Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 blend

GH release is controlled by two opposing hypothalamic inputs: GHRH, which stimulates, and somatostatin, which inhibits. A GHRH analogue alone can only push against whatever somatostatin tone happens to be present at that moment, which is why single-agent GH pulses are inconsistent. A GHRP such as ipamorelin suppresses somatostatin and independently stimulates the somatotroph, so when the two are given together the resulting GH pulse is substantially larger than the sum of the individual responses - genuine synergy documented in human GHRH-plus-GHRP pharmacology. The crucial and frequently ignored detail is which CJC the blend contains. Blends labelled CJC-1295 without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) preserve pulsatility and are dosed one to three times daily; blends containing CJC-1295 with DAC create a continuous GHRH bleed that partly defeats the pulsatile logic of adding a GHRP, and are dosed once or twice weekly. Most vials sold simply as 'CJC-1295/Ipamorelin' are the no-DAC version.

Targets: GHRH receptor (GHRHR), GHS-R1a (ghrelin receptor), Hypothalamic somatostatin neurons, Pituitary somatotrophs, IGF-1 axis

• · 200 to 300 mcg of total blend from a 1:1 (5 mg/5 mg) vial delivers 100 to 150 mcg of each component - roughly the 100 mcg saturation dose of Mod GRF 1-29 plus 100 to 150 mcg ipamorelin. At 5000 mcg/mL total that is 4 to 6 units on a U-100 syringe. If you want a full 200 to 300 mcg of ipamorelin, you must draw 400 to 600 mcg of total blend and you will get the same amount of GHRH with it.
• · Closer to physiological pulsatility, and what the more committed users run. Demands consistent food timing to be worth the extra injections.
• · Only for blends that explicitly contain CJC-1295 with DAC. Dosing a DAC blend on a nightly no-DAC schedule is a genuine overdose pattern and the most common mistake with this product.

Work out your exact syringe units →

• commonWater retention and morning puffiness— More pronounced with DAC-containing blends.
• commonFlushing or head rush after injection— Mostly the GHRH component; passes in minutes.
• commonInjection-site redness or a small lump
• commonVivid dreams or lighter sleep— Some get deeper slow-wave sleep, others the opposite.
• uncommonNumbness or tingling in the hands— Early carpal tunnel; reduce the dose.
• uncommonJoint aching— Classic GH-excess signal on longer or higher-dose runs.
• uncommonIncreased fasting glucose— GH is counter-regulatory to insulin.
• uncommonMild appetite increase— Much less than blends built on GHRP-6 or GHRP-2.

• Active or recent malignancy.
• Active proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
• Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes or significant insulin resistance.
• Known pituitary adenoma.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding.

• redundantmk-677 — MK-677 hits the same GHS-R1a arm the ipamorelin component already covers, and adds appetite and water retention.
• conflictsomatropin — Exogenous GH suppresses the pituitary axis, leaving the blend with nothing to release.
• cautioninsulin — GH raises insulin requirements.
• redundanttesamorelin — Two GHRH-receptor agonists at once; pick the one with the evidence behind it.
• synergybpc-157 — Extremely common recovery stack. The mechanisms are unrelated so there is no pharmacological conflict, but neither is there any trial data on the combination.

• · IGF-1 at baseline and at 8 to 12 weeks; aim for the upper half of the age-adjusted range rather than above it.
• · Fasting glucose and HbA1c on runs longer than 12 weeks.
• · Track morning hand numbness and ring or shoe tightness as early fluid-retention signals.
• · Verify from the vial or certificate of analysis which CJC variant you actually have - the dosing schedules are not interchangeable.

Neither component is approved for human use, and the FDA moved both ipamorelin and CJC-1295 out of the compounding-permitted category in 2023, which pushed the blend from compounding pharmacies to research-chemical vendors. Prohibited in sport under WADA S2.

