CJC-1295/Ipamorelin Dosage: Growth Hormone Protocol

The CJC-1295/ipamorelin combination is one of the most heavily marketed peptide “protocols”. The pitch is attractive: instead of injecting growth hormone, you nudge your own pituitary gland to release more of it. Here’s what the evidence shows: each component has been tested in only a handful of small human studies, neither reached approval, and the combination itself has never been studied in a published trial.

This page sets out the nightly protocol that is most commonly used in practice, the DAC vs no-DAC distinction that most online resources get wrong, how the two molecules work, what human research actually tested, and the risks and regulatory status. If low energy, body composition or ageing is what brought you here, the final sections also cover the approved, tested options and what to ask your physician. Readers who prefer a sermorelin-based protocol with similar pulsatility will find a parallel titration guide in Sermorelin Dosage & Protocol Guide.

At a Glance

Protocol Table: Dose, Route, Timing and Basis

For informational purposes only — this summarises doses used in research and practice; it is not a prescription or individual medical advice.

One row per use case. Basis: Trial (published human study, PMID), Practice protocol (reported by at least two independent compilations, including the forum protocols tabulated in a 2026 peer-reviewed review), Anecdotal (community reports only). “CJC-1295” below means the version without DAC (modified GRF 1-29) unless DAC is stated.

The review that tabulates the forum protocols places CJC-1295 without DAC in its lowest evidence tier, with no peer-reviewed human studies at all; the human data in the Trial rows come from the DAC version and from intravenous ipamorelin in hospital patients.

Technique, reconstitution and storage are in the peptide injection guide.

What CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin Are and What They Do

Growth hormone (GH) is released from the pituitary in pulses, mostly during deep sleep. Two signals from the brain push that release: GHRH, and ghrelin acting on the GH secretagogue receptor. GH then drives the liver to make insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which mediates many of its effects on muscle, fat and bone.

CJC-1295 is a GHRH analogue. The original molecule carries a “drug affinity complex” (DAC) that binds it to albumin in the blood, giving a half-life of about six to eight days in healthy volunteers (Teichman et al., 2006). Products sold as “CJC-1295 without DAC” or “Mod GRF 1-29” are a different, short-acting molecule, and the human studies of CJC-1295 do not apply to them.

Ipamorelin is a five-amino-acid GH secretagogue. In animal pharmacology it released GH without the ACTH and cortisol rise seen with the older GH-releasing peptides GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 (Raun et al., 1998).

The idea behind combining them is that two different signals together produce a larger GH pulse than either alone. That is plausible physiology. It has not been tested as a treatment.

What the Evidence Shows

Human studies

None of these studies measured what people buy the combination for: fat loss, muscle, recovery, sleep or “anti-ageing”. They measured hormone levels, or, in the ipamorelin trial, a gut-surgery outcome that came out negative.

What a related class tells us

Longer trials of other GH-axis drugs show both the potential and the trade-offs. In a two-year randomised trial in healthy older adults, the oral ghrelin mimetic ibutamoren (MK-677) raised GH and increased fat-free mass, but did not improve strength or function, and it raised fasting glucose and reduced insulin sensitivity (Nass et al., 2008). The approved GHRH analogue tesamorelin, studied for 20 weeks in older adults, raised IGF-1 and improved some cognitive scores, while fasting insulin rose in participants with mild cognitive impairment and adverse events were more common than with placebo (Baker et al., 2012). These findings do not transfer directly to CJC-1295 or ipamorelin, but they show that raising GH and IGF-1 has metabolic costs that need monitoring.

For a comparison with the approved option, see CJC-1295/Ipamorelin vs Tesamorelin.

Dosing Protocol: What the Evidence and Practice Support

For informational purposes only — this summarises doses used in research and practice; it is not a prescription or individual medical advice.

The nightly schedules below come from clinical practice and pharmacological rationale, not from the trials in the table above: the CJC-1295 trials used the long-acting DAC molecule, and the ipamorelin trial used intravenous dosing in hospital patients. That is exactly why the DAC distinction matters.

