yes i take peptides · shopping companion

MK-677 (Ibutamoren)

MK-677

Category · For SleepStatus · RUOCitations · 60Cancer Concern · WADA-banned

The verdict

No — and the verdict is calibrated against the Safety section's heart-failure signal, which most off-label users do not know exists.

By source — cost, legality, risk

Brand
Not available
None — Merck discontinued development; no FDA approval
No FDA-approved MK-677.
Compounded 503A pharmacy
$90–$200/mo where sold
Off-label · not on FDA bulks list
Mid–high. Small molecule, atypical for 503A; few compounders carry.
RUO research peptide
$30–$90/mo
Sold 'for research only'
Highest. Sold as 'SARMs'-adjacent oral solutions; purity rarely tested. Often mis-labeled with other ghrelin mimetics.
Gray-market raw
Varies — not on user's vendor list
Unregulated overseas import
Small molecule — gray path is Chinese chemical suppliers, not the peptide raws this vendor list covers. Often sold as oral solution; purity unverified.

Stop signals · abort if

new edema, weight gain inconsistent with food intake, dyspnea on exertion (heart-failure signal)
fasting glucose > 110 mg/dL on repeat
HbA1c rise > 0.5%
rising IGF-1
new mass or unexplained pain
persistent severe lethargy that doesn't resolve

Sources · top 5 of 60

01Murphy MG, et al. MK-677, an orally active growth hormone secretagogue, reverses diet-induced catabolism. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 1998;83(2):320-5. PMID: 9467534.
02Cardaci TD, et al. LGD-4033 and MK-677 use impacts body composition, circulating biomarkers, and skeletal muscle androgenic hormone and receptor content: A case report. Experimental physiology. 2022;107(12):1467-1476. PMID: 36303408.
03Cobani E, et al. Hepatotoxicity induced by MK-677. BMJ case reports. 2025;18(7). PMID: 40675653.
04Lee J, et al. Effect of the Orally Active Growth Hormone Secretagogue MK-677 on Somatic Growth in Rats. Yonsei medical journal. 2018;59(10):1174-1180. PMID: 30450851.
05Sigalos JT, et al. The Safety and Efficacy of Growth Hormone Secretagogues. Sexual medicine reviews. 2018;6(1):45-53. PMID: 28400207.