• Human studies of combined GHRH and GHRP administration showing synergistic GH release (trial)
• Teichman et al. 2006 JCEM, CJC-1295 pharmacokinetics and IGF-1 response in healthy adults (trial)
• FDA 2023 category 2 determination on bulk drug substances including ipamorelin and CJC-1295 (guideline)

The pharmacological case for this blend is the strongest in grey-market peptide practice, and it is worth stating precisely because it is usually stated badly. GH secretion is controlled by two opposing hypothalamic inputs acting on the same second messenger. GHRH signals through Gs and raises cAMP; somatostatin signals through Gi and lowers it. A GHRH analogue given alone can only push against whatever somatostatin tone happens to exist at that moment, and somatostatin output oscillates on a roughly three-hour cycle you cannot see or time - which is why single-agent GHRH pulses are inconsistent. A GHRP such as ipamorelin acts at GHS-R1a to suppress somatostatin output and independently stimulates the somatotroph through Gq, phospholipase C and calcium release. Give both together and you are simultaneously removing an inhibitor of cAMP and adding a stimulator of it, plus adding an independent calcium signal. That is multiplicative rather than additive, and it is the reason the combined pulse genuinely exceeds the sum of the individual responses. Bowers and Granda-Ayala studied exactly this combination - GHRP-2 with GHRH(1-44)NH2, acutely and chronically, in older adults with reduced GH secretion - which is more direct human evidence than most stacking claims can point to. The crucial and frequently ignored detail is which CJC the vial contains. A no-DAC blend preserves the timing logic: a short GHRH pulse arriving simultaneously with somatostatin suppression, dosed one to three times daily. A DAC-containing blend delivers continuous GHRH signalling for a week, at which point the GHRP is no longer synchronising anything - it is adding somatostatin suppression on top of a constant background, which still produces more GH but discards the elegant part of the mechanism, and requires weekly rather than nightly dosing.

Three things, in order of consequence. First, dosing a DAC blend on a no-DAC schedule. A vial labelled simply 'CJC-1295/Ipamorelin' gives no information about which variant is inside, and someone who injects nightly on the assumption of a thirty-minute half-life is by week two carrying a week's worth of stacked GHRH exposure. The presentation is a puffy face, aching joints, numb hands on waking and a fasting glucose that has quietly moved. Verify from the certificate of analysis, not the vial label. Second, the milligram ambiguity. A vial marked '10 mg blend' might mean 5 mg of each component or 10 mg of each, and vendors are genuinely inconsistent - getting it wrong doubles or halves every dose you draw. Work out the concentration per component before you touch a syringe. Third, the fixed-ratio problem, which is inherent rather than a mistake: 100 mcg is the saturating GHRH dose while ipamorelin's useful range runs to 200 to 300 mcg, so a 1:1 blend cannot deliver both optimally. Drawing enough for a full ipamorelin dose means overshooting the GHRH component two- or threefold and paying for peptide that does nothing. This is the strongest argument for buying the components separately and mixing them in the syringe yourself. Beyond those, the ordinary failures apply: eating within two hours of injection blunts the pulse, the GHRH component degrades in solution faster than the ipamorelin so blend potency falls at the rate of its weakest link, and carpal tunnel symptoms are a dose signal rather than a badge.

1. 200 mcgWeeks 1 to 2, no-DAC blend — 200 mcg of total blend once nightly, at least two hours after the last meal. From a 1:1 vial that delivers 100 mcg of each component - which is exactly the GHRH saturation dose and a modest ipamorelin dose. Establish that water retention and morning grogginess are tolerable before doing anything else.
2. 300 mcgWeeks 3 to 6, no-DAC blend — 300 mcg total nightly, giving 150 mcg of each component. If you want a full 200 to 300 mcg of ipamorelin you must draw 400 to 600 mcg of total blend and you will get the same amount of GHRH with it - which is above the GHRH saturation dose and largely wasted. This is the fundamental limitation of fixed-ratio blends.
3. 300 mcgWeek 7 onward, no-DAC blend, optional — Add a second and then a third pulse - on waking, mid-afternoon and at bedtime, each fasted. Closer to physiological pulsatility and what committed users run. It demands consistent food timing to be worth the extra injections.
4. 1 mgDAC-containing blend only — 1 mg total once weekly for the first two weeks, then 2 mg weekly or 1 mg twice weekly. This schedule applies only to blends that explicitly contain CJC-1295 with DAC. Dosing a DAC blend nightly is a genuine sevenfold-plus overdose pattern and is the most consequential mistake made with this product.

