexual function: sexual drive, arousal, erection or lubrication. |
| Intimacy and healing | 2026 | 80 couples (160 participants) | Intranasal oxytocin twice daily | 7 days | not stated | A wound-healing benefit appeared in couples who also performed a structured appreciation task, but the authors report the effect was not consistently robust in sensitivity analyses. |
| Social anxiety | 2009 | 25 participants with social anxiety disorder | 24 IU intranasal with each exposure session | Course of exposure therapy | yes | Improved self-appraisals of appearance and speech performance as sessions progressed, but these did not generalize to overall treatment outcome. |
| Schizophrenia | 2019 | 344 (172 oxytocin, 172 placebo) | 40 to 80 IU/day intranasal, adjunctive | 2 to 16 weeks | not stated | No significant difference in total psychopathology or in positive, negative and general symptom scores. |
| Prader-Willi syndrome | 2021 | 23 (11 oxytocin, 12 placebo) | Intranasal oxytocin | 8 weeks | yes | Hyperphagia and repetitive behaviors decreased over time in the placebo group and not in the oxytocin group. |
| Obstructive sleep apnea | 2020 | Patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea | 40 IU intranasal at night | Single night per condition | no | Decreased the duration of obstructive events and the associated oxygen desaturations and bradycardias, and increased respiratory rate during non-obstructive periods. |
| Lactation | 2006 | 51 mothers (27 oxytocin, 24 placebo) | Oxytocin nasal spray, 100 microlitres per dose, before each expression | To day 5 postpartum | yes | Total milk production did not differ between groups. |
| Pharmacokinetics | 2025 | 24 healthy adults for the intranasal arm | Intravenous 13.7 and 16.7 micrograms; intranasal 100 micrograms | Single dose | not stated | Nasal bioavailability was 0. |
| CNS penetration | 2013 | 15 (11 oxytocin, 4 placebo) | 24 IU intranasal | Single dose, 75 minute sampling | not stated | Oxytocin rose significantly in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. |
| Dose response | 2022 | Healthy adults, three dose levels | 9, 18 and 36 IU intranasal | Single dose | not stated | Changes in amygdala regional cerebral blood flow followed a dose-response curve with maximal effects at the LOWER doses, and effects varied by amygdala subdivision. |
| Nasal delivery device | 2015 | 16 healthy male adults | 8 IU or 24 IU intranasal via a Breath Powered device, 1 IU intravenous, and placebo | Single dose per treatment | no | All treatments produced similar plasma oxytocin increases, yet only the 8 IU intranasal dose changed anger ratings of ambiguous faces, and the effect tracked nasal valve dimensions. |
| Safety | 2011 | 1529 participants (79% male; 8% with developmental or mental health conditions) | 18 to 40 IU intranasal, single dose up to 182 administrations | Short-term controlled research settings | not stated | Side effects did not differ between oxytocin and placebo, participants could not tell which they had received, and no adverse outcomes were associated with short-term use at 18 to 40 IU. |
| Safety | 2018 | 223 participants across 5 RCTs (123 oxytocin, 100 placebo) | Long-term intranasal oxytocin | Long-term dosing | not stated | Most common events were nasal discomfort 14. |
| Safety | 2025 | 331 older participants across 9 RCTs | 24 to 72 IU intranasal, single and repeated short-term dosing | Short-term | not stated | Adverse effects were predominantly mild and varied inconsistently between studies, with no significant association with severe outcomes. |
Every row restates a published record; sources resolve on the sourced monograph. Species is part of the data: this table never scales an animal dose into a human figure.
What each daily total corresponds to in published trials. Reference only. None of these is a recommendation, and each links to its trial and result in the explorer.
| Daily total (IU) | Context in published trials |
|---|---|
| 8 | Single dose, deposition-optimized device; produced an effect that 24 IU did not |
| 24 | The standard single-dose laboratory dose across most acute studies |
| 32 | 16 IU twice daily for 12 weeks in young children with autism; primary endpoint missed |
| 32 | On demand before intercourse for 8 weeks in women with sexual dysfunction; placebo matched it |
| 40 | Single night dose in obstructive sleep apnea; reduced obstructive event duration |
| 48 | 24 weeks in 290 children and adolescents with autism; primary endpoint missed |
| 48 | 6 weeks in 106 adults with autism; primary endpoint missed |
| 96 | 24 IU four times daily for 8 weeks in adults with obesity; no weight difference from placebo |
Tools: educational calculators and references only.