Ipamorelin
Hormonal and Signaling
ABOUT
Ipamorelin is included in the growth-hormone-releasing peptide family in a human analytical study. Peppy has not curated an efficacy or clinical-safety profile from primary clinical trials.
EVIDENCE OVERVIEW
Too little published work to judge either way
WHAT THIS MEANS
Insufficient evidence. Review the research and limitations before relying on this record.
IDENTITY
HALF-LIFE
HOW IT IS THOUGHT TO WORK
Ipamorelin is a pentapeptide agonist at the growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor. Its distinguishing feature is selectivity: in conscious swine, at doses up to 200-fold above the ED50, it did not release ACTH or cortisol at levels different from GHRH stimulation, and it did not alter FSH, LH, prolactin or TSH. GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 do raise ACTH and cortisol at comparable GH-releasing doses.
PHARMACOKINETICS
A dose-escalation study in eight healthy men gave a terminal half-life of 2 hours, clearance of 0.078 L/h/kg and volume of distribution of 0.22 L/kg, with dose-proportional kinetics across 4.21-140.45 nmol/kg intravenous infusions. Subcutaneous pharmacokinetics are not curated.
REVIEW
PUBLISHED PAIR RECORDS
with CJC-1295 (without DAC)
Growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic releaseCJC-1295 (without DAC) acts at the GHRH receptor while Ipamorelin acts at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor. In healthy men, submaximal doses of a GH-releasing peptide combined with GHRH stimulated GH release synergistically rather than additively, and the combined area-under-curve response exceeded the arithmetic sum of each given alone. Combining these two classes therefore produces a larger GH and downstream IGF-1 response than either alone. Ipamorelin is the more receptor-selective secretagogue in this group and has comparatively little effect on prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 with DAC
Growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic releaseCJC-1295 with DAC acts at the GHRH receptor while Ipamorelin acts at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor. In healthy men, submaximal doses of a GH-releasing peptide combined with GHRH stimulated GH release synergistically rather than additively, and the combined area-under-curve response exceeded the arithmetic sum of each given alone. Combining these two classes therefore produces a larger GH and downstream IGF-1 response than either alone. Ipamorelin is the more receptor-selective secretagogue in this group and has comparatively little effect on prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Sermorelin
Growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic releaseSermorelin acts at the GHRH receptor while Ipamorelin acts at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor. In healthy men, submaximal doses of a GH-releasing peptide combined with GHRH stimulated GH release synergistically rather than additively, and the combined area-under-curve response exceeded the arithmetic sum of each given alone. Combining these two classes therefore produces a larger GH and downstream IGF-1 response than either alone. Ipamorelin is the more receptor-selective secretagogue in this group and has comparatively little effect on prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Tesamorelin
Growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic releaseTesamorelin acts at the GHRH receptor while Ipamorelin acts at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor. In healthy men, submaximal doses of a GH-releasing peptide combined with GHRH stimulated GH release synergistically rather than additively, and the combined area-under-curve response exceeded the arithmetic sum of each given alone. Combining these two classes therefore produces a larger GH and downstream IGF-1 response than either alone. Ipamorelin is the more receptor-selective secretagogue in this group and has comparatively little effect on prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with GHRP-2
Same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activityIpamorelin and GHRP-2 both act as agonists at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor, so they compete for the same receptor population instead of adding a second mechanism. One of the pair is non-selective and raises prolactin, ACTH and cortisol alongside GH in human dose-response studies. Human data also indicate the GH response to sustained secretagogue exposure attenuates partially and reversibly over weeks. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with GHRP-6
Same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activityIpamorelin and GHRP-6 both act as agonists at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor, so they compete for the same receptor population instead of adding a second mechanism. One of the pair is non-selective and raises prolactin, ACTH and cortisol alongside GH in human dose-response studies. Human data also indicate the GH response to sustained secretagogue exposure attenuates partially and reversibly over weeks. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Hexarelin
Same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activityIpamorelin and Hexarelin both act as agonists at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor, so they compete for the same receptor population instead of adding a second mechanism. One of the pair is non-selective and raises prolactin, ACTH and cortisol alongside GH in human dose-response studies. Human data also indicate the GH response to sustained secretagogue exposure attenuates partially and reversibly over weeks. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with MK-677
Same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activityIpamorelin and MK-677 both act as agonists at the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor, so they compete for the same receptor population instead of adding a second mechanism. Both are comparatively selective for GH release, with less effect on prolactin, ACTH and cortisol than the GHRP-series peptides. Human data also indicate the GH response to sustained secretagogue exposure attenuates partially and reversibly over weeks. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with IGF-1 LR3