• GHRH receptor (GHRHR), pituitary somatotroph — Saturating at approximately 100 mcg of the GHRH component, roughly 1 mcg/kg

  Gs coupling, adenylate cyclase, cAMP, PKA, CREB. Sets pulse amplitude and drives GH1 transcription, so the granule pool is replenished as well as emptied.

• GHS-R1a (ghrelin receptor), pituitary somatotroph — Saturating at approximately 200 to 300 mcg of ipamorelin

  Gq coupling, phospholipase C, IP3-mediated calcium release, granule exocytosis. An independent stimulus on top of the cAMP arm.

• Hypothalamic somatostatin neurons — Not separately quantified

  The linchpin of the synergy. Ipamorelin's suppression of somatostatin removes the Gi brake on the same cAMP pathway the GHRH component is trying to drive.

• Hepatic IGF-1 production (indirect) — Not applicable

  Modest with a no-DAC blend dosed nightly; substantially larger and accumulating with a DAC-containing blend.

• Bowers and Granda-Ayala, GH and IGF-1 response to acute and chronic GHRP-2, GHRH(1-44)NH2 and the combination in older men and women with decreased GH secretion 1/2 · 2001

  Characterised GH and IGF-1 responses to a GHRP alone, a GHRH analogue alone and the two combined, acutely and with chronic administration, in older adults. The closest available human evidence for the GHRH-plus-GHRP synergy that this blend is built on. It used GHRP-2 rather than ipamorelin.

For a no-DAC blend, GH begins rising within ten to fifteen minutes and peaks around thirty minutes, back to baseline within about two hours. Flushing from the GHRH component is immediate and passes in twenty minutes. Sleep quality is the first reported change, usually within one to two weeks - and it is also the least reliable, since some people get deeper slow-wave sleep and others get lighter, more fragmented sleep with vivid dreams. Recovery between sessions and reduced joint soreness show at two to four weeks. IGF-1 is worth measuring at week 8 to 12, not before. Body composition and connective tissue changes are a twelve-week-plus timeline. For a DAC-containing blend the picture is completely different: IGF-1 climbs dose-on-dose and plateaus at three to four weeks, water retention peaks in the first fortnight, and after the last dose there is meaningful drug exposure for another ten to fourteen days.

This product is already a stack, and the most common mistake is stacking it further. Adding MK-677 duplicates the GHS-R1a arm the ipamorelin component already covers, and brings appetite and water retention with no proportional GH benefit. Adding tesamorelin or standalone CJC-1295 duplicates the GHRH arm. Adding GHRP-2 or GHRP-6 duplicates the ghrelin-receptor arm. In practice the only things worth adding are compounds with unrelated mechanisms - BPC-157 and TB-500 are the near-universal recovery pairings, and there is no pharmacological conflict, but equally there is no combination data and you are running two independent bets. The genuine conflict is exogenous somatropin: once GH is on board, IGF-1 feedback suppresses the pituitary and the blend has nothing left to release. Insulin requirements rise in diabetics. Because neither component touches cytochrome P450, there is no meaningful interaction surface with prescription medication, which is a real practical advantage of this stack over the oral secretagogues.

