Underground Biohacking
Growth hormone

CJC-1295

Chris Hallewell, founder of Underground Biohacking

By , Founder, Underground Biohacking

Last reviewed

Research use only. Not FDA-approved. Banned by WADA (S2.2 category).

CJC-1295 is a lab made copy of growth hormone releasing hormone. The version studied in people, CJC-1295 with DAC, sticks to blood albumin and keeps working for days. In healthy adults it raised growth hormone and IGF-1 for over a week. That is the whole human record: two small trials in the mid 2000s. Nobody has tested whether it builds muscle, burns fat or slows ageing in people. The version without DAC has no human trials at all.

What is CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 is a synthetic copy of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). GHRH is the brain signal that tells your pituitary gland to release growth hormone. CJC-1295 copies the first 29 amino acids of GHRH, the shortest piece that still works. Four of those amino acids are swapped, so blood enzymes cannot chop it up as quickly. Two different drugs are sold under this name, and the difference matters. CJC-1295 with DAC carries a chemical hook called a drug affinity complex. The hook grabs albumin, the most common protein in your blood, and locks the peptide onto it. Riding on albumin, the peptide escapes the kidneys and keeps signalling for days. This is the form tested in the human trials. CJC-1295 without DAC has no hook. It is modified GRF 1-29, part of the same GHRH analogue family as the approved drug tesamorelin. It clears fast, so it gives a short burst of growth hormone rather than a steady lift. The two forms behave differently enough that evidence for one says little about the other.

What is CJC-1295 used for?

  • In healthy adults, one injection of CJC-1295 with DAC raised blood growth hormone two to ten fold for six days or more.[1]Human study
  • In the same adults, IGF-1, the growth signal that growth hormone switches on, rose 1.5 to 3 fold for nine to eleven days.[1]Human study
  • In adults given repeat injections of the DAC form, average IGF-1 stayed above the starting level for up to 28 days.[1]Human study
  • In healthy men, CJC-1295 with DAC lifted trough growth hormone 7.5 fold and IGF-1 by 45 percent.[2]Human study
  • In those same men, the body's natural growth hormone pulses kept their normal timing and size.[2]Human study
  • In rats, CJC-1295 produced four times the growth hormone output of the unmodified peptide over two hours.[3]Animal or lab study only
  • In mice losing muscle to steroid drugs, CJC-1295 combined with ipamorelin improved the muscle's peak pulling force.[4]Animal or lab study only
CJC-1295 dosage chart
Typical dose100-300mcg per injection, 1-3 times per week (with DAC) or daily (no-DAC).
Cycle length8-12 weeks on, 4 weeks off
FormInjectable (subcutaneous)

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How does CJC-1295 work?

CJC-1295 is a synthetic copy of the active part of growth-hormone-releasing hormone, or GHRH. GHRH is the signal your hypothalamus sends to the pituitary gland. It tells the pituitary to make and release growth hormone. It comes in two forms. The DAC version carries a Drug Affinity Complex. That is a small chemical arm. It latches onto albumin, a protein already in your blood. Riding on albumin shields it from breakdown, and its measured half-life in healthy adults ran about six to eight days. The version without DAC has no albumin anchor, so it clears fast like natural GHRH. Either way, GH rises in pulses, and IGF-1 follows.

How much CJC-1295 should you take?

100-300mcg per injection, 1-3 times per week (with DAC) or daily (no-DAC).

How long should you run CJC-1295?

8-12 weeks on, 4 weeks off

How is CJC-1295 supplied?

Injectable (subcutaneous)

What are the side effects of CJC-1295?

EffectHow seriousWhat to watch
No human safety trial has ever been published on CJC-1295 without DAC, the modified GRF 1-29 form. Its risks in people are unmeasured.UnknownNothing useful can be recommended, because there is no human record to draw on.
In the two placebo controlled trials of CJC-1295 with DAC, no serious adverse reactions were reported.[1]None serious reportedNothing specific, but note the trials were small and ran for weeks, not years.
Across growth hormone axis peptides, clinicians report fluid retention, muscle and joint pain, injection site reactions and blood sugar problems.[5]Mild to moderate, not measured in a trialSwelling in hands and ankles, joint and muscle pain, blood sugar, injection sites.
Powders seized by customs and sold as modified GRF 1-29 turned out to be altered peptides carrying an extra amino acid.[6]UnknownYou cannot tell by looking. Grey market vials are often not the molecule on the label.
Reviewers warn that the unregulated supply chain adds contamination and mislabelling on top of cardiovascular and metabolic risks.[7]Potentially serious, poorly definedBlood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids, discussed with a doctor.

