Tesamorelin vs Ipamorelin vs CJC-1295 vs AOD-9604
'GH peptides' is a catch-all for four very different molecules. Two are GHRH analogs (they nudge the pituitary), one is a selective GHRP (mimics ghrelin), and one is a fragment of GH itself. Here's how they actually differ.
Tesamorelin
$180 · 10 mg / vial
- Best for
- Visceral fat, nightly GH pulse
- Mechanism
- Stabilized GHRH analog — upstream pituitary signal
- Half-life
- ~26 min
- Dosing
- 1 mg SC nightly
- Ideal timing
- Nightly, 1–2 h before bed (empty stomach)
- Notes
- Only GHRH analog with an FDA approval (HIV lipodystrophy).
Ipamorelin
$90 · 5 mg / vial
- Best for
- Sleep, recovery, clean GH pulse
- Mechanism
- Selective GHS-R1a agonist (ghrelin receptor)
- Half-life
- ~2 h
- Dosing
- 200–300 mcg 1–3× daily
- Ideal timing
- Pre-bed + optional post-workout / fasted AM
- Notes
- No cortisol/prolactin bump. Pairs synergistically with a GHRH analog.
CJC-1295 (no-DAC)
$40 · 2 mg / vial
- Best for
- Sustained GHRH tone with ipamorelin
- Mechanism
- Modified GHRH analog — extended pituitary signal
- Half-life
- ~30 min (no-DAC)
- Dosing
- 100–300 mcg with each ipamorelin pulse
- Ideal timing
- Paired with each ipamorelin pulse (pre-bed / fasted)
- Notes
- Classic 'CJC + Ipa' stack lives here.
AOD-9604
$55 · 5 mg / vial
- Best for
- Selective lipolysis research
- Mechanism
- hGH fragment 177–191 — talks to fat cells
- Half-life
- ~30 min
- Dosing
- 300–600 mcg SC daily
- Ideal timing
- Morning, fasted (30+ min before food)
- Notes
- Does not raise IGF-1 in animal models — different lane from the others.