MK-677 (Ibutamoren): The Definitive Guide

Website protocols, trial doses, what it does to growth hormone, muscle, sleep and blood sugar, and what people report.

MK-677 at a glance. MK-677, also called ibutamoren, is a small lab-made molecule taken by mouth, not a peptide and not a SARM; formula C27H36N4O5S, 528.7 g/mol. It is built on a spiroindoline ring core with a benzyloxy side chain and an aminoisobutyryl group. It copies ghrelin: it switches on the ghrelin receptor in the pituitary and hypothalamus, shown in cell and structural studies. In older adults, 25 mg daily nearly doubled 24-hour growth hormone and raised IGF-1 about 1.5-fold. In trials it raised appetite and fasting blood sugar and lowered insulin sensitivity. Discussed for muscle and weight gain, sleep, recovery and anti-aging. Most-cited protocol: 10 to 25 mg a day by mouth, once daily, usually at bedtime, for 8 to 12 weeks, then a 4 to 8 week break; this is the most common pattern in the reviewed sources, while trials gave 25 mg daily without breaks. Human evidence: more than a dozen controlled trials of up to 2 years; growth hormone, IGF-1 and fat-free mass rose, with no consistent gain in strength or function, and a hip-fracture trial was stopped for heart failure. Status: not approved in the US, EU, UK, Canada or Australia; on FDA's list of compounding ingredients with significant safety risks; prescription-only in Australia; banned in sport at all times under WADA 2026 category S2.2.4. Half-life in people has not been verified; the often-quoted 24 hours is how long a dose's effect lasts.

MK-677

Ibutamoren · a lab-made growth hormone secretagogue taken by mouth

Also MK-0677, L-163,191 and, in current development, LUM-201 · trials used the mesylate salt

Small molecule C₂₇H₃₆N₄O₅S 528.7 g/mol Synthetic Taken by mouth

Half-life in people: not verified. The often-quoted "24 hours" is how long one dose's effect lasts.

Simplified drawing: shows how the parts connect, not the 3D shape.

Not a peptide: a small molecule built on a ring core.

How it works

Receptor binding from cell and structural studies; hormone, appetite and blood-sugar effects measured in human trials

Copies ghrelin
Switches on the ghrelin receptor in the pituitary and hypothalamus (cell and structural studies).
Cell study
Bigger GH pulses
25 mg daily nearly doubled 24-hour growth hormone and raised IGF-1 about 1.5-fold in older adults.
Human trial
Hunger and blood sugar
Raised appetite and fasting blood sugar and lowered insulin sensitivity in trials.
Human trial

Discussed for

Muscle and weight gain, sleep, recovery and anti-aging

Most-cited protocol

10–25 mg a dayBy mouth, once daily, usually at bedtime; 8–12 weeks, then a 4–8 week break

Most common pattern in the reviewed sources · Trials: 25 mg daily without breaks

Human evidence

12+ controlled trialsUp to 2 years; growth hormone, IGF-1 and fat-free mass rose; no consistent strength or function gain

A hip-fracture trial was stopped for heart failure

Status

Not approved (US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia)
On FDA's compounding safety-risk list
Prescription-only in Australia
WADA 2026: banned at all times (S2.2.4)

Conceptual summary: the structure panel is a simplified drawing of the molecule, not its 3D shape. The receptor finding comes from cell and structural studies; the growth-hormone, IGF-1, appetite and blood-sugar findings come from human trials.

Published by DoserlyUpdated September 24, 2026Next scheduled review: December 202647 min readHow this guide was made

In this guide

Key takeaways

What it is: a lab-made drug taken by mouth that copies the hunger hormone ghrelin and makes the body release more growth hormone. It is a small molecule, not a peptide and not a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator), and no regulator we checked has approved it as a medicine. Its development today is as LUM-201, mainly for children with growth hormone deficiency.
Typical protocol: the most common pattern in the reviewed sources is 10–25 mg taken by mouth (oral) once a day, usually at bedtime, for 8–12 weeks followed by a 4–8 week break. Trials used 25 mg once a day without breaks; the two-year trial gave it each morning.
Half-life: not verified in people. The often-quoted "24 hours" describes how long one dose's effect lasts, not a measured half-life. IGF-1 stays raised with daily use and falls back within about a month of stopping. See what that means.
Evidence: more than a dozen controlled trials, the longest lasting two years. They reliably raised growth hormone, IGF-1 and fat-free mass, but not strength, and most measures of physical function did not improve (one hip-fracture trial found faster walking). Studies in Alzheimer's disease and fatty liver disease showed no benefit.
Safety: hunger, fluid retention and rising blood sugar and HbA1c are the consistent effects. A trial in older adults recovering from hip fracture was stopped early for heart failure: 4 of 62 people on MK-677 versus 1 of 61 on placebo.
Legal status: not FDA-approved, on FDA's list of compounding ingredients with significant safety risks, and not a legal dietary supplement ingredient in the US. Prescription-only in Australia, with no authorized product in Canada. Banned in sport at all times.

Jump to protocols · Trial results · Risks and legal status · Compare similar compounds

What is MK-677?

MK-677, also called ibutamoren, is an experimental drug taken by mouth that raises the body's own growth hormone. It is not approved as a medicine in the United States or any of the other countries checked for this guide, and it is sold online as capsules, tablets and liquids for muscle building, sleep and anti-aging. [1], [2], [3]

It works by copying ghrelin, a hormone made mainly in the stomach that signals hunger and also tells the pituitary gland at the base of the brain to release growth hormone. MK-677 switches on the same ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a), so it belongs to the growth hormone secretagogues: substances that make the body release more of its own growth hormone. [4], [5], [6]

Despite being sold on peptide websites, it is not a peptide (a chain of amino acids). It is a small molecule with the formula C27H36N4O5S and a molecular weight of about 529; the form used in trials is its mesylate salt, ibutamoren mesylate. In research papers it also appears as MK-0677, L-163,191 and, in current development, LUM-201. [7], [8], [9], [10]

Merck scientists first described it in 1995 as a potent growth hormone releaser that works when swallowed, and it was tested in older adults, hip fracture, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease into the 2000s without ever being approved; FDA's 2024 review records that Merck discontinued its development. Lumos Pharma later licensed it as LUM-201. Its most advanced use in development is for children with growth hormone deficiency, with a phase 3 trial recruiting in the United States; an adult trial in older people with obesity is registered but not yet recruiting. [11], [2], [12], [13]

The key word is investigational: it has been tested in people, but no regulator we checked has approved it for any use.

At a glance
Other names	Ibutamoren, ibutamoren mesylate, MK-0677, L-163,191, LUM-201
What kind of substance	Small lab-made molecule; not a peptide, not a SARM, not a steroid
How it is taken	By mouth (oral), once a day
What it does	Copies ghrelin; raises growth hormone and IGF-1; increases appetite
Human research	More than a dozen controlled trials published from 1996 to 2018, plus children's trials of LUM-201
Status	Not approved in the US, Canada, Australia, the EU or the UK; banned in sport at all times

Conceptual cutaway of the upper body showing the stomach, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and the liver. It shows anatomy and the hormone route, not a measured effect of MK-677. — A swallowed MK-677 tablet acts where ghrelin acts: the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, which releases growth hormone. The liver answers growth hormone by making IGF-1. This generated illustration explains anatomy; it is not clinical evidence.

Typical MK-677 Protocols

Oral capsule, tablet or liquid (swallowed) · MK-677 alone · once daily at bedtime · amounts in milligrams (mg) · one protocol website's three tiers [14]
Example	Amount each time	Frequency	Total per day	Duration
Low	10 mg	Once daily, before bed	10 mg	8–12 weeks, then 4 weeks off
Mid	15–20 mg	Once daily, before bed	15–20 mg	8–12 weeks, then 4–6 weeks off
High	25 mg	Once daily, before bed	25 mg	8–12 weeks, then 6–8 weeks off The dose used in most trials, which gave it without breaks.

The most common protocol in the reviewed sources is 10–25 mg taken by mouth once a day, usually at bedtime, for 8–12 weeks, followed by a break of 4–8 weeks. The trials that tested it for months used 25 mg once a day, every day, with no breaks; the longest, a two-year trial in older adults, gave it each morning between 7 and 9 am. [14], [15], [16], [17], [3]

Titration Changing the dose in steps: Many dosing websites list 10 mg a day as the starting amount, and some advise moving to 15–25 mg after one to four weeks if hunger, water retention and sleep are manageable. Most trials did the opposite: everyone took the full 25 mg from day one. Trials did step down, not up, when problems appeared: people whose blood sugar rose had their dose cut from 25 mg to 10 mg. [15], [16], [18], [3], [2]
Breaks and cycles: Websites describe 8–12 or 8–16 weeks on followed by 4–8 weeks off, and some use 5 days on and 2 days off each week. No trial tested breaks: trials gave it daily for up to two years, and IGF-1 stayed raised throughout. Websites give blood sugar or "resetting" the response as reasons for breaks; neither has been tested. [17], [16], [19], [3]

Read the units: MK-677 amounts are written in milligrams (mg), and each dose here is the whole daily total, taken once. Capsules are usually sold as 10–25 mg; liquids are labeled in milligrams per millilitre, so 1 mL of a 25 mg/mL liquid contains 25 mg if the label is accurate. It is swallowed, so no vial mixing or syringe units apply, even though some calculator websites show them. Nobody checks the strength printed on these products, and tested products have not always contained what the label says. [2], [20], [21], [26]

Each row is a complete schedule from one website, so its amount and break length belong together. Low, mid and high are alternatives, not steps to move through. These schedules come from protocol sources rather than clinical trials; the trials used 25 mg daily without breaks, and the cited references give the full details. [14], [3]

Before using any of these numbers, know the specific risks:

Blood sugar. Fasting blood sugar, HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar over about three months) and insulin resistance rose in the trials. People with diabetes were excluded, and one man developed diabetes while taking MK-677 with two other drugs. [3], [22], [23]
Heart failure and fluid. A trial in older adults recovering from hip fracture was stopped early because more people on MK-677 developed heart failure, and their blood pressure rose. Swelling of the legs and hands is common. [24], [2]
Cancer history. Trials excluded people with a history of cancer, and whether raising IGF-1 for months matters for cancer risk has not been settled. [3], [25]
Under 18. FDA warned about a children's "growth" product with hidden ibutamoren. The only studies in children use weight-based doses in supervised trials of growth hormone deficiency. [1], [12]
Not studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Products are unverified. In June 2026 Australia's regulator found an undeclared anabolic steroid in capsules sold as MK-677. [26]

What doses did the clinical trials use?

The trials give a clearer picture of what has actually been tested in people. They used a fixed daily amount rather than cycles, and most used 25 mg. The table keeps each trial's schedule whole. [2]

Oral (swallowed) · MK-677 alone · once daily · adults · amounts in milligrams (mg) · from published trials [27], [3], [22], [28]
Trial	Amount each time	Frequency	Total per day	Duration
Dose-finding, healthy older adults (1996)	2, 10 or 25 mg	Once daily	2, 10 or 25 mg	Study periods of 2 and 4 weeks Dose groups compared with placebo, not steps. Growth hormone rose with dose; 25 mg nearly doubled it.
Two-year trial, healthy older adults (2008)	25 mg	Once daily, 7–9 am	25 mg	12 months, extended to 24 Cut to 10 mg in 4 people for blood sugar or joint pain.
Alzheimer's disease (2008)	25 mg	Once daily	25 mg	12 months
Highest amount, healthy older adults (1999)	25 mg, then 50 mg	Once daily	25 mg, then 50 mg	2 weeks at each 50 mg was tested only for days or weeks.

Community education groups describe the same 10–25 mg range, and many educators favor the lower end to keep hunger, water retention and blood sugar manageable.

Where protocols differ: bedtime or morning, 25 mg and above, cycling and stopping ↓

Where these numbers come from

The website table keeps PeptideDeck's three tiers whole (published March 19, 2026; updated September 12, 2026). The same page says MK-677 has a 24-hour half-life, which no human study has measured. [14], [2]

For the most common pattern we compared 45 dosing pages. Of the 41 that give amounts, the median lowest amount was 10 mg a day (range 5–25 mg) and the median highest amount 25 mg a day (range 25–100 mg). Cross-checks: The Peptide Catalog calls 10–25 mg before bed for 8–12 weeks, then 4 weeks off, the most common community protocol; The Peptide Guides gives 10–25 mg, 30 minutes before bed, 8–16 weeks on and 4–8 weeks off; Peptide Schedule lists 10, 15 and 25 mg tiers. These counts describe websites, not safe or effective limits, and many pages copy each other. [15], [16], [17], [21]

The trial table comes from the original abstracts and from FDA's 2024 review, which summarizes doses of 2 to 50 mg a day for up to two years in adults. The two-year trial's morning timing and dose reductions come from its full text. [27], [3], [22], [28], [2]

We left out a spam page listing 150–450 mg a day, a product label that names a 200 mg daily maximum while advising no more than 50 mg, and pages that apply injection vial arithmetic to a swallowed drug. Pages telling readers to get MK-677 from compounding pharmacies conflict with FDA's safety-risk listing. [29], [30], [20], [31], [32]

Open the searchable source directory

What is MK-677 commonly used for?

