The last few years I've had chronic sinus problems. Dunno what triggered them, but I keep getting inflamed and infected. I've had 4 operations so far to remove polyp growths from the sinus linings.  
 
I've had extensive allergy testing done - all negative. In addition to the entire range of conventional medicine’s corticosteroid hayfever sprays, I've tried naturopathy, cranial osteopathy, some very dubious new age practioners... the works. Each time the polyps come back.  
 About the only thing short of surgery I've found to work so far is antibiotics to kill the infection, and prednisone (a rather nasty corticosteroid) to reduce the inflammation. And this is only a temporary fix anyway. Nothing else, nasal sprays, etc, makes much of an impact.  
 
Because prednisone is such a nasty drug, it's not desirable to stay on it permanently. So really there's nothing we can do, but wait for the damn polyps to regrow then chop them out surgically.
 
Oh yes – I also currently have no sense of smell. Open a jar of crushed garlic that makes people complain from across the room, and I can hold it directly under my nose and not smell a thing. I apply deodorant religiously each morning, but I haven’t got a clue what it smells like. I know I still have the ability to smell, because after a course of prednisone it frequently returns, and I run about the place sniffing even the foulest scents with delight.
 
Enter melanotan... It's a drug designed to produce a tan. It's a synthetic analogue of alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone, and it's the signal to your melanocytes to start producing melanin, which is the tanning colourant in your skin. It 's been known for about 20 years, but it's only now that it's really being developed. The idea is that it will produce a tan in those who never could. It's not just cosmetic either - with the tan comes extra protection from UV and sun damage, and therefore protection against skin cancer for those who are most susceptible.
 
There are a couple of variants around now; they all behave slightly differently. One variant, however, melanotan II, appears to have anti-inflammatory properties. I scoured PubMed for all the articles I could find on the subject, and there's a lot of them! What's more, they all suggest MSH has a moderating effect on inflammation/allergies/hypersensitivity/etc.  
Here's a compilation of the studies (follow the link, then click Download File) ...  
http://dl3.ohshare.com/v/8926141/Anti_inflammatory_melanotan.pdf.html  
 
My theory is that by using it to reduce the inflammation in my sinuses, I'll reduce the resultant infection. It's (hopefully) a kinder alternative to prednisone... and if all else fails I'll get a kick-ass tan out it!
 
 
 
So here starteth my diary. I intend to keep a log of my sinus inflammation (measured on a scale of 1-5 when blowing my nose), and do regular tests to see if my sense of smell is returning. I’ll log this in an Excel spreadsheet, and update it here at regular intervals.
 
For those who are more interested in melanotan’s cosmetic effects, I'm also taking photos.

I ordered my batch from Melanocorp, and have nothing but praise for his speedy, professional service. Maybe I just chose a good time of day, but most of emails were answered within 15 mins! There was a minor hiccup where a couple of free vials I'd should have got as part of a promotion they were running weren't included in the original order, but Melanocorp readily agreed to ship them over separately at their cost.
 
So I plucked up courage, and did my first shot Saturday night. For now, I'm doing 1mg doses, but I may increase that at the end of this week. We'll see how it goes.
 
Day 1, Saturday: my face felt quite flushed within about 30mins, but although my ears mayhave been a bit pinker than normal, there was no significant visual change. After about an hour, I felt a bit of an urge to stretch, but again, it wasn't particularly strong, and if I hadn't half-expected it, I may not have noticed it at all. Erections came and went all night - not to the point of disrupting sleep, but it was certainly there whenever I woke.
 
Day 2, Sunday: sides dramatically reduced already. Very little flushing. Stretching felt good, but less of an urge and more something I initiated as a test. Minimal erections. Thought sinuses might be feeling a little less constricted, but it's probably too early to tell, and most likely just placebo.
 
Day 3, Monday: Took my shot 2 hours ago, and virtually no sides at all so far. Sinuses felt slightly "raw" this morning, like there was less protective mucus production overnight. Still plenty of mucus throughout the day though. The "blow test" showed a possible improvement in nasal constriction - although this often has ups and downs anyway, so it's still too early to say for sure whether it's a pattern. Fingers crossed though!

Heh, thanks Blue. I should be leaner than I am though - but unfortunately, my mind's been on other things than diets recently! What with new house, new job and melanotan, the summer diet has taken a bit of a back seat, and now I'm feeling like I've missed the bus. The fat-burning effects of melanotan had better be good!
 
On that note though, I just wonder if melanotan has a thermogenic effect. The flushing is obviously the extreme end of the spectrum, but even when that diminishes, it wouldn't surprise me if melanotan raised the BMR slightly... We can but hope!

