Ibutamoren for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet
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Ibutamoren for Health & Longevity

Created on 09/22/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

Ibutamoren is an unapproved oral compound that prompts the pituitary gland to release more of the body's own growth hormone. It reliably raises that hormone and the growth signal it drives, increases lean tissue and deepens sleep, but the added tissue did not translate into measurable strength. Blood sugar control worsens, appetite rises, fluid is retained, and one trial in frail older patients stopped early over heart failure. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard dose
25 mg orally once daily
The dose used in essentially every human trial, and the dose at which the IGF-1 effect plateaus
Lower-dose approach
10 mg daily
Roughly a 57% rise in 24-hour growth hormone against 97% at 25 mg, with proportionally less glucose disturbance; longevity-oriented practitioners generally favour this end for chronic use
Best time of day
Bedtime, single daily dose
Aligns the amplified pulse with the natural nocturnal growth hormone surge; single dosing rests on a terminal half-life near 24 hours
Time to effect
Growth hormone and IGF-1
Within days
A confirmed IGF-1 rise demonstrates only that the drug reached its target, not that anything worthwhile followed
Fat-free mass
Six to 12 months
Differences took six to 12 months to become clear in the trials, so judging the protocol before three months is premature
Sleep and appetite
Almost immediately
Steady state arrives within about a week, which is when side effects should be judged

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Heart failure of NYHA Class II or above, reduced ejection fraction, or raised NT-proBNP
  • Myocardial infarction within 90 days, or uncontrolled hypertension above 160/100 mmHg
  • Active malignancy, or a treated malignancy within five years
  • Diabetes, or prediabetes (HbA1c 5.7% or above, fasting glucose 100 mg/dL or above)
  • Active diabetic retinopathy or known proliferative retinopathy
  • Acromegaly, untreated pituitary adenoma, or IGF-1 above the age-adjusted reference range
  • Hepatic impairment of Child-Pugh Class B or C, or unexplained liver enzyme elevation
  • Pregnancy, attempting conception, or breastfeeding
  • Children and adolescents with open growth plates, outside a supervised trial
  • Critically ill or recently post-operative
  • Anyone subject to anti-doping testing
    •
Key Interactions
  • Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin, ritonavir, grapefruit juice)
  • Strong CYP3A4 inducers (rifampicin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, St John's wort)
  • Insulin and insulin secretagogues (glipizide, glyburide)
  • Systemic glucocorticoids (prednisone, dexamethasone)
  • Levothyroxine and thyroid hormone
  • Oral estrogens and combined oral contraceptives
  • Somatostatin analogues (octreotide, lanreotide)
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen) and decongestants (pseudoephedrine)
  • Melatonin and sedating antihistamines (diphenhydramine, doxylamine)
  • Supplemental growth hormone secretagogues (arginine, ornithine, glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine)
  • Glucose-lowering supplements (berberine, chromium picolinate, myo-inositol, alpha-lipoic acid)
  • Selective androgen receptor modulators and anabolic androgenic steroids (LGD-4033, RAD-140, testosterone)
  • Appetite-suppressing weight-loss drugs (semaglutide, tirzepatide)
  • Other interventions (resistance training, caloric restriction, rapamycin)
    •

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Reduced insulin sensitivity and rising fasting glucose; increased appetite with weight gain; fluid retention, peripheral edema and musculoskeletal pain
  • Medium: Congestive heart failure in frail older adults; modest prolactin elevation; increased bone remodelling without density gain
  • Low: Elevated cortisol — conflicted; drug-induced liver injury; gynecomastia and testosterone suppression with stacked use; gastrointestinal upset, fatigue and headache
  • Speculative: Long-term cancer risk from sustained IGF-1 elevation; acceleration of biological ageing via the growth hormone axis; loss of effect through axis desensitisation

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
IGF-1 100–160 ng/mL, and never above the age-adjusted upper limit Confirms the drug reached its target and caps overshoot
Fasting glucose 75–86 mg/dL (4.2–4.8 mmol/L) Earliest routine signal of the main metabolic cost
HbA1c 4.8–5.3% Integrates glucose exposure that spot testing misses
Fasting insulin with HOMA-IR Insulin 2–5 µIU/mL; HOMA-IR below 1.5 Detects lost insulin sensitivity months before glucose moves
ApoB with LDL cholesterol ApoB below 80 mg/dL; LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dL Tracks whether the small lipid improvement holds or reverses
ALT and GGT ALT below 25 U/L in men and 20 U/L in women; GGT below 20 U/L Liver injury has been reported with unsupervised use
NT-proBNP Below 125 pg/mL Directly addresses the congestive heart failure signal
Prolactin Below 15 ng/mL Modest rises are expected and should stay inside range
Total testosterone with SHBG Total testosterone 500–900 ng/dL; SHBG 20–50 nmol/L Detects hormonal shifts reported with stacked use
TSH with free T4 TSH 0.5–2.0 mIU/L; free T4 in the middle of the laboratory range Growth hormone shifts thyroid hormone conversion
Blood pressure with body weight Below 120/80 mmHg; weight within 1–2 kg of the starting value Fluid retention shows up here before it is visible

Cadence: Full panel at baseline; glucose, insulin and body weight at week 4; full panel at week 12; then every three months through the first year and every six to 12 months thereafter. Any new swelling, breathlessness or exertional limitation triggers immediate cardiac reassessment rather than a scheduled draw.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Sleep depth and continuity, and whether night-time hunger is interrupting it
  • Appetite intensity and whether food intake still matches the plan
  • Morning ankle swelling, and tightness of rings, watch straps or shoes
  • Joint and muscle discomfort, and any numbness or tingling in hands or feet
  • Training recovery between sessions and measured strength progression on the same lifts
  • Daytime energy, mental clarity, and any new lethargy
  • Breathlessness on exertion or when lying flat, which warrants immediate reassessment
Not medical advice. Educational distillation of a single evidence review. Confirm any decision with a qualified clinician, especially in the presence of prescription drugs or chronic conditions.