CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin (GH Secretagogues)
Research Reliability -
A commonly paired growth-hormone-releasing peptide stack used in anti-aging medicine to support natural GH pulses.
Appetite
Mood
Sleep
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin (GH Secretagogues)
Description
CJC-1295 is a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog and Ipamorelin is a selective growth hormone secretagogue; together they are designed to amplify the body's own natural, pulsatile GH release rather than introducing exogenous HGH directly, which proponents argue gives a gentler, more physiologic profile with less of HGH's documented side-effect burden. This combination is a staple at anti-aging and hormone-optimization clinics, prescribed off-label and compounded for patients, generally dosed nightly to work with the body's natural nocturnal GH pulse. Like other peptides on this list, both compounds were affected by 2023 FDA Category 2 restrictions and remain under active 2026 regulatory review — they are not FDA-approved drugs or legal OTC supplements, and legitimate use requires a physician relationship.
Effects
First 1–2 weeks
deeper sleep is often the earliest reported change
Weeks–months
body composition and recovery shift
Note
prescription/clinical use only, under supervision
How it Feels
These growth-hormone-supporting peptides are prescription and clinical, not OTC, and require medical oversight. The change users most often report first is deeper sleep within a couple of weeks, with recovery and body-composition effects building over months. This is not a casual self-directed compound.
Usage
Entry Dose
Research/clinical use only — not a self-administered OTC supplement
Standard Dose
Research protocols combine both peptides nightly, by prescription/compounding only
Max Dose
Set by prescribing physician
Onset
Weeks (body composition, sleep quality)
Combinations
Pairs well with
Synergistic
Adequate sleep hygiene — GH secretagogues work with, not instead of, the body's natural sleep-linked GH pulse
Resistance training — complements the body-composition effects these peptides are prescribed to support
Avoid combining
Contraindicated
Self-sourcing or self-administering outside a physician/compounding-pharmacy relationship — legal and quality-control risk
Active cancer — GH-axis stimulation is a meaningful theoretical concern in oncology
Uncontrolled diabetes — GH secretagogues can affect insulin sensitivity
Pregnancy — contraindicated
Biomarkers to Track
Subjective
(Daily)
Sleep quality and depth
Body composition trend (subjective)
Energy and recovery
Objective
(Quarterly)
IGF-1 (physician-monitored, the standard proxy for GH axis activity)
Fasting glucose and insulin
Body composition (DEXA if accessible)
Prescription growth-hormone-supporting peptides requiring medical oversight and monitoring, not an OTC stack item.
Anyone without a prescribing physician, people with cancer history, and pregnant women.
Self-directing dosing, and ignoring the need for monitoring.
Preliminary (limited / small human data)
Only CJC-1295 has published human data, and it is limited to a single Phase 1 pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study, not an efficacy or body-composition outcome trial. Ipamorelin has no published human efficacy trials. This combination is not FDA-approved and is used entirely off-label.
Teichman SL et al. (2006). Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 91(3), 799-805. Phase 1 RCT (CJC-1295 pharmacodynamics, growth hormone/IGF-1 elevation in healthy adults). DOI: 10.1210/jc.2005-1536.