What is ipamorelin?
Ipamorelin is a lab-made peptide of five amino acids, developed by Novo Nordisk in the 1990s. It copies ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” at the receptor that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone.
It was described as the first “selective” growth hormone secretagogue because, in animal studies, it raised growth hormone without also raising cortisol or prolactin much.
What does ipamorelin do?
Ipamorelin causes a short pulse of growth hormone release. People use it hoping for fat loss, more muscle, better sleep and faster recovery, often paired with CJC-1295 or tesamorelin (“tesa/ipa”).
Those hoped-for effects come from what growth hormone does in general, not from trials of ipamorelin.
What does the research on ipamorelin show?
Ipamorelin reached mid-stage human trials as a treatment for slow bowel recovery after surgery (postoperative ileus), but it didn’t show enough benefit and development stopped. It has never been tested in trials for fat loss, muscle or anti-aging.
Ipamorelin side effects and risks
Its side effects with long-term use are unknown. Reported problems include headache, flushing, water retention and injection-site reactions; raising growth hormone can also raise blood sugar.
The FDA flagged possible immune reactions and reported serious adverse events, including a death, with intravenous use. Products sold online aren’t checked for purity or strength.
Is ipamorelin legal?
Ipamorelin is not approved for human use by the FDA or any other regulator, and it is on the FDA’s list of compounding substances with safety concerns for outsourcing facilities. It is banned at all times by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
How do you reconstitute ipamorelin?
Ipamorelin comes as a powder that is mixed with bacteriostatic water. The calculator above turns the vial size, the water and a dose into syringe units, and the reconstitution guide explains each step.
See the dosage section below for what is known about doses, with sources.