People look into MK-677 mainly to build muscle or gain weight, to sleep more deeply, to recover from training or injuries, and to raise growth hormone as they get older. Its appeal is simple: it is a pill, while most compounds that raise growth hormone are injections. [14], [17], [33], [34]

The trials show clearly what it does to hormones and body composition. They are less encouraging about the outcomes people actually want. Growth hormone, IGF-1 and lean weight went up; strength, physical function and disease outcomes mostly did not. [3], [24], [22]

Building muscle and "bulking"

This is the most common reason people use it. In the two-year trial, 71 healthy adults aged 60 to 81 were randomly assigned to 25 mg or a placebo each morning, and 65 completed the first year. After a year, fat-free mass rose by 1.1 kg on MK-677 and fell by 0.5 kg on placebo. Body weight rose by 2.7 kg versus 0.8 kg, and fat on the arms and legs also increased. Strength, physical function and quality of life did not change. [3]

Fat-free mass is everything that is not fat, including water, so a gain does not automatically mean more muscle. In this trial the extra weight was not simply swelling: water outside the cells rose equally on placebo, while water inside cells, a sign of more body cell mass, rose only on MK-677, and lean mass in the arms and legs rose by 0.5 kg versus a 0.3 kg fall on placebo. It still did not make people stronger. How much people gained also varied widely: in a later look at the same older adults, individual changes ranged from a loss of 2.7 kg to a gain of 4.1 kg. [3], [35]

In obese men given 25 mg for eight weeks, fat-free mass rose while total and belly fat stayed the same. [36]

The stronger hunger it causes is part of why people use it to bulk: several online accounts describe eating more and gaining weight quickly, often more water than muscle. See what people report. [37], [38], [39]

Summary of the two-year MK-677 trial's first year: growth hormone, IGF-1, fat-free mass and weight rose; strength, function, belly fat and quality of life did not change; fasting blood sugar and HbA1c rose. — What 25 mg a day changed over 12 months in the two-year trial of healthy older adults, compared with placebo: hormones and lean weight went up, strength and function did not, and blood sugar rose. Human trial results; the bars show the direction and size reported, not a prediction for any one person. Sources: Two-year trial (full text).

Deeper sleep

Some people take it at bedtime for sleep. The evidence comes from small sleep-laboratory studies: in eight young adults, 25 mg at bedtime for a week increased the deepest stage of sleep by about 50% and REM sleep by more than 20% compared with placebo. Six older adults also had about 50% more REM sleep, but that part had no placebo comparison. [40]

The two-year trial, which gave MK-677 in the morning, found no change in sleep quality on a standard questionnaire over 12 months. Online accounts are split between deeper sleep and vivid dreams on one side, and broken sleep or waking at night on the other. [3], [41], [42]

Raising growth hormone and IGF-1 with age

Growth hormone release falls with age, and MK-677 reliably pushes it back up. In older adults, 25 mg a day nearly doubled average 24-hour growth hormone within two weeks and raised IGF-1 into the range of young adults. Over a year, growth hormone was about 1.8 times and IGF-1 about 1.5 times the starting level. [27], [3]

Raising a hormone is not the same as improving health. The same trials found no gain in strength or function, and FDA's 2024 review found no evidence of a clinically meaningful benefit for any use it was asked to consider. [3], [2]

Recovery, joints and injuries

Online accounts describe faster recovery from training or relief of tendon and joint pain, often alongside anabolic steroids or other drugs. No trial has tested MK-677 for injury healing. In the trials in older adults recovering from hip fracture, IGF-1 rose but most measures of physical function did not improve more than on placebo, though walking speed improved in one. [43], [33], [25], [24]

Bone density

Bone-turnover markers, blood signs that bone is being broken down and rebuilt, rose in several trials. In 292 women with osteoporosis, adding MK-677 to alendronate (an osteoporosis medicine) raised bone density at the hip's femoral neck by 4.2% versus 2.5% on alendronate alone, with no extra gain at the spine or whole hip. In the two-year trial, femoral-neck bone density fell slightly on MK-677 and rose slightly on placebo over a year, a small but statistically significant difference. [28], [44], [3]

Fat loss

It is not a fat-loss drug. Weight and fat on the arms and legs rose in the two-year trial, belly fat did not fall in any of the trials that measured it, and appetite increases. Community education groups also discourage using it while trying to lose fat. [3], [36]

Growth in children

The most advanced current development is as LUM-201 for children with growth hormone deficiency, taken as a daily capsule at 1.6 mg per kilogram of body weight in a phase 3 trial. In a phase 2 trial, children on LUM-201 grew 6.8–8.2 cm a year over six months, compared with 10.6 cm a year on standard growth hormone injections. These are supervised trials in a specific medical condition, not evidence for teenagers who want to grow taller. [12], [45]

Other uses you may come across

Alzheimer's disease: a 12-month trial in 563 patients raised IGF-1 by 60–73% but did not slow the disease. [22]
Fatty liver: a six-month pilot in 13 adults did not reduce liver fat. [46], [47]
Frailty and appetite in older people: the trials in older adults were designed around this idea, but improved function was not shown. [3], [25]
Skin, hair and "anti-aging": discussed online, not studied.

See the full trial results or how it works.

Where do MK-677 protocols differ?

The recurring amounts are easy to summarize; the details around them are not. Sources disagree about timing, starting doses, amounts above 25 mg, breaks and what to do when stopping. Here is what those differences mean.

Bedtime or morning?

Most websites say bedtime, and some claim that research protocols used bedtime dosing. Only the small sleep studies did. The two-year trial gave it between 7 and 9 am, and the planned adult trial of LUM-201 also uses a morning dose. [48], [14], [40], [3], [13]

The practical arguments go both ways. Bedtime dosing is said to let people sleep through the hunger and to coincide with the body's largest growth hormone pulse early in the night. Morning dosing avoids night-time hunger and suits people whose sleep gets worse. Several online accounts describe poor sleep with either timing. No study has compared the two. [14], [42], [49], [50]

Start at 10 mg, or take 25 mg from day one?

Many websites list 10 mg as the starting amount, and some advise increasing after one to four weeks, to let the body adjust to hunger and water retention. Trials gave the full amount from day one, except one 9-week study in older adults that began at 5, 10 or 25 mg for two weeks before everyone moved to 25 mg. [15], [51], [52], [28]

A lower start is a website convention, not a tested step. What the trials do show is that side effects can be reduced by lowering the dose: people whose fasting blood sugar went above 140 mg/dL had their dose cut to 10 mg, although some still had to stop. [2]

Is more than 25 mg better?

Not in the evidence available. Trials tested 50 mg only for days or weeks: in growth-hormone-deficient young men, IGF-1 rose by 52% on 10 mg and 79% on 50 mg over four days. No trial tested more than 25 mg for months. [53], [28]

Websites disagree on the ceiling: most stop at 25 mg, one gives 30 mg as a maximum, some list 50 mg, and one outlier gives 10–100 mg a day. Several pages wrongly say 25 mg is the highest dose ever studied. Online accounts of higher amounts report more hunger and water rather than more benefit, and one person reported no effect at all at up to 60 mg a day. [54], [55], [56], [57], [34], [58], [59]

Cycle it, or take it continuously?

This is the sharpest disagreement. Websites and many educators recommend breaks to stop the body "getting used to it" (desensitization). Other educators point out that the long trials found no loss of effect. [17], [60], [18]

Both are partly right, because two different things are being measured. The spike in growth hormone after each dose does shrink: in one study, the peak after the first dose averaged 55.9 mcg/L, and after a week of daily dosing it was 22.6 mcg/L. But IGF-1, the longer-lasting signal that reflects overall growth hormone activity, stayed raised for two full years of daily use and returned to its starting level within a month of stopping. [61], [36], [3]

Two panels: the growth hormone peak after a 25 mg dose fell from 55.9 on day 1 to 22.6 mcg/L on day 7, while IGF-1 stayed raised for two years of daily dosing and returned to its starting level within a month of stopping. — Two measurements, two answers. The growth hormone spike after each dose shrank within a week of daily 25 mg, while IGF-1 stayed raised for two years and fell back within a month of stopping. Human trial results; the chart is schematic and not drawn to one scale. Sources: One-week study · Two-year trial (full text).

So the case for breaks rests on limiting side effects such as rising blood sugar and water retention, not on keeping it working. Breaks have not been tested for either purpose. [3]

Every day, or 5 days on and 2 off?

Some websites and online users take it five days a week, or four days on and two or three off, usually to limit hunger, water or cost. One published case of new diabetes involved 25 mg taken five days a week alongside two other drugs, so a weekly break did not prevent a serious blood-sugar problem in that person. Weekly patterns have not been studied. [19], [62], [63], [23]

Where do the sources disagree most?

Timing: bedtime on most websites; morning in the two-year trial. [14], [3]
Half-life: websites quote 24 hours, and one database gives 5 hours; neither has been measured in people. See half-life. [14], [64], [2]
Trial facts: pages say the longest study lasted 18 months or 8 weeks, or that 25 mg is the maximum studied. The longest trial lasted two years and 50 mg was studied. [55], [65], [57], [3], [28]
What it is: some sellers call MK-677 a SARM. It is not. See the FAQ. [66], [67]
Supply: some pages say US compounding pharmacies can supply it. FDA lists it as a compounding ingredient with significant safety risks. [31], [68], [32]

Capsules, liquids and "reconstitution"

MK-677 is sold as capsules and tablets (commonly 10, 12.5, 20 and 25 mg), as liquids of 17 to 67 mg per millilitre, as bulk powder and even as a 64 mg/mL injection. Every human trial gave it by mouth. [2]

Two calculator websites apply injectable peptide arithmetic to it, turning a milligram dose into insulin-syringe units after "reconstituting" a vial. That template does not fit a swallowed drug; the units note under the protocol table explains how oral amounts are written. The strength and stability of seller-made liquids, and of liquids people make at home from powder, have not been tested. [20], [21], [69]

What about stacks with CJC-1295, ipamorelin, GLP-1 drugs or SARMs?

Sellers and forums describe MK-677 in combinations. None has been tested in people.

With CJC-1295 or ipamorelin: often promoted as a "base plus pulses" stack. Community education groups disagree: some promote it, others point out that ipamorelin, GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 act on the same receptor as MK-677, so combining them doubles up rather than adding something new. See also the CJC-1295 and ipamorelin blend. [70], [71]
With GLP-1 drugs (medicines that copy GLP-1, a gut hormone that signals fullness) such as semaglutide, tirzepatide or retatrutide: some people add a GLP-1 drug to offset MK-677's hunger and blood sugar; others argue MK-677 works against the reason for taking a GLP-1 drug. A phase 2 trial of LUM-201 with oral semaglutide in older adults with obesity is registered but not yet recruiting. [72], [73], [74], [13]
With SARMs such as RAD-140, ostarine or LGD-4033: common in online logs. The published cases of new diabetes, liver-enzyme rises and splenic rupture all involved MK-677 taken with SARMs, so none can be pinned on one drug. [75], [23], [76], [77]

What happens when you stop MK-677?

The hormone changes reverse within weeks, and no withdrawal syndrome has been described in any study. [3], [2]

IGF-1 falls back. In the two-year trial, IGF-1 returned to its starting level one month after people switched from MK-677 to placebo, and was still at that level three and six months after the trial ended. No drop below the starting level was reported. [3]
Body changes reverse. People who switched to placebo in the second year lost the changes in body composition they had gained. [3]
Liver tests and blood sugar. Liver-enzyme rises in the trials and in published cases returned to normal after stopping. Blood-sugar changes eased in the individual cases described, but not always: in the published case of new diabetes, impaired fasting blood sugar was still present a year later. [2], [78], [3], [23]
What people report. Online accounts describe water weight dropping within days to a few weeks, hunger settling, and home blood-sugar readings falling: one person's fasting reading went from 6.8 to 4.6 mmol/L two weeks after stopping. Some kept the weight they had gained; one person lost it all within three weeks. One person described panic attacks lasting weeks after stopping, alongside major life stress, and another said sexual function returned within days. [34], [79], [80], [37], [81], [82]

Tapering has not been studied. Trials stopped it at once. Some community educators suggest halving the dose every few weeks to soften the drop in hunger and water; others see no need, because MK-677 does not shut down the body's own growth hormone production.

How is MK-677 taken, and how long does it last in the body?

