RUO · Research Use Only⚠ IGF-1 Elevation⚠ WADA-bannedFor Energy+2 more★ Popular
CJC-1295
A growth-hormone-releasing hormone analog. We read all 30 studies. The protocol is below.
Updated 19 May 2026Read 11 minEvidence ●●○○○Citations 30
Free — puts CJC-1295 on your decision board.
The CJC-1295 Report · $19
Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.
One purchase · yours forever
Built from 30 cited studies.
Read this if
- if your hormone clinic put "GH peptide therapy" on the invoice — **what's almost certainly in the vial is CJC-1295 + ipamorelin**, the single most prescribed compounded GH-secretagogue stack
- you've graduated from sermorelin and want a less-frequent dosing schedule
- you're a Marek-Health-adjacent reader trying to decode **with-DAC (weekly, ~8-day half-life) vs no-DAC / Mod GRF 1-29 (sub-30 min half-life, 5–7×/wk)** — different molecules, different risk profiles, vendors swap the names
Skip this if
- you have active or recent cancer — chronic IGF-1 elevation is the unanswered question
- you compete in a tested sport — WADA-banned, full stop
- you're a healthy adult expecting "anti-aging" benefits the trial data hasn't shown
The 4 ways you can buy CJC-1295
Full breakdown ↓Brand
✗
Not available
No FDA-approved CJC-1295.
Compounded 503A
⚠
Rx
$150–$495/mo (typically bundled with ipamorelin)
Pharmacy-grade; most hormone clinics ship the CJC+ipamorelin stack.
RUO (research-only)
✓
Sold 'for research only'
$25–$60/mo
Large supply; CJC-1295-with-DAC vs without (Mod GRF 1-29) is sometimes interchanged at the label.
Gray market
✓
Unregulated overseas import
$5–$20/mo
Same upstream molecule as RUO. Crypto/Wise pay; one box lasts many months at typical dose.
Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown. Prices and lane availability vary by molecule — this is the per-peptide snapshot, not a generic table.
First 90 days · CJC-1295
What we'd actually do
Weeks 1–2
Sleep depth shifts within days for the GH-secretagogue class (CJC, ipamorelin, sermorelin, hexarelin). If sleep hasn't deepened by week 2, the rest of the protocol probably won't move either.
Weeks 4–8
Subjective recovery and energy improvements. Body composition shifts modestly — slight muscle gain, slight fat loss if diet allows.
Week 12 — decide
Bloodwork: IGF-1 is the objective check. If IGF-1 hasn't moved, the protocol isn't working at this dose. Side effect bookkeeping: water retention, joint stiffness, any glucose changes.
Quit if
- IGF-1 climbs above ~300 ng/mL (cancer-risk territory at the upper end).
- Significant water retention or new carpal-tunnel-style symptoms.
- New or worsening insulin resistance (fasting glucose creep).
- 12 weeks with no IGF-1 movement and no subjective change.
Identity
What it is.
CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone). It binds the same receptor in the pituitary and tells it to release a pulse of growth hormone, which then drives production in the liver.
It comes in two versions, and the difference matters. CJC-1295 with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex) is engineered to bind to albumin in the bloodstream, which extends its from minutes to roughly a week. CJC-1295 without DAC (often labeled "Mod GRF 1-29") clears in under 30 minutes and only triggers a single GH pulse.
It's sold strictly as a research chemical (RUO) in the US and is WADA-banned for competitive athletes. It's frequently stacked with a GHRP (like ipamorelin) to amplify the GH pulse.
TL;DR
TL;DR. 30-second version.
The compressed verdict — what CJC-1295 actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.
Get the report · $19 ↓Mechanism
Mechanism.
Mechanism · in the CJC-1295 report
How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.
Get the report · $19 ↓Evidence
Evidence. What we actually know in humans.
Evidence · in the CJC-1295 report
The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.
Get the report · $19 ↓Human-Evidence Factbox
Dose
Dose. The actual protocol.
Dose · in the CJC-1295 report
The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.
We read 30 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓Sourcing
Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.
Sourcing · in the CJC-1295 report
Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.
We read 30 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓Safety
Safety. Side effects.
Safety · in the CJC-1295 report
The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.
Get the report · $19 ↓Editorial Position
Editorial position.
Editorial Position · in the CJC-1295 report
Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.
Get the report · $19 ↓Citations
Citations.
- 01Teichman SL, et al. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 2006;91(3):799-805. PMID: 16352683.
- 02Van Hout MC, et al. Netnography of Female Use of the Synthetic Growth Hormone CJC-1295: Pulses and Potions. Substance use & misuse. 2016;51(1):73-84. PMID: 26771670.