Additive IGF-1 receptor signallingIpamorelin raises IGF-1 indirectly by stimulating growth-hormone release, while IGF-1 LR3 is an IGF-1 analogue that acts directly at the IGF-1 receptor. The two therefore converge on the same downstream signalling. Regulatory labelling for recombinant IGF-1 records that the IGF-1 receptor is homologous to the insulin receptor, that IGF-1 has insulin-like hypoglycaemic effects, and that hypoglycaemia is among its most common adverse effects; doses of insulin or other hypoglycaemic products may need reducing. Growth hormone itself moves blood glucose in the opposite direction, so the net glycaemic effect of the pair is not predictable from either agent alone. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with IGF-1 DES
Additive IGF-1 receptor signallingIpamorelin raises IGF-1 indirectly by stimulating growth-hormone release, while IGF-1 DES is an IGF-1 analogue that acts directly at the IGF-1 receptor. The two therefore converge on the same downstream signalling. Regulatory labelling for recombinant IGF-1 records that the IGF-1 receptor is homologous to the insulin receptor, that IGF-1 has insulin-like hypoglycaemic effects, and that hypoglycaemia is among its most common adverse effects; doses of insulin or other hypoglycaemic products may need reducing. Growth hormone itself moves blood glucose in the opposite direction, so the net glycaemic effect of the pair is not predictable from either agent alone. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Semaglutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Semaglutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Tirzepatide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Tirzepatide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Retatrutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Retatrutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Survodutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Survodutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Mazdutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Mazdutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Cagrilintide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Cagrilintide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Native GIP
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Native GIP acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Trials of the oral secretagogue MK-677 specifically report raised fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The combined effect on blood glucose is therefore not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 19 Aug 2026with Liraglutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Liraglutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. The combined effect on blood glucose is not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with Exenatide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Exenatide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. The combined effect on blood glucose is not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with Dulaglutide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Dulaglutide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. The combined effect on blood glucose is not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with Pramlintide
Opposing effects on glucose regulationIpamorelin raises growth-hormone exposure, and growth hormone is a counter-regulatory hormone: controlled human studies show GH administration impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and deteriorates glucose tolerance through increased lipolysis, with chronic GH excess producing insulin resistance. Pramlintide acts in the opposite direction on glycaemic control. Pramlintide is the sharper case: its labelling carries a boxed warning for severe hypoglycaemia in the insulin-treated setting, so an agent pushing glucose the other way makes the net effect harder to anticipate rather than conveniently cancelling out. The combined effect on blood glucose is not predictable from either agent alone and warrants monitoring rather than assumption. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with follistatin-344
Converging on muscle growth from two different directionsFollistatin-344 antagonises myostatin and activin A, removing a brake on skeletal-muscle growth through the SMAD2/3 pathway. Ipamorelin pushes the accelerator instead, raising growth-hormone exposure and downstream IGF-1. These are genuinely distinct pathways converging on the same tissue outcome, which is why the combination is attractive in principle and why its size cannot be predicted from either alone. The evidence does not support treating it as characterised: human follistatin data comes from AAV-delivered gene therapy in open-label muscular-dystrophy trials of a handful of patients, not from injected follistatin protein, and a case series reported central serous chorioretinopathy in bodybuilders using subcutaneous FS-344. Growth factors affecting muscle regeneration are prohibited at all times in sport. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with AOD-9604
Growth-hormone fragment that does not act through the growth-hormone receptorAOD-9604 is the C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone (residues 177-191), and it is commonly scheduled alongside growth-hormone secretagogues on the assumption that it adds to the same axis. It does not: the fragment was designed to reproduce the lipolytic action of growth hormone without its diabetogenic effects, and published work shows its lipolytic action is not mediated directly through the growth hormone receptor. Ipamorelin raises endogenous growth hormone and downstream IGF-1; AOD-9604 does not add to that signal. The more relevant fact is efficacy: FDA's review describes a 502-person obesity trial in which AOD-9604 showed no significant difference from placebo on its primary endpoint, and development did not proceed to approval. AOD-9604 is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 21 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend
Same substance taken twice: blend already contains this compoundCJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend already contains Ipamorelin at 5 mg per vial. Scheduling the standalone compound alongside the blend means taking it twice from two sources, and the blend's other components come with it whether or not they are wanted at that moment. This is the one exposure risk a blend creates that its individual parts do not, and it is arithmetic rather than pharmacology - the combined amount is whatever the two products add up to. Where a blend's ratio is fixed by the manufacturer, the only way to change one component's dose is to add or remove the whole vial. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 with DAC / Ipamorelin blend
