Ipamorelin vs Sermorelin
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
The two halves of the standard pharmacy mixed growth hormone plan. One works like the hunger hormone ghrelin. The other is a piece of GHRH, the brain's growth hormone release signal. They hit different switches, which is why they are usually stacked. Only sermorelin has ever been FDA approved.
- Ipamorelin people
- 157
- Ipamorelin nulls
- 0
- Sermorelin people
- 139
- Sermorelin nulls
- 1
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that circulate in forums and on vendor pages are not a human dose. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page.
Commonly reported amounts, in mcg. Ipamorelin has no approved label.
Amounts commonly reported by people buying Ipamorelin, recorded for this archive's reconstitution calculator, are 100, 200 and 300 mcg. They are self-reports rather than trial doses, and this archive does not recommend any of them. No human dose has been established for Ipamorelin.
| Reported amount | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| 100 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 200 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 300 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that circulate in forums and on vendor pages are not a human dose. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page.
Commonly reported amounts, in mcg. The discontinued approved product was dosed by body weight, not as a fixed amount.
Amounts commonly reported by people buying Sermorelin, recorded for this archive's reconstitution calculator, are 100, 200, 300 and 500 mcg. They are self-reports rather than trial doses, and this archive does not recommend any of them. Sermorelin was an approved medicine and that label carried a dose; it is no longer marketed. These reported amounts are not that label's dose.
| Reported amount | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| 100 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 200 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 300 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
| 500 mcg | Commonly reported, no published human dosing trial |
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
IpamorelinIpamorelin Acetate
A peptide that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone in natural bursts. It barely touches cortisol, the stress hormone, or prolactin.
Column B
SermorelinSermorelin (GHRH 1-29 analogue)
A piece of the hormone that tells your body to make growth hormone. It was once approved for children short on growth hormone. Now it is made by compounding pharmacies and used for anti-aging.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | Ipamorelin | Sermorelin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Growth Hormone | Growth Hormone |
| FDA status | Not FDA-approved | Previously FDA-approved (Geref, now discontinued); available made up by compounding pharmacies |
| Half-life | ~2 hours | ~10-20 minutes |
| Molecular weight | 711.85 Da | 3,357.9 Da |
| How it works | It switches on the ghrelin receptor on the pituitary gland, also called GHS-R1a. Ghrelin is the body's hunger hormone. Switching on this receptor makes the gland release growth hormone in bursts. | It switches on the GHRH receptor in the pituitary gland. That makes the gland release growth hormone the normal way. |
| Studies in people | 3 | 3 |
| Evidence | Moderate: 2 completed trials, 157 people given it | Moderate: 3 completed trials, 139 people given it |
| Legal status, US | Not approved; research use only | Earlier approval discontinued; available from compounding pharmacies |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ipamorelin and Sermorelin?
Ipamorelin: A peptide that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone in natural bursts. It barely touches cortisol, the stress hormone, or prolactin. Sermorelin: A piece of the hormone that tells your body to make growth hormone. It was once approved for children short on growth hormone. Now it is made by compounding pharmacies and used for anti-aging.
Which has stronger research evidence, Ipamorelin or Sermorelin?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Ipamorelin is Moderate (2 completed trials, 157 people given it). Sermorelin is Moderate (3 completed trials, 139 people given it). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are Ipamorelin and Sermorelin FDA-approved?
Ipamorelin: Not FDA-approved. Sermorelin: Previously FDA-approved (Geref, now discontinued); available made up by compounding pharmacies.
Related posts
Blog articles that cover Ipamorelin or Sermorelin, newest first.
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.