Ipamorelin on Juno

What it does

Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide that acts at the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) to stimulate pituitary growth hormone release. Compared to older GHRPs like GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, it shows much less cortisol and prolactin elevation in early animal and short human studies. It was investigated for postoperative ileus before that development program was discontinued, so the published human dose-finding evidence is shallower than the peptide's popularity in self-experimenter communities suggests.

Used for

Dose

Starting: 100 mcg · 1–3× daily
Common: 200 mcg · 1–3× daily
Upper: 300 mcg · 1–3× daily
When: BedtimeGH secretagogue. Lighter on hunger + cortisol than the GHRP class. Most-stacked with CJC-1295 at the same bedtime dose. Empty stomach.
How long: 6 months on / 2 months off
Site: subcutaneous
Food: fasted

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⚠ Caution

Active malignancy (relative — GH/IGF-1 is theoretically permissive of tumor growth)
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Severe insulin resistance or uncontrolled diabetes (GH is counter-regulatory to insulin)
Pituitary or hypothalamic disease — confirm with provider before use
Hypersensitivity to ipamorelin

Medications & conditions

Ipamorelin with corticosteroid — blunted GH responseUser is taking a corticosteroid. Chronic high-dose glucocorticoid use blunts pituitary responsiveness to ghrelin-receptor agonists, reducing the GH-pulse amplitude that ipamorelin stimulates. Clinical benefit may be attenuated during sustained steroid use.

Will it work for me?

Establish a baseline (2–3 readings over 1–2 weeks before starting), then track at consistent intervals.

Blood markers

Tier 1 — Human RCTIGF-1↑· by 8 weeks; stay within age-adjusted range — do not chase supraphysiologicIpamorelin alone produces a more modest IGF-1 rise than the CJC/Ipamorelin stack.

Imaging

Tier 2 — Human observationalLean mass % via DEXA↑· 12 weeks+

Functional & psychometric

Tier 3 — Animal / in vitroSleep quality (PSQI)↓· 2–4 weeksLower PSQI = better sleep.

Often stacked with

CJC-1295 — CJC-1295 (GHRH analog) primes somatotroph GHRH receptors; Ipamorelin (ghrelin-receptor agonist) pulls the GH-release trigger — dual pathway produces a larger, cleaner GH pulse than either alone.
Tesamorelin — Tesamorelin (GHRH analog, FDA-approved) amplifies the GHRH axis; Ipamorelin adds a selective ghrelin-pathway GH pulse — the same GHRH + GHRP dual-pathway synergy as CJC/Ipamorelin, applied with a more clinically characterised GHRH analog.

Your stack

Track this peptide in your protocol — dose, schedule, vials on hand, refill projection. Stays in your browser; no account needed.

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Use this peptide

Cycling

6 months on, 2 months off.

Co-injection & overlap

Can share a syringe with: CJC-1295, Tesamorelin

Redundant with

CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin — The CJC-1295/Ipamorelin blend already contains a full Ipamorelin dose; adding standalone Ipamorelin doubles the GHRP load on ghrelin receptors without proportional GH benefit.; typically run one, not both.

Reconstitution & storage

Vial	BAC water	Concentration	Shelf life
10 mg	2 mL	500 mcg per 10 units	1 month

Reconstitute lyophilized powder with bacteriostatic water. For vial sizes not in the table, aim for a concentration that yields ergonomic, whole-number unit doses on a U-100 syringe. Use the calculator to verify.

Storage. Lyophilized vial: room temperature is acceptable short-term; refrigeration (2–8 °C) extends stability. Reconstituted: refrigerate 2–8 °C, use within 30 days. Avoid repeated temperature cycling.

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Nasal delivery

Not suitable for nasal delivery. SQ only — protein structure and the need for systemic delivery to the pituitary make nasal absorption non-viable.

Reference

How it works

Selective agonism of the GHS-R1a (ghrelin receptor) on pituitary somatotrophs and the arcuate nucleus, triggering pulsatile endogenous GH release. Selectivity for GH over ACTH, prolactin, and FSH/LH distinguishes it from older GHRPs.

Juno's take

Ipamorelin's reputation outpaces its evidence. The selective-GH-release pharmacology is real and replicated, but the leap from "GH and IGF-1 go up" to clinical-outcome benefits (lean mass, fat loss, sleep, recovery) doesn't have the trial data to back it up. Community framing treats this as a default "safe" GH-secretagogue stack ingredient — that's reasonable on side-effect profile, but don't expect the body-composition results community framing implies.

EvidenceTier 3 — Animal / in vitro

Tiers are per indication. The same molecule can be Tier 1 for one use and Tier 4 for another — the tier reflects published literature, not community framing.

Stimulation of GH release in healthy adults

Tier 2medium confidence

Small human studies (Raun et al. and follow-ups) demonstrated selective GH release with minimal effect on cortisol or prolactin. These are short-duration pharmacology studies, not outcome trials.

Raun K et al. 1998

Postoperative ileus

Tier 2medium confidence

A Phase 2b RCT in postoperative ileus showed mixed results and development was halted. Worth knowing: the only large-scale human RCT for ipamorelin is in this discontinued indication, not the body-composition claims it is sold against today.

Beck DE et al. 2014

Body composition / muscle gain

Tier 3high confidence

No published human RCTs evaluate ipamorelin (alone or stacked) for hypertrophy, body fat reduction, or athletic performance. Claims rest on extrapolation from GH/IGF-1 elevation rather than direct measurement of body-composition outcomes.

No primary citations are anchored to this indication — the tier reflects the absence of usable literature, not a missing reference.

Sleep quality

Tier 3medium confidence

GH pulses occur predominantly during slow-wave sleep, and GHRP/GHRH pairings can amplify these. There are no controlled human trials specifically of ipamorelin and sleep architecture, however.