MK-677 is taken orally: swallowed as a tablet, capsule or liquid, once a day. That is its main difference from the growth hormone peptides, which are injected. It was designed to work when swallowed, and a single dose raises growth hormone in people. [11], [27]

How much of a swallowed dose reaches the blood (its bioavailability) has not been published for people. The only figure, above 60%, comes from dogs and cannot be carried over. In a study by the current developer, taking the capsule with food raised the peak blood level by 64% and total exposure by 18%, although the growth hormone response was similar with or without food. [2], [83]

What is MK-677's half-life?

It has not been verified in people. The half-life is the time it takes for the level in the blood to fall by half, and FDA's 2024 review found no human data on how the body absorbs and clears MK-677 (pharmacokinetics) beyond general statements. [2]

The "24 hours" that websites repeat traces back to a 1997 description of a single dose as "long-acting (24 hours)". That is a duration of action, how long an effect lasts, not a measured half-life. A 5-hour figure on one database has no stated source. [2], [64], [84]

What matters for daily use is that the effect on IGF-1 builds and holds: in trials, IGF-1 was clearly raised after two weeks, stayed raised for two years and fell back within a month of stopping. [27], [3]

How long can MK-677 be detected?

Anti-doping laboratories can find it in urine, blood and hair. After a single 10 mg dose in one volunteer, MK-677 was detectable in urine for 43 to 70 hours depending on the method, and a breakdown product for about four days. Hair can show it for much longer: a single 10 mg dose was still detectable in hair collected four weeks later. [85], [86], [87]

Is there an injectable, nasal or sublingual MK-677?

Not as a tested product. FDA found an injectable version sold online, and sellers offer liquids, but every human study gave it by mouth. In a mouse study of ghrelin-like compounds sprayed into the nose, nasal MK-677 did not switch on the brain's ghrelin system, and nasal MK-677 has never been tested in people. [2], [88]

How should MK-677 be stored, and how long does it last?

There is no approved label and no published stability study of any MK-677 product people buy, so storage advice comes from suppliers and websites. [2]

Powder. Supplier documents FDA reviewed said to store the raw ingredient at room temperature or in a fridge (2–8 °C), without a shelf life, and FDA found no stability data for either temperature. Laboratory reference suppliers state it is stable for years frozen at −20 °C as a dry powder; FDA's review gives both 3 and 4 years. [2], [89]
Capsules and tablets. No shelf-life or storage data have been published for consumer products.
Liquids. No stability data exist for the liquids sold online or made at home. One laboratory supplier advises against storing its water-based solution for more than one day; websites that say refrigerated liquid lasts about four weeks give no source. [89], [21]

This guide does not cover preparing or measuring doses from powder. The Academy note below points to practical basics.

What do we actually know about MK-677 in people?

More than for most compounds sold beside it. MK-677 has been through more than a dozen randomized, placebo-controlled trials in healthy older adults, obese men, people recovering from hip fracture, women with osteoporosis, people with Alzheimer's disease and people on dialysis, plus trials in children. FDA's 2024 review counts doses of 2 to 50 mg a day for up to two years. The limits are in what those trials found, not in how many there are. [2], [3], [22]

Conceptual comparison of cells in a laboratory dish, an animal study notebook, and human study records. Each answers a different research question. A lab finding cannot by itself establish patient benefit. — Cell studies explore biological activity, animal studies explore effects in another species, and human trials test outcomes in people. For MK-677, the hormone, body-composition and safety findings come from human trials; the receptor details come from cell and structural studies.

What did the main trials find?

Trial	Who and what	What researchers reported	Limits
Two-year trial, 2008 (controlled trial)	71 healthy adults aged 60–81 randomized, 65 completing year 1; 25 mg or placebo each morning for 12 months, with a second year of switching	Growth hormone about 1.8 times and IGF-1 about 1.5 times higher; fat-free mass +1.1 kg versus −0.5 kg; no change in strength, function, quality of life or belly fat; fasting blood sugar and HbA1c rose [3]	Small; healthy volunteers; not designed to detect rare harms [3]
Dose-finding, 1996	32 healthy adults aged 64–81; 2, 10 or 25 mg or placebo for 2–4 weeks	25 mg raised 24-hour growth hormone by 97% and IGF-1 into the young-adult range; fasting blood sugar rose from 5.4 to 6.8 mmol/L at four weeks [27]	Short; hormone results only
Hip fracture, 2004	161 people aged 65 or older after hip fracture; 25 mg or placebo daily for 6 months	IGF-1 +84% versus +17%; no significant difference in physical function [25]	More edema and fluid overload on MK-677 (16 versus 10 people) [2]
Hip fracture phase 2b, 2011	123 people aged 60 or older after hip fracture; 25 mg or placebo, planned for 24 weeks	Walking speed improved; most other function measures did not; stopped early for heart failure [24]	Heart failure 4 of 62 versus 1 of 61 [2]
Alzheimer's disease, 2008	563 patients; 25 mg or placebo for 12 months	IGF-1 +60–73%; no effect on memory, thinking or daily function [22]	Blood sugar rose in 15.4% versus 4.6% [2]
Osteoporosis, 2001	292 women aged 64–85; 25 mg with or without alendronate, 12–18 months	Femoral-neck bone density 4.2% with the combination versus 2.5% with alendronate alone; no gain elsewhere [44]	Side effects linked to growth hormone, such as swelling and weight gain [2]
Obese men, 1998	24 men aged 18–50; 25 mg or placebo for 8 weeks	Fat-free mass rose; total and belly fat unchanged; IGF-1 up about 40% [36]	Glucose tolerance worsened at 2 and 8 weeks [36]
Dieting volunteers, 1998	8 healthy volunteers aged 24–39 on a calorie-restricted diet; 25 mg or placebo for 7 days	Protein loss reversed: nitrogen balance +0.31 versus −1.48 g a day [61]	One week; eight people

Taken together, the trials agree on what MK-677 does to hormones and body composition, and they agree that those changes did not turn into better strength, most measures of function, bone density at most measured sites, or disease outcomes. Two of the trials in older, unwell people raised safety concerns strong enough to shape FDA's later decisions. [2]

Why is the two-year trial the one people cite?

It is the longest and most detailed, and its full report is public. Researchers measured growth hormone every 10 minutes for 24 hours and scanned body composition, bone and muscle every six months; in the second year, some people switched between MK-677 and placebo, which showed how quickly the changes reversed. [3], [90]

Two limits matter. The trial was designed and powered around body composition, and its authors say it was not large or long enough to judge function. And it enrolled healthy volunteers without diabetes, cancer history or untreated high blood pressure, so its safety picture does not cover those groups. Merck supplied the drug and two authors worked for Merck. [3]

Which trials failed?

Hip fracture. Two Merck trials tested whether raising growth hormone would help older adults recover after breaking a hip. The first found no functional benefit; the second improved walking speed but little else and was stopped because more people on MK-677 developed heart failure. Its authors concluded that MK-677 "has an unfavorable safety profile in this patient population". [25], [24]
Alzheimer's disease. In 563 patients, a year of 25 mg a day raised IGF-1 substantially but did not slow the disease on any scale. [22]
Fatty liver disease. In a six-month pilot of 13 adults with overweight and fatty liver, liver fat did not fall compared with an earlier placebo group; three people stopped early, two because of high blood sugar. [47], [46]
Fibromyalgia. A trial of 64 people finished in 2008, but its results were never posted or published. [91]

What about children?

In children with growth hormone deficiency, the most advanced current development, LUM-201 is given once daily by weight. In the phase 2 trial that compared it with standard daily growth hormone injections, children on LUM-201 grew more slowly: 6.8–8.2 cm a year over six months versus 10.6 cm a year on injections. Serious adverse events were rare in both. The phase 3 trial at 1.6 mg per kilogram began recruiting in the United States in May 2026, while the same trial's European application was not authorized in any of five countries in February 2026; no reason was published. [45], [12], [92]

What would a useful result look like in everyday life?

A trial result of "fat-free mass +1.1 kg" describes a group average, and the useful question for a person is what changed in daily life. In the two-year trial, the answer for strength, walking tests and quality of life was nothing measurable, while appetite, weight, ankle swelling and blood sugar did change. MK-677 changes several things at once, so tracking only one of them, such as the scale or the mirror, can hide the others. [3]

What don't the trials tell us?

Long-term safety beyond two years, and in anyone with diabetes, heart disease or a history of cancer, who were excluded. [3], [25]
The doses and patterns people use online: no trial tested 10–20 mg cycles, bedtime dosing for months, or weekly on-off patterns.
Younger adults who train: most long trials were in people over 60; the studies in younger adults lasted days to eight weeks. [36], [61]
Combinations with steroids, SARMs, other growth hormone compounds or GLP-1 drugs.
A human half-life. [2]

How does MK-677 work?

MK-677's basic action is well established in people: it switches on the ghrelin receptor, and growth hormone and IGF-1 rise. The details of where it acts come from cell, structural and animal studies.

Conceptual illustration of a pituitary cell surface with a ghrelin receptor holding a small drug molecule, and granules of growth hormone being released from the cell. It represents cell and structural research, not a measured human effect. — A small molecule, not a peptide chain, fits into the ghrelin receptor's pocket and switches it on, prompting the cell to release stored growth hormone. This generated illustration explains a concept; it is not microscopy or clinical evidence.

Which receptor does it act on?

The ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) sits on growth-hormone-making cells in the pituitary and on nerve cells in the hypothalamus, the brain's hormone control center just above it. The receptor was identified in 1996 by researchers looking for the target of synthetic growth hormone releasers like MK-677. In cell studies, MK-677 switches the receptor on fully, even more strongly than ghrelin in one test, and in 2021 researchers imaged it sitting in the receptor's pocket in near-atomic detail. [5], [4], [93], [6]

In rats and mice, MK-677 activates nerve cells in the hypothalamus's arcuate nucleus, an area that controls both growth hormone release and appetite, and in dogs its effect on IGF-1 disappeared when the pituitary gland was removed. So it works through the brain and pituitary, not directly on the liver. [94], [95], [96]

Why does it make growth hormone pulses bigger rather than constant?

The body releases growth hormone in bursts, several times a day, controlled by a "go" signal (GHRH, growth hormone-releasing hormone), a "stop" signal (somatostatin) and feedback from IGF-1. MK-677 does not replace this system; it amplifies it. In older adults, 25 mg a day increased average growth hormone mainly by making each pulse larger, without changing how many pulses there were. [27], [3], [97]

That feedback is also why the spike after each dose shrinks over the first week while IGF-1 stays up. In animals, extra growth hormone and somatostatin both damp MK-677's effect on the hypothalamus. [61], [97], [98]

Why does it make you hungry?

Because ghrelin is a hunger hormone and MK-677 copies it. In the two-year trial, 67% of people on MK-677 reported more appetite versus 36% on placebo. In rats, two weeks of oral MK-677 switched on feeding-related genes in the hypothalamus, and in mice it increased eating. [3], [99], [100]

Why does blood sugar rise?

Growth hormone works against insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of the blood. When growth hormone rises for months, the body becomes less sensitive to insulin (insulin resistance), and blood sugar drifts up. The trials measured exactly this: fasting glucose, glucose tolerance and HbA1c worsened and insulin sensitivity fell, even in healthy volunteers. [3], [36], [53]

Does it affect other hormones?

Cortisol (a stress hormone): unchanged in short studies, but the 24-hour average rose modestly over a year in the two-year trial. [101], [3]
Prolactin (a pituitary hormone): rose about 23% but stayed within the normal range. [27]
Testosterone: in obese men, total testosterone fell after eight weeks, while an estimate of free testosterone did not change. [102]
Thyroid: in the same men, thyroid-stimulating hormone and one thyroid hormone (free T3) rose slightly. [102]

What are the risks and unanswered questions?

Is MK-677 safe?

Its safety has not been established well enough for any regulator we checked to approve it. Trials in healthy volunteers found mostly mild, reversible effects, but in frail older patients a heart-failure signal stopped a trial early, and rising blood sugar appeared in almost every study that measured it. FDA concluded in 2024 that it raises serious safety concerns, including high blood sugar, liver-enzyme rises, fluid overload and heart failure in older hip-fracture patients. [3], [24], [2]

Most of the safety data come from supervised trials in people over 60 that excluded those at highest risk. People using it online are usually younger, often combine it with other drugs, and buy unverified products.

What side effects did the trials find?

