Growth Hormone (GH) Peptides Explored
by Mike Arnold
GHRP-6:
Growth hormone releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) is in the category of drugs known as GH Secretagogues. This category of drugs includes GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Ipamorelin, and Hexarelin. Their primary function is to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more Growth Hormone. GHRPs have a 2-fold mechanism of action, in that they cause an increase in GH through amplifying the natural growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) signal transduction pathway, as well as by suppressing the actions of somatostatin.
GHRP-6 is a 1st generation GHRP and is primarily used in the BB’ing community for two reasons, which are 1) GH release and 2) Appetite stimulation. If one is considering using this peptide for GH release, the individual should consider whether or not the accompanying appetite stimulation is a beneficial or negative characteristic in their current circumstances. In individuals who struggle with appetite issues and have trouble eating enough food to meet their daily caloric requirements, this peptide can prove to be a great addition to their program. For those on contest diets or who are trying to lean out, they may want to forego this peptide in exchange for a GHRP absent of this effect.
Common benefits of GH (GHRP-6) include:
* Reductions in body fat
* Increased lean mass.
* Increased collagen production
* Improved sleep
* Increased cellular repair
* An increase in IGF-1
* Increases in bone density
Common side effects of GH (GHRP-6) include:
* Water retention
* Tightness and/or carpel tunnel-like symptoms in the wrist/hand.
* Numbness and tingling in the extremities
* A decrease in insulin sensitivity
* Tiredness
Recommendations for use:
* GHRP-6 should be administered on an empty stomach. No food should be consumed for 20-30 minutes post-inject, if maximum GH release is desired.
* When using GHRP-6 for GH release, the average dosing range is between 100-150 mcg per inject. Dosing frequency is between 1-4X per day.
* In order to elicit maximal elevations in GH, GHRP-6 should be combined with a GHRH, such as ModGRF1-29 (also known as CJC1295 w/o dac).
* If used for appetite stimulation, the common dosing range for GHRP-6 is between 100-300 per inject, as needed.
GHRP-2:
Growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2) is in the category of drugs known as GH secretagogues. This category of drugs includes GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Ipamorelin, and Hexarelin. Their primary function is to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormone. GHRPs have a 2-fold mechanism of action, in that they cause an increase in GH through amplifying the natural growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) signal transduction pathway, as well as by suppressing the actions of somatostatin.
GHRP-2 is a 2nd generation GHRP and finds its primary use in the area of GH release. It is superior to GHRP-6 in this regard and is currently the preferred peptide for attaining maximum elevations in GH over the long-term. Recent research also reveals that GHRP-2 can be dosed much higher than initially thought, while avoiding the desensitization that is inherent in some of our other GHRP’s. This provides the user with the opportunity to experience greater elevations in total GH, depending on the dosage administered. Lastly, while GHRP-2 can potentially lead to some degree appetite stimulation, not all users experience this effect and when they do, it is typically much less profound in comparison to GHRP-6.
Common benefits of GH (GHRP-2) include:
* Decreases in body fat
* An increase in lean mass
* Increased collagen production
* Improved sleep
* Increased cellular repair
* An increase in IGF-1
* Increases in bone density
Common side effects of GH (GHRP-2) include:
* Water retention
* Tightness and/or carpel tunnel-like symptoms
* Numbness and tingling in the extremities
* A decrease insulin sensitivity
* Tiredness
Recommendations for use:
* GHRP-2 should be administered on an empty stomach. No food should be consumed for 20-30 minutes post-inject, if maximum GH release is desired.
* The average dosing range is between 100-2,000 mcg per inject. Dosing frequency is as little as 3X per week when mega-dosing…and up to 6X per day when using lower dosages. Multiple daily doses will yield the best results.
* In order to elicit maximal elevations in GH, GHRP-2 should be combined with a GHRH, such as ModGRF1-29 (also known as CJC1295 w/o dac).
Ipamorelin:
Ipamorelin is in the category of drugs known as GH secretagogues. This category of drugs includes GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Ipamorelin, and Hexarelin. Its primary function is to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormone. Like the other GHRPs, it has a 2-fold mechanism of action, in that it causes an increase in GH through amplifying the natural growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) signal transduction pathway, as well as by suppressing the actions of Somatostatin.
