Gathering the record
Relay is organizing the evidence and source boundaries.
Ghrelin-receptor agonist / growth-hormone secretagogue
An experimental compound that can make the body release growth hormone. It is often discussed for body composition and recovery.
Evidence is explained by question. Dosing references show their own check dates.
60-second overview
Why people look into it, what studies found, and what is still unknown.
Educational information only. Evidence reviewed through July 25, 2026. Published studies, sponsor announcements, and trials without results are labeled separately. Evidence gaps apply to the specific finding beside them.
Research questions
Each label shows how much evidence supports that question.
What studies show
A randomized 48-person IV pharmacology study demonstrated concentration-dependent GH release, while a 117-person randomized Phase 2 postoperative study did not demonstrate significant efficacy.
It targets GHSR1a signaling upstream of pituitary GH release, a different receptor from the GHRH receptor targeted by CJC-1295.
The clearest human pharmacology evidence is an IV dose-escalation study in 48 healthy men.
Ipamorelin did not significantly shorten time to first tolerated meal after bowel resection versus placebo.
Human evidence consists mainly of IV hormone pharmacology and a condition-specific postoperative study that did not show significant efficacy.
The controlled human pharmacology and efficacy studies used intravenous administration.
The compounding votes were separate from drug approval. WADA lists growth-hormone secretagogues under S2.
Risks & unknowns
Relay has not verified a clear pattern of side effects for this compound.
Evidence boundaryHuman exposure is present, but the record is not detailed enough to characterize a reliable adverse-event pattern.
The available information does not reliably show how often particular side effects occur.
Evidence boundaryUnder-detected or under-reported events must not be described as rare.
Relay has not verified which side effects led people to stop treatment in studies.
Evidence boundaryThis is an evidence gap, not proof that discontinuations did not occur.
Relay has not verified a compound-specific warning summary for this profile.
Evidence boundaryNot FDA approved. The 2024 PCAC voted against adding ipamorelin free base or acetate to the 503A Bulks List. Growth-hormone secretagogues are prohibited in sport under WADA S2. Meaningful human benefits, subcutaneous pharmacokinetics and safety, long-term repeated-exposure risk, and effects when combined with another GH-axis compound.
This profile does not contain verified, product-specific emergency instructions.
Evidence boundaryRelay does not infer emergency guidance from study discontinuations, mechanism, or incomplete adverse-event reporting.
Dosing references
Each table labels its source and applies only to the named route, product, or study. An online example or community report is not an approved dose.
IV · Into a vein
Amounts reported in a human study. A studied amount is not automatically an approved dose or a recommendation for an individual.
A Phase 2 study tested hospitalized adults after bowel-resection surgery.
| Stage / period | Amount in source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Postoperative days 1–7 or until discharge | 0.03 mg/kg | Twice daily |
The key efficacy analyses did not show significant differences from placebo. IV hospital dosing does not establish a subcutaneous wellness or growth-hormone protocol.
Ipamorelin · randomized postoperative ileus trial Primary article · Methods / interventionThis reference checked Oct 20, 2026. The full-profile review date is shown at the top.This source does not establish a mixing volume or storage period for independently sourced powder. Use formulation-specific instructions; the study amount alone is not a reconstitution recipe.
Concentration = total mass ÷ final volume. The calculator performs user-entered math; it does not choose a dose or diluent.
Open concentration calculatorStarting dose: the amount used at the beginning of the named label schedule or trial.
Maintenance: the ongoing amount described by that product label.
Trial target: the amount assigned to a study group. Different groups may stop increasing at different targets.
A randomized Phase 2 trial evaluated intravenous ipamorelin after bowel resection; it did not improve the study's primary or secondary efficacy outcomes.
Population: Adults after partial large-bowel resection
Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial
Mechanisms
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide and GHSR1a agonist. Preclinical work describes selective GH-secretagogue activity relative to several other pituitary hormones, but the strongest human pharmacology evidence is a small intravenous dose-escalation study. FDA found no subcutaneous human PK/PD evidence and no adequate effectiveness evidence for growth-hormone deficiency or other promoted uses. A Phase 2 intravenous postoperative-ileus trial did not significantly improve its primary endpoint.
A plausible mechanism can explain why a study was attempted. It does not prove that the compound improves a human outcome.
Research reference
A reference for the studies, populations, and routes behind this profile.
Human evidence consists mainly of one IV pharmacology study and a negative condition-specific Phase 2 trial.
Research depth describes how large and mature the overall record is. It does not tell you whether the results were positive.
IV GH release is demonstrated, but body-composition, sleep, recovery, anti-aging, and SubQ claims are not.
Confidence describes how reliable and consistent the conclusions are. It can be high for one outcome and low for another.
The strongest evidence type shows what the best-supported conclusions are actually based on.
Human findings are more directly relevant than animal or laboratory results, but they still apply only to the populations and outcomes studied.
Route-specific record
These are exposures used in cited research for a specific route and population—not an instruction for an individual.
Half-life describes how long it takes the measured amount in the body to fall by half. It is not a dosing recommendation.
Evidence can change by administration method. Findings from one route should not automatically be applied to another.
Evidence boundary: The study used intravenous administration in a postoperative population and cannot validate a subcutaneous bedtime schedule. FDA did not identify route-specific human PK/PD information for proposed subcutaneous administration. Amounts shown describe cited research exposure—not a dosage recommendation.
Studies
Study arms are reported for transparency. They describe what researchers did in a defined record and do not transfer across identities, routes, formulations, or populations.
A later trial phase can ask a more mature question, but it does not guarantee a positive result, regulatory approval, or relevance outside the studied population.
Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study after bowel resection
Hospitalized adults after open or laparoscopic small- or large-bowel resection
The primary food-tolerance endpoint was not significantly shorter with ipamorelin, and the study did not demonstrate significant efficacy on key secondary outcomes.
Study administration: Intravenous ipamorelin 0.03 mg/kg twice daily under the study protocol or placebo
Limitations: Single condition-specific Phase 2 study using intravenous dosing. Surgical complications and deaths occurred in the broader safety context; the publication does not establish general outpatient benefit or subcutaneous use.
Randomized, placebo-controlled, intravenous dose-escalation study
Healthy adult men
Ipamorelin produced a concentration-dependent GH response that peaked rapidly and fell to low concentrations by six hours. The estimated terminal half-life was about two hours.
Study administration: Fifteen-minute intravenous ipamorelin infusions across five research-dose groups or placebo
Limitations: Small study in healthy men using intravenous infusion. It measured short-term hormone response, not clinical benefit, and provides no subcutaneous PK/PD evidence.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-finding study after bowel resection
Adults undergoing small- and/or large-bowel resection
The registry lists the study as completed but does not post results.
Study administration: Intravenous ipamorelin acetate or placebo
Limitations: A completed registration without posted results cannot demonstrate benefit, safety, or a clinically useful dose.
Community
Built by the community
Every structured report adds useful context about research setup, outcomes, and unwanted effects as the community dataset grows.
Publicly anonymous by default. Your account keeps reports editable and helps reduce duplicate submissions.Sources
2026-07-31
2026-01-01
2024-10-29
2024-09-27
2014-10-21 · PMID 25331030 · NCT00672074 · DOI 10.1007/s00384-014-2030-8
2011-01-21 · NCT01280344
1999-09-01 · PMID 10496658 · DOI 10.1023/A:1018955126402