CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin — the classic GH pulse-and-sustain stack
The best-known growth-hormone pairing: a long-acting GHRH analog with a selective GHRP, hitting GH release through two receptors. Neither has a clear compounding pathway right now.
Both halves are available from the same provider
CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are the best-known growth-hormone pairing in peptide therapy, and the pairing works because the two push GH release through separate doors. CJC-1295 is a GHRH analog: it binds the GHRH receptor on the pituitary and, in its long-acting DAC form, keeps that signal raised over days rather than firing a single burst. Ipamorelin is a selective ghrelin-receptor agonist — a GHRP — that triggers a clean, acute GH pulse without dragging cortisol or prolactin up with it.
Clinicians call the combination “pulse and sustain”: ipamorelin supplies the pulse, CJC-1295 raises the baseline that pulse fires against. Run together, a GHRH analog and a GHRP release more GH than either alone — a synergy that’s well documented at the level of pituitary physiology. And both work with the body’s feedback loops rather than around them, so somatostatin can still brake the system if GH or IGF-1 climb too high.
“The synergy is real at the level of GH secretion — what’s thin is proof that more secretion translates into the body-composition results people are chasing.”
That’s the honest boundary. The specific CJC-1295 + ipamorelin combination has no published human trial testing it for body composition, recovery, or any other clinical endpoint — the case for it rests on mechanism. For the receptor pharmacology and the human data on each peptide, read the deep-dives on PeptideWellness.
Who it's for (or who should avoid)
What it's aimed at
This stack is most commonly reached for by:
- Adults chasing body recomposition — preserving lean mass while trimming fat, especially past 35 when natural GH pulses fall off
- Recovery and sleep — deeper sleep architecture and shorter recovery windows between training sessions
- Age-related GH decline — adults with documented low IGF-1 and symptoms that fit
- People who want the “sustained” version — CJC-1295’s longer action is the draw over a shorter-acting GHRH analog
Who should avoid it
- Anyone with an active or recent cancer — IGF-1 is a growth signal, so oncology input comes first
- People with diabetes or insulin resistance — GH works against insulin, and long-term glucose effects of secretagogue stacks aren’t well characterized
- Anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning a pregnancy — no controlled human data
- Competitive athletes — GH secretagogues sit on the WADA Prohibited List
Dose, timing and cycling
Because none of this is FDA-approved, there’s no established clinical dose — only clinic- and user-reported patterns, offered as context rather than a recommendation.
The reported shape is a low evening dose timed to the natural GH pulse:
Rx Peps Direct sells the blend at 0.4 mg CJC-1295 (no-DAC) and 0.4 mg ipamorelin per injection and does not say how often (checked 16 October 2026). No dose is approved
none of the sellers we checked publishes a cycle for this blend
for sermorelin, Defy Medical’s handout checks IGF-1 every six to twelve weeks; agree with your prescriber how this blend will be checked
both peptides come as a freeze-dried powder reconstituted with bacteriostatic water
One access note: neither peptide is on the 503A bulks list or in category 1, so there is no compliant compounding source right now, whatever a given pharmacy or state does in practice. Dose, cycling, and monitoring are decisions for a licensed prescriber, not a self-directed protocol.
No measured timeline
No trial has tested CJC-1295 and ipamorelin together, so there is no measured timeline to show, and we do not draw one from user reports. Agree with your prescriber what you will measure, including IGF-1, and when you will check it.
Both halves are available from the same provider
A stack is something a clinician decides to run, not a product on a shelf. Some sellers compound pairs like this into one vial, but that vial is still a prescription, written after an intake, not something to add to a basket. So this is the per-half answer — who sells each one today, and what to do about a half nobody sells.
CJC-1295
- Defy Medical Tampa clinic, physician-led
- RxPepsDirect Per-vial prices, 503A pharmacy in Texas
- Live Vital Physician-led, monthly pricing, Draper UT
- PeRx Peptide-only telehealth, Wellness MD Group PC
Ipamorelin
- Defy Medical Tampa clinic, physician-led
- RxPepsDirect Per-vial prices, 503A pharmacy in Texas
- Live Vital Physician-led, monthly pricing, Draper UT
- PeRx Peptide-only telehealth, Wellness MD Group PC
Will it work where you live?
Most sellers claim all fifty states or publish nothing about coverage; a few name the states they serve or exclude, and each provider page says which. Either way it is the seller's own claim, so we can't filter a list by state without inventing a fact. What we can tell you is which state-level rules decide access: telehealth rules, non-resident pharmacy licensing, and who is allowed to prescribe.
Find who prescribes this pair
The licensed providers that sell CJC-1295 or ipamorelin, what each charges to start, and what they publish about your state. No signup.
Questions we get about CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin
Is the CJC-1295 + ipamorelin stack FDA-approved?
No, and there's no approved combination product. Neither peptide is an FDA-approved drug. Both were placed in the FDA's interim 503A category 2 in 2023 and left it in September 2024, when their nominations were withdrawn. The Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee reviewed both later that year, and neither has been added to the 503A bulks list or to category 1. Ipamorelin is still in category 2 for outsourcing facilities (503B). So neither can be lawfully compounded today.
Is it legal?
Not to compound, even with a prescription. Section 503A lets a pharmacy compound only from an ingredient of an FDA-approved drug, a substance with a USP monograph or one on the FDA's 503A bulks list, and the FDA's interim policy adds its category 1 while it decides. Neither peptide is in any of these, and ipamorelin is also in category 2, the FDA's safety-risk list, for outsourcing facilities. Some telehealth providers prescribe the pair anyway and have a 503A pharmacy prepare it. Buying either from "research chemical" sources is not legal and the quality is untested. Confirm the current status and your state's coverage with a licensed clinician before counting on the pair.
Why stack them instead of using one?
They work through different receptors. CJC-1295 is a GHRH analog that raises baseline GHRH tone; ipamorelin is a selective ghrelin-receptor agonist that triggers an acute GH pulse. Hitting both at once — "pulse and sustain" — produces more GH than either alone, a well-documented synergy. Outcome data for this exact pairing is limited, though, so the case for the pair rests on mechanism, not on a head-to-head trial.
Are there side effects?
The most common are injection-site reactions, mild water retention, and headache. Because you're stacking two GH secretagogues, the GH and IGF-1 effect is larger than with one, so IGF-1 monitoring every 6–12 weeks is standard. GH works against insulin, so anyone with diabetes or insulin resistance needs close monitoring, and chronically high IGF-1 carries a theoretical cancer-risk signal. GH secretagogues are also banned in tested sport.
How much does it cost?
There's no standard price. On the sellers' own pages on 14 October 2026, RxPepsDirect listed one combined CJC-1295/ipamorelin vial (10mg + 10mg) at $100, plus a $39 visit per order; other sellers quote the stack inside an intake. A vial is a quantity, not a month. These are compounded peptides that no FDA list permits, insurance doesn't cover them, and any figure can move.
We publish no medical reviewer by design. Every claim on this page traces to a source we hold on file, and the reviewed write-up with those citations lives on our hub — one per peptide, because the pair itself has no single write-up.
Read the CJC-1295 deep-dive ↗Read the Ipamorelin deep-dive ↗
Other pairings, and the peptides around them
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