An injected peptide that prompts the pituitary gland to release its own growth hormone in bursts. Best-documented effects: growth hormone and liver growth factor stay raised for at least a month, and hunger rises sharply. Japan licensed it only as a one-time pituitary test. No study of muscle, fat, bone, strength, or long-term outcome in healthy adults exists. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| IGF-1 | Upper-middle third of the age- and sex-adjusted range; typically 150–250 ng/mL at 40–65 | The single integrated readout of whether the protocol is doing anything |
| Fasting glucose | 75–86 mg/dL (4.2–4.8 mmol/L) | Detects the compound's principal metabolic liability early |
| Fasting insulin | 2–5 µIU/mL | More sensitive than glucose to the loss of insulin sensitivity that precedes any glucose change |
| HbA1c | 4.8–5.3% | Confirms whether short-term glucose changes have become a sustained shift |
| Prolactin | Men below 10 ng/mL; non-pregnant women below 15 ng/mL | GHRP-2 raises prolactin at every effective dose, and sustained elevation suppresses gonadal function |
| Morning cortisol | 10–15 µg/dL drawn between 07:00 and 09:00 | The peptide drives the cortisol axis at a magnitude comparable to a direct corticotropin-releasing hormone challenge |
| Fasting lipid panel | Triglycerides below 80 mg/dL; HDL cholesterol above 55 mg/dL; LDL cholesterol interpreted alongside apolipoprotein B | Growth hormone alters fat breakdown and lipoprotein handling |
| Comprehensive metabolic panel with liver enzymes | ALT and AST both below 25 U/L | General safety screen, and it captures sodium and potassium relevant to fluid retention |
| Thyroid panel (TSH, free T4, free T3) | TSH 0.5–2.0 mIU/L; free T3 in the upper third of range | Thyroid status modulates growth hormone output, so a blunted response can reflect untreated thyroid disease |
| PSA, men over 45 | Below 1.0 ng/mL, with the year-on-year rate of change more informative than the absolute value | Prudent surveillance given sustained IGF-1 elevation |
Cadence: Full fasting panel at baseline before the first dose; fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and IGF-1 repeated at 6 weeks; HbA1c, prolactin, and morning cortisol added at 12 weeks; full panel then every 3–6 months for as long as dosing continues, plus once at each off-cycle break. Blood pressure and body weight weekly at home.