Ipamorelin is a 3rd generation GHRP which displays great selectivity in its actions. Ipamorelin will not lead to any degree of appetite stimulation, will not affect prolactin or cortisol, and is used solely for GH release. On a mcg to mcg basis, its strength is comparable to GHRP-6, but unlike GHRP-6, it can be dosed much higher, resulting in potentially greater elevations in GH. Similar to GHRP-2, IPA has no ceiling dose. Therefore, as the dosage of IPA is titrated upward, GH release will continue to rise accordingly. Ipamorelin has developed a reputation as the “cleanest” of the GHRP’s and rightfully so.
Common benefits of GH (Ipamorelin) include:
* Decreases in body fat
* An increase in lean mass
* Increased collagen production
* Improved sleep
* Increased cellular repair
* An increase in IGF-1
* Increases in bone density
Common side effects of GH (Ipamorelin) include:
* Water retention
* Tightness and/or carpel tunnel-like symptoms
* Numbness and tingling in the extremities
* A decrease in insulin sensitivity
* Tiredness
Recommendations for use:
* Ipamorelin should be administered on an empty stomach. No food should be consumed at least 20-30 minutes post-inject, if maximum GH release is desired.
* The average dosing range is between 100-2,000 mcg per inject. Dosing frequency is as little as 3X per week when mega-dosing…and up to 4X per day when using lower dosages.
* In order to elicit maximal elevations in GH, IPA should be combined with a GHRH, such as ModGRF1-29 (also known as CJC1295 w/o dac).
Hexarelin:
Hexarelin is in the category of drugs known as GH secretagogues. This category of drugs includes GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Ipamorelin, and Hexarelin. Its primary function is to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormone. Like the other GHRPs, it has a 2-fold mechanism of action, in that it causes an increase in GH through amplifying the natural growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) signal transduction pathway, as well as by suppressing the actions of Somatostatin.
Hexarelin, on a mcg per mcg basis, is the most potent of the GHRP’s for GH release. However, Hexarelin administration will quickly lead to desensitization when used at effective dosages, which makes it less than ideal for long-term use. This limitation has led to a decrease in popularity among users of GH peptides, with GHRP-2 and Ipamorelin leading the pack in the area of long-term effectiveness. However, these limitations do not mean Hexarelin is worthless. On the contrary, Hexarelin can be added to other GHRP’s (such as GHRP-2 & Ipamorelin) in lower dosages, in order to elicit further elevations in GH without incurring the desensitization that commonly presents itself when using Hex alone at peak effective dosages.
Common benefits of GH (Ipamorelin) include:
* Decreases in body fat
* An increase in lean mass
* Increased collagen production
* Improved sleep
* Increased cellular repair
* An increase in IGF-1
* Increases in bone density
Common side effects of GH (Ipamorelin) include:
* Water retention
* Tightness and/or carpel tunnel-like symptoms
* Numbness and tingling in the extremities
* A decrease in insulin sensitivity
* Tiredness
Recommendations for use:
* Hexarelin should be administered on an empty stomach. No food should be consumed at least 20-30 minutes post-inject, if maximum GH release is desired.
* The average dosing range is between 100-150 mcg per inject. Dosing frequency is between 1-4X per day.
* In order to elicit maximal elevations in GH, Hexarelin should be combined with a GHRH, such as ModGRF1-29 (also known as CJC1295 w/o dac).
* In order to avoid the rapid desensitization that typically accompanies Hexarelin use, it can be added to GHRP-2 and/or Ipamorelin at a dosage of 100 mcg 2-3 X per day. If this practice is limited to every other day usage, Hex can be used long-term, while increasing GH levels beyond what is normally experienced when using average doses of GHRP-2 or Ipamorelin.
A Note on Dosing
Let’s take a moment to look at the basics of GH peptide administration. When using GH peptides, the general and overwhelming consensus is that in order to experience optimal results, one needs to administer both a GHRP and a GHRH every time GH peptides are used. These two classes of compounds have a synergistic effect when used together, so the large majority of users will chose to use a GHRP and GHRH together every time GH peptides are administered.
In the descriptions above, you will notice that I only went over the various GHRP’s. The reason for this is that GHRP’s have much more variability in their actions than GHRH’s, effecting much more than GH release, while the GHRH’s have only a singular effect, which is to help elevate GH. Therefore, regardless of which GHRP the individual is going to use, it makes sense to choose only the most effective GHRH. The most effective GHRH for male users is undoubtedly modGRF1-29, also incorrectly known as CJC-1295 “without” dac.
