IGF-1 DES_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as DES(1-3) IGF-1
A short-acting muscle-builder that works right where you inject it.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is IGF-1 DES?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Injected into a specific muscle, it drives growth right there, then clears quickly.
IGF-1 DES is a short, extra-potent version of insulin-like growth factor 1 that acts locally.
What it's used for
A short-acting muscle-builder that works right where you inject it, used to target a specific muscle.
How does IGF-1 DES work?
What it does in the body, and where.IGF-1 DES is a shortened, more potent IGF-1 that acts where you put it and then disappears.
- 01It binds IGF-1 receptors at the injection siteWith the first three amino acids removed, it binds the receptor more strongly and the binding proteins less.
- 02The effect is localWhich is the entire reason for using it rather than LR3: growth is meant to happen in the muscle you injected.
- 03It clears within minutesShort enough that systemic effects, including the blood-sugar drop, are smaller.
- 04No human evidence for the localised-growth claimThe pharmacology is real. The training application is not studied.
Where this compound is thought to act.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Growing a specific muscle at the injection siteResearch only
The published record
209
Records indexed for IGF-1 DES
91 in humans, 59 of them original studies.
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 11 September 2026.
At a glance
Four things to know about IGF-1 DES
Evidence
Research only
Category
Muscle building
Common vial
1 mg
Half-life
Nothing published
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.05 up to 0.15 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), around training. Used around training rather than on a cycleCommunity practice
Because it acts where it is injected and then clears, it is used per session rather than run continuously. No human study establishes a schedule.
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.Nothing publishedNo figure
No human or animal pharmacokinetic study has been published. IGF-1 DES is a shortened form of IGF-1 and its behaviour cannot be read across from the full molecule.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
10 / 100 unitsIGF-1 DES starts at $23.26 across 5 vendors, typically $23.26 – $90.00 per mg.
8 listings, last read Sep 4, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized IGF-1 DES keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Mixing exception: reconstitute this one with a dilute acetic acid solution, not bacteriostatic water. Plain BAC water can degrade it, so follow the product's own mixing instructions.
Who should avoid it
- Any history of cancer
- Diabetes, or any use of insulin
- Pregnancy
- Banned in drug-tested sport
Stop and get help
- Signs of very low blood sugar such as shaking, sweating, confusion, or fainting
- New lumps or masses
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Low blood sugar
- Injection-site reactions and localised swelling
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is IGF-1 DES approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. IGF-1 DES is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labelled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteUnder the skin or into muscle
- CheckedJuly 2026
What has happened recently
We have not yet written a full regulatory note for this compound. The status above is current as of the date shown.
Banned in drug-tested sport. Most research peptides are prohibited under WADA's S0 category, which covers any substance with no approval from any regulatory authority for human use. That means a compound can be banned without ever being named on the prohibited list. Check with your own anti-doping authority rather than assuming absence from the list means permitted.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
- DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesTomas et al., Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and especially IGF-I variants are anabolic in dexamethasone-treated rats (Biochemical Journal)Tomas et al., Increased weight gain, nitrogen retention and muscle protein synthesis following treatment of diabetic rats with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and des(1-3)IGF-I (Biochemical Journal)
- Reviewed22 July 2026
What else is like IGF-1 DES?
Others in Muscle building, side by side.If you're weighing IGF-1 DES, it's worth reading Follistatin (FST-344), MGF (Mechano Growth Factor), and PEG-MGF in the same class.
A short-acting muscle-builder that works right where you inject it.
- Dose
- 0.05 up to 0.15 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Around training
An experimental muscle-builder that releases the body's brake on growth.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Cycled
A local muscle-repair peptide injected near a worked muscle.
- Dose
- 0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Post-workout
A longer-lasting muscle-repair peptide on a less-frequent schedule.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.4 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 1-2x per week
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
Sources
- Tomas et al., Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and especially IGF-I variants are anabolic in dexamethasone-treated rats (Biochemical Journal)(1992)This is the study behind the potency claim, and the conditions matter more than the number. In 150 g male rats made catabolic with 20 micrograms of dexamethasone a day, des(1-3)IGF-I was roughly 2.5-fold more potent than ordinary IGF-I. It was delivered by continuous infusion from an implanted osmotic pump over seven days, not by injection, and the endpoints were body weight and nitrogen retention rather than muscle size. The highest IGF-I dose, 695 micrograms a day, produced a 6 g weight gain over seven days against a 19 g loss in the dexamethasone-only group and an 18 g gain in pair-fed controls, so the comparison is reversal of wasting, not growth in a healthy animal. Gut weight rose by up to 45% and fractional carcass weight stayed low, meaning much of the gain was not muscle. The paper also undercuts the simple binding-protein story it is usually cited for: LR3IGF-I binds the type 1 IGF receptor three-fold less well than IGF-I and was still more potent.
- Tomas et al., Increased weight gain, nitrogen retention and muscle protein synthesis following treatment of diabetic rats with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and des(1-3)IGF-I (Biochemical Journal)(1991)The same group, a different model, and a noticeably weaker potency claim. In streptozotocin-diabetic rats infused for seven days, des(1-3)IGF-I at 1.08 mg/kg per day produced about 70% of the effect of insulin on weight and nitrogen balance, and the authors concluded only that des(1-3)IGF-I is at least as potent as full-length IGF-I. That is a long way from the 2.5-fold figure obtained in the dexamethasone model, which is a useful reminder that the potency ratio belongs to a model rather than to the molecule. Two further details cut against the way this compound is sold: the improvement in nitrogen balance came from increased muscle protein synthesis, while muscle protein breakdown measured by 3-methylhistidine excretion was inhibited by insulin and not by the IGF peptides, and the IGF peptides did not correct the diabetic glucosuria. Again continuous infusion in rats, not injection into a muscle.
Last reviewed 22 July 2026
Beyond these, 209 records are indexed. Browse the records