Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin Blend
Fixed-ratio growth-hormone blend · tesamorelin 10 mg + ipamorelin 3 mg · nightly
This blend pairs Tesamorelin, the FDA-approved growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, with Ipamorelin, most often 10 mg + 3 mg in one vial. People run it for visceral fat loss and lean recovery. Both want the same nightly, empty-stomach shot, so one injection covers both.
At a glance
- Dose
- 0.65–1.95 mg of blend, most run 1.3 mg nightly
- How often
- Once daily
- How
- A small injection under the skin, both halves in one syringe
- When
- Bedtime on an empty stomach, 2–3 hours after your last meal
- Cycle
- 8–12 weeks on, then 4–8 weeks off
The 30-second versionEverything on this page, fast
GH from two angles · Nightly · Visceral fat · Lean recovery
The growth-hormone pair whose schedules match. Tesamorelin is the FDA-approved GHRH analog and Ipamorelin is the clean growth-hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP) that adds a second receptor to the same pulse. Both want the same nightly, empty-stomach shot, so one injection covers them.
The basics
- A pre-mixed powder, most often 10 mg tesamorelin + 3 mg ipamorelin, injected once a night.
- A GHRH plus a GHRP, two different receptors on the same pituitary cell, which is why the pair fires a bigger pulse than either alone.
Why people use it
- Two receptors, one pulse. The GHRH half primes the cell and the GHRP half triggers it, the same pairing logic as CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin.
- The GHRH half is FDA-approved. Tesamorelin is sold as Egrifta, and its pivotal trial cut deep visceral fat about 15% and raised IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) around 80% over 26 weeks.
- A clean partner. Ipamorelin is the selective GHRP, largely avoiding the hunger and the cortisol response that GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 bring.
- One shot, one schedule. Both are nightly and both want an empty stomach, so nothing has to be juggled.
Stacks well with
- Nothing from the same family. A second GHRH like CJC-1295 or Sermorelin pulls the identical lever, and a second GHRP does too.
- Separate vials, if you want tesamorelin's full 2 mg. The fixed ratio can't get there without doubling ipamorelin past its usual ceiling.
Good to know
- The ratio is the trade-off. Tesamorelin is dosed in milligrams and ipamorelin in hundreds of micrograms. At 20 units tesamorelin reaches its low tier and ipamorelin the top of its standard band, the best fit this ratio gives.
- Check your label. There is no standard vial here; 10+2, 6+2, 10+3, 10+5 and 5+5 are all sold, and every unit figure on this page assumes 10+3.
- Empty stomach is the one rule that matters. Eat near the shot and you blunt the pulse.
- Growth hormone nudges blood sugar upward, so glucose is the thing to watch on a longer run.
- Banned in tested sport. Both halves are on the WADA list at all times.
What it does
Two receptors on one nightly shot. Here is what draws people to the pair.
- Two receptors, one bigger pulseThe GHRH half primes the cell, the GHRP half triggers it, and the pair releases more than either alone.
- Visceral fat loss with trial dataTesamorelin is FDA-approved. Its pivotal trial cut visceral fat about 15% and raised IGF-1 roughly 81% over 26 weeks.
- A clean GHRP partnerStudies report ipamorelin releases growth hormone without meaningfully raising cortisol or ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), unlike GHRP-2 and GHRP-6.
- Your own rhythm, keptBoth raise the body's own growth hormone, so the pituitary's natural pulse and feedback loops stay in play.
- One shot, one scheduleBoth halves are nightly and both want an empty stomach, so there is nothing to juggle.
How it works
Two doors on one cell. Tesamorelin is a stabilized analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It binds the GHRH receptor on the pituitary's growth-hormone cells (somatotrophs) and drives the cAMP pathway that makes them release growth hormone (GH). Ipamorelin, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP), binds GHS-R1a, the ghrelin receptor on the same cell. One primes the cell, the other triggers it.