Well, last night's shot took me up to 5mg. I'd been watching a freckle on my forehead closely for a couple of days, and by yesterday there was no doubt it was getting darker. There are several other freckle-sized blotches developing on my face too, but I'm not sure whether they were pre-existing ones, or new arrivals. Part of me says it looks like I've been splattered with mud, but the realistic side says not to worry - they only become noticeable very close up.
 
The interesting thing is that my moles and most of my freckles (of which I have plenty to gauge!) have barely darkened at all so far.
 
I've been wondering if I've been turning a browner colour rather than my usual pink. I don't think I'm any darker just yet - it's more a colour change rather than a darkness change. Or it could be completely imaginary... I don't know!
 
Anyway, I've just had a 20min sunbed session this afternoon, so we'll see what happens overnight.
 
On the sinus front, no definitive news. At times it feels like the melanotan's worked already, and my sinuses are free and clear. Then two hours later, one might be quite constricted again. What should I do? Should I up the dose? Split it in two for a more even release?

Pseudonym, I highly recommend getting a second opinion on the allergies if you haven't done so already.  A buddy has an inner ear disorder that's regulated by his allergies.  The first allergiest he went to did a standard grid test, or rather his staff did, and the allergist looked at the results and said he was allergy free.  Two years later, the inner ear specialist saw my pal's symptoms had a large seasonal component.  They found someone else who discovered he has a bunch of allergies.  Allergy treatment now helps his inner ear disorder considerably.  The new allergist tailors the allergens she tests to the patient's particular symptoms, rather than using a one-size-fits-all grid, and makes sure to use fresh batches of the testing serums.  It could be worth a second shot.
 
That being said, good luck with your melanotan II experiment!
 
 

After yesterday's sunbed, I noticed a coldsore developing on my lower lip. I don't know whether this is due to the sunbed (I don't normally get coldsores after UV exposure), or due to the melanotan reducing my immune system (which could be a good thing if stops my sinuses reacting constantly?). Then again, it could be entirely unrelated, but I thought I'd log it just in case.
 
Incidentally, my lower lip may be looking slightly darker than usual - although I certainly wouldn't describe it as purple as others have done.
 
Did my 7th shot of 1mg this evening, and again no sides, other than a few more spots appearing on my face. I haven't really experienced anything significant since the first shot. I'm thinking of upping the dose to 1.5mg tomorrow.

Thanks for the nice link!
 
I don't think I would try to make any direct comparison between melanotan II and prednisone, though. I mean, that's a steroid - heavy-duty stuff (and a potential for far worse sides than melanotan II, imho).  
 
True, no MSH = tons of inflammation.  There's still that question, though, of the difference between supplmentation and full-on replacement.  Are you topping off, filling up, or just running on fumes? Like Skin types, the result could be correlated to wherever you started out. For people with the genetic problem, it will always be a matter of running on fumes, without help. I understand it can be just about that bad when you are ill, too. (So I am told, anyway - I can only really experience whatever I experience.) The difference is that when you recover from the underlying illness, MSH should return to normal levels on its own.  
 
I'm still bugged about the MRSA idea, because that alone will drive MSH down. I was told I had allergies for many, many years - turned out it was MRSA all along, and nobody ever bothered to do a decent culture. I just kept taking the allergy stuff. I hate to think how many other people I may have infected without knowing it. You'd think the medicos would be smarter about that, but a suprising number are not.

Hey Pseudonym, nice log
 
From what you've read do you think melanotan-1 would have similar anti-inflammatory properties to melanotan II ? I seem to remember discussing this before, but a search didn't turn it up (this board's search is extremely unreliable, to put it mildly!)

Bummer.
 
Again, though - Shoemaker found that when the MRSA was cleared and the exposure to the toxins was ended, MSH would come up again, unless the patient has the genetic problem with MSH. This only worked when all 3 conditions were simultaneously true. I can only make 2 of them true - which is why I'm here. (Got tested again recently, and MSH is back in the cellar as usual - not even in a readable range).  
 
So the next question would be, what could be stopping you here? I don't know about the genetic marker for you, but I know you've got every sign of either an active infection or a continuing exposure to something you react to. If the logic above is correct (and he's seen thousands of us, so he ought to know), then what else could it be? You have to find that and fix it.  
 
AFAIK, there's no evidence in the research that supp'ing MSH would work when other conditions are actively driving levels right back down as you go. I'd imagine that's because the neuropeptide has such a very short half-life and there's no mechanism in the body to release a whole flood of it when you produce it slower than it gets trashed. (This last could be wrong - that's just my best understanding at present.)
 

Cool - I'm glad you have a doc who's rolling with you on this.
 
I think a read one paper that listed the half-life as something like 6 hours in CSF - which may not be relevant to what you're asking. By the ankles and by the feet (my handy little msh monitors), the effect on ADH lasted over a week past the end of the first cycle.