Ipamorelin is a ghrelin-receptor trigger. CJC-1295 with DAC is a copy of GHRH.
Hitting the ghrelin receptor makes your pituitary release a pulse of its own growth hormone.
They last very different lengths of time. Ipamorelin is gone in 2 hours; CJC-1295 with DAC stays active for 6-8 days. That is why the schedules look nothing alike.
| Comparison | Ipamorelin NNC 26-0161 | CJC-1295 with DAC CJC-1295 DAC · DAC:GRF |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | How it works Ipamorelin does not contain growth hormone. It signals your pituitary to release your own, by copying ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry. | How it works CJC-1295 copies GHRH, the hormone that tells your pituitary to make growth hormone. The DAC version carries a molecular anchor that keeps it circulating for days rather than minutes. |
| What it is | A gentle shot that nudges your body to release its own growth hormone. | A once-or-twice-weekly shot that keeps your growth hormone raised for days. |
| Status | Research only | Research only |
| Typical dose | 0.2–0.3 mg per dose | 1–2 mg per dose |
| How often | Daily, often at night | 1-2x per week |
| Stays active | ~2 hours | ~6-8 days |
| Dose comes from | Community practice | Community practice |
| Cycled? | Commonly cycled, often quoted as 5 days on and 2 days off, or 8 to 12 weeks on and 4 off Community practice | Commonly cycled, usually 8 to 12 weeks on and 4 off Community practice |
| What it does | ||
| Drug class | GH secretagogue (GHRP) | GH secretagogue (GHRH) |
| Used for | A gentle nudge for your body to release more of its own growth hormone. People use it to recover faster from workouts, sleep deeper, build lean muscle, and lose a little fat. | A long-acting shot that keeps growth hormone raised for days, used to build muscle, burn fat, recover, and sleep better. You inject it only once or twice a week. |
| Receptors hit | — | — |
| Numbers | ||
| Full dose line | 0.2 up to 0.3 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly) | 1 up to 2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly) |
| Why that cycle | The reason for cycling is real; the schedule is not. Sustained exposure to a ghrelin-receptor peptide blunts the growth hormone response to a later dose, which has been shown in people. But no published study has tested any on/off pattern for ipamorelin, and ipamorelin's own desensitisation has never been measured in humans. Every specific number you see traces back to vendor and clinic pages, including one widely repeated citation to a 2019 study that does not exist. | Commonly cycled 8 to 12 weeks on and 4 off, and no study has tested that. The argument for it is that this version holds growth hormone at a raised baseline rather than restoring pulses. Worth knowing that when GHRH itself was infused continuously for 14 days in people, the pituitary did not run down. So the tolerance case for cycling this one is an inference from related drugs, not something anyone has measured in it. |
| Weight / effect | Not measured in a trial | Not measured in a trial |
| Chain length | 5 residues | 30 residues |
| Common vial | 5 mg | 5 mg |
| Before you start | ||
| Route | Under the skin (subcutaneous) | Under the skin (subcutaneous) |
| Do not use if | Active cancer, as a precaution with anything raising growth hormone Pregnancy Banned in drug-tested sport | Active cancer Pregnancy Banned in drug-tested sport |
What separates them
Proof behind the dose. Every dose here comes from community practice. Not one is backed by a published human study, which is worth knowing before you read the numbers as if they were equivalent.
What doesn't differ: They are both taken the same way (under the skin) and aimed at the same thing (recovery & muscle). Neither has a measured effect size from a published trial, so there is no number to rank them on.
What people actually report
Ipamorelin
- Generally mild, but it is not approved for this use and is banned in drug-tested sport.
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- New lumps or masses
CJC-1295 with DAC
- Because it keeps growth hormone up constantly instead of in natural pulses, effects and any side effects linger for days.
- It is not approved and is banned in drug-tested sport.
- Spreading hives, face or throat swelling, or trouble breathing
- New lumps or masses
Side effects are what users and trials report most often, not a complete list. Anything sudden, spreading, or breathing-related is an emergency regardless of which compound caused it.
People also compare
This comparison does not cover cost, long-term safety, or how you personally will respond. Effect figures come from separate trials in different populations and are not always directly comparable to each other. Nothing here is medical advice or a recommendation to use any of these. Talk to a clinician about your own situation.