Effect	What the trials reported
More appetite	67% versus 36% on placebo in the two-year trial; back to normal within three months for half of those affected [3]
Swelling (edema)	Mild, passing leg swelling in 44% versus 27% (not statistically significant); edema or fluid overload in 16 versus 10 people after hip fracture [3], [2]
Muscle and joint pain	Muscle pain 33% versus 9% (not statistically significant); joint pain was more common on placebo, 77% versus 58% [3]
Blood sugar	Glucose rose in 15.4% versus 4.6% and HbA1c in 11.1% versus 1.4% of Alzheimer's patients [2]
Heart failure and blood pressure	Heart failure in 4 of 62 versus 1 of 61 after hip fracture; systolic blood pressure up 12–16 mmHg versus little change on placebo [2]
Hand numbness and tingling	Occasional: one case of carpal tunnel syndrome, and one day of hand numbness at 50 mg [2]
Liver enzymes	Occasional, reversible rises, 1.5 to 4 times the upper limit of normal [2]
Tiredness and other effects	More fatigue, dizziness, headache, sleepiness and confusion judged drug-related in Alzheimer's patients: 35.5% versus 23.9% had a drug-related side effect [2]

Side effects more common on MK-677 than placebo: appetite 67% versus 36%, leg swelling 44% versus 27%, muscle pain 33% versus 9%; joint pain 58% versus 77% was more common on placebo; in Alzheimer's patients blood sugar rose in 15.4% versus 4.6% and HbA1c in 11.1% versus 1.4%; after hip fracture, heart failure in 6.5% versus 1.7%. — Side effects that were more common on MK-677 than on placebo in randomized trials, shown as the share of people affected in each group. Joint pain is included because it was more common on placebo. Human trial results from different trials and populations; the rows cannot be compared with each other. Sources: FDA review, 2024 · Two-year trial (full text).

FDA also reviewed its adverse-event databases: up to late 2023 they held three drug reports (vomiting and stomach pain; finger numbness after five days; a large stroke in a 68-year-old man taking several other drugs) and three supplement reports, one of which was the same stroke. FDA could not judge whether MK-677 caused any of them. [2]

Can MK-677 cause diabetes?

It raises blood sugar, and in a few people that rise reached the prediabetes or diabetes range. In the two-year trial, average fasting glucose rose by 0.3 mmol/L (5 mg/dL) and HbA1c by 0.2 percentage points. After a year, 8 people on MK-677 had an HbA1c above 6%. Fasting glucose moved from normal into the 5.6–6.1 mmol/L (101–110 mg/dL) range in 16 people on MK-677 (versus 2 on placebo) and reached 6.1–6.9 mmol/L (110–126 mg/dL) in six more. In a 9-week study in older adults, five people had their dose cut because fasting glucose passed 140 mg/dL, and three of them stopped. [3], [2]

One published case describes a 47-year-old man who developed full diabetes (HbA1c 13.9%) after three months of 25 mg taken five days a week together with two SARMs. He already had high fasting glucose, obesity and a family history of diabetes, so MK-677 cannot be singled out, but the case shows the direction of risk. The main trials excluded people with diabetes, but not everyone with raised fasting blood sugar: in the two-year trial, some volunteers already had fasting glucose above 5.6 mmol/L at the start, and theirs rose further. [23], [3]

What about the heart and fluid retention?

Growth hormone makes the body hold on to salt and water, which explains the swelling, puffiness and quick weight gain many people notice. In most healthy trial volunteers this was mild and passed. [3]

In frail older adults after hip surgery, it was not. The phase 2b trial was stopped when 4 of 62 people on MK-677 developed congestive heart failure versus 1 of 61 on placebo, and blood pressure rose within four weeks and stayed up. Serious adverse events were also more common on MK-677 (15 people versus 8), although the report does not say which were caused by the drug; in the earlier hip-fracture trial they occurred in 20 of 84 versus 14 of 77. This is why FDA placed ibutamoren on its list of compounding ingredients with significant safety risks, citing "the potential for congestive heart failure in certain patients". A heart-failure event was also recorded among people on dialysis, and in the two-year trial one woman had a heart attack seven days after starting, which the trial could not link to the drug. [24], [2], [32], [103], [3]

Fluid can also press on nerves. Hand numbness, tingling and carpal tunnel syndrome appear in a few trial reports and in several online accounts. [2], [104], [80]

Is MK-677 bad for the liver?

Liver damage has not been established, but liver-enzyme rises occur. In the trials, a few people had temporary rises in liver enzymes (up to about four times the normal limit) that settled after stopping, and two women in the osteoporosis trial stopped because of them. A 2025 case report describes liver inflammation after two months of an MK-677 product, which resolved after stopping; the product was not tested. The fatty-liver pilot found no rise in the liver enzyme ALT. [2], [78], [46]

Being a swallowed small molecule does not make it toxic to the liver the way some oral steroids are. The fair summary is occasional, reversible liver-enzyme rises, and no established liver toxicity.

Does MK-677 cause cancer?

Nobody knows. IGF-1 helps cells grow, and whether keeping it raised for months or years affects cancer risk has not been tested. In the two-year trial, one woman taking MK-677 was diagnosed with tongue cancer in the first year, and another, who took MK-677 in the first year and placebo in the second, was diagnosed with colon cancer at the end of the second year; one man on placebo was diagnosed with kidney cancer. The trial was far too small to tell whether that means anything. The trials excluded people with a history of cancer. [3], [25]

In a lab dish, MK-677 made human prostate support cells multiply, a cell study that raises a question rather than answering it. [105]

Could product quality change the risk?

Yes, a great deal. MK-677 sold online is not a regulated medicine, and testing of this market shows why that matters:

In a 2017 analysis of 44 products sold online as SARMs, 39% contained other unapproved drugs that were often not what the label suggested, including ibutamoren. [106]
Across 14 European laboratories, ibutamoren was the most frequently reported molecule in seized products of this type. [107]
In June 2026, Australia's regulator found an undeclared anabolic steroid (metandienone) in capsules labeled as containing 15 mg of MK-677. [26]
In 2025, FDA warned that a growth product marketed for children contained hidden ibutamoren. [1]

Is MK-677 legal? Is it FDA-approved?

Checked September 24, 2026. Rules differ by country and change quickly.

United States. MK-677 is not FDA-approved, and FDA states that its safety and effectiveness have not been established. [1]

December 2022 and September 2023. FDA placed ibutamoren mesylate on its list of bulk ingredients that may present significant safety risks when compounded (503B and 503A Category 2), citing heart failure. It was still listed when checked in September 2026. [32], [108]
October 2024. FDA's advisory committee on pharmacy compounding voted 1 to 13 against adding it to the list of ingredients pharmacies may use. A vote is advice, not a final decision. [109], [2]
December 2025. FDA warning letters to sellers state that ibutamoren is excluded from the legal definition of a dietary supplement, and treat "MK-677" sold as a SARM as an unapproved drug. [110], [111], [112]
The US Department of Defense lists it as a prohibited dietary supplement ingredient. [113]

Canada. No product containing ibutamoren is authorized; Health Canada's drug database returns none. Health Canada has seized unauthorized MK-677 products, including liquids labeled 25 mg/mL and a product seized from stores in British Columbia in December 2025, and it lists ibutamoren among drugs sold as SARMs. [114], [115], [116], [67]

Australia. Ibutamoren is a prescription-only medicine (Schedule 4) and appears in Appendix D, which makes possessing it without authority illegal. No ibutamoren product is approved for supply, and Sport Integrity Australia says it is not on the national register of approved medicines. [117], [118], [26]

European Union and United Kingdom. No medicine containing ibutamoren has been authorized or refused by the European Medicines Agency. The LUM-201 children's trial was not authorized in five EU countries in February 2026. We found no UK licence or regulator statement for ibutamoren, and it is not named in the UK's controlled-drug schedules. [119], [92], [120], [121]

A "research use only" label does not make a product legal to sell for people to take, or safe to use.

Is MK-677 banned in sport? Does it show up on a drug test?

Yes, it is banned at all times, in and out of competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency names ibutamoren (MK-677) under growth hormone secretagogues in section S2.2.4 of its prohibited list, where it has been named since 2024; the 2027 list, published in September 2026, still names it. Sport Integrity Australia says a medical exemption would not be granted for it. [122], [123], [124], [118]

Anti-doping labs test for it in urine, blood and hair [85], [87], [86], and athletes in the United States and United Kingdom received three-year bans involving ibutamoren in 2025 and 2026. See how long it can be detected. [125], [126]

Who should be especially cautious?

These groups either showed specific risks in the trials or were kept out of them. Having no data is a reason for caution, not proof of harm.

Diabetes, prediabetes or insulin resistance, or a strong family history of diabetes: blood sugar rises, and people with diabetes were excluded from the trials. [3], [25]
Heart failure, heart disease, high blood pressure or swelling: the heart-failure and blood-pressure signal after hip fracture. [24], [2]
Older and frail adults: the population in which the heart-failure signal appeared. [24]
A history of cancer: excluded from trials; the IGF-1 question is unresolved. [3]
Under 18: outside supervised trials for growth hormone deficiency, no data; FDA has acted against a children's product with hidden ibutamoren. This guide is written for adults. [1]
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: no human data.
A history of binge eating or disordered eating: MK-677 strongly increases appetite, and community education groups single this group out.
Competitive athletes: banned at all times. [123]
People taking other medicines: see the next question.

Does MK-677 interact with other medicines?

Formal interaction studies have not been published. What is known comes from how it works and from what trials excluded:

Diabetes medicines and insulin. Because MK-677 raises blood sugar, it can work against them. One person with type 1 diabetes described needing about twice their usual insulin after starting it. [3], [127]
Growth hormone and other growth hormone secretagogues. Growth hormone, ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6 and CJC-1295 all act on the same hormone system, but no human study has measured the size or safety of their combined effect with MK-677. Online accounts describe more swelling and hand numbness when MK-677 was combined with growth hormone. [104], [128]
Blood pressure and heart medicines. Blood pressure rose in the hip-fracture trial, and fluid retention could matter for anyone treated for heart failure. [2]
Medicines that affect growth hormone were an exclusion in the two-year trial. [3]
GLP-1 drugs: a combination trial with oral semaglutide is planned but has no results. [13]

Bring a complete list of everything you take, including supplements and other compounds, to a pharmacist or doctor.

What should be monitored while using MK-677?

There is no official monitoring plan, because no regulator has approved MK-677 or written a label for it. What exists is a record of what the trials measured and the dose rules they used. It can help you prepare questions for a clinician; it is not a personal testing plan. [2]

What did the trials check?

The two-year trial saw volunteers monthly for the first three months and every three months after that, with a physical exam, vital signs and questions about side effects. Blood tests included a complete blood count, a chemistry panel (kidney and liver markers and salts), fasting glucose and HbA1c, plus PSA (a prostate marker) and testosterone in men; women had yearly mammograms and cervical screening. [3], [90]
Dose rules: in the trials in older adults, people whose fasting glucose rose, or who had troublesome joint pain, had their dose reduced to 10 mg, and some stopped. One trial used a fasting glucose above 140 mg/dL as its trigger. [3], [2]
Blood pressure and weight were tracked in the hip-fracture trials, which is how the rise in blood pressure was found. [2]
IGF-1 was measured in nearly every trial as the sign that the drug was working. [3], [22]
Children's trials of LUM-201 added heart tracings (ECGs) and laboratory tests. [129]

Community education groups add fasting insulin as an early sign of insulin resistance and suggest agreeing in advance on the results that would mean stopping. Those specific thresholds come from educators, not from trials.

Which signals matter, and why?

Why it matters	What trials measured or found	Tracking category
Blood sugar and insulin resistance	Fasting glucose, glucose tolerance, HbA1c, insulin sensitivity; rises in most trials	Blood work (glucose, HbA1c, insulin)
Fluid and heart	Swelling, weight, blood pressure; heart failure in frail older adults	Fluid Retention; Blood Pressure; Heart Health; Weight Management
Nerve compression	Hand numbness, tingling, carpal tunnel syndrome	Side Effect Burden; Joint Health
Appetite	Increased hunger, often easing within months	Appetite & Satiety; Food Noise
Hormone response	IGF-1, which stayed raised with daily use	Blood work (IGF-1)
Liver	Occasional reversible liver-enzyme rises	Blood work (liver enzymes)
Sleep and energy	Deeper sleep in short studies; tiredness and sleepiness in some patients	Sleep Quality; Energy Levels
Body composition and function	Fat-free mass rose; strength and function did not	Muscle Growth; Physical Performance; Daily Functioning

The trial measurements show what researchers watched for; they are not thresholds that make use safe. Because blood sugar can drift up without symptoms, a normal feeling is not a normal test result. Discuss any testing with a clinician. [3], [2]

What do people in public communities report?

Public discussions of MK-677 mix strong hunger, quick weight gain, deeper sleep, no effect at all, and side effects that made people stop, often in the same thread. Most accounts involve other drugs at the same time, especially SARMs, testosterone or other growth hormone compounds, and very few include a dose, a duration and a follow-up together. [63], [74], [75]

What do the positive reports look like?

The most common positive reports are about sleep, appetite and looking fuller. One person who took 25 mg at bedtime for about six months said the appetite rise faded after several weeks, their waist was smaller after about three months, and their HbA1c and fasting glucose were slightly lower at a physical a month after stopping. They were making their own liquid from bulk powder, so the actual dose is uncertain. [69]

Another person, who had reported 25 mg a day in the morning, posted blood results: IGF-1 went from 227 ng/mL at the start to 372 after two weeks, 322 at six months and 304 at eight months, and was back to 229 at a later baseline. They were also on testosterone and described early water retention and hunger that eased after about two weeks. [130]

Others describe their weight going up quickly: 19 lb in eight weeks, 10 lb in two weeks, or 25 lb over a three-month cycle that included about seven weeks of MK-677 and ten of enclomiphene (a fertility drug used to raise testosterone), with replies often pointing out that much of that is water. [37], [131], [38]

How long did the effects last?

