GH secretagogue
Ipamorelin
Not approved; FDA Category 2Small human studiesIpa
A five-amino-acid peptide that mimics ghrelin to trigger a growth hormone pulse. It's described as selective because, unlike older GHRPs, it raises cortisol and prolactin little in early studies. It was tested in humans for gut recovery after surgery, where it didn't beat placebo.
- Canada
- Not authorized; named in Health Canada's 2026 warning
- United States
- Not approved; still on FDA's Category 2 (safety concern) list for compounding
Download profile Opens in Vialchemy on your iPhone, where it's added to your Library as your own.
Not medical advice — talk to your doctor before making medical decisions.
At a glance
- Class
- GH secretagogue (ghrelin receptor agonist)
- Mechanism
- Triggers a GH pulse from the pituitary
- Evidence
- Small human trials (post-surgery gut recovery, not effective)
- Canada
- Not authorized
- Us
- Not approved; FDA Category 2
- Half Life
- About 2 hours
- Routes
- SubQ
- Common Side Effects
- Headache, flushing, hunger, water retention
- Key Cautions
- Raised blood sugar; avoid with cancer history; WADA prohibited
What the research says
Does it help body composition or sleep?
No trials in healthy adults show that. Human trials looked at bowel recovery after surgery and it didn't work better than placebo.
With CJC-1295 (no DAC)?
The usual pairing, meant to give a larger GH pulse. Not studied as a pair.
With retatrutide or another GLP-1?
No data. GH raises blood sugar and ghrelin-type compounds can increase hunger, working against a GLP-1. Track glucose and appetite.
If you're drug-tested in sport?
Prohibited by WADA (S2, GH secretagogues).
Common side effects and cautions
- Water retention, tingling or numb hands, joint aches and headache are the usual GH-related effects.
- Raised growth hormone and IGF-1 can raise blood sugar and lower insulin sensitivity. Worth watching if you're also on a GLP-1 or have prediabetes.
- Flushing, light-headedness or a rush of hunger right after injection are commonly reported.
- Long-term raised IGF-1 is linked in studies to cancer growth, so people with active cancer or a history of it are usually told to avoid GH-raising compounds.
- Prohibited in sport (WADA S2) if you're drug-tested.
Get medical care if
- Redness, heat, swelling or pus at a site that spreads or comes with fever
- Hives, swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing (call 911)
Buying and quality
- Not authorized by Health Canada. Products sold online as "research use only" are illegal to sell for human use in Canada, and the label doesn't change that.
- Health Canada warns these products may contain too much, too little or none of the peptide, plus contaminants like endotoxins, solvents, heavy metals or bacteria.
- A certificate of analysis (COA) from the seller isn't independent proof. A 98% purity result still leaves 2% unidentified.
- If you use it anyway: one clean needle per injection, sterile technique, label and date every vial, and stop if a site gets hot, red and spreading.
Dose calculator
Doses are set with your prescriber. This converts a dose you already have into what to draw; it doesn't recommend one. Check every number against your syringe and your vial's label.
Doses left in the vial
A blend vial
Not medical advice — talk to your doctor before making medical decisions.
Sources
Researched 2026-10-27. Trial results and approval status change.
General education, not medical advice. Nothing here is a dose recommendation. Doses, schedules and changes are set with a prescriber.