CJC-1295 vs Ipamorelin: Dosing and Units
Last updated: July 2026
CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are both injectable peptides that raise growth hormone (GH), but they push on completely different levers: CJC-1295 is a growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, while ipamorelin is a ghrelin-receptor agonist. Neither is an FDA-approved medicine, so there is no official dose — the figures below come from published research and are shown only to explain the reconstitution arithmetic a calculator performs.
Investigational compounds. Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 are research peptides. Neither has marketing approval for human use in the US, and the FDA has moved to restrict their compounding. Nothing here is medical advice or an endorsement — it is the maths behind a vial, nothing more.
TL;DR — key takeaways
- Different receptors. CJC-1295 activates the GHRH receptor; ipamorelin activates the ghrelin / growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). They are frequently combined because the two pathways add together.
- Very different half-lives. CJC-1295 with DAC lasts about a week; CJC-1295 without DAC and ipamorelin last only a few hours, so they are dosed more often.
- Ipamorelin is selective. Unlike older secretagogues it raised GH without meaningful spikes in cortisol or prolactin in the original study.
- Units follow concentration. How many syringe units you draw depends on the mg in the vial and the mL of bacteriostatic (BAC) water added — not on which peptide it is.
Two ways to raise growth hormone
Your pituitary releases GH in pulses. GHRH tells it to release more; ghrelin (acting through GHS-R) amplifies the same pulse through a separate door. CJC-1295 mimics GHRH, and ipamorelin mimics ghrelin's GH-releasing action — which is why protocols so often pair them: two keys, two locks, one bigger pulse.
CJC-1295 comes in two forms that behave nothing alike. The plain peptide (often labelled “CJC-1295 no-DAC” or Mod GRF 1-29) clears in minutes and is dosed like a short-acting GHRH. The DAC version adds a Drug Affinity Complex that binds albumin, stretching its action to roughly six to eight days so a single injection keeps GH and IGF-1 elevated for days. Ipamorelin, a five-amino-acid peptide, sits in the short-acting camp with a half-life of about two hours.
Side-by-side: how they compare
| Property | CJC-1295 | Ipamorelin |
|---|---|---|
| Class | GHRH analog | Ghrelin / GHS-R agonist |
| Target receptor | GHRH receptor | GHS-R (ghrelin receptor) |
| Approx. half-life | ~6–8 days (with DAC); minutes (no-DAC) | ~2 hours |
| Typical research dose | 1–2 mg/week (DAC); ~100 mcg/dose (no-DAC) | ~100–300 mcg/dose |
| Dosing frequency | Weekly (DAC) or 1–3×/day (no-DAC) | 1–3×/day |
| Cortisol / prolactin | Not significantly raised | Not significantly raised |
| Route | Subcutaneous | Subcutaneous |
| Approval status | Investigational | Investigational |
The doses above are the values reported in early clinical and pharmacology studies, not an approved regimen. Because these peptides are drawn manually from a reconstituted vial, the number you actually dial on the syringe is arithmetic you do yourself — which is the rest of this guide.
Duration of action, visualised
The single biggest practical difference is how long each stays active, which sets how often it is injected. The bars below are on a rough logarithmic scale — ipamorelin and no-DAC CJC-1295 are measured in hours, DAC CJC-1295 in days.
Turning a dose into syringe units
Every peptide vial follows one rule: concentration equals the total drug divided by the water you add. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 100 units equal 1 mL, so one unit is 0.01 mL. The shortcut is: mcg per unit = concentration in mcg/mL ÷ 100. Find that, and any dose becomes a unit count.
Worked example 1 — CJC-1295 no-DAC
A 5 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL BAC water: 5000 mcg ÷ 2 mL = 2500 mcg/mL, so 25 mcg per unit. A 100 mcg dose = 100 ÷ 25 = 4 units.
Worked example 2 — ipamorelin
A 5 mg ipamorelin vial + 2 mL BAC = 2500 mcg/mL = 25 mcg per unit. A 200 mcg dose = 200 ÷ 25 = 8 units.
