Ipamorelin Reconstitution & Dosage Calculator
Selective GH secretagogue with minimal cortisol and prolactin stimulation. Best combined with CJC-1295 for synergistic GH pulse amplification.
Ipamorelin Reconstitution Calculator
Pre-filled with standard Ipamorelin values. Adjust as needed.
Ipamorelin Dosing Guide
Standard: 200–300mcg 1–3x daily on empty stomach. Most commonly dosed at wake and before bed. Stack with CJC-1295 (no DAC) injected simultaneously.
Blood markers to track
Note: Minimal cortisol/prolactin side effects vs GHRP-2/6. Stack with CJC-1295 no DAC for gold-standard GH secretagogue combination.
Deep Dive
How the reconstitution math works
Every reconstitution problem reduces to three variables the calculator above already knows: the peptide mass in the vial (milligrams), the volume of bacteriostatic water you add (milliliters), and the dose you want to draw (micrograms). Two arithmetic steps connect them.
**Step one, find the concentration.** Divide the vial mass by the water volume. A 2mg ipamorelin vial reconstituted with 2mL of bacteriostatic water gives 1mg per mL. Because 1mg equals 1000mcg, that is 1000mcg per mL.
**Step two, convert the target dose to a volume, then to syringe units.** A standard U-100 insulin syringe is graduated so that 1mL equals 100 units, which means each unit holds 0.01mL. For a 200mcg dose at 1000mcg per mL, you need 200 / 1000 = 0.2mL of solution. Multiply 0.2mL by 100 units per mL and you get 20 units on the barrel.
Worked cleanly: a 2mg vial, 2mL of water, and a 200mcg dose come to 20 units. Draw 300mcg instead and the same math gives 0.3mL, or 30 units. The concentration is locked the moment you add the water, so once you know your vial-and-water pairing, every dose becomes one multiplication.
Why a single unit of precision matters
Ipamorelin is dosed in the low hundreds of micrograms, so a small volume error is a large percentage error. On the numbers above, each syringe unit represents 10mcg. Being two units off is a 20mcg swing, and at these dose sizes the most common mistakes compound quickly.
- **Changing the water without recomputing.** Reconstitute the same 2mg vial with 1mL instead of 2mL and the concentration doubles to 2000mcg per mL. Now 200mcg lives at 0.1mL, or 10 units, not 20. Someone who memorized "20 units" from a previous vial would draw 400mcg, exactly double the intended amount. This is why the calculator ties the unit count to the specific water volume you entered. - **Confusing milligrams and micrograms.** These differ by 1000x. Reading a 2mg vial as if it held 2mcg, or a 200mcg dose as 200mg, produces nonsensical volumes and is the fastest route to a dangerous error. - **Using the wrong syringe scale.** A U-40 syringe reads 40 units per mL, so the same 0.2mL is 8 units on that barrel, not 20. Confirm the syringe is U-100 before trusting any unit count.
Half-life, GH pulsatility, and the dosing schedule
Ipamorelin's roughly 2-hour half-life is not a limitation to engineer around; it is the mechanism. Ipamorelin is a growth-hormone secretagogue: it binds the ghrelin/GH-secretagogue receptor on the pituitary and triggers a discrete pulse of the body's own GH rather than supplying hormone directly. GH is released in bursts, and the receptor briefly desensitizes after each burst. A short-acting molecule that clears within a few hours lets the receptor reset between doses, which is why the compound is used as 1 to 3 separate injections (commonly on waking and before bed) rather than one sustained-release shot. Each injection is meant to reproduce a single physiologic pulse.
Two timing rules fall directly out of this pharmacology, and both change what a given syringe dose actually accomplishes:
- **Empty stomach.** Elevated blood glucose and the somatostatin released after a meal blunt GH output, so a dose drawn perfectly but taken after a carb-heavy meal produces a smaller pulse than the same units on an empty stomach. - **Bedtime alignment.** The largest natural GH pulse occurs during early slow-wave sleep, so a pre-sleep dose stacks with the body's own rhythm.
The frequent-but-small pattern is also why ipamorelin is often paired with a GHRH analog such as CJC-1295 (no DAC): the two act on different receptors and their pulses summate, so accuracy on both draws matters more than inflating either one.