Your own pulse, amplified. Both raise the body's own growth hormone instead of supplying it, so the pituitary's natural rhythm and feedback loops stay in play. The largest natural pulse fires in early deep sleep, and a meal raises insulin and somatostatin, growth hormone's off-switch. That is why both want a bedtime, empty-stomach shot.
Sources:FDA labelPMID 18057338PMID 9849822PMID 10496658PMID 25331030
How to dose it
One nightly injection covers both halves. The vial ratio is fixed, so one draw sets both doses, and 20 units is the best fit.
Dose tiersMost people run 20 units a night, which is 1 mg tesamorelin + 300 mcg ipamorelin.
- Low, 10 units (≈ 0.65 mg):
- 500 mcg tesamorelin + 150 mcg ipamorelin nightly. Ipamorelin sits at the top of its 100–150 mcg starter band, tesamorelin at half its lowest tier. A first-week tolerance check.
- Standard, 20 units (≈ 1.3 mg):
- 1 mg tesamorelin + 300 mcg ipamorelin nightly. Tesamorelin reaches its low tier and ipamorelin the top of its 200–300 mcg standard band. The best fit this ratio gives.
- High, 30 units (≈ 1.95 mg):
- 1.5 mg tesamorelin + 450 mcg ipamorelin nightly. Tesamorelin moves toward its 2 mg trial dose while ipamorelin runs half again above its standard ceiling. The top of the range.
- Reaching tesamorelin's 2 mg:
- Tesamorelin's 2 mg is 40 units, carrying 600 mcg ipamorelin, twice its ceiling. Ipamorelin's high tier (200–300 mcg, 2–3 times a day) adds shots, which one nightly draw can't give.
How to injectOne nightly shot under the skin, 2–3 hours after eating; the calculator splits any draw.
- Injection site:
- Belly (a couple of inches clear of the navel), love handles or outer thigh. Rotate nightly to avoid lipohypertrophy, the fatty lumps from reusing one spot.
- Measuring the dose:
- U-100 syringe. At 13 mg in 2 mL, 20 units gives 1 mg tesamorelin and 300 mcg ipamorelin. Egrifta SV's 1.4 mg equivalent is 28 units (420 mcg ipamorelin).
- Time of day:
- Bedtime. Both halves want the same window, so there is nothing to stagger.
- Food window:
- The one rule that matters. Inject roughly 2–3 hours after the last meal and don't eat for about 30 minutes after. Food raises insulin and somatostatin, which blunt the pulse.
Cycle and breaksMost run 8–12 weeks nightly, then take 4–8 weeks off.
- Standard cycle:
- 8–12 weeks of nightly use, where both component pages overlap. Tesamorelin's trial ran 26 weeks continuously.
- Washout:
- 4–8 weeks off between cycles, following tesamorelin's page, the longer of the two. Check IGF-1 at the end of a block, before the break, to see whether the axis responded.
- Vial life:
- At 20 units a night a 13 mg vial is 10 doses, and a 12-week block takes nine vials (84 nights). Use a mixed vial within about four weeks.
Mixing the vialThe standard mix is 13 mg in 2 mL bacteriostatic water; the calculator handles others.
- Mixing:
- 13 mg + 2 mL bacteriostatic water = 6,500 mcg/mL of blend, 5,000 mcg/mL tesamorelin and 1,500 mcg/mL ipamorelin. Each unit holds 50 mcg tesamorelin and 15 mcg ipamorelin.
- Why 2 mL:
- It puts tesamorelin at the 5,000 mcg/mL its page uses, so those figures carry over. 20 units hold 1 mg of tesamorelin here too, and 40 units hold 2 mg.
- Check your label first:
- Vendors sell 10+2, 6+2, 10+3, 10+5 and 5+5 mg vials; every number here assumes 10+3. On a 5+5 vial in 2 mL, 20 units gives 500 mcg of each.