The Critical Distinction: DAC vs No-DAC

Before discussing doses, the single most common source of confusion in CJC-1295 dosing needs addressing. CJC-1295 exists in two forms:

CJC-1295 with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex)

• Contains a maleimido modification that binds to serum albumin
• Half-life: about six to eight days
• One week after a single injection, trough GH was about 7.5-fold higher while GH pulses continued unchanged on top (Ionescu & Frohman, 2006)
• Forum protocols use 1-2 mg per week in total, as 1-2 injections; the trials used 30 or 60 mcg/kg (about 2.1-4.2 mg at 70 kg) weekly or every two weeks
• NOT the version typically combined with ipamorelin

CJC-1295 without DAC (Modified GRF 1-29 / Mod GRF)

• The first 29 amino acids of GHRH, modified for protease resistance
• Half-life: approximately 30 minutes
• Intended to produce a brief GH pulse when combined with ipamorelin (no published human studies)
• Typically dosed nightly at 100-300 mcg
• This is the version used in the standard combination protocol

This distinction matters enormously. CJC-1295 with DAC keeps stimulating the pituitary for a week or more: GH pulses persist, but trough GH and IGF-1 stay raised between them, which is a different exposure with a different risk profile. CJC-1295 without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) is meant to give a short pulse that returns to baseline, which is the goal of the nightly protocol. In the protocol below, CJC-1295 means the no-DAC version.

Standard Nightly Protocol

Dosing Tiers

Why Not Higher?

Doses above 300 mcg of each peptide do not appear to produce proportionally greater GH release. The pituitary has a finite number of somatotroph cells and a physiological ceiling for GH secretion per pulse. Exceeding this ceiling does not produce more GH; it produces longer GH elevation, which is not the goal. The aim is a large, brief pulse followed by return to baseline, mimicking natural physiology. The human data are limited to one study: in healthy men given intravenous ipamorelin at 4-140 nmol/kg (roughly 0.2-7 mg at 70 kg), every dose produced a single GH pulse peaking at about 40 minutes, and the response followed a saturable concentration-response curve (Gobburu et al., 1999). Where subcutaneous doses hit that ceiling has never been measured; the 300 mcg upper end is practice, not a tested limit.

Practical Administration

Injection technique

• Both peptides can be drawn into the same syringe and injected simultaneously
• Inject subcutaneously into abdominal tissue, rotating injection sites
• Use insulin syringes (29-31 gauge) for minimal discomfort
• Inject at a 45-90 degree angle depending on subcutaneous tissue thickness

Timing optimisation

• 30-60 minutes before sleep. This allows the peptides to stimulate a GH pulse that coincides with the first slow-wave sleep cycle, the largest physiological GH pulse of the day.
• At least 2 hours after the last meal. Insulin blunts GH secretion, so a post-meal insulin spike will attenuate the GH response. Ideally, the last meal is at least 2-3 hours before injection (fasting itself amplifies GH secretion: Ho et al., 1988).
• No carbohydrates or sugar after injection. For the same insulin reason, avoid food (especially carbohydrates) between injection and sleep.

Reconstitution and storage

• Reconstitute lyophilised peptides with bacteriostatic water
• Store reconstituted vials refrigerated (2-8 °C)
• Use within 21-28 days of reconstitution
• Do not freeze reconstituted peptides
• Protect from light

The off-night rationale. Taking 1-2 nights off per week serves two purposes:

1. Pituitary sensitivity maintenance. Continuous stimulation of any receptor system can lead to desensitisation. Intermittent rest periods may preserve pituitary responsiveness.
2. IGF-1 feedback assessment. Off-nights allow the pituitary to show its unstimulated function, which can be useful for monitoring.

Monitoring

Baseline labs

• IGF-1 (the primary monitoring marker)
• Fasting glucose and insulin (GH affects glucose metabolism)
• HbA1c (baseline metabolic assessment)
• Complete metabolic panel
• Baseline body composition assessment (DEXA scan preferred)

Follow-up

IGF-1 targets. The goal is to elevate IGF-1 into the upper physiological range for age, not to supraphysiological levels. Target ranges vary by age, but generally:

• Age 30-40: IGF-1 target 200-280 ng/mL
• Age 40-50: IGF-1 target 180-250 ng/mL
• Age 50-60: IGF-1 target 150-220 ng/mL
• Age 60+: IGF-1 target 130-200 ng/mL

IGF-1 levels consistently above 300 ng/mL warrant dose reduction. Chronically elevated IGF-1 is associated with increased cancer risk in epidemiological studies.

Common side effects: water retention (mild, typically in the first 2-4 weeks), increased hunger (ipamorelin’s ghrelin-receptor activation), tingling or numbness in the hands (carpal-tunnel-like symptoms from fluid shifts), and mild injection-site reactions.

