CJC-1295: uses, evidence and status

compound file

The answer, first. A growth hormone-releasing hormone analog bonded to albumin by a drug affinity complex, first published in humans in 2006 and never approved. The strongest evidence is for raising growth hormone and IGF-1, graded B — one well-powered human trial.

Two randomized, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose trials ran in healthy adults aged 21 to 61 ¹.

Mean GH rose 2 to 10-fold for six days or more, IGF-I 1.5 to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days ¹. The rest of what it is sold for — muscle gain or recomposition, fat loss — grade D or E: animal or mechanism data with no controlled human outcome.

What it is used for

Every use graded on its own evidence, not the compound as a whole. 4 outcomes, ranked by what the human record supports.

#outcome · human · animal · gradewhat the best evidence actually shows

01Raising growth hormone and IGF-12 randomized dose-ranging trials · mouse, rat, doggrade BTwo randomized, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose trials ran in healthy adults aged 21 to 61 ¹. Mean GH rose 2 to 10-fold for six days or more, IGF-I 1.5 to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days ¹.

02Holding the natural GH pulse pattern1 crossover study, healthy men · nonegrade BIn healthy men given 60 or 90 µg/kg, trough GH rose 7.5-fold one week later ². Mean GH rose 46% and IGF-I 45%, with pulse frequency and amplitude unchanged ². Hormone sampling only.

03Muscle gain or recompositionno trial · 1 knockout-mouse studygrade DIn growth hormone-releasing hormone knockout mice, 2 µg once daily for five weeks normalized body weight, length, relative lean mass and fat mass ³. No human trial has measured lean mass, fat mass or strength ⁸.

04Fat lossno trial · knockout mice onlygrade DThe whole human record is hormonal: IGF-I up 45% to 3-fold depending on dose and study ¹². No trial has measured fat mass, waist circumference or body weight on CJC-1295 in any population.

gradewhat it means

ARegulatory approval, or multiple adequately-powered trials agreeing with each other

BAt least one well-powered human randomised trial, with the direction replicated

CSmall or open-label human trials only

DAnimal or mechanism data only, with no controlled human outcome

EA claim the human trials have already killed

How it works

The proposed mechanism, in three steps. A mechanism is a reason to run a trial, never a substitute for one.

1targetBinds pituitary growth hormone-releasing hormone receptors. A drug affinity complex bonds the peptide to circulating albumin, extending exposure ².

2signalA half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days holds the signal on, lifting trough GH 7.5-fold rather than adding new pulses ¹².

3effectSerum IGF-I stays above baseline for up to 28 days after repeat dosing ¹. What that does to tissue was not measured.

What it does not do

Claims the current record does not support. Worth knowing before you set expectations.

not supported by the evidence

Builds muscle. No trial has measured it. With growth hormone itself, fat-free mass rose while muscle protein synthesis and strength matched placebo ⁴.
One name, one molecule. The name covers the DAC form, a no-DAC product and undisclosed blends ⁸. A seized vial needed mass spectrometry to identify ⁵.
Safe because it reached human trials. FDA places CJC-1295 in category 2 and cites serious adverse events including increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reaction ⁶.
Better sleep and recovery. No trial of CJC-1295 measured sleep, soreness or recovery. The forum record is consistent and uncontrolled ⁸⁹.

How it is used

What published protocols administered, and what the community reports doing. Descriptive on both counts, and never a recommendation.

routeSubcutaneous injection. Published human studies dosed by microgram per kilogram, weekly or twice weekly ¹.

formatLyophilised powder in a research vial, reconstituted before use.

published dosesSingle subcutaneous doses of 30 or 60 µg/kg, then two or three weekly or biweekly doses across trials of 28 and 49 days ¹. A second study gave 60 or 90 µg/kg once ². No approved schedule exists for any indication.

human pharmacokineticsEstimated half-life 5.8 to 8.1 days in healthy adults after subcutaneous dosing ¹.

reported conventionsAs reported on bodybuilding forums and catalogued in a 2026 clinical review, 2025 to 2026: the DAC form at 1 to 2 mg weekly ⁸. The no-DAC form at 100 to 200 µg per injection, once or twice daily, usually alongside ipamorelin ⁸. Convention, not guidance.

commonly paired withIpamorelin

This site does not publish protocols to follow. The doses above are what studies administered or what users report, stated as facts about the literature and the market. How protocols are structured, mixing and storage and the reconstitution calculator cover the arithmetic.