Is CJC-1295 legal in 2026?

Checked on 6 August 2026. CJC-1295 is not an approved medicine in the United States. Pharmacies nominated it for compounding, and FDA placed it among substances that may present significant safety risks. The nominators later withdrew it, and FDA still lists CJC-1295 in that withdrawn group. FDA writes that it has identified serious adverse events associated with CJC-1295. Those include increased heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction. FDA adds that available clinical data are limited. FDA's position is that peptides like this could never have been lawfully compounded under section 503A. An advisory committee vote is advice, not law, and changes nothing. Growth hormone releasing hormones are also prohibited in sport by WADA.

Status checked against the primary source.

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Deep dives on CJC-1295

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between CJC-1295 with DAC and without DAC?
They are different drugs sharing one name. CJC-1295 with DAC carries a chemical hook that binds albumin in your blood. That keeps it signalling for days, and it is the form used in the published human trials. CJC-1295 without DAC has no hook. It is modified GRF 1-29, and it clears from the blood fast. No human trial has been published on the version without DAC, so its effects in people are unmeasured.
Does CJC-1295 actually build muscle or burn fat?
Nobody has measured that in people. The human trials tracked blood levels of growth hormone and IGF-1, and nothing else. They did not weigh anyone, scan body fat or test strength. Higher IGF-1 is a plausible route to those changes, but plausible is not proven. The only muscle result comes from mice given CJC-1295 with ipamorelin while losing muscle to steroid drugs. Mouse muscle findings often fail to repeat in humans.
Is CJC-1295 legal to buy or to prescribe in the United States?
No. CJC-1295 has never been approved by the FDA for any use. Pharmacies asked to be allowed to compound it, and FDA flagged it as a possible significant safety risk. That nomination was then withdrawn. FDA's position is that peptides like this could never have been lawfully compounded under section 503A. Anything sold online is unapproved and unregulated. It is also prohibited in competitive sport under anti-doping rules.
Is CJC-1295 the same thing as growth hormone?
No, and the difference is the whole point. Injected growth hormone floods your body from outside. CJC-1295 asks your own pituitary gland to release more of its own. In the trials the natural rhythm survived. Pulses kept their normal timing and size, while the low points between pulses rose sharply. That may be gentler than injecting growth hormone directly. It also means nothing happens if your pituitary cannot respond.
What are the known risks of CJC-1295?
The short trials reported no serious adverse reactions, but they were small and brief. FDA says it has identified serious adverse events linked to CJC-1295. Those include a faster heart rate and a systemic vasodilatory reaction, meaning blood vessels widening across the body. Reviews of growth hormone peptides describe fluid retention, joint and muscle pain, injection site reactions and blood sugar swings. Long term risk, including any cancer risk from raised IGF-1, is unstudied.
Will CJC-1295 show up on a drug test?
Yes, if the test is looking for it. Growth hormone releasing hormones are prohibited under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Anti-doping labs have built and validated methods that find CJC-1295 and its relatives in urine and blood at picogram levels. The DAC form is harder to catch because it hides on albumin, so labs capture it with antibodies first. If you compete in tested sport, assume it is detectable.

References

  1. 1.Teichman SL, et al. (2006). Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. PMID: 16352683. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2005-1536.
  2. 2.Ionescu M, Frohman LA (2006). Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. PMID: 17018654. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2006-1702.
  3. 3.Jette L, et al. (2005). Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. PMID: 15817669. DOI: 10.1210/en.2004-1286.
  4. 4.Mayfield CK, et al. (2026). Injectable Peptide Therapy: A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians. The American journal of sports medicine. PMID: 41476424. DOI: 10.1177/03635465251357593.
  5. 5.Dominikowski A, et al. (2026). The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration. Frontiers in endocrinology. PMID: 42395176. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2026.1822475.
  6. 6.Gajda PM, et al. (2019). Glycine-modified growth hormone secretagogues identified in seized doping material. Drug testing and analysis. PMID: 30136411. DOI: 10.1002/dta.2489.
  7. 7.Coutinho LFD, et al. (2026). A new era of doping? Use of peptide and peptide-analog drugs in recreational and professional sport and bodybuilding: a critical review. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. PMID: 41880199. DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.26.17773-1.
  8. 8.Knoop A, et al. (2016). Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. PMID: 26879649. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-016-9377-3.

This content is for educational purposes only. These compounds are intended for research use. Nothing here is medical advice.