- 03Rahman OF, et al. Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews. 2026;10(1). PMID: 41490200.
- 04Timms M, et al. A method for confirming CJC-1295 abuse in equine plasma samples by LC-MS/MS. Drug testing and analysis. 2019;11(8):1248-1257. PMID: 30938069.
- 05Mayfield CK, et al. Injectable Peptide Therapy: A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians. The American journal of sports medicine. 2026;54(1):223-229. PMID: 41476424.
+Show all 30 citationsShow fewer citations
- 06Timms M, et al. An immuno polymerase chain reaction screen for the detection of CJC-1295 and other growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogs in equine plasma. Drug testing and analysis. 2019;11(6):804-812. PMID: 30489688.
- 07Henninge J, et al. Identification of CJC-1295, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation. Drug testing and analysis. 2010;2(11-12):647-50. PMID: 21204297.
- 08Alba M, et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295, a long-acting growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism. 2006;291(6):E1290-4. PMID: 16822960.
- 09Memdouh S, et al. Advances in the detection of growth hormone releasing hormone synthetic analogs. Drug testing and analysis. 2021;13(11-12):1871-1887. PMID: 34665524.
- 10Ionescu M, et al. Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 2006;91(12):4792-7. PMID: 17018654.
- 11Jetté L, et al. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. 2005;146(7):3052-8. PMID: 15817669.
- 12Sackmann-Sala L, et al. Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects. Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society. 2009;19(6):471-7. PMID: 19386527.
- 13Cristea CD, et al. Cationic exchange SPE combined with triple quadrupole UHPLC-MS/MS for detection of GHRHs in urine samples. Analytical biochemistry. 2023;682:115336. PMID: 37806509.
- 14Thomas A, et al. Immunoaffinity purification of peptide hormones prior to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in doping controls. Methods (San Diego, Calif.). 2012;56(2):230-5. PMID: 21871962.
- 15Thomas A, et al. Chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of peptidic analytes (2-10 kDa) in doping control urine samples. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS. 2024;59(1):e4996. PMID: 38197510.
- 16Thomas A, et al. Probing for peptidic drugs (2-10 kDa) in doping control blood samples. Analytical science advances. 2022;3(7-8):235-243. PMID: 38716080.
- 17Knoop A, et al. Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. 2016;408(12):3145-53. PMID: 26879649.
- 18Danila GM, et al. Early detection of cannabinoids in biological samples based on their affinity interaction with the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Talanta. 2022;237:122905. PMID: 34736642.
- 19Renke G, et al. Therapeutic Peptides in Aesthetic, Metabolic and Endocrine Conditions: Effects, Safety, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives. International journal of molecular sciences. 2026;27(9). PMID: 42123471.
- 20Thevis M, et al. Detecting peptidic drugs, drug candidates and analogs in sports doping: current status and future directions. Expert review of proteomics. 2014;11(6):663-73. PMID: 25382550.
- 21Coppieters G, et al. An antibody-free, ultrafiltration-based assay for the detection of growth hormone-releasing hormones in urine at low pg/mL concentrations using nanoLC-HRMS/MS. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. 2022;214:114726. PMID: 35298973.
- 22Thomas A, et al. Expanded test method for peptides >2 kDa employing immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Drug testing and analysis. 2015;7(11-12):990-8. PMID: 26382721.
- 23Mavrych V, et al. Therapeutic peptides in gerontology: mechanisms and applications for healthy aging. Frontiers in aging. 2026;7:1790247. PMID: 42021992.
- 24Mendias CL, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 2026. PMID: 41966639.
- 25Pineau T, et al. The study of doping market: How to produce intelligence from Internet forums. Forensic science international. 2016;268:103-115. PMID: 27710891.
- 26Gautam D, et al. Neuronal M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are essential for somatotroph proliferation and normal somatic growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2009;106(15):6398-403. PMID: 19332789.
- 27Pont L, et al. Comparison of magnetic bead surface functionalities for the immunopurification of growth hormone-releasing hormones prior to liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. Journal of chromatography. A. 2020;1631:461548. PMID: 32971474.
- 28Kwok WH, et al. Doping control analysis of seven bioactive peptides in horse plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. 2013;405(8):2595-606. PMID: 23318763.
- 29Uçaktürk E, et al. Analysis of growth hormone releasing hormone and its analogs in urine using nano liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/orbitrap mass spectrometry. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. 2026;268:117207. PMID: 41138283.
- 30Coutinho LFD, et al. A new era of doping? Use of peptide and peptide-analog drugs in recreational and professional sport and bodybuilding: a critical review. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 2026. PMID: 41880199.
The CJC-1295 Report · $19
Everything you need to start.
Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.
Built from 30 cited studies.
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