Many effects appear early and fade. Several people say the hunger was strongest in the first weeks, matching the trial finding that appetite returned to normal within three months for half of those affected. Sleep benefits sometimes faded too: one long-term user said sleep was deep for six or seven months and less so in months seven and eight, and another said sleep was never as good as in the first weeks. [132], [3], [133], [134]

Does everyone notice a difference?

No. Some people report no extra hunger at 15 or 25 mg, and one said hunger actually decreased. Several posted IGF-1 tests that barely moved: one at 7.5 mg a night saw 110 ng/mL against 103–124 before, and another said IGF-1 "didn't budge" after about six months. One person took up to 60 mg a day for months from two sources and noticed nothing. Suspicion that the product was fake runs through these threads, and with unverified products that cannot be ruled out. [135], [132], [136], [137], [59]

What do home blood-sugar readings show?

This is where public accounts are most concrete. People who checked their own blood sugar describe:

fasting readings rising from about 85 to over 100 mg/dL at 20 mg a day, with HbA1c going from 4.9% to 5.2% in seven weeks, after which the person stopped; [138]
a fasting reading of about 94 mg/dL off MK-677, 107 at 12.5 mg, and 124 the morning after a 25 mg dose; [139]
6.8 mmol/L (about 122 mg/dL) during use falling to 4.6 mmol/L two weeks after stopping; [79]
a person with type 1 diabetes whose glucose stayed in the 200s and 300s mg/dL despite doubling their long-acting insulin. [127]

Home meters can mislead: one poster who reported very low readings later traced a separate, extremely high reading to honey on their fingers, and the cause of the low readings was never confirmed. These are individual readings, not rates, but they point the same way as the trials. [140], [3]

What unwanted effects come up?

Hunger strong enough to stop, sometimes waking people at night. [63], [135]
Water retention: puffy face and eyes, swollen ankles and feet, and one account of swelling that needed an emergency visit, followed by a month of nerve irritation in the arm. [141], [142], [143]
Numb or tingling hands and arms, often at night. [80], [104]
Sleep problems: waking repeatedly or feeling "wired" at night, with bedtime or morning doses. [42], [144]
Tiredness and low drive, sometimes after a good first few weeks. [74], [145]
Mood: anxiety or intrusive thoughts on 10 mg in one account, where replies suspected a mislabeled product. [146]

These are individual reports. They show what people noticed, not how often each problem happens or whether MK-677 caused it. The risks section covers what trials measured.

Who is posting?

Several of the reviewed threads were posted by teenagers: a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old who said they were already using MK-677, a 17-year-old who had their IGF-1 tested, and an 18-year-old asking about four months at 25 mg. Older members usually told them not to use it. That matters because the only trials in young people were in children with diagnosed growth hormone deficiency, and FDA has acted against a children's product with hidden ibutamoren. [147], [148], [70], [149], [1]

What do community education groups teach?

In community education groups, MK-677 is discussed far more than it is used. Educators most often describe it as the oral, appetite-heavy member of the growth hormone secretagogue family and warn about its effect on blood sugar. The common teaching is 10–25 mg once daily, usually at bedtime, with blood tests for IGF-1, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c before starting and again after 8–12 weeks, and with rules for stopping agreed in advance. Educators commonly name people with prediabetes or diabetes, a cancer history, a history of binge eating, under-18s, tested athletes and anyone trying to lose fat as people who should avoid it; this is group guidance, not a rule drawn from trials. They disagree about combining it with GLP-1 drugs, about whether breaks are needed, and about tapering. Members' own reports are brief, and none of the group discussions reviewed included members' own lab results.

How can you judge an MK-677 story?

Useful questions to ask: What dose, how often, at what time of day, and for how long? Was the product tested? What else was being taken, especially SARMs, testosterone, growth hormone or a GLP-1 drug? Did blood sugar, blood pressure or swelling change, not just weight? Was the weight gain water or muscle, and how was that measured? What happened a month after stopping?

These selected discussions help identify questions and experiences worth knowing about. They are not a survey of all users, a response rate or a substitute for controlled trials.

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A learning path for MK-677 readers

Start with the basics How to read product labels and units, and the safety questions to ask before adding anything new.
Go deeper on growth hormone compounds Compound deep dives, mechanism breakdowns and side-by-side evidence assessments.
Plan and track with your care team Turn what you learn into questions, bloodwork, tracking and a plan you can review with a professional.
Keep the tools close Checklists, tracking templates and quick-reference tables for compounds and bloodwork.

Plus community discussions where members share what they are tracking and what they are still unsure about.

How does MK-677 compare with ipamorelin, GHRP-6, tesamorelin and CJC-1295?

These are the growth hormone compounds MK-677 is most often weighed against or combined with. Ipamorelin and GHRP-6 act on the same ghrelin receptor; tesamorelin and CJC-1295 are lab-made versions of GHRH, the body's "go" signal for growth hormone, acting on a different receptor. No study has compared any of them with MK-677 directly. Status was checked on September 24, 2026.

Compound	What it is	Route and schedule	Human evidence	Approval and sport status
MK-677 (this guide)	Small lab-made molecule that copies ghrelin [4]	By mouth, 25 mg once daily in trials; 10–25 mg in protocol sources [3], [14]	More than a dozen controlled trials up to two years; lean mass up without strength gain; blood sugar rose [3], [2]	Not approved; FDA compounding safety-risk list; banned in sport [32], [123]
Ipamorelin	Lab-made chain of five amino acids [150]	Subcutaneous injection (into the fatty layer under the skin), 100–300 mcg one to three times a day in protocol sources [151]	A dosing study in healthy men; a bowel-surgery trial that did not beat placebo [152], [153]	Not approved; FDA compounding safety-risk list; banned in sport [32], [123]
GHRP-6	Older lab-made chain of six amino acids [154]	Into a vein in the cited studies; subcutaneous two or three times a day in protocol sources [154], [155]	Small hormone studies; raised prolactin and cortisol in people [154], [156]	Not approved; FDA compounding safety-risk list; banned in sport [32], [123]
Tesamorelin	Lab-made version of the full GHRH hormone [157]	Subcutaneous injection once daily (label) [157]	Placebo-controlled trials in adults with HIV [157]	FDA-approved for excess belly fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy; banned in sport [157], [123]
CJC-1295	Lab-made version of part of GHRH, often with a long-acting attachment called DAC (drug affinity complex) [158]	Subcutaneous; the DAC version given weekly or every other week in studies [158]	Two small trials of the DAC version in healthy adults [158]	Not approved; banned in sport; see its guide for US status [123]

The biggest practical difference is that MK-677 is swallowed once a day while the others are injected, and it has by far the longest human trials of the group, including the blood-sugar and heart-failure signals described above. Daily MK-677 kept IGF-1 raised for two years and commonly increased appetite; no study has compared those effects with the injected compounds. Only tesamorelin is an approved medicine, for one specific condition. The table cannot say which works better for any goal. [3], [157] See also the Doserly guides to GHRP-2, hexarelin, sermorelin and the CJC-1295 and ipamorelin blend.

Common questions about MK-677

Is MK-677 a peptide? Is it a SARM?

Neither. MK-677 is a small lab-made molecule, not a chain of amino acids, and it is sold on peptide websites only because it raises growth hormone like the peptides there. It is not a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) either: SARMs act on the androgen receptor, the receptor testosterone uses, while MK-677 acts on the ghrelin receptor. The confusion comes from sellers who market it alongside SARMs; Health Canada lists it among drugs "claiming to be SARMs". [7], [4], [67] See what MK-677 is.

Is MK-677 FDA-approved?

No. FDA has not approved MK-677 for any use, lists ibutamoren among compounding ingredients with significant safety risks, and its advisory committee voted 1 to 13 against allowing pharmacies to use it. Its only active development is as LUM-201, an investigational treatment mainly for children with growth hormone deficiency; it is not heading for approval as a muscle or anti-aging product. [1], [32], [109], [12] See the dated legal-status summary.

Is 25 mg/day the "clinical dose"?

It is the dose most trials used, not an approved or proven dose. Trials gave 25 mg once a day to older adults and patients, under monitoring and with people at highest risk excluded, and found higher hormones and lean weight without consistent gains in strength or function, plus rises in blood sugar. The same number on a website applies that dose to younger people, different goals and unverified products, often at bedtime rather than in the morning as in the two-year trial. [3], [22], [24] See the trial doses.

Does MK-677 need reconstitution?

No. Reconstitution means mixing a freeze-dried powder with liquid for injection, and it applies to injectable peptides. MK-677 is swallowed as a capsule, tablet or liquid, and every clinical study gave it by mouth. Calculator pages that convert MK-677 into insulin-syringe units are applying an injection template that does not fit. [2], [20] See capsules, liquids and "reconstitution".

How long does MK-677 take to work?

Hunger, water retention and sleep changes are often described within days. IGF-1 was clearly raised after two weeks in trials, and body-composition changes were measured at 6 and 12 months. The growth hormone spike after each dose shrinks within the first week, but IGF-1 stays raised with daily use. Some people notice little or nothing at all. [27], [61], [3], [135] See what people reported over time.

How long does MK-677 stay in your system?

Its half-life has not been measured in people, and the "24 hours" often quoted describes how long one dose's effect lasts. After a single 10 mg dose, it was detectable in one volunteer's urine for up to about three days and a breakdown product for about four days, and in hair a month later. IGF-1 returned to baseline within a month of stopping in the two-year trial. [2], [85], [86], [3] See how long it lasts.

Can MK-677 make you taller?

There is no evidence that it can in healthy teenagers or adults. The only height research is in children with diagnosed growth hormone deficiency, given weight-based doses in supervised trials, and even there children grew more slowly than on standard growth hormone injections. No study has tested it for height in young people without that condition, and FDA has warned about a children's "growth" product that contained hidden ibutamoren. [45], [12], [1] See growth in children.

Is MK-677 the same as "MK-777"?

No published research identifies a compound called MK-777, and it should not be treated as a form of MK-677. Sellers market it, sometimes as "acetamoren", as a smoother version of MK-677, but no study, registry record or regulator listing stands behind it. Given how often products labeled as MK-677 contain something else, an unidentified product is a bigger unknown still. [164], [107], [26] See product quality.

Glossary

Plain explanations of the dosing, hormone and research terms used in this guide. Underlined terms in the text link here.