Best time to take it
Implied best time
Bedtime (empty stomach)
Bedtime on an empty stomach, roughly two to three hours after your last meal. Both halves want the same window.
- The body's largest growth-hormone pulse fires in early slow-wave sleep. Both halves amplify that pulse, so a bedtime dose rides the surge.
- A meal raises insulin and somatostatin, and somatostatin is growth hormone's direct off-switch. Eating near the shot blunts the pulse it is meant to produce.
- Both clear fast. Tesamorelin clears in well under an hour and ipamorelin's terminal half-life is around two hours. What counts is the pulse each triggers.
Sources:FDA labelPMID 10496658
What to stack it with
The blend already holds a GHRH and a GHRP, so same-family additions duplicate it. Useful partners come from other axes, and the most useful change is separate vials.
Separate vials for the full 2 mgTesamorelin at 2 mg and ipamorelin at 200–300 mcg from their own vials, same bedtime shot.
- Why it works:
- Tesamorelin's trials ran at 2 mg a day, which this ratio can't reach without 600 mcg of ipamorelin, twice its standard ceiling. Separate vials give each peptide its own dose.
- The protocol:
- Tesamorelin 2 mg and Ipamorelin 200–300 mcg, both under the skin at bedtime on an empty stomach, the blend's own window. One syringe works if you prefer a single injection.
- Outcome:
- People run it when the goal is the visceral-fat result tesamorelin's trials measured, rather than a general GH nudge.
The blend + BPC-157A local-repair layer under the systemic growth-hormone backdrop, a different axis that adds rather than duplicates.
- Why it works:
- The GH axis works body-wide through IGF-1. BPC-157 works locally on new blood vessels and connective-tissue repair. Neither touches the other's receptor, so the pairing is additive.
- The protocol:
- The blend nightly as usual, plus BPC-157 250–500 mcg under the skin daily, or the pre-mixed Wolverine when a tendon or ligament is the target.
- Outcome:
- People run it when recovery from training or injury is the goal alongside body composition.
What not to addThe vial already holds one GHRH and one GHRP, so a second of either is redundant.
- A second GHRH:
- CJC-1295 or Sermorelin on top of tesamorelin hits the same receptor twice. Tesamorelin's own page names this as a stack not to run.
- A second GHRP:
- GHRP-2, GHRP-6 or Hexarelin duplicates the ipamorelin half at GHS-R1a and brings back the appetite spike and the ACTH and cortisol response ipamorelin was chosen to avoid.
- The CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend:
- Running both doubles each half. Pick that blend for a weekly CJC-1295 DAC (drug affinity complex) option or a cheaper daily GHRH, this one for tesamorelin's trial data.
Sources:FDA labelPMID 9849822
Support nutrients
Cofactors here do three jobs. Free the pulse, cover the glucose cost and feed the IGF-1 signal.
Free the pulseSomatostatin gates growth-hormone release. Lower it around the shot and the dose lands harder.
- The fasted window:
- Free and stronger than any supplement. 2–3 hours after the last meal, nothing for ~30 minutes after. Food raises the hormones that suppress the pulse.
- Alpha-GPC:
- 300–600 mg about 30 minutes before the injection. A choline source used to support the cholinergic tone that lowers somatostatin.
- L-arginine or glycine:
- L-arginine 3–6 g, or glycine 3–10 g, in the same pre-injection window. Take them fasted, not with a meal.
Cover the glucose costGrowth hormone transiently raises blood sugar and lowers insulin sensitivity. Watch it on long runs.
- Berberine and alpha-lipoic acid:
- Berberine 500 mg with meals, or alpha-lipoic acid 600 mg daily, both used to support insulin sensitivity.
- Magnesium:
- 300–400 mg elemental at bedtime. It fits the injection window and supports sleep, when the pulse this protocol amplifies happens.
