It gets your body to release a burst of its own growth hormone.
How people take it
People report 100–300 µg per injection, 1 to 3 times a day, on an empty stomach (bedtime is most common).
Know this
It reliably raises growth hormone in people, but claims about muscle, fat loss and aging are unproven.
What it is
Ipamorelin is a small peptide made by Novo Nordisk in the 1990s that gets your body to release more of its own growth hormone. Older peptides like it (GHRP-6 and GHRP-2) also raised cortisol, prolactin and hunger, but ipamorelin was designed to be more targeted, which is why it's popular. It was tested in people for gut problems after surgery but never approved.
How it works
It acts like ghrelin on the pituitary gland (the hormone control center at the base of your brain), which then releases one burst of growth hormone. That burst peaks about 40 minutes after a dose and then fades, and the growth hormone raises IGF-1 from the liver. It works through a different 'door' than peptides like CJC-1295 No DAC or sermorelin, so people often combine them for a bigger burst.
What people use it for
Raising your own growth hormone and IGF-1
Body composition
Better sleep
Recovery from training
The evidence
Some human studies
In healthy men, an IV dose reliably caused a growth hormone burst, and the body cleared it with a half-life of about 2 hours. A phase 2 trial in bowel-surgery patients found it was well tolerated but didn't clearly speed up gut recovery. No human trials show it builds muscle, burns fat or slows aging; those claims come from community and clinic reports.
On an empty stomach. Before bed is most common (at least 2 hours after eating). Optional extra doses on waking or before a workout. Wait 20–30 minutes before eating.
Cycle
Often 8–12 weeks, then about 4 weeks off
Route
Subcutaneous injection
Why: Each dose makes one growth hormone burst that's over within a few hours. Eating raises insulin, which weakens the burst, so people dose on an empty stomach, and bedtime lines up with the body's biggest natural burst in deep sleep.
Low/starter
Reported
Dose
100 µg
How often
Once a day
When
Before bed, on an empty stomach
Cycle
1–2 weeks to judge tolerance
Route
Subcutaneous injection
Why: One low bedtime dose shows how you handle water retention, tingling or a head rush before you add more.
Hospital trial (post-surgery gut recovery)
Trial dose
Dose
0.03 mg per kg body weight (about 2,100 µg for a 70 kg adult)
How often
Twice a day
When
From day 1 after surgery for up to 7 days
Cycle
Up to 7 days
Route
Intravenous infusion (in hospital)
Why: This was a short hospital test of whether ipamorelin speeds up gut recovery after bowel surgery. It's here for context only: it was given by IV and isn't comparable to at-home shots under the skin.
Start at the low end, and change one thing at a time. If you take medication or have a health condition, check with a doctor first.
We may earn a commission from these links. Counts include one syringe and two swabs per dose.
Stay safe
Side effects
Head rush or light-headed feeling right after the shot
Flushing (warm, red face)
Redness where you inject
Mild hunger (less than older peptides like it)
Water retention (puffiness)
Tingling or numbness in the hands
Headache
Higher fasting blood sugar over time
Skip it if
Cancer now or in the past (growth hormone and IGF-1 can feed tumor growth)
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Diabetes or prediabetes, unless a doctor is tracking your blood sugar
Diabetes-related eye damage (retinopathy)
Under 18
Pituitary gland disease
Interactions
Insulin and diabetes drugs: growth hormone works against insulin
Steroid medicines (the anti-inflammatory kind) can weaken the response
Stacking with other growth hormone peptides or real growth hormone adds up the side effects
Get help right away for swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, chest pain, or a spreading, hot, red injection site.
Storage & legal
Storage
Powder: fridge or freezer. Once mixed with bacteriostatic water: fridge, and use within about 3–4 weeks.
Legal status
FDA: Not approved for any use. FDA flagged ipamorelin for safety concerns in compounding reviews in 2023; its compounding status has been under review since, so check current rules.
Sport (WADA): Prohibited at all times (S2, growth hormone secretagogues). Ipamorelin is named on the list.
Why is ipamorelin so often paired with CJC-1295 No DAC?
They push the same pituitary cells through two different doors: CJC-1295 No DAC uses one receptor and ipamorelin uses the ghrelin one. Together they tend to make a bigger growth hormone burst than either alone, so people often inject both at once.
Will it make me hungry?
Usually much less than GHRP-6, because it's more targeted. Some people still feel a bit hungry after a dose.
Should I get blood work?
Yes, if you can. Check IGF-1 and fasting blood sugar (or HbA1c) before you start and again after 6–8 weeks. Rising blood sugar, or IGF-1 above the normal range for your age, is a sign to cut back or stop.
Sources
Raun K, et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139(5):552-61. PubMed 9849822
Gobburu JV, et al. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res. 1999;16(9):1412-6. PubMed 10496658
Beck DE, et al. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014;29(12):1527-34. PubMed 25331030
Sigalos JT, Pastuszak AW. The Safety and Efficacy of Growth Hormone Secretagogues. Sex Med Rev. 2018;6(1):45-53. PubMed 28400207
Dominikowski A, et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2026;17:1822475. PubMed 42395176