The 300 mcg daily, five-days-on/two-days-off row is an unofficial recorded preset, not a regulator-approved regimen. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
There is no regulator-approved starting dose for this research use. A low-looking number is not automatically safe.
Recorded preset300 mcg / dayCalculator library reference
This is the range represented in the in-app protocol library. It describes the source record; it does not validate the regimen.
Higher exposureNo validated wellness ceilingRisk and uncertainty increase
Higher exposure is not established as more effective. Human pharmacokinetic and long-term safety data may be absent.
Drug amount and device markings are different quantities. The calculator converts mass into volume, syringe units, or pen clicks.
Patterns described in source material
5 days on / 2 days off in the preset
The cadence represented by the recorded calculator presets.
Human studies used study-specific IV or SC designs
Published experiments may use a different route, formulation, timing, or population and should not be treated as interchangeable.
No universal schedule
No single schedule has been validated across products or research contexts.
Clinical context
Human pharmacology confirms GH release, but no approved indication or long-term dosing schedule was established.
Storage, handling and interpretation
Lyophilized material
Keep cold, dry, and protected from light according to the manufacturer certificate or validated lab SOP.
After reconstitution
Use sterile technique, refrigerate as validated, and avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Traceability
Record lot, concentration, preparation date, and the identity/purity documentation used by the lab.
Reported protocols for Ipamorelin
What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 2 clinical, 3 preclinical and 4 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
Context
Dose
Frequency
Route
Course
Source
Clinical2 rows
Intravenous dose-escalation pharmacokinetic study40 healthy men, 8 per dose level
4.21, 14.02, 42.13, 84.27 or 140.45 nmol/kg (roughly 3-100 mcg/kg)
Pharmacokinetics were dose-proportional with a terminal half-life of about 2 hours, and every dose produced a single GH pulse peaking at about 40 minutes and then fading to baseline. The GH response varied between people far more than the drug levels did, which is relevant to anyone extrapolating a fixed microgram dose.
Phase 2 post-operative ileus trial117 adults after open or laparoscopic bowel resection (114 analysed)
0.03 mg/kg
Twice daily
Intravenous infusion
Post-operative day 1 to day 7 or hospital dischargeNone
Median time to first tolerated meal was 25.3 hours on ipamorelin against 32.6 hours on placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant, and no key or secondary endpoint separated from placebo. Adverse events were slightly fewer than placebo (87.5% versus 94.8%), making this the only controlled multi-day safety record of the compound in humans.
Preclinical3 rows
Discovery pharmacology in rats and pigsAnaesthetised rats, conscious swine and rat pituitary cell cultures
ED50 80 nmol/kg in rats and 2.3 nmol/kg in pigs for GH release; selectivity held at more than 200 times the ED50
GH release matched GHRP-6 in potency and efficacy, but unlike GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 ipamorelin did not raise ACTH or cortisol above what GHRH itself produced, even at very high doses. None of the compounds tested changed FSH, LH, prolactin or TSH in pigs.
Bone growth study in adult female ratsAdult female rats
Longitudinal bone growth rose dose-dependently from 42 to 44, 50 and 52 micrometres per day and body weight gain increased, while total IGF-1, binding proteins and bone turnover markers did not change. The GH response to a test dose was only marginally reduced after 15 days, and pituitary GH content was unchanged.
Glucocorticoid-treated rat muscle and bone study8-month-old female rats given methylprednisolone 9 mg/kg per day
Adding ipamorelin to the steroid restored calf-muscle tetanic tension and raised periosteal bone formation four-fold compared with the steroid alone. This is the longest continuous animal course published for the compound and used no breaks.
Community-reported4 rows
Compounding-pharmacy protocol summary
200-300 mcg (new users 100-150 mcg; some protocols up to 400-500 mcg)
Once daily at bedtime; advanced protocols add a fasted morning or pre-workout dose
Subcutaneous
3-6 months4-8 weeks between cycles; some prescribers dose year-round with 1-2 month breaks
Community resource2026
An April 2026 guide written for prescription users states that most benefit is captured at 200-300 mcg and that larger doses do not add proportionate GH output. It pairs the bedtime dose with 100-200 mcg of CJC-1295 without DAC in the same syringe, or with 1-2 mg weekly of the DAC form injected separately, and recommends re-checking IGF-1 at the end of each cycle.
Telehealth patient guide to the CJC-1295 stack
100-300 mcg ipamorelin with 100-300 mcg CJC-1295 without DAC, usually matched 1:1
Nightly at bedtime at least 2 hours after eating, often 5 days on and 2 off
Subcutaneous; a 5 mg vial in 2 mL gives 250 mcg per 10 units
8-12 weeksAbout 4 weeks off
Community resource2026
This telehealth company's article, updated August 2026, says prescribers usually start at about 100 mcg of each peptide and move up only on response and IGF-1, with some scaling by weight at 1-2 mcg/kg. It lists water retention, tingling, headaches and raised fasting glucose as the dose-related reasons a clinician would cut the dose or pause.