What to expect

Where a trial measured it, the trial. Where only the community reports it, that is said out loud.

onsetAfter one subcutaneous injection, mean GH ran 2 to 10-fold above baseline for six days or more ¹. IGF-I ran 1.5 to 3-fold above baseline for 9 to 11 days ¹. No trial has measured an outcome a person could feel.

most common reportThe measured result is hormonal: higher trough GH and higher IGF-I for days after one dose ¹². Lean-mass gain belongs to a different oral secretagogue ¹⁰.

adverse effectsNo serious adverse reactions were reported in the two dose-ranging trials, which tolerated 30 and 60 µg/kg best ¹. FDA cites serious adverse events including increased heart rate and systemic vasodilatory reaction ⁶. As reported: fluid retention, myalgia, injection-site reactions ⁸.

the stop signalThe literature names no stop rule. The 2026 clinical review triages fluid retention, dysglycaemia, and prolactin or cortisol elevations in people self-administering this class ⁸.

Approval and status

What regulators and sport bodies have actually said, separately from what the evidence shows.

approvalNone. Development stopped after the dose-ranging trials. Sold as a research chemical ⁶.

FDAFDA placed CJC-1295 in category 2 of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks ⁶. The compounding nomination was later withdrawn ⁶.

sport [WADA]Prohibited at all times, class S2.2.4 ⁷.

sold asresearch chemical

Covered in depth

These reports grade CJC-1295 at length and carry their own verified reference lists.

Fullness Is Not Muscle: What Tesamorelin, CJC-1295 With Ipamorelin, and MOTS-c Actually Do to Body Composition

Three compounds, three different stories, and one measurement problem that explains all of them. The scan moves. The muscle does not.

Check the vial

The grade above describes a molecule studied under controlled conditions. It says nothing about the powder in a particular vial.

That gap is the one part of this market a reader can actually close. How to read a certificate of analysis covers the five measures in five minutes, and the 2026 audit grades vendors on the documents they publish against a rubric printed in full.

Questions we get

What is CJC-1295 used for?

In the published human record, one thing: raising growth hormone and IGF-1. Two randomized dose-ranging trials in healthy adults lifted GH 2 to 10-fold for six days or more ¹.

IGF-I stayed up 1.5 to 3-fold for 9 to 11 days ¹. It is bought for muscle, fat loss and recovery. No trial of CJC-1295 has measured any of those three ⁸.

How is CJC-1295 used?

Descriptively. The trials gave single subcutaneous doses of 30 or 60 µg/kg, then two or three weekly or biweekly doses over 28 and 49 days ¹.

As reported on forums and catalogued in a 2026 review: the DAC form at 1 to 2 mg weekly ⁸. The no-DAC form at 100 to 200 µg once or twice daily, usually with ipamorelin ⁸. Convention, not guidance.

How long does CJC-1295 take to work?

For the only thing measured, hours. GH rises after a single injection and stays elevated for six days or more ¹.

IGF-I stays up for 9 to 11 days, and for 28 days after repeat dosing ¹. For anything a person would notice, there is no answer. No trial has measured a felt outcome.

What is the difference between CJC-1295 with and without DAC?

The drug affinity complex is what makes CJC-1295 long-acting: it bonds the peptide to albumin, giving a half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days ¹².

The no-DAC product, usually called modified GRF 1-29, lacks that and is dosed daily. The human trials studied the DAC form. Two people reporting on CJC-1295 may not be discussing the same molecule ⁸.

How do I know what is actually in a vial of CJC-1295?

You do not, unless a certificate of analysis for that specific lot says so. When a Norwegian doping laboratory received an unknown preparation in 2009, it took mass spectrometry and sequence interpretation to establish that it was CJC-1295 ⁵.

A certificate worth trusting covers identity, purity, measured net content, endotoxin and a microbial screen, and names a lab you can call.

References

Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, et al. Prolonged stimulation of GH and IGF-I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91:799-805. PMID 16352683
Ionescu M, Frohman LA. Pulsatile secretion of GH persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91:4792-4797. PMID 17018654
Alba M, Fintini D, Sagazio A, et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006;291:E1290-E1294. PMID 16822960
Yarasheski KE, Zachwieja JJ, Campbell JA, Bier DM. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth and strength in older men. Am J Physiol. 1995;268:E268-E276. PMID 7864103
Henninge J, Pepaj M, Hullstein I, Hemmersbach P. Identification of CJC-1295, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation. Drug Test Anal. 2010;2:647-650. PMID 21204297
US Food and Drug Administration. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks. Category 2 listing, CJC-1295 entry. fda.gov
World Anti-Doping Agency. The Prohibited List, 2026. Section S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors. wada-ama.org
Dominikowski A, Rekos Z, Olejarz M, et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis. Front Endocrinol. 2026;17:1822475. PMID 42395176
Van Hout MC, Hearne E. Netnography of female use of the synthetic growth hormone CJC-1295: pulses and potions. Subst Use Misuse. 2016;51:73-84. PMID 26771670
White HK, Petrie CD, Landschulz W, et al. Effects of an oral growth hormone secretagogue in older adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94:1198-1206. PMID 19174493

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