Ipamorelin Research Safety

Written by Johnathon Anderson, Ph.D., a research scientist specializing in regenerative medicine and serving as an Associate Professor at the University of California Davis School of Medicine 

Ipamorelin Research

The side effects of Ipamorelin are dose-dependent. In general, there are two broad dosing regimens to consider.

The most common side effects of Ipamorelin are temporary flushing of the face, and injection site irritation, redness, or itchiness.

Supraphysiologic Dosing 1] The first dosing regimen involves injecting multiple dosages of Ipamorelin daily, which increases growth hormone (GH) levels beyond the normal physiological reference range. When GH is elevated beyond the normal physiological reference range, some long-term side effects can potentially result from that, including gastrointestinal tract issues, bone growth, insulin sensitivity and an increased risk for certain kinds of cancer, such as prostate and breast cancer.

Physiologic Dosing 2] However, when Ipamorelin is injected in typical moderate dosages, GH levels will be elevated but will remain within the normal physiological reference range. When GH levels are kept within the reference range, there are no known long-term side effects of administering GH secretagogues such as Ipamorelin.

Ipamorelin Bioavailability

To mitigate any side effects from Ipamorelin, it’s best practice to start with a low dosage for a few days to allow the subject’s body to acclimate to this new normal. Then, the dose can be increased incrementally over time while maintaining each new increase in dosage for a few days to let the body acclimate.

If side effects are observed at any time, the Ipamorelin injections can be paused for a couple of days before starting at a significantly lower dose. This generally clears up any side effects associated with ramping up the dosage too fast, such as joint achiness or GI tract issues.

Ipamorelin and GH Secretagogues

Every subject responds differently to GH secretagogues, so no one dosage is one-size-fits-all. It is best to start at a low dose and maintain this dose for a few days to allow the body to acclimate. Then, slowly increase the dose over time, paying close attention to the onset of potential side effects. If side effects are observed, this is an indication that the dosage was ramped up too rapidly. Simply discontinue injections for a few days, then restart at a significantly lower dose to avoid side effects.

Peptide Allergies

In rare cases, subjects may develop an allergic reaction to Ipamorelin. This can sometimes take months or years to develop. When an allergic reaction develops, symptoms will start to increase with subsequent doses. If this occurs, then injections should be stopped immediately. In some cases, alternative GH secretagogues may still be used without issue. GH peptides are not steroids.

Peptide Regulation

Typically, the FDA clinical trial system doesn’t assess drugs' long-term side effects as part of clinical trials, as this would simply be too cost-prohibitive to approve new drugs. Such studies are typically only performed for highly prescribed drugs once they’ve been on the market for some years. These types of analysis are generally retrospective in nature. The FDA performs post-market analysis to see if there are any additional previously unknown side effects that are being observed as the drug is administered to larger and larger populations of people. However, it is challenging to strictly associate many adverse events directly to the use of the drug, as opposed to genetic and lifestyle factors. Therefore, the long-term side effects of FDA-approved drugs are rarely studied.

Interested to learn more about Ipamorelin and CJC-1295?