Adverse event: A harmful or unwanted medical event reported after someone used a treatment. A report alone does not prove the treatment caused it.
Animal study: Research in animals such as rats, mice or dogs. It shows what a substance does in a living body, but results in people can differ.
Bioavailability: How much of a dose reaches the bloodstream in a usable form. For MK-677 it has been measured in dogs but not in people.
Carpal tunnel syndrome: Numbness, tingling or pain in the hand caused by pressure on a nerve at the wrist. Fluid retention can bring it on.
Cell study (in vitro): Research on cells grown in a dish. It gives early clues about biology, but it is far from proof of an effect in people.
Compounding: When a pharmacy prepares a customized medicine from individual ingredients. In the US, FDA lists control which bulk ingredients pharmacies may use, and ibutamoren is on its list of ingredients with significant safety risks.
Controlled trial: A study that compares people who receive a treatment with a similar group who do not, often receiving a placebo instead. Randomly assigning people to each group makes the comparison fairer.
Cortisol: A stress hormone made by the adrenal glands that also affects blood sugar and blood pressure.
Course and cycle: A course is the period of repeated use, such as 12 weeks. A cycle is a course plus a planned break before any further use.
Daily total: All the amounts taken in one day, added together. MK-677 is usually taken once a day, so the dose and the daily total are the same.
Dose (amount each time): The amount taken on one occasion. A protocol lists both the dose and how often it is taken.
Duration of action: How long a drug's effect lasts after a dose. It is not the same as its half-life, which measures how fast blood levels fall.
Fat-free mass: Everything in the body that is not fat: muscle, organs, bone and water. A rise can reflect more muscle, more water or both.
Ghrelin: A hormone made mainly in the stomach that signals hunger and prompts the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. MK-677 copies its action.
Ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a): The switch on cells in the pituitary gland and brain that ghrelin turns on. MK-677, ipamorelin and GHRP-6 all act on it.
GLP-1 drug: A medicine that copies GLP-1, a gut hormone that signals fullness and helps control blood sugar. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are examples.
Growth hormone: A hormone released in pulses by the pituitary gland. It drives growth in children and affects muscle, fat, bone and blood sugar in adults, largely through IGF-1.
Growth hormone deficiency: A medical condition in which the pituitary gland makes too little growth hormone. In children it slows growth.
Growth hormone secretagogue: A substance that makes the body release more of its own growth hormone, rather than supplying the hormone itself.
Half-life: The time it takes for the measured level of a substance in the blood to fall by half. It is not the same as how long an effect lasts.
HbA1c: A blood test that reflects average blood sugar over roughly the past three months. Doctors use it to check for prediabetes and diabetes.
Heart failure (congestive): A condition in which the heart cannot pump well enough, so fluid builds up in the lungs, legs or elsewhere. It does not mean the heart has stopped.
Hypothalamus: A small area at the base of the brain that controls hormones, hunger and body temperature. It sits just above the pituitary gland.
IGF-1: Insulin-like growth factor 1, a hormone made mainly by the liver in response to growth hormone. Because it stays steadier than growth hormone, it is the usual blood test for growth hormone activity.
Insulin resistance: When the body responds less to insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of the blood, so blood sugar tends to rise. Growth hormone increases it.
Investigational: Still being studied and not approved by a regulator, such as the FDA, to treat any condition.
Oral: Taken by mouth, as a capsule, tablet or liquid.
Pharmacokinetics: How the body absorbs, moves, breaks down and removes a substance.
Pituitary gland: A pea-sized gland at the base of the brain that releases growth hormone and several other hormones.
Placebo: A dummy treatment with no active ingredient, used as a comparison in studies.
Preclinical research: Studies done before or alongside research in people: cell studies and animal studies.
Prolactin: A pituitary hormone best known for milk production. Some growth hormone secretagogues raise it slightly.
REM sleep: The stage of sleep with rapid eye movements, when most vivid dreaming happens.
Research use only: A label on products sold for laboratory research. It does not mean a product is approved, tested for human use or legal to sell as a medicine.
SARM: Selective androgen receptor modulator: an experimental drug that acts on the androgen receptor, the receptor testosterone uses. MK-677 is often sold alongside SARMs but is not one.
Schedule 4 (Australia): Australia's prescription-only medicine category. Ibutamoren is listed there, and possessing it without authority is illegal.
Small molecule: A drug made of a relatively small chemical structure, like most pills, rather than a chain of amino acids like a peptide. MK-677 is a small molecule.
Somatostatin: The body's "stop" signal for growth hormone release. It helps keep growth hormone in pulses rather than a constant flow.
Subcutaneous (SC): A subcutaneous injection goes into the fatty layer just under the skin. Many growth hormone peptides are given this way; MK-677 is swallowed instead.
Titration: Adjusting a dose in steps, usually starting lower and increasing if needed.
WADA: The World Anti-Doping Agency, which publishes the list of substances banned in sport.
Withdrawal and rebound: Withdrawal effects are symptoms caused by stopping a substance. A rebound is a problem returning worse than before after stopping. Neither has been described for MK-677 in studies.

Supporting research: animal and cell studies

Go deeper into the laboratory and animal experiments behind the mechanism, including the ones that did not work out. These do not add to the human evidence above; they help explain it.

Discovery and receptor · 3 papers

How was MK-677 designed?

Model: Rat pituitary cells in a dish and beagle dogs.

Finding: Merck chemists reported a potent small molecule that released growth hormone from pituitary cells and raised growth hormone in dogs after oral doses as low as 0.125 mg per kilogram.

Limit: Discovery paper by the developer; dog doses cannot be scaled to people.

[11]

Does the effect on IGF-1 need the pituitary?

Model: Beagles with and without their pituitary gland removed.

Finding: Oral MK-677 raised IGF-1 only when the pituitary was present, so it does not act directly on the liver.

Limit: Dogs; abstract only.

[96]

Where in the brain does it act?

Model: Rats given MK-677 into the brain or the bloodstream.

Finding: Both routes activated nerve cells in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, an area that controls growth hormone release and appetite.

Limit: Rats; shows where it acts, not what it does to health.

[94]

Tolerance and feedback · 3 papers

Does the growth hormone response fade with daily use?

Model: Beagles given oral MK-677 daily.

Finding: The growth hormone spike fell by 41–77% with repeated dosing, while IGF-1 stayed raised, the same pattern later seen in people.

Limit: Dogs.

[159]

Did it work in young rats?

Model: Young rats given 4 mg per kilogram by mouth for six weeks.

Finding: No increase in growth or IGF-1, and by six weeks the growth hormone response had disappeared.

Limit: The rat growth hormone system differs from the human one; human trials found IGF-1 raised for two years.

[160]

What stops it from overshooting?

Model: Normal mice and mice lacking one somatostatin receptor.

Finding: Giving growth hormone first blocked MK-677's activation of growth-hormone-releasing nerve cells, through somatostatin receptor 2. That is the body's feedback brake.

Limit: Mice.

[97]

Results that did not carry over · 4 papers

Did it help in Alzheimer's mouse models?

Model: Mice bred to develop Alzheimer's-like brain changes.

Finding: One study reported less amyloid-related damage; another found better growth of new brain cells but no protection against the main brain lesions.

Limit: A 12-month human trial in 563 patients found no benefit.

[161], [162], [22]

Does it protect the heart after reduced blood flow?

Model: Isolated rat hearts.

Finding: Hexarelin and ghrelin reduced damage; MK-677 did not.

Limit: Laboratory hearts; not a human heart outcome.

[163]

Could it affect the prostate?

Model: Human prostate support cells in a dish; a separate rat experiment used ghrelin itself.

Finding: MK-677 switched on growth-related genes and made the cells multiply.

Limit: Cell study only; there are no human prostate data for MK-677.

[105]

How this guide was researched

This guide is built from a thorough review of the sources cited throughout it: published scientific studies, registered clinical-trial plans, regulatory documents and published protocol descriptions. We also reviewed public online forums and community education groups where people describe their own experiences with MK-677.

The guide cites 164 sources, including 48 original scientific papers. Each type of source answers a different question. Studies show what researchers measured. Protocol descriptions show how MK-677 is typically used. Personal accounts show what individual people experienced. Every numbered citation links to its entry below, labeled by source type.

How this guide was made

Research and drafting were AI-assisted. Every cited source was checked against the original, and the guide was reviewed and edited by Doserly before publication. It has not had an independent clinical review, and Doserly does not currently have medical reviewers. Doserly makes a medication and health-tracking app and runs Doserly Academy, both of which are promoted in this guide. Read our editorial policy for how guides are researched, updated and corrected.

This guide is for educational purposes. It summarizes what the reviewed sources report so the research is easier to understand; it is not medical advice. For a deeper dive, or to check any point for yourself, go straight to the cited sources.

Explore the sources

These are the documents cited in this guide. Studies, website advice and personal accounts answer different questions. A source being listed does not mean every statement on its page is endorsed.

