The GH Stack: CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin

CJC-1295 plus Ipamorelin is the GH protocol the community keeps coming back to. Not because it's flashy — it isn't — but because it's predictable. You dose it on schedule, you eat like you mean it, you sleep, and three months later your recovery is better, your sleep is better, and your labs show an IGF-1 bump. It's the "eat your vegetables" of peptide stacks.

Who this is for

• Someone 30+ who wants body-composition support without running exogenous GH
• An athlete who wants better recovery from training volume
• Anyone trying to pull their IGF-1 into the upper-normal range naturally

This is not a fast fat-loss tool. It's a slow, compounding shift.

The compounds

• CJC-1295 (no DAC) — 100 mcg per injection, 2-3x per day, sub-Q
• Ipamorelin — 100-200 mcg per injection, 2-3x per day, sub-Q, paired with CJC-1295 in the same syringe

Use the no-DAC version. The DAC variant has its place (less frequent dosing) but blunts pulsatility, which is the entire point of running the stack.

Weekly schedule

This one runs every day — no off days. The schedule that matters is the daily one.

Time	Dose	Conditions
Morning (pre-breakfast)	CJC 100 mcg + Ipa 100-200 mcg	Fasted 2+ hours
Mid-afternoon (optional)	CJC 100 mcg + Ipa 100-200 mcg	2+ hours after lunch, 2+ before dinner
Pre-bed	CJC 100 mcg + Ipa 100-200 mcg	2+ hours after last meal

Two-a-day is the common starting point. Three-a-day is for people serious about stacking pulses and willing to structure their meals around it.

Why the two together

GH release is governed by two upstream signals. GHRH from the hypothalamus sets up the pulse. Ghrelin from the gut amplifies it and suppresses the brake (somatostatin). CJC-1295 is the GHRH side. Ipamorelin is the ghrelin side — but it's clean, meaning it doesn't drag cortisol or prolactin up with it like GHRP-6 does.

You run them together because each one alone gets you a mediocre pulse, and together you get a real one. The stack isn't additive; it's synergistic at the pituitary.

Ramp-up and taper

Ramp isn't really needed — Ipamorelin is one of the most tolerable GH secretagogues. But if you've never injected subcutaneously before, starting at one daily dose for the first three days lets you confirm no injection reactions.

Taper: run eight to twelve weeks, then take four weeks off before another run. The pituitary doesn't desensitize the way it would on DAC or sustained GHRH analogs, but the off-weeks keep things honest.

What to expect

• Week 1: Vivid dreams, sometimes intense. Slightly better sleep latency. Minor fluid retention in the hands or face that resolves.
• Week 2-3: Better recovery from training. Mild joint lubrication people describe as things "moving easier."
• Week 4-6: Body composition starts shifting — slow, subtle, usually more visible in fasted morning mirror checks than on the scale. Skin quality often improves.
• Week 8-12: IGF-1 on a pull will be up. How much varies — 30-80 ng/dL is a typical delta, but individuals vary widely.

The stack does not feel like amphetamines or anything similar. If you're expecting euphoria, you'll be disappointed.

Cost ballpark

Community supplier pricing for an eight-week run lands in the $120-250 range. CJC-1295 is cheap. Ipamorelin is cheap. This is one of the most affordable real protocols.

Red flags — when to stop

• Persistent numbness or tingling in hands (carpal tunnel-like symptoms from fluid retention) that doesn't resolve with dose reduction
• Fasting glucose creeping up meaningfully on labs — this stack can reduce insulin sensitivity in some people
• Persistent headaches beyond the first few days
• No IGF-1 movement on an eight-week pull — your product is probably bunk

Where to go next

• For the mechanism in full, the Pepperpedia CJC-1295 entry and Ipamorelin entry go deeper.
• The mass + recomp stack layers IGF-1 LR3 on top of this for more aggressive body-comp goals.
• If sleep quality is a priority, see the sleep protocol — the pre-bed Ipa pulse is the foundation.
• Discuss real results in the Protocol Discussions forum.