Ipamorelin
Growth-hormone axis (secretagogue)
Status & caution. Not FDA-approved. Named in the February 2026 HHS announcement among peptides expected to move toward Category 1, but NOT among the 12 bulk substances FDA formally advanced to PCAC review in spring 2026; its US compounding status is unsettled. Commonly sold grey-market as 'research only.' More 'selective' than older GHRPs (less cortisol/prolactin effect) but still stimulates the GH axis with limited long-term data.
At a glance
Indications & what it's studied for
Used to stimulate a GH pulse for recovery, sleep, and body composition; often the secretagogue half of a GHRH+GHRP pair.
Contraindications & cautions
Active malignancy; pituitary disease; pregnancy. Caution with insulin resistance/glucose intolerance.
Commonly reported dosing
Reported, not recommended. The following describes what appears in research literature and community use. It is not a protocol, and unapproved peptides have no validated human dosing.
Commonly reported in small subcutaneous doses, sometimes timed to sleep or training; no approved dosing exists.
Routes of administration
Subcutaneous injection.
Don't combine with
Somatostatin; large carbohydrate/fat loads near dosing can blunt the GH response.
Reported to stack with
The classic pairing is with a GHRH analogue (CJC-1295/mod GRF or sermorelin) for a synergistic pulse.
Note: "stacking" combines multiple agents and multiplies unknowns; popularity of a combination is not evidence of its safety.
What the research actually shows
Animal and limited human pharmacology show GH release with relative selectivity; long-term outcome trials are lacking.
Before acting on anything here, see Safety & the grey market and how to read a COA.