Contraindications: active malignancy, uncontrolled diabetes, active diabetic retinopathy, pituitary tumours or active pituitary disease, pregnancy and lactation, and a history of intracranial hypertension.

Red flags: fasting glucose rising above the normal range, persistent oedema, new joint pain or carpal tunnel symptoms that do not resolve, and IGF-1 above 300 ng/mL.

Known and Theoretical Risks

FDA-reported adverse events. In its review of compounding nominations, the FDA noted serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295, including increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction. For ipamorelin, it cited a published report of serious adverse events, including a death, when ipamorelin was given intravenously for gastric motility.

IGF-1 and growth. Raising GH and IGF-1 for months is not neutral. The drug class can worsen glucose control (Nass et al., 2008) and cause fluid retention and joint or nerve symptoms. Because IGF-1 promotes cell growth, people with a current or past cancer, or active diabetic eye disease, should not be raising it outside a supervised trial.

Masking a diagnosis. Tiredness, weight gain and low libido have many causes, including thyroid disease, sleep apnoea, depression and true pituitary disorders. Treating the symptom with a secretagogue can delay finding the cause.

Product quality. These peptides are mostly sold as research chemicals without pharmaceutical quality control. Test purchases of illegally sold injectable peptides have found less active drug than labelled, unknown impurities and endotoxin (Breindahl et al., 2015; Ashraf et al., 2024). Mislabelling between the DAC and no-DAC forms adds another layer of uncertainty.

Injection-related harm. Local infection and, rarely, more serious infection are possible with any home injection, more so with multi-use vials of uncertain sterility.

Regulatory Status

• United States (FDA): neither is an approved drug. On the FDA page Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (content current as of 22 April 2026), CJC-1295 and ipamorelin acetate are listed among substances formerly in 503A category 2 whose compounding nominations were withdrawn, with the safety concerns described above. Ipamorelin remains in 503B category 2 (since September 2023). Neither is on the 503A bulks list or in category 1 of FDA’s May 2026 list.
• EU and Germany: neither is authorised by the European Medicines Agency or Germany’s BfArM. The words “research use only” on a vial are a legal disclaimer, not evidence that anyone tested the contents for human use.
• Sport (WADA 2026 Prohibited List): both prohibited at all times under S2.2.4 (CJC-1295 is named among GHRH analogues; ipamorelin among GH secretagogues).
• Approved relatives: tesamorelin is FDA-approved for reducing excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy (Falutz et al., 2007). Its dosing is set by the official prescribing information for that indication.

When to Talk to a Physician

If you are interested in a GH-axis treatment, start with a medical assessment rather than a product. A useful visit covers your symptoms and goals, a check for treatable causes (thyroid, sleep, mood, medication, nutrition), and, where clinically indicated, formal testing for growth hormone deficiency, which requires stimulation testing and is treated with approved growth hormone under endocrinology supervision.

Tell your doctor if you have used CJC-1295, ipamorelin or similar products, including the source and duration. Seek care for new swelling of hands or feet, numbness or tingling in the hands, persistent headaches, visual changes, very high thirst or urination, or palpitations.

To take part in research instead, search ClinicalTrials.gov or the EU Clinical Trials Register.

The Bottom Line

CJC-1295 raised GH and IGF-1 in short studies of healthy adults. Ipamorelin did not beat placebo in its one phase 2 trial. Neither became an approved medicine, the FDA has recorded serious adverse events, and the nightly combination sold today has no published human data at all. Raising GH and IGF-1 also has metabolic trade-offs. The protocol most commonly used in practice is CJC-1295 (Mod GRF 1-29) and ipamorelin at 100-300 mcg each, injected subcutaneously before bed 5-6 nights per week for 8-16 week cycles, with IGF-1 and glucose monitoring. Anyone weighing it should know that this schedule comes from practice and pharmacology rather than a published trial. If GH-related symptoms are the concern, a proper endocrine work-up and, where appropriate, approved treatments remain the path with the most data behind them.

Back to CJC-1295/Ipamorelin Overview | All Peptide Articles

Related Reading

• BPC-157 Dosage Guide
• CJC-1295/Ipamorelin: Growth Hormone Secretagogues
• Sermorelin Dosage & Protocol Guide: Titration, Timing, and Lab Monitoring