Against the individual components bought separately: separate vials cost a little more and require drawing two syringes or combining two draws, and in exchange you get to run 100 mcg of GHRH with 250 mcg of ipamorelin instead of being locked to whatever ratio the vendor chose. For anyone who has settled on this stack long-term, separate components are the better answer. Against a blend built on GHRP-2 or GHRP-6: bigger acute pulse, plus prolactin drift or hunger respectively. Ipamorelin is the right GHRP for a stack you intend to run for months. Against tesamorelin: tesamorelin is the GHRH-receptor agonist with phase 3 data, an FDA approval and a documented visceral fat effect, at ten times the dose and many times the cost. If a specific measurable outcome is the goal rather than general GH-axis support, that is the honest comparison and this blend loses it. Against exogenous somatropin: not comparable in magnitude. The blend works through your pituitary, which caps both the benefit and the harm, and it produces IGF-1 elevations a fraction of what even low-dose GH achieves. Against doing nothing: the mechanism is real and the acute GH synergy is documented in humans. What has never been demonstrated is that a larger nightly GH pulse in a healthy adult changes body composition, recovery or aging, and that gap is the whole question.

$40–$120/month. Approximate grey-market pricing. A 5 mg / 5 mg blend vial typically runs 45 to 90 USD and at 300 mcg total nightly lasts around five weeks. Buying the two components separately usually costs slightly more per month but lets you dose each at its own optimum, which is generally the better purchase. Compounded pharmacy versions, where still obtainable, run several times higher. Figures are observed and approximate.

• ?This exact blend, at these doses, for body composition, recovery or aging, has never been tested in a controlled trial. The entire practical protocol rests on component pharmacology plus a large volume of consistent user reporting.
• ?The human synergy evidence uses GHRP-2 with GHRH(1-44)NH2, not ipamorelin with a tetrasubstituted GHRH(1-29) fragment. The synergy is a class effect and the substitution is reasonable, but it is a substitution.
• ?Product identity is a genuine and unquantified risk. Independent testing of grey-market blends has repeatedly found wrong content, wrong ratios and the wrong CJC variant, and none of that is verifiable from the vial.
• ?There is no way to distinguish a DAC-containing blend from a no-DAC blend by appearance, and the dosing schedules differ by roughly a factor of seven.
• ?No pharmacokinetic data exists for the blend as administered, and none exists for the Mod GRF 1-29 component at all.
• ?Whether the fixed 1:1 ratio is optimal for anything has never been examined; it appears to be a manufacturing convenience.
• ?Whether the blend's acute GH synergy translates into any measurable clinical outcome over weeks is the central open question and remains unanswered.

• Growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 response to acute and chronic growth hormone-releasing peptide-2, growth hormone-releasing hormone 1-44NH2 and in combination in older men and women with decreased growth hormone secretion Bowers CY, Granda-Ayala R, Endocrine, 2001 · PMID 11322505

  The human evidence for combining a GHRH analogue with a GHRP, in a population comparable to the people who actually buy this blend. Note that it used GHRP-2, not ipamorelin.

• Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thøgersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, Andersen PH, European Journal of Endocrinology, 1998 · PMID 9849822

  Establishes why ipamorelin is the GHRP of choice for a blend intended to run for months: GH selectivity without ACTH or cortisol activity.

• Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers Gobburu JV, Agersø H, Jusko WJ, Ynddal L, Pharmaceutical Research, 1999 · PMID 10496658

  The only real human pharmacokinetics for the ipamorelin component.

• Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2006 · PMID 16352683

  The only human data on the DAC-containing variant, and the source of the 5.8 to 8.1 day half-life that makes DAC blends require weekly rather than nightly dosing.

• Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog Jetté L, Léger R, Thibaudeau K, Benquet C, Robitaille M, Pellerin I, Paradis V, van Wyk P, Pham K, Bridon DP, Endocrinology, 2005 · PMID 15817669

  Clarifies the chemical difference between the DAC and no-DAC forms, which is the single most important thing to establish about any vial labelled CJC-1295.

• UniProtKB P01286, somatoliberin (human growth hormone-releasing hormone precursor) UniProt Knowledgebase

  Primary sequence source for the GHRH backbone from which the Mod GRF 1-29 component is derived.