- Track it:
- Fasting glucose and HbA1c (a blood-sugar marker) before and during a block. Tesamorelin's own label carries glucose monitoring for this reason.
Feed the IGF-1 signalGrowth hormone raises IGF-1, which drives protein synthesis. Give it protein and training.
- Protein:
- 1.6–2.0 g per kilogram of body weight daily, spread across the day.
- Zinc and magnesium:
- A ZMA-style zinc and magnesium pairing at bedtime. It matches the injection window and supports sleep depth, when the natural pulse occurs.
Sources:FDA labelPMID 18057338
Dose calculator
Reconstitution calculator
Calculated for a 1 mL U-100 insulin syringe (100 units/mL).
Units per dose
20 units
Draw this many units on a U-100 syringe
Each unit holds 65 mcg
This dose contains
- Tesamorelin1 mg
- Ipamorelin300 mcg
Fixed ratio. Every draw carries all of the vial's peptides in the same proportions; only the total changes.
- Volume per dose
- 0.2 mL
- Doses per vial
- 10
- Concentration
- 6.5 mg/mL
One vial lasts
- Daily
- 10 days
- Every other day
- 20 days
- 5×/week
- 14 days
Research use only. Not for human consumption. Outputs are reference values based on research literature. Verify all measurements independently.
Side effects and what to watch
What people notice. Tesamorelin's label lists injection-site reactions, joint pain, muscle aches, swelling from fluid retention and paraesthesia (tingling). Growth hormone raises blood sugar and lowers insulin sensitivity, so the label carries glucose monitoring. Ipamorelin was well tolerated in its human Phase II trial, and studies report it leaves cortisol and ACTH essentially unmoved, unlike older GHRPs.
How people handle it. With a fixed ratio, a side effect from one half means lowering the whole draw or moving to separate vials. Fluid retention, joint discomfort and glucose effects scale with the total growth-hormone signal.
Skip it or take care if. You have active cancer, the label's caution, since IGF-1 is a growth signal.
Common questions
What is in the vial?
This page assumes 10 mg tesamorelin + 3 mg ipamorelin, 13 mg total. Other ratios are sold (10+2, 6+2, 10+5, 5+5), so check your label; on a 5+5 vial in the same 2 mL, 20 units gives 500 mcg of each.
How is it dosed?
Most people run 20 units a night at the 13 mg + 2 mL mix, which is 1 mg tesamorelin + 300 mcg ipamorelin. 10 units is the starter draw, 30 the top.
How do I get tesamorelin's full 2 mg?
From this vial it takes 40 units, which also delivers 600 mcg of ipamorelin, twice its standard range. If 2 mg is the point, run separate vials, tesamorelin at 2 mg and ipamorelin at 200–300 mcg, both at bedtime, one syringe if you like.
Why bedtime and why an empty stomach?
The body's biggest growth-hormone pulse fires in early deep sleep, and both peptides amplify a pulse, so a bedtime shot stacks on top of it. Food raises insulin and somatostatin, which switch growth-hormone release off. Leave 2–3 hours after eating.
Do I need to cycle it?
Most people do. The common block is 8–12 weeks nightly, then 4–8 weeks off. Checking IGF-1 at the end of a block shows whether the axis responded.
Deep dive
Doses used in studies · Molecular identity · References
10From the researchDoses used in studies
The doses used in each component's own studies. Tesamorelin's come from its trials in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, ipamorelin's from its own studies.