Fixed-concentration combined vial chart
200 mcg ipamorelin plus 120 mcg CJC-1295 per 10 units; 300 mcg plus 180 mcg per 15 units
Nightly, either every night or 5 nights on and 2 off
Subcutaneous from a pre-blended prescription vial
3 months on1 month off, often combined with weekday-only dosing
Community resource2026
A telehealth pharmacy's August 2026 chart converts its own blended concentration into units and notes that published clinic protocols fall between 5 and 15 units, meaning 100-300 mcg of ipamorelin a night. It concedes that neither the weekday-only pattern nor the seasonal break has a head-to-head human trial behind it.
Research-planning guide for the no-DAC blend
100-150 mcg of each peptide for the first 2-4 weeks, then 200-300 mcg of each
Once daily on an empty stomach
Subcutaneous; a 10 mg plus 10 mg vial in 3 mL gives 200 mcg of each per 6 units
8-12 weeks (16 weeks in extended plans)4 weeks off (8 weeks after a 16-week block)
Community resource2026
Reviewed in July 2026, this guide tabulates vial and syringe counts for 4 to 16 week courses and frames the off period as a hedge against ghrelin-receptor desensitisation. It states plainly that no published human trial has tested the blend at these doses and that safety beyond 90 days has not been studied.
How a course is commonly described
1
Weeks 1-4Community-reported
Compounded and community protocols start at 100-150 mcg at bedtime, fasted for at least two hours, and raise the dose to 200-300 mcg once tolerated. Early reports are of sleep changes, vivid dreams and transient hunger from the ghrelin-receptor action.
2
Weeks 5-12Community-reported
Maintenance at 200-300 mcg nightly, often matched with CJC-1295 without DAC and sometimes run only on weekdays. Telehealth guides place IGF-1 and fasting glucose checks in this window and treat rising IGF-1 or water retention as the signal to hold or reduce.
3
Months 3-6Community-reported
Prescription-oriented guides describe cycles of 3-6 months rather than 8-12 weeks, with IGF-1 re-checked at the end and some prescribers continuing year-round with short breaks.
4
BreakCommunity-reported
A 4-week break after 8-12 weeks, or a month off after each 3-month block, is the common pattern, with weekday-only dosing used as a built-in weekly pause. Sources attribute the break to presumed receptor desensitisation and acknowledge no trial has tested it.
5
Clinical comparisonClinical
The only multi-day human course on record is 0.03 mg/kg intravenously twice a day for up to a week in surgical patients, registered by Helsinn as NCT00672074 and completed in 2009. No human study has tested nightly subcutaneous dosing, a GH-axis outcome over weeks, or the CJC-1295 combination.
Every bedtime subcutaneous figure above comes from compounding and telehealth practice. The two human studies used intravenous dosing, and the 15-day rat study found only a marginal fall in GH response, so the desensitisation rationale for breaks is borrowed from other secretagogues rather than measured for ipamorelin.
Ipamorelin's human half-life is about 2 hours and each dose produced a single GH pulse lasting under two hours in volunteers, which is why protocols time it to the early-sleep GH surge rather than expecting sustained elevation.
Ipamorelin is not approved anywhere, is prohibited by WADA, and the FDA's compounding advisory committee recommended against listing it for compounding in October 2024, citing the thin safety record. The rows above record what sources report, not endorsements of use.
Plus 4 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
Overview
Ipamorelin (NNC 26-0161) is a synthetic five-residue peptide developed by Novo Nordisk in the 1990s that triggers growth hormone release through the ghrelin receptor without the cortisol, ACTH or prolactin rise seen with earlier GHRPs. Human exposure comes from a 40-volunteer intravenous pharmacokinetic study and a 117-patient phase 2 trial run by Helsinn for post-operative ileus, which was safe but did not beat placebo, after which clinical development stopped. It has no approval anywhere, is prohibited by WADA, and in October 2024 the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 12 to 0 against adding either the free base or the acetate to the list of substances that may be compounded; it is nonetheless still prescribed off-label through compounding pharmacies and telehealth, usually at bedtime and often combined with the GHRH analog CJC-1295 without DAC.
What researchers are exploring
These themes describe recurring questions in published research. They are not claims of effectiveness or recommendations for use.
1
Growth-hormone release
Preclinical and early human pharmacology studies examine dose-dependent GH pulses.
2
Hormonal selectivity
Discovery studies compare ACTH, cortisol, prolactin, and gonadotropin responses with other GHRPs.
3
Postoperative ileus
Clinical development tested gastrointestinal recovery but did not establish efficacy.
Study models remain visible so laboratory and animal findings are not mistaken for established human outcomes.
Animal
Selective secretagogue profile
The foundational study showed GH release with less ACTH/cortisol response in animal models.
Human
Early pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic work
Healthy-volunteer studies characterized concentration and GH response.
Human
Unsuccessful ileus development
Phase 2 programs did not show meaningful improvement over placebo and development stopped.
Amounts recorded for Ipamorelin
These amount records are independent from vial strength, reconstitution volume and measuring device. A recorded source is not the same as study backing, and these values are not recommendations.
1
Dose · lower endpointSign in for schedule, duration and source context.
100 mcg
2
Recorded referenceSign in for schedule, duration and source context.
300 mcg
3
Dose · upper endpointSign in for schedule, duration and source context.
500 mcg
Chemistry identifiers
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Sequence
Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2
Also listed as
NNC 26-0161, NNC-260161, Ipamorelin [INN], Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, UNII Y9M3S784Z6, DrugBank DB12370, CHEMBL58547, Ipamorelin acetate (salt form sold by vendors)