Gathering the record
Relay is organizing the evidence and source boundaries.
Oral ghrelin-receptor agonist small molecule
An experimental pill that raises growth hormone and related growth signals. It is not a peptide.
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 31, 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 one-year randomized trial in healthy older adults increased GH/IGF-1 and fat-free mass without improving strength or physical function.
This is the strongest human-evidence boundary in the current record.
Mechanistic findings explain biological plausibility; they do not establish a human outcome.
Relay keeps this uncertainty visible rather than converting it into a prediction.
The safety snapshot reflects the studied record and its limitations.
Regulatory and identity status determine how the evidence should be interpreted.
Risks & unknowns
Human studies report appetite increase, edema, muscle pain, and worsened glucose measures in some settings; long-term cardiovascular and neoplastic safety are unresolved.
Controlled human evidenceReported events depend on population, formulation, route, exposure, comparator, and study size.
Open sourceThe 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 boundaryInvestigational; no FDA-approved ibutamoren product. Whether any population gains durable functional benefit that outweighs glucose, edema, appetite, cardiovascular, and other longer-term risks.
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.
Amounts reported in a human study. A studied amount is not automatically an approved dose or a recommendation for an individual.
A modified-crossover trial studied healthy older adults, not people with a diagnosed growth hormone deficiency.
| Stage / period | Amount in source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| First-year outcomes in a 2-year modified-crossover trial | 25 mg | Once daily |
Changes in GH, IGF-1, or lean mass do not by themselves establish functional benefit. This is not a subcutaneous peptide or a general muscle-gain recommendation.
Ibutamoren · randomized trial in healthy older adults Primary article · Methods / interventionThis reference checked Oct 20, 2026. The full-profile review date is shown at the top.The study used oral material. No injectable reconstitution instructions follow from it.
Starting 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 one-year controlled trial investigated ibutamoren in healthy older adults, measuring hormone levels, body composition, strength, function, and safety.
Population: Healthy adults aged 60 to 81
Design: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Mechanisms
Human studies establish endocrine target engagement. A 12-month older-adult trial increased fat-free mass but did not improve strength or function, illustrating why biomarker and composition changes are not automatically clinical benefit.
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.
Multiple controlled human studies with mixed clinical outcomes and unresolved long-term benefit-risk.
Research depth describes how large and mature the overall record is. It does not tell you whether the results were positive.
Whether any population gains durable functional benefit that outweighs glucose, edema, appetite, cardiovascular, and other longer-term risks.
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 selected older-adult population and study size cannot resolve uncommon or very long-term harms. Higher hormone levels and fat-free mass did not produce improved strength or physical function. 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.
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Healthy adults aged 60 to 81
Over one year, MK-677 increased GH/IGF-1 and fat-free mass but did not improve strength or physical function.
Study administration: Oral MK-677 versus placebo
Limitations: Selected older adults; not powered for uncommon or very long-term harms.
Randomized placebo-controlled trial
Older adults after hip fracture
In older adults after hip fracture, endocrine effects did not translate into the prespecified functional benefit.
Study administration: Not stated in the current record.
Limitations: Specific post-fracture population and mixed outcome record.
Randomized crossover physiology study
Healthy adults
Endpoints were not fully described in the current record.
Short human studies demonstrated endocrine target engagement and sleep-architecture effects.
Study administration: Not stated in the current record.
Limitations: Short physiological study; not a clinical sleep-outcome trial.
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
PMID 18981485
PMID 21067829
PMID 9349662