Evidence typeFind in sources

Showing 164 sources

01
Agebox iKids Growth Day Formula may be harmful due to hidden ingredient ↗
US FDA · 23 Sep 2025
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
02
FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, October 29, 2024: FDA Evaluation of Ibutamoren Mesylate (dated July 3, 2024) ↗
US FDA · Briefing dated 3 Jul 2024 · Advisory committee meeting 29 Oct 2024
Regulator review
Full briefing document reviewed.
Key content: no human pharmacokinetic data found; trial adverse-event counts; no stability data at room temperature or 2–8 °C; FDA proposed not adding ibutamoren mesylate to the list of ingredients pharmacies may use.
03
Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial. ↗
Nass R et al. · Ann Intern Med · 2008
Human trial
Original full text reviewed (author manuscript), including methods, adverse effects and the second-year switch.
Result detail: 65 adults aged 60–81 completed year 1; 25 mg each morning; fat-free mass +1.1 kg versus −0.5 kg; appetite up in 67% versus 36%; fasting glucose +0.3 mmol/L; HbA1c +0.2%; no change in strength or function.
04
Nonpeptide and peptide growth hormone secretagogues act both as ghrelin receptor agonist and as positive or negative allosteric modulators of ghrelin signaling. ↗
Holst B et al. · Mol Endocrinol · 2005
Cell study
Original abstract reviewed.
05
A receptor in pituitary and hypothalamus that functions in growth hormone release. ↗
Howard AD et al. · Science · 1996
Cell study
Original abstract reviewed.
06
Structural basis of human ghrelin receptor signaling by ghrelin and the synthetic agonist ibutamoren. ↗
Liu H et al. · Nat Commun · 2021
Cell study
Original full text reviewed.
07
PubChem CID 178024 Ibutamoren ↗
NCBI PubChem · Date not stated
Chemical database
Record reviewed (formula, molecular weight, names).
08
PubChem CID 6450830 Ibutamoren mesylate ↗
NCBI PubChem · Date not stated
Chemical database
Record reviewed (salt formula and molecular weight).
09
FDA GSRS: IBUTAMOREN MESYLATE (UNII R90JB6QJ2B) ↗
FDA/NCATS GSRS · Date not stated
Substance registry
Record reviewed (names and codes).
10
A GH Secretagogue Receptor Agonist (LUM-201) Elicits Greater GH Responses than Standard GH Secretagogues in Subjects of a Pediatric GH Deficiency Trial. ↗
Bright GM et al. · Horm Res Paediatr · 2022
Human study
Original abstract reviewed.
11
Design and biological activities of L-163,191 (MK-0677): a potent, orally active growth hormone secretagogue. ↗
Patchett AA et al. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 1995
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
12
A Multicenter, 12-Month, Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Efficacy and Safety Study of Daily Oral LUM-201 in Naïve-to-Treatment, Prepubertal Children With Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) ↗
Lumos Pharma · 4 Sep 2026
Registered study
Registry record reviewed via the ClinicalTrials.gov API on 24 Sep 2026.
Status: recruiting since 20 May 2026; last update 4 Sep 2026; no results posted.
13
Phase 2 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Center Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Oral LUM-201 as an Adjunct to Oral Semaglutide for Improving Physical Function in Older Adults With Obesity ↗
Lumos Pharma · 10 Aug 2026
Registered study
Registry record reviewed via the ClinicalTrials.gov API on 24 Sep 2026.
Status: not yet recruiting; estimated start 15 Feb 2027; no results.
14
MK-677 Dosage Guide: Ibutamoren Protocol, Timing & Cycle Length (2026) ↗
PeptideDeck · Published 19 Mar 2026, updated 12 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; source of the website protocol table. The page also states a 24-hour half-life, which no human study has measured.
15
MK-677 Dosage Chart: 10-25mg Before Bed, Why Timing (2026) ↗
The Peptide Catalog · 2026 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
16
MK-677 Protocol: Dosing, Timing & Cycle Guide ↗
The Peptide Guides · 2026 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
17
MK-677 Dosing: 40-60% IGF-1 Boost · 2-Year RCT (2026) ↗
Peptide Schedule · 2026 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
18
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) · Compound Monograph ↗
Apotheon · Updated 13 May 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
19
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) Dosage Guide ↗
The Peptide List · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
20
MK-677 Dosage Calculator & Reconstitution Chart ↗
PeptideDose.io · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Page reviewed; applies injection vial and syringe-unit arithmetic to a swallowed drug.
21
MK-677 Dosage Chart, Schedule & Reconstitution Protocol ↗
PeptideDosage.org · 2026 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; its storage and reconstitution statements give no source.
22
Growth hormone secretagogue MK-677: no clinical effect on AD progression in a randomized trial. ↗
Sevigny JJ et al. · Neurology · 2008
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
23
Could Overt Diabetes Be Triggered by Abuse of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and Growth Hormone Secretagogues? A Case Report and Review of the Literature. ↗
Sotorník R et al. · Clin Diabetes · 2022
Human report
Original full text reviewed.
Limit: taken with two SARMs; product contents not tested.
24
MK-0677 (ibutamoren mesylate) for the treatment of patients recovering from hip fracture: a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb study. ↗
Adunsky A et al. · Arch Gerontol Geriatr · 2011
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed; adverse-event counts from FDA’s 2024 review.
Result detail: 123 randomized; stopped early for a heart-failure signal (4 of 62 versus 1 of 61, per FDA).
25
The effects of MK-0677, an oral growth hormone secretagogue, in patients with hip fracture. ↗
Bach MA et al. · J Am Geriatr Soc · 2004
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
26
TGA safety alert: Unapproved ibutamoren capsules (MK-677) found to contain undisclosed anabolic steroid ↗
TGA · 4 Jun 2026
Regulatory source
Alert text reviewed; cited for the product-testing finding and approval statement.
27
Stimulation of the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor I axis by daily oral administration of a GH secretogogue (MK-677) in healthy elderly subjects. ↗
Chapman IM et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1996
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
28
Oral administration of the growth hormone secretagogue MK-677 increases markers of bone turnover in healthy and functionally impaired elderly adults. The MK-677 Study Group. ↗
Murphy MG et al. · J Bone Miner Res · 1999
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
29
MK 677 Dosage: How & When to Take It (& Best Cycle Length for Results) ↗
Vocal Media (user post) · Date not stated
Dosing website
Page reviewed and excluded from the protocol comparison (lists 150–450 mg a day).
30
MK-677 product label (Russian importer) ↗
Frog Tech Platinum LLC · Undated PDF (label expiry March 2028)
Dosing website
Label reviewed and excluded from the comparison: it advises no more than 50 mg a day but names 200 mg as a maximum.
31
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) Guide ↗
HealingMaps · Published 17 Apr 2026
Dosing website
Page reviewed; tells readers to obtain MK-677 from compounding pharmacies, which conflicts with FDA’s safety-risk listing.
32
Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗
US FDA · 22 Apr 2026
Regulatory source
Page reviewed on 24 Sep 2026 (content current as of 22 Apr 2026).
33
Thoughts on MK-677 Year-Round Use? ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 7 May 2020
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
34
Weekly Compound Experience Thread - Ibutamoren (MK-677) ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 15 Jan 2018
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
35
SUN-658 Ibutamoren Mesylate Modifies Body Composition in Healthy Older Adults by Increasing Both the Amount and the Pattern of Endogenous GH Secretion (ENDO 2025) ↗
Roslan A et al. · J Endocr Soc (meeting abstract supplement) · 2025
Human study (meeting abstract)
Meeting abstract reviewed; authors include the developer.
36
Two-month treatment of obese subjects with the oral growth hormone (GH) secretagogue MK-677 increases GH secretion, fat-free mass, and energy expenditure. ↗
Svensson J et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1998
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
37
MK677 Only - Post-Cycle Effect ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 6 Feb 2023
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
38
Enclo + Mk-677 "cycle" made me gain 25 pounds mostly lean in 3 months ↗
Reddit r/SARMs · 18 Aug 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
39
Gallon of Milk a day for two years and MK677 ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 14 Nov 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
40
Prolonged oral treatment with MK-677, a novel growth hormone secretagogue, improves sleep quality in man. ↗
Copinschi G et al. · Neuroendocrinology · 1997
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
41
MK-677 Test and Initial Results ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 13 Jul 2020
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
42
Ibutamoren and horrible sleep ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 11 Feb 2023
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
43
Mk677 Some Thoughts ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 29 Jun 2019
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
44
Effect of alendronate and MK-677 (a growth hormone secretagogue), individually and in combination, on markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. ↗
Murphy MG et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 2001
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
45
A Multicenter, 24-Month, Randomized, Open-Label, Active Control, Parallel Arm, Phase 2 Study of Daily Oral LUM-201 in Naïve-to-Treatment, Prepubertal Children With Idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) ↗
Lumos Pharma · 17 Jun 2026
Registered study
Registry record with posted results reviewed.
Result detail: 6-month height velocity 6.76, 8.21 and 7.73 cm a year on three LUM-201 doses versus 10.57 on growth hormone injections.
46
The Impact of Ibutamoren on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Pilot Study ↗
Massachusetts General Hospital · 6 Jan 2026
Registered study
Registry record reviewed.
47
SAT-675 The Impact of the Oral Growth Hormone Secretagogue Ibutamoren on MASLD in Adults With Overweight/Obesity (ENDO 2025) ↗
Chamorro-Pareja N et al. · J Endocr Soc (meeting abstract supplement) · 2025
Human study (meeting abstract)
Meeting abstract reviewed (full abstract text); open-label pilot compared with an earlier placebo group.
48
MK-677 Dosage Guide ↗
Peptide Performance Calculator · 22 Mar 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
49
Horrible night sleep after first dose of mk677 ↗
Reddit r/mk677 · Date not shown
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
50
Weekly Compound Discussion Thread: MK-677 (Ibutamoren, Nutrobol) ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 5 Aug 2018
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
51
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) Standard Titration Schedule ↗
HealthRX · Updated 26 May 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
52
MK-677 dosage: oral protocols and titration ↗
PeptideCalcHub · Updated Jun 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
53
Oral administration of growth hormone (GH) releasing peptide-mimetic MK-677 stimulates the GH/insulin-like growth factor-I axis in selected GH-deficient adults. ↗
Chapman IM et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1997
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
54
MK-677 For Beginners: What You Need To Know About Growth, Recovery, and Sleep ↗
Swolverine · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
55
MK-677 Dosage Calculator and Chart ↗
Peptides.org · 22 Jan 2024
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; gives 50 mg as the highest known dose and wrongly states the longest study lasted 18 months.
56
Understanding the Side Effects and Dosage of MK 677 ↗
ChemicalBook · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
57
MK-677 Dosage Guide: Protocols & Research ↗
PeptideWiki · 24 Feb 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; wrongly states that 25 mg is the highest dose studied.
58
LOW dose mk-677. ↗
MESO-Rx / ThinkSteroids · 18 Feb 2021
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
59
My PEDs Experience (LGD-4033, MK-677, GHRP-6, HGH, and more...) ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 17 Oct 2019
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
60
Mk 677 - działanie, dawkowanie i skutki uboczne ↗
Superdietetyk · Date not shown · Checked 24 Sep 2026 (Polish)
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
61
MK-677, an orally active growth hormone secretagogue, reverses diet-induced catabolism. ↗
Murphy MG et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1998
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
62
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) Dosage Guide: Oral GH Secretagogue Protocol ↗
DailyVial · Updated 13 Feb 2026
Dosing website
Selected original page sections reviewed; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
63
MK677 / Ibutamoren Review ↗
Reddit r/sarmssourcetalk · 21 May 2024
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
64
Ibutamoren mesylate ↗
Neemio · 2026 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Page reviewed; shows an unsourced 5-hour half-life beside a 24-hour duration.
65
Wells Pharmacy Network product catalog (2020) ↗
Wells Pharmacy Network · 2020
Dosing website
Catalog reviewed; states studies lasted up to eight weeks, although published trials lasted up to two years.
66
MK-677 Ibutamoren 2026: Research, Side Effects ↗
SARMs Store UK · 4 Sep 2023
Dosing website
Page reviewed; describes MK-677 as a SARM, which it is not.
67
Safe use of bodybuilding products (Health Canada) ↗
Health Canada · Date modified 14 May 2026
Regulatory source
Page reviewed (date modified 14 May 2026).
68
Peptiter: Precision Peptide Therapy for Clinics, Pharmacies & Telehealth ↗
Peptiter · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Page reviewed; labels MK-677 “compoundable”, which conflicts with FDA’s safety-risk listing.
69
When to Use MK677? ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 10 Aug 2021
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
70
My igf-1 levels on 2mg of cjc Dac and 10mg mk677 ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 3 Sep 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
71
Update: Bloodwork after CJC-1295 DAC + MK-677 ↗
Reddit r/USPeptides · 14 Feb 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
72
MK-677/ibutamoren with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide ↗
Reddit r/sarmssourcetalk · 26 Jul 2023
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
73
Sublingual Sermorelin combined with MK-677 ↗
Reddit r/Peptides · 3 Jul 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
74
1 month in to 300 mg test, 25 mg mk 677 cycle, what’s your guys thoughts on mk?!? ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 26 Jun 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
75
RAD-140 (Testolone) + MK-2866 (Ostarine) + Mk-677 (Ibutamoren) cycle log ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 19 Dec 2017
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
76
LGD-4033 and MK-677 use impacts body composition, circulating biomarkers, and skeletal muscle androgenic hormone and receptor content: A case report. ↗
Cardaci TD et al. · Exp Physiol · 2022
Human report
Original abstract reviewed.
77
Spontaneous Splenic Rupture in a Patient With Recent Use of Performance-Enhancing Compounds: A Case Report and Literature Review. ↗
Jaffry K et al. · Cureus · 2026
Human report
Original full text reviewed.
78
Hepatotoxicity induced by MK-677. ↗
Cobani E et al. · BMJ Case Rep · 2025
Human report
Original abstract reviewed.
79
Blood Sugar Test After Stop MK677 ↗
Reddit r/mk677 · 25 Mar 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
80
i took mk 677 for a month ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 11 Nov 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
81
How mk ruined my mental health ↗
Reddit r/mk677 · 15 Sep 2024
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
82
MK677 killed my libido! ↗
MESO-Rx / ThinkSteroids · 17 Oct 2015
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
83
SUN-092 Oral LUM-201 Pediatric Capsule Formulation Demonstrates Similar PK Bioavailability and PD Responses to Current Tablet Formulation (ENDO 2025) ↗
Brincks EL et al. · J Endocr Soc (meeting abstract supplement) · 2025
Human study (meeting abstract)
Meeting abstract reviewed; sponsor study.
84
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) · PeptideOS ↗
PeptideOS · Date not stated · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Page reviewed; gives a 5-hour half-life while saying no precise value was located.
85
Study of the metabolism of the growth hormone secretagogue ibutamoren (MK-677) in human urine by UHPLC-HRMS (Zh Anal Khim 2024;79(2):156-162) ↗
Dmitrieva EV et al. · Zh Anal Khim · 2024
Laboratory method (one volunteer)
Original full text reviewed (Russian).
Result detail: single 10 mg dose in one volunteer; parent drug in urine up to 43–70 hours, a breakdown product up to about four days.
86
Knowing the minimal detectable dose can facilitate the interpretation of a hair test result: II. Case example with ibutamoren (MK-677), a growth hormone secretagogue. ↗
Kintz P et al. · Clin Chim Acta · 2026
Human report
Original abstract reviewed.
87
Rapid and harmonized analytical workflow for the determination of peptidic and non-peptidic doping agents in dried and liquid blood matrices. ↗
Mazzarino M et al. · Analyst · 2026
Laboratory method
Original abstract reviewed.
88
Intranasal Delivery of a Ghrelin Mimetic Engages the Brain Ghrelin Signaling System in Mice. ↗
Poelman R et al. · Endocrinology · 2025
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
89
Cayman Chemical product information: Ibutamoren (mesylate), item 18003 ↗
Cayman Chemical · Undated insert · Retrieved 24 Sep 2026
Laboratory supplier document
Product information reviewed; laboratory reference material, not a consumer product.
90
Effects of an Oral GH Secretagogue (MK-677) on Body Composition and Functional Ability of Older Adults ↗
University of Virginia · 16 May 2007
Registered study
Registry record reviewed.
91
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of MK-0677 25 mg in the Treatment of Primary Fibromyalgia ↗
Bennett, Robert, M.D. · 6 Aug 2012
Registered study
Registry record reviewed; no results posted and no publication found.
92
EU CTIS 2025-523820-26-00: Phase 3 daily oral LUM-201 in naive-to-treatment prepubertal children with GH deficiency ↗
Lumos Pharma LLC (sponsor) · EU Clinical Trials Information System · Decisions 18–23 Feb 2026
Registered study (EU)
Public record reviewed via the EU CTIS API.
Status: not authorised in Italy, Spain, France, Poland and Romania (decisions 18–23 Feb 2026); no reason published.
93
Growth hormone secretagogues and growth hormone releasing peptides act as orthosteric super-agonists but not allosteric regulators for activation of the G protein Galpha(o1) by the Ghrelin receptor. ↗
Bennett KA et al. · Mol Pharmacol · 2009
Cell study
Original abstract reviewed.
94
The nonpeptide growth hormone secretagogue, MK-0677, activates hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons in vivo. ↗
Bailey AR et al. · J Neuroendocrinol · 1998
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
95
Induction of c-fos mRNA in the arcuate nucleus of normal and mutant growth hormone-deficient mice by a synthetic non-peptidyl growth hormone secretagogue. ↗
Sirinathsinghji DJ et al. · Neuroreport · 1995
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
96
Increases in circulating insulin-like growth factor I levels by the oral growth hormone secretagogue MK-0677 in the beagle are dependent upon pituitary mediation. ↗
Schleim KD et al. · Endocrinology · 1999
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
97
Somatostatin receptor subtype 2 knockout mice are refractory to growth hormone-negative feedback on arcuate neurons. ↗
Zheng H et al. · Mol Endocrinol · 1997
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
98
Attenuation of the growth hormone secretagogue induction of Fos protein in the rat arcuate nucleus by central somatostatin action. ↗
Dickson SL et al. · Neuroendocrinology · 1997
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
99
Hypothalamic gene expression following ghrelin therapy to gastrectomized rodents. ↗
Egecioglu E et al. · Regul Pept · 2008
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
100
Effects of ghrelin receptor activation on forebrain dopamine release, conditioned fear and fear extinction in C57BL/6J mice. ↗
Pierre A et al. · J Neurochem · 2020
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
101
Effects of a 7-day treatment with a novel, orally active, growth hormone (GH) secretagogue, MK-677, on 24-hour GH profiles, insulin-like growth factor I, and adrenocortical function in normal young men. ↗
Copinschi G et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1996
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
102
Discrepancy between serum leptin values and total body fat in response to the oral growth hormone secretagogue MK-677. ↗
Svensson J et al. · Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) · 1999
Human trial
Original abstract reviewed.
103
Growth Hormone Secretagogue MK-0677 Effect on IGF-1 Levels in ESRD Patients ↗
University of Virginia · 20 Feb 2017
Registered study
Registry record with posted adverse events reviewed.
Adverse events: 4 of 26 serious events on MK-0677, including one congestive heart failure, versus 3 of 26 on placebo.
104
Hgh stacked with mk677 ↗
MESO-Rx / ThinkSteroids · 21 Mar 2020
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
105
Ghrelin Aggravates Prostate Enlargement in Rats with Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Stromal Cell Proliferation, and Smooth Muscle Contraction in Human Prostate Tissues. ↗
Wang X et al. · Oxid Med Cell Longev · 2019
Cell study
Original abstract reviewed.
106
Chemical Composition and Labeling of Substances Marketed as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and Sold via the Internet. ↗
Van Wagoner RM et al. · JAMA · 2017
Product testing study
Original abstract reviewed; tested 44 products sold as SARMs, not products labeled MK-677.
107
SARMs, Metabolic Modulators and Growth Hormone Secretagogues in Suspected Illegal Medicines, Bought as Sport Performance Enhancers: A Retro- and Prospective Study Within the GEON. ↗
Barrios MM et al. · Drug Test Anal · 2025
Product testing study
Original abstract reviewed.
108
FDA 503A bulk drug substance categories (updated May 14, 2026) ↗
US FDA · 14 May 2026
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
109
Transcript, FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, October 29, 2024 (Topic 2 incl. ibutamoren mesylate) ↗
US FDA · 29 Oct 2024
Regulator meeting transcript
Transcript reviewed (ibutamoren vote).
110
Warning Letter: Agebox Inc (MARCS-CMS 718252), December 19, 2025 ↗
US FDA · 19 Dec 2025
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
111
FDA warning letter: Musclepower Enterprise Ltd. dba MONSTER KING and GE LABS (2025-12-12) ↗
US FDA · 12 Dec 2025
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
112
Warning Letter: Dynamic Health Group dba SARMs America (719257), December 12, 2025 ↗
US FDA · 12 Dec 2025
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
113
Performance Enhancing Substance: MK-677 (Ibutamoren) ↗
Operation Supplement Safety (US Department of Defense) · Checked Sep 2026
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
114
Health Canada Drug Product Database API, active-ingredient search: ibutamoren, ibutamoren mesylate, MK-677, MK-0677 ↗
Health Canada · Drug Product Database · Searched 24 Sep 2026
Regulatory source
Database searched on 24 Sep 2026 for ibutamoren, ibutamoren mesylate, MK-677 and MK-0677: no products.
115
Health Canada: Unauthorized workout supplements may pose serious health risks (updated 2025-07-09) ↗
Health Canada · 9 Jul 2025
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
116
Unauthorized health products seized from two stores in Maple Ridge, BC may pose serious health risks ↗
Health Canada · Recalls and safety alerts · Last updated 24 Dec 2025
Regulatory source
Full advisory reviewed; lists “Hardcore Series MYO-HGH Pro (ibutamoren MK677)” among seized unauthorized drugs.
117
Poisons Standard June 2026 ↗
Australian Government (TGA) · June 2026 edition
Regulatory source
Full document reviewed.
118
Ibutamoren (MK 677) Information | Sport Integrity Australia ↗
Sport Integrity Australia · Archived copy of 11 May 2026
Anti-doping agency
Archived copy of the page reviewed (May 2026).
119
EMA medicines data (all centrally assessed human medicines, JSON report): no ibutamoren/MK-677/LUM-201 entry ↗
European Medicines Agency · Dataset searched Sep 2026
Regulatory source
Full EMA medicines dataset searched: no ibutamoren, MK-677 or LUM-201 entry.
120
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Sch 2 and Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 Sch 4 Part II (legislation.gov.uk): ibutamoren not listed ↗
UK legislation (legislation.gov.uk) · Checked Sep 2026
Regulatory source
Schedules reviewed: ibutamoren and MK-677 are not listed.
121
GOV.UK search API (includes MHRA publications, alerts and news): ibutamoren / MK677 ↗
GOV.UK · Searched Sep 2026
Regulatory source
GOV.UK search (including MHRA publications) returned no ibutamoren results.
122
Explanation of Key Changes on the 2024 WADA Prohibited List ↗
USADA · 13 Oct 2023
Anti-doping agency
Full document reviewed.
123
The 2026 Prohibited List ↗
World Anti-Doping Agency · Effective 1 Jan 2026
Anti-doping rule
Full document reviewed.
124
WADA 2027 Prohibited List ↗
World Anti-Doping Agency · Published Sep 2026 · Effective 1 Jan 2027
Anti-doping rule
Full document reviewed.
125
UKAD decision: Athlete J (a minor), swimming, 2025 ↗
UK Anti-Doping · 2025
Anti-doping decision
Full document reviewed.
126
USADA sanctions register entry: weightlifting, ipamorelin and ibutamoren (2026-02-20) ↗
USADA · 20 Feb 2026
Anti-doping decision
Full document reviewed.
127
PPAR Agonists and High Blood Sugar ↗
Reddit r/diabetes_t1 · 10 Nov 2022
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
128
MK 677 ↗
MESO-Rx / ThinkSteroids · 29 Jan 2017
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
129
5162 Oral LUM-201 Restores Pulsatile Growth Hormone Secretion and Growth Response in Moderate PGHD: OraGrowtH212 (ENDO 2024) ↗
Cassorla F et al. · J Endocr Soc (meeting abstract supplement) · 2024
Human study (meeting abstract)
Meeting abstract reviewed (full abstract text); sponsor study.
130
update: Bloodwork study of 4iu GH vs MK677 ↗
AnabolicMinds · 24 Feb 2020
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
131
glucose levels? ↗
Reddit r/mk677 · 1 Mar 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
132
Decreased hunger on MK-677 ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 13 Aug 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
133
MK-677 questions ↗
iSARMS · 4 Apr 2019
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
134
Mk-677 ibutamoren ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 16 Nov 2017
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
135
Ibutamoren no hunger yet? ↗
Reddit r/sarmssourcetalk · 9 Jan 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
136
MK-677 IGF-1 Results and Other Bloodwork ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 4 Mar 2021
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
137
Has Anyone Tried MK-677? ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 16 Jun 2021
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
138
Who has gotten diabetes from mk-677? ↗
Reddit r/SARMs · 20 Jan 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
139
MK-677 Insulin Resistance ↗
AnabolicMinds · 12 Jul 2018
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
140
I took MK677 for bulking- it nearly killed me ↗
Reddit r/SARMs · 7 Mar 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
141
Mk677 is it worth it ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 3 Oct 2024
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
142
DO NOT TAKE MK-677 AND MELITONIN TOGETHER ↗
Reddit r/sarmssourcetalk · 5 Oct 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
143
MK677 advice ↗
Reddit r/PEDs · 9 Aug 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
144
MK-677 keeps me up at night (random awakening) ↗
Reddit r/Biohackers · Date not shown
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
145
All you need to know about steroids, HGH,etc.. ↗
Longecity · 27 Jul 2018
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
146
Mk677 brain damage?? ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 31 Jul 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
147
15 yo been cruising on mk677, Great recovery. ↗
Reddit r/moreplatesmoredates · 26 Apr 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
148
[Week 1] young guy using MK677 ↗
Reddit r/SARMs · 23 Jan 2026
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
149
MK677 help plz ↗
T-Nation Pharma/Supplements · 20 Jan 2025
Community account
Public thread reviewed, including replies; a personal account, not a verified record.
150
Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. ↗
Raun K et al. · Eur J Endocrinol · 1998
Cell / animal research
Original abstract reviewed.
Result detail: in pigs, GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 raised ACTH and cortisol; ipamorelin did not. No human testing.
151
Ipamorelin Dosage Guide: Protocols, Timing & How Much to Take (2026) ↗
Peptidepedia · Date not stated
Protocol source
Page checked; protocol wording confirmed.
152
Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers ↗
Gobburu JV et al. · Pharm Res · 1999
Human study
Original abstract reviewed.
Result detail: single 15-minute IV infusions in healthy men; half-life about 2 hours; one growth-hormone pulse peaking at about 40 minutes. Adverse events not reported.
153
Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients ↗
Beck DE et al. · Int J Colorectal Dis · 2014
Human study
Original abstract reviewed.
Result detail: 114 adults after bowel surgery, IV 0.03 mg/kg twice daily; time to first tolerated meal 25.3 vs 32.6 hours (p = 0.15). The abstract does not mention the two deaths reported by FDA.
154
Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide stimulates GH release in normal men and acts synergistically with GH-releasing hormone. ↗
Bowers CY et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 1990
Human study
Original abstract reviewed.
Result detail: peak growth hormone 1.2, 7.6, 16.5 and 68.7 mcg/L after placebo and 0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mcg/kg IV; prolactin and cortisol about doubled at 1.0 mcg/kg.
155
GHRP-6: Research Profile & Guide ↗
Peptides Institute · Checked 24 Sep 2026
Dosing website
Page text checked against a saved copy; a protocol-source claim, not a tested dose.
Row source: entry-level 100 mcg once or twice daily, standard 100–200 mcg two or three times daily, high 300 mcg two or three times daily; 8–12 weeks on, 8–12 weeks off.
156
Pharmacokinetic study of Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide 6 (GHRP-6) in nine male healthy volunteers. ↗
Cabrales A et al. · Eur J Pharm Sci · 2013
Human study
Original abstract reviewed.
Result detail: after IV doses, distribution half-life 7.6 minutes and elimination half-life 2.5 hours.
157
EGRIFTA WR (tesamorelin) kit ↗
Theratechnologies Inc. · DailyMed · Version 3 Aug 2026
Label
Current FDA-approved label reviewed on DailyMed. Tesamorelin is a different GHRH medicine; its label is not evidence about CJC-1295.
158
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 ↗
Teichman SL et al. · J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 2006
Human study
Original full text reviewed.
Result detail: Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults; 66 randomized, 55 given CJC-1295 with DAC; half-life 5.8–8.1 days; 44% of participants were men.
159
Repeat administration of the GH secretagogue MK-0677 increases and maintains elevated IGF-I levels in beagles. ↗
Hickey GJ et al. · J Endocrinol · 1997
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
160
Effect of the Orally Active Growth Hormone Secretagogue MK-677 on Somatic Growth in Rats. ↗
Lee J et al. · Yonsei Med J · 2018
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
161
MK-0677, a Ghrelin Agonist, Alleviates Amyloid Beta-Related Pathology in 5XFAD Mice, an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease. ↗
Jeong YO et al. · Int J Mol Sci · 2018
Animal study
Original full text reviewed.
162
MK0677, a Ghrelin Mimetic, Improves Neurogenesis but Fails to Prevent Hippocampal Lesions in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology. ↗
Tian J et al. · J Alzheimers Dis · 2019
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
163
Effect of ghrelin and synthetic growth hormone secretagogues in normal and ischemic rat heart. ↗
Frascarelli S et al. · Basic Res Cardiol · 2003
Animal study
Original abstract reviewed.
164
MK-777 | sci-wiki nootropic DB + forum ↗
Scientific Sean LLC · Date not stated · Retrieved 24 Sep 2026
Compound wiki
Page text reviewed; describes MK-777 as marketed as a smoother MK-677 and reports no peer-reviewed studies of it.