Worked example 3 — higher ipamorelin dose
From the same 5 mg / 2 mL vial (25 mcg per unit), a 300 mcg dose = 300 ÷ 25 = 12 units. Doubling the mcg simply doubles the units at a fixed concentration.
Worked example 4 — CJC-1295 with DAC, weekly
A 2 mg DAC vial + 2 mL BAC = 1000 mcg/mL = 10 mcg per unit. A 1000 mcg (1 mg) weekly dose = 1000 ÷ 10 = 100 units — the entire 1 mL syringe.
Worked example 5 — same vial, different water
A 5 mg no-DAC vial with 1 mL BAC = 5000 mcg/mL = 50 mcg per unit, so 100 mcg = 2 units. The same vial with 5 mL = 1000 mcg/mL = 10 mcg per unit, so 100 mcg = 10 units. Same dose, five times the units.
Worked example 6 — a combined evening draw
Both vials reconstituted to 25 mcg per unit: 100 mcg CJC-1295 no-DAC (4 units) + 200 mcg ipamorelin (8 units) pulled into one syringe = 12 units total. Matching the concentrations keeps the combined maths tidy.
Worked example 7 — mcg-to-mg sanity check
250 mcg is 0.25 mg. From a 2 mg / 1 mL vial (2000 mcg/mL = 20 mcg per unit), 250 ÷ 20 = 12.5 units. Always confirm mcg and mg are not mixed up before drawing.
Dose-to-units reference chart
Common per-injection doses shown as units on a U-100 syringe at two typical reconstitutions. Always recompute against your own vial label.
| Dose | 5 mg + 2 mL (25 mcg/unit) | 5 mg + 3 mL (~16.7 mcg/unit) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mcg | 4 units | 6 units |
| 150 mcg | 6 units | 9 units |
| 200 mcg | 8 units | 12 units |
| 250 mcg | 10 units | 15 units |
| 300 mcg | 12 units | 18 units |
The 3 mL column simply divides 5000 mcg by 3 mL (about 1667 mcg/mL, ~16.7 mcg per unit); numbers are rounded to the nearest unit for the syringe.
How this is calculated
Two facts do all the work: a U-100 syringe holds 100 units per mL, and concentration is total drug divided by the water added. There is no peptide-specific constant — the arithmetic is identical for CJC-1295, ipamorelin, or any other lyophilised vial, which is exactly what the peptide reconstitution calculator automates. None of this is medical guidance; it is the maths behind a dose, and the pharmacology figures are drawn from the cited research, not from an approved label.
Frequently asked questions
Is ipamorelin stronger than CJC-1295?
They are not measured on the same scale. CJC-1295 mimics GHRH and ipamorelin mimics ghrelin, so “stronger” depends on the outcome measured. Because the two act through different receptors, research protocols often combine them rather than choosing one.
Why is CJC-1295 with DAC dosed weekly but ipamorelin daily?
The DAC (Drug Affinity Complex) binds albumin and extends the half-life to roughly six to eight days, so one injection lasts about a week. Ipamorelin and no-DAC CJC-1295 clear within hours, so they are dosed more frequently.
Do I draw more units for one than the other?
Not because of the peptide name. Units depend only on the mg in the vial and the mL of water you add. Reconstitute both to the same concentration and identical doses need identical units.
Are these approved medications?
No. Both are investigational research peptides without US marketing approval, and the FDA has acted to limit their compounding. Any use is off-label and unapproved; the doses here are illustrative arithmetic, not a recommendation.
Sources
- Raun K, et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue (Eur J Endocrinol, 1998)
- Teichman SL, et al. Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006)
- Ionescu M, Frohman LA. Pulsatile secretion of GH persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295 (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006)
- Alba M, et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295 normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse (Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006)
- Sinha DK, et al. Beyond the androgen receptor: the role of growth hormone secretagogues in managing body composition in hypogonadal males (Transl Androl Urol, 2020)
- Brinkman JE, et al. Physiology, Growth Hormone (StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf)
This guide is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always follow your prescriber’s specific instructions and consult a qualified clinician before changing any protocol.