When it comes to dosing modGRF1-29, the dosing range is much more limited compared to the GHRPs. In general, the dosing range for modGRF1-29 almost always falls between 50-100 mcg per inject, with 100 mcg considered to be ideal. Therefore, regardless of which GHRP is selected, and no matter how high the GHRP dose rises, there is no need to exceed 100 mcg of modGRF1-29 per inject.
In terms of what one can experience when using GH peptides and in order to put these results into perspective, one should know how much GH the human body naturally produces. Young adults under 25 years of age produce about 2 IU of GH per day, while older adults will generally produce about 1 IU or less on a daily basis. Below I will detail different GH peptide programs and explain what results you can expect from each one.
When it comes to GH peptide administration, the traditional 100/100 mcg program is still the most popular, although this is changing. The traditional 100/100 program is when the athlete uses 100 mcg of a GHRP and 100 mcg of a GHRH at the same time, 3X per day. When using GHRP-6 & ModGRF1-29 at this dosing amount, one should expect an increase of about 2 IU per day. When using GHRP-2 & modGRF1-29, one can expect about a 3 IU per day increase. When using Ipamorelin & modGRF1-29, one will experience about a 2 IU increase, just like GHRP-6. With Hexarelin & modGRFR1-29, about 4 IU per day will be produced.
The landscape changes dramatically in terms of GH release, when the doses are increased beyond that amount. Since Hexarelin has a very low saturation dose of about 150 mcg (meaning a higher dose will not be considerably more effective) and causes desensitization, its ability to maximally elevate GH levels is inferior to the less potent GHRP-2 and Ipamorelin. Using Hex at only 100 mcg 3X per day will lead to desensitization after about 14 days, which means the body will cease responding to the actions of the peptide. The only way to restore sensitivity upon reaching desensitization is to take a week or so off, after which time the user can resume use if desired. However this still does not address the issue of Hex’s low saturation dose, so even if an athlete were able to avoid desensitization, his total GH release would still remain limited, due to the body’s inability to respond to higher doses of Hexarelin.
GHRP-6 is similar to Hexarelin in that it causes desensitization at higher doses and also has a lower saturation, compared to GHRP-2 or Ipamorelin. For this reason, most people will not rely on GHRP-6 alone for GH release. Still, GHRP-6 is very effective at increasing appetite, the most effective of any GHRP. The can be a significant benefit for BB’rs who struggle with eating enough food to gain the size they seek. In my experience, nothing is more miserable than trying to force-feed yourself long after you have lost the will to continue eating. For those who only desire appetite stimulation, GHRP-6 can be used alone, as needed, at a dose of between 100-300 mcg per inject. When both GH release and appetite stimulation are desired, the most common tactic is to use either GHRP-2 or Ipamorelin for GH release and to supplement with GHRP-6 on an as needed basis. When GH release is the sole benefit desired, GHRP-6 is not the GHRP of choice.
In contrast, both GHRP-2 & Ipamorelin have no known saturation dose, nor do they cause desensitization when used for long periods of time. This means that these two particular peptides can be used in much larger dosages, with the effect of achieving much greater GH levels. Today, athletes have been known to use anywhere between 100-1,000 mcg per inject, 1-6X per day. The practice of injecting very large doses of GHRP-2 or Ipamorelin is what’s known as “boom dosing”. Typically, this is when an individual uses around 1,000 in a single inject. Technically, this can be repeated every 3 hours all day long. However, I have not known of anyone who has employed boom dosing on such a frequent injection schedule, although I have witnessed many people using 1,000 mcg 3X per day.
Today, most athletes desire higher GH levels than what traditional programs can provide and are switching to newer programs utilizing higher dosages. While boom-dosing repeated multiple times daily is the most effective program for elevating GH levels, most will opt for a more middle of the road program, which can be utilized at a lower cost, while still achieving impressive results. When it comes strictly to GH release, a dose of between 200-400 mcg per inject, 3-4X per day (along with 100 mcg of mod at each inject), will result in an increase in GH of 4.5-8 IU per day.
There is no doubt that GH is one of the most versatile, comprehensive, and effective compounds used in sports today. Hopefully the reader will find the information found in this