| Dose | Route | Model | Outcome | Sources: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any | Subcutaneous | No study of the two-peptide combination | No published study has tested tesamorelin with ipamorelin; the pairing rationale is mechanistic, and the vial ratios are market convention | |
| 2 mg daily | Subcutaneous | Human, pivotal Phase 3, 26 weeks, n=412 (HIV-associated lipodystrophy) | Visceral adipose tissue reduced ~15%; IGF-1 raised ~81% | PMID 18057338 |
| 2 mg daily | Subcutaneous | Human, Phase 3 + extension, n≈404 (tesamorelin) | Benefit maintained on continued dosing; visceral fat returned after discontinuation | PMID 20101189 |
| Label dose | Subcutaneous | Human, FDA-approved product (Egrifta / SV / WR) | Approved for reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy; SV 1.4 mg and WR 1.28 mg are reformulated bioequivalents of 2 mg | FDA label |
| Various | In vitro / IV | Swine and rat (ipamorelin, founding study) | Selective GH release; no FSH, LH, prolactin or TSH change, and ACTH/cortisol not significantly different from GHRH stimulation | PMID 9849822 |
| 4.21–140.45 nmol/kg | IV infusion (15 min) | Human (healthy, n=8/dose), ipamorelin PK | Dose-proportional pharmacokinetics; t½ ~2 h | PMID 10496658 |
| 0.03 mg/kg twice daily | Intravenous | Human, Phase II, post-operative ileus (n=114) | Well tolerated; no efficacy difference versus placebo; the trial missed its endpoint | PMID 25331030 |
11ChemistryMolecular identity
- Composition
- Tesamorelin 10 mg · Ipamorelin 3 mg = 13 mg per vial. No ratio is standard across vendors; others sold include: 10 mg + 2 mg, 6 mg + 2 mg, 10 mg + 5 mg, and 5 mg + 5 mgCross-source vendor agreement
- Ratio
- 10 : 3 by mass, 76.9 % tesamorelin · 23.1 % ipamorelinCalculated
- Structure / class
- Fixed-ratio, co-lyophilized blend of a GHRH analog and a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, not a new molecule; each component keeps its own identity and pharmacologyCross-source vendor agreement
- Tesamorelin (10 mg)
- C221H366N72O67S · 5,135.9 g/mol · CAS 218949-48-5 · UNII MQG94M5EEO · stabilized GRF(1-44) analogPubChem CID 16137828
- Ipamorelin (3 mg)
- C38H49N9O5 · 711.9 g/mol · CAS 170851-70-4 · Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH₂PubChem CID 9831659
- Molecular target
- Two receptors on the same pituitary somatotroph, the GHRH receptor for tesamorelin and GHS-R1a, the ghrelin receptor, for ipamorelinFDA label · PMID 9849822
- Half-life (per component)
- Both short. Tesamorelin ~26–38 min (original Egrifta formulation; ~8 min for the SV reformulation), ipamorelin ~2 h (human IV, terminal). The pulse each triggers outlasts the peptideFDA label · PMID 10496658Half-life curve →
- Regulatory status
- Tesamorelin is FDA-approved (Egrifta) for HIV-associated lipodystrophy only; ipamorelin is not approved for any indication. No trial has tested the combination. Both prohibited in sport at all times (WADA S2)FDA label / WADA Prohibited List
12Primary sourcesReferences
- PubChem CID 16137828PubChem CID 16137828 (Tesamorelin)
- PubChem CID 9831659PubChem CID 9831659 (Ipamorelin)
- FDA labelFDA label / DailyMed, Egrifta SV (tesamorelin) prescribing information
- PMID 18057338Falutz et al., N Engl J Med 2007 (pivotal Phase III, visceral fat and IGF-1)
- PMID 20101189Falutz et al., J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010 (Phase III + extension, discontinuation)
- PMID 9849822Raun et al., Eur. J. Endocrinol. 1998 (ipamorelin, the first selective GH secretagogue)
- PMID 10496658Gobburu et al., Pharm. Res. 1999 (ipamorelin human PK)
- PMID 25331030Beck et al., Int. J. Colorectal Dis. 2014 (ipamorelin Phase II, post-operative ileus)
- WADAWADA Prohibited List (S2, GHRH analogues incl. tesamorelin, and GH secretagogues; prohibited at all times)
Reviewed by Ki Researcher Team · Research use only · Not medical advice · Updated 2026-10-05