Why ipamorelin does not titrate like a GLP-1
The stepwise titration model from the GLP-1 class does not transfer to GH secretagogues, and understanding the difference keeps you from over-escalating. Tirzepatide and semaglutide are ramped deliberately. Tirzepatide, for example, starts at 2.5mg weekly and steps up in 2.5mg increments every 4 weeks toward a maintenance dose of up to 15mg. That ramp exists to let the gut adapt and limit nausea, not because higher is inherently better, and it is the schedule used in the SURPASS and SURMOUNT trials.
Ipamorelin behaves differently. Its effect on GH release is saturable: past a threshold, adding micrograms produces little extra pulse and mainly raises the odds of receptor desensitization. There is no GI-tolerance ramp to climb. Practical "titration" here is not dose escalation but confirmation. A dose is held steady while a follow-up lab shows whether the pulse is producing a real downstream signal, and any change to it is a decision for a licensed clinician rather than a reflex to draw more. Chasing a bigger number on the syringe is the mistake this page exists to prevent.
Biomarkers that tell you the dose is working
GH itself is almost useless on a single blood draw because it is pulsatile and cleared within hours. The axis is read indirectly.
- **IGF-1** is the workhorse. The liver converts GH exposure into IGF-1, which is stable across the day and integrates roughly 24 hours of GH signaling. A baseline draw before starting and a repeat at about 6 weeks shows whether the injections are producing a real downstream response. Interpreting the number against age and sex reference ranges is a clinician's job, not a target to self-chase. - **IGFBP-3** is the main IGF-1 carrier protein and another GH-dependent, day-stable marker that adds context to an IGF-1 reading. - **Fasting glucose** is the safety marker. GH is counter-regulatory and can nudge glucose upward, so pulling a fasting glucose alongside the IGF-1 draw catches metabolic drift early.
Because ipamorelin is selective for the GH pathway and, unlike GHRP-2 or GHRP-6, does not meaningfully raise prolactin or cortisol, those hormones are not routine monitors for it, which is a useful distinction when comparing protocols. Track the values as a trend over time rather than reacting to any single result, and bring that trend to a licensed clinician for any dose decision.
Reconstitution, storage, and handling
The arithmetic only holds if the physical solution is prepared correctly.
- **Use bacteriostatic water, not sterile or plain water.** Bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol, which suppresses microbial growth and is what makes a multi-dose vial usable over several weeks. - **Add the diluent gently.** Aim the stream down the inside wall of the vial rather than blasting it onto the lyophilized powder, then swirl, do not shake. Peptides are fragile chains, and vigorous shaking can foam and denature them. - **Let it dissolve on its own.** The powder should go clear within a minute or two of gentle swirling. Do not draw anything until it is fully dissolved. - **Refrigerate after reconstitution.** Store the mixed vial at 2 to 8 degrees C, protected from light, and plan to use it within about 28 days, which matches the preservative window. Lyophilized, unmixed powder is far more stable and tolerates room temperature short-term. - **Never freeze the reconstituted solution.** Freeze-thaw cycles degrade the peptide. - **Recalculate whenever the vial size or water volume changes.** Either one changes the concentration, and therefore the unit count, even when the dose in micrograms stays identical.
None of the above is medical advice or a recommendation to obtain or self-administer any compound. It explains how to use the calculator and how to track a protocol you are running under the guidance of a licensed clinician.
- Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139(5):552-561.
- Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-1). N Engl J Med. 2022;387:205-216.
- Frias JP, Davies MJ, Rosenstock J, et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Type 2 Diabetes (SURPASS-2). N Engl J Med. 2021;385:503-515.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard Ipamorelin dose?
Standard: 200–300mcg 1–3x daily on empty stomach. Most commonly dosed at wake and before bed. Stack with CJC-1295 (no DAC) injected simultaneously.
How do I reconstitute Ipamorelin?
Add 2mL of bacteriostatic water to a 2mg vial of Ipamorelin to get a concentration of 1000 mcg/mL. This gives 200mcg per 20 units on a 100-unit insulin syringe.
What blood markers should I track while running Ipamorelin?
Common biomarkers tracked alongside Ipamorelin protocols include IGF-1 (6-week check), IGFBP-3, Fasting glucose. Establishing a baseline panel before starting and re-drawing labs at consistent intervals lets you measure changes against your own reference point, generic lab ranges are less informative than your personal trend over time. MyProtocolStack tracks each of these biomarkers in the context of your active Ipamorelin protocol.
Last reviewed: June 2026. For education and tracking only, not medical advice. Confirm any dose with a licensed healthcare provider.
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