Same substance taken twice: blend already contains this compoundCJC-1295 with DAC / Ipamorelin blend already contains Ipamorelin. Scheduling the standalone compound alongside the blend means taking it twice from two sources, and the blend's other components come with it whether or not they are wanted at that moment. This is the one exposure risk a blend creates that its individual parts do not, and it is arithmetic rather than pharmacology - the combined amount is whatever the two products add up to. Where a blend's ratio is fixed by the manufacturer, the only way to change one component's dose is to add or remove the whole vial. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with Sermorelin / Ipamorelin blend
Same substance taken twice: blend already contains this compoundSermorelin / Ipamorelin blend already contains Ipamorelin. Scheduling the standalone compound alongside the blend means taking it twice from two sources, and the blend's other components come with it whether or not they are wanted at that moment. This is the one exposure risk a blend creates that its individual parts do not, and it is arithmetic rather than pharmacology - the combined amount is whatever the two products add up to. Where a blend's ratio is fixed by the manufacturer, the only way to change one component's dose is to add or remove the whole vial. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 / GHRP-2 blend
Inherited from a component of this blendCJC-1295 / GHRP-2 blend contains CJC-1295 (without DAC) and GHRP-2, and the catalogue holds a curated pair record between those components and Ipamorelin: CJC-1295 (without DAC) (growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic release); GHRP-2 (same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activity). Taking the blend therefore carries the same consideration as taking that component on its own, with the difference that a fixed-ratio vial cannot be adjusted independently of the rest of its contents. The evidence and citations here are the component record's; nothing has been studied about the blend itself. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 / GHRP-6 blend
Inherited from a component of this blendCJC-1295 / GHRP-6 blend contains CJC-1295 (without DAC) and GHRP-6, and the catalogue holds a curated pair record between those components and Ipamorelin: CJC-1295 (without DAC) (growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic release); GHRP-6 (same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activity). Taking the blend therefore carries the same consideration as taking that component on its own, with the difference that a fixed-ratio vial cannot be adjusted independently of the rest of its contents. The evidence and citations here are the component record's; nothing has been studied about the blend itself. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with CJC-1295 / Hexarelin blend
Inherited from a component of this blendCJC-1295 / Hexarelin blend contains CJC-1295 (without DAC) and Hexarelin, and the catalogue holds a curated pair record between those components and Ipamorelin: CJC-1295 (without DAC) (growth-hormone axis: documented synergistic release); Hexarelin (same receptor class: overlapping ghrelin-receptor activity). Taking the blend therefore carries the same consideration as taking that component on its own, with the difference that a fixed-ratio vial cannot be adjusted independently of the rest of its contents. The evidence and citations here are the component record's; nothing has been studied about the blend itself. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with Kyinsu
Inherited from a component of this blendKyinsu contains Semaglutide, and the catalogue holds a curated pair record between that component and Ipamorelin: Semaglutide (opposing effects on glucose regulation). Taking the blend therefore carries the same consideration as taking that component on its own, with the difference that a fixed-ratio vial cannot be adjusted independently of the rest of its contents. The evidence and citations here are the component record's; nothing has been studied about the blend itself. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026with CagriSema
Inherited from a component of this blendCagriSema contains Semaglutide and Cagrilintide, and the catalogue holds a curated pair record between those components and Ipamorelin: Semaglutide (opposing effects on glucose regulation); Cagrilintide (opposing effects on glucose regulation). Taking the blend therefore carries the same consideration as taking that component on its own, with the difference that a fixed-ratio vial cannot be adjusted independently of the rest of its contents. The evidence and citations here are the component record's; nothing has been studied about the blend itself. Peppy reports curated pharmacology, not a safety verdict. A prescriber or pharmacist should review any intended combination.
Reviewed 25 Aug 2026HUMAN EVIDENCE
The published human record is that single 1999 phase 1 pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study in eight healthy men. Development for post-operative ileus reached rodent models, where repeated dosing increased faecal pellet output, food intake and body-weight gain after surgery, but no human efficacy trial has been published. No clinical outcome has been demonstrated in people.
REPORTED EFFECTS
No dedicated human safety study is available; the phase 1 study reported no adverse events in eight subjects over short exposure, which cannot characterise uncommon or long-term harms. FDA removed ipamorelin from the Category 2 interim compounding list in September 2024 after the nomination was withdrawn, and in October 2024 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee reviewed it with FDA recommending against inclusion in the 503A Bulks Regulation.
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS
Detection or analytical research does not demonstrate benefit or safety. No dosing, protocol, or interaction conclusion is provided.
CURATED SOURCES · 4