Updates and corrections

Updated September 24, 2026. This revision replaces the earlier MK-677 page with a full guide: typical website protocols alongside the doses used in trials, dose timing and cycling disagreements, what happens when people stop, storage, monitoring, a dated legal-status summary for the United States, Canada, Australia, the European Union and the United Kingdom, community experiences, and a comparison with related compounds. It corrects the earlier description of the diet study's participants (eight volunteers aged 24–39, whose sex the abstract does not state) and replaces the claim that MK-677 raises growth hormone for 24 hours with what the trials measured. The date describes this revision, not a fresh check of every source.

Found an error or a relevant study we missed? Report a correction with the guide title, the specific passage and a supporting source if available. Please leave out personal health records. See our editorial policy for how we handle attribution, evidence limits and corrections.

About this guide

Disclaimer

Educational Purpose

This guide is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not replace consultation with a licensed and qualified healthcare professional.

AI Content Disclosure

The Doserly Editorial Team makes every effort to ensure accuracy. This content may include AI-generated summaries and content with cited reference sources. AI tools can inherently make errors. Readers should verify claims independently using the cited sources.

Research Compound Status

Compounds discussed in these guides are typically research-only compounds that are not generally approved by the FDA for human therapeutic use. Their inclusion in this guide does not imply safety, efficacy, or regulatory approval.

Risk Acknowledgment

There are inherent risks involved with any compound, especially for individuals with underlying health conditions, unique family medical histories, or those currently taking other medications, supplements, or compounds that may interact. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting, changing, or stopping any protocol.

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