Ipamorelin_
Also known as NNC 26-0161
A gentle shot that nudges your body to release its own growth hormone.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Ipamorelin?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Ipamorelin is a growth hormone secretagogue, specifically a ghrelin-receptor agonist (a GHRP). In plain terms: instead of injecting growth hormone, it signals your pituitary to release a clean pulse of your own, without much effect on hunger or stress hormones.
What it's 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.
How does Ipamorelin work?
What it does in the body, and where.Ipamorelin does not contain growth hormone. It signals your pituitary to release your own, by copying ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry.
- 01It binds the ghrelin receptorThe same receptor that hunger acts through, which is also the trigger for a growth hormone pulse.
- 02Your pituitary releases a pulse of its own growth hormoneA pulse rather than a constant level, which is closer to how your body normally releases it than an injection of growth hormone would be.
- 03It leaves cortisol and prolactin aloneOlder peptides in this family also spiked stress hormones. Ipamorelin's selectivity is its main advantage over them.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each group 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.
Growth hormone release
Research only- Animal studyIn rats it triggered growth hormone release cleanly, without raising stress hormones even at doses 200 times higher.
- Lab studyIn rat pituitary cells it was active at very low concentrations.
- Animal studyIn rats it increased leg bone growth from 42 to 52 micrometres per day over 15 days.
What happened in people
Research only- Human trialThe one real human trial, testing bowel recovery after surgery, did not meet its goal and development was discontinued.
- No dataNo human trial supports its use for fat loss, muscle gain, anti-aging, or sleep.
Popular claims about fat loss, muscle gain, and anti-aging have no human trial behind them. The only real human trial tested bowel recovery after surgery and failed.
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.2 up to 0.3 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), daily, often at night. Commonly cycled, often quoted as 5 days on and 2 days off, or 8 to 12 weeks on and 4 offCommunity practice
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.
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
8 / 100 unitsHow 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 Ipamorelin 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.Who should avoid it
- Active cancer, as a precaution with anything raising growth hormone
- Pregnancy
- Banned in drug-tested sport
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- New lumps or masses
Common effects
- Headache
- Injection-site reactions
- Temporary fluid retention
- Reported in early-stage studies only. There is no large controlled safety database for general use
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Ipamorelin approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Not FDA-approved.
Sold for research use only. Not cleared for human consumption or medical use.
- DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed22 July 2026
What else is like Ipamorelin?
Others in Growth hormone, side by side.If you're weighing Ipamorelin, it's worth reading CJC-1295 with DAC, CJC-1295 no DAC (Mod GRF 1-29), and Sermorelin in the same class.
A gentle shot that nudges your body to release its own growth hormone.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.3 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily, often at night
A once-or-twice-weekly shot that keeps your growth hormone raised for days.
- Dose
- 1 up to 2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 1-2x per week
A short-acting growth-hormone pulse, usually paired with ipamorelin.
- Dose
- 0.1 mg per dose
- How often
- Daily to 2x daily
A gentle shot that prompts your body to make more of its own growth hormone.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily/nightly
10What these words mean
Show glossary +
What these words mean
- Titrate
- Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
- Subcutaneous
- An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
- Intramuscular (IM)
- An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
- Concentration
- How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
- Units (on the syringe)
- The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
- mcg and mg
- Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
- GLP-1
- A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
- Growth hormone secretagogue
- A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
- Half-life
- How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
- Peptide vs small molecule
- A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
- Research only
- No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
- Investigational
- Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
- Banned in drug-tested sport
- Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.
Sources
- Raun ipamorelin study, European Journal of Endocrinology, 1998
- Ipamorelin post-operative ileus trial, ClinicalTrials.gov
Last reviewed 22 July 2026