GHRP-2
Pralmorelin — ghrelin receptor hexapeptide
A ghrelin-receptor hexapeptide that produces strong growth hormone pulses — along with appetite, cortisol and prolactin increases — but has no evidence of body-composition benefit.
- Category
- Growth & Performance
- Half-life
- Tens of minutes — short enough that dosing several times daily has been described
- Cycle length
- Not established for repeated use
- Level
- intermediate
Overview
GHRP-2 is a synthetic six-amino-acid peptide from the growth hormone secretagogue family. It was developed to prompt growth hormone release without injecting growth hormone, and it was evaluated clinically in children with short stature and in adults, including as a diagnostic tool for pituitary reserve. Its appeal in body-composition circles is straightforward — measurable increases in growth hormone and IGF-1 — but the effects are transient, tolerance develops with frequent dosing, and the hormone increase has never been tied to meaningful changes in muscle or fat in controlled human trials.
How it works
GHRP-2 activates the ghrelin receptor, GHS-R1a, on pituitary somatotrophs and on hypothalamic neurons. That triggers growth hormone release directly and also amplifies GHRH signalling, which is why GHRPs are often described as amplifying rather than overriding the natural rhythm. The same receptor drives appetite and influences cortisol and prolactin release.
Reported benefits
- Strong, dose-dependent growth hormone release in human studies
- Increases appetite through ghrelin receptor activity
- Used in diagnostic testing of growth hormone reserve
- Effects are rapid and measurable in blood within minutes
Reported benefits describe what the published literature and user reports suggest — not a promise of outcome for any individual.
Dosing reference
Clinical research has used doses in the low microgram per kilogram range, and diagnostic protocols use a single intravenous or subcutaneous dose. Community-reported figures of 100 to 300 mcg are not derived from head-to-head dose-finding studies in healthy adults.
GHRP-2 raises both growth hormone and appetite, and at higher doses it recruits the cortisol and prolactin axes as well. Escalating the dose to overcome tolerance increases those off-target effects before it increases GH meaningfully.
Community-reported: 100–200 mcg two to three times daily, commonly before training and before sleep, in eight- to twelve-week runs.
These figures are what people report using in public communities. They have not been studied, verified or checked against certificates of analysis, and they are not a recommendation, a prescription or a target to aim for.
Where the reported amounts come from
Amounts are reproduced for education only. Doses from trials cannot be assumed to suit anyone else, and community-reported amounts are frequently wrong. Self-administering unapproved compounds carries serious risk.
The research picture
Human studies document what GHRP-2 does to hormone levels: a rapid, large growth hormone pulse with smaller increases in cortisol and prolactin, and appetite stimulation through the same receptor ghrelin uses. Diagnostic and paediatric research used it to assess pituitary function. What the literature does not show is a clinical benefit in healthy adults: no trial has demonstrated increased muscle mass, reduced fat mass or improved performance from repeated GHRP-2 use. The hormone response is real and reproducible, and it has been treated in the marketing as though it were the outcome. It is not.
Preclinical & non-clinical data
A ghrelin-receptor agonist; animal and small human studies show robust growth-hormone release with measurable increases in cortisol, prolactin and appetite — the reason ipamorelin is usually preferred by people trying to avoid those side pathways.
Non-clinical data comes from cells and animals unless stated otherwise. It answers whether a compound is worth studying in people — not whether it is safe or effective in them.
What users report
The hunger is the story in nearly every report: users describe appetite arriving within minutes of a dose, which people either chase to hit eating targets or complain about when trying to stay lean. Water retention, a flat or lethargic feeling after dosing and, with frequent daily dosing, a sense that the effect fades are the recurring negatives. It appears almost exclusively in stacks with a GHRH analogue.
Where these reports come from
These are unverified personal accounts collected from public sources. They are not evidence of effectiveness or safety, they have not been independently checked, and they are not a recommendation to use anything described.
Possible side effects
- Marked hunger shortly after dosing
- Flushing and tingling
- Lightheadedness
- Cortisol and prolactin increases
- Reduced effect with frequent dosing due to receptor desensitisation
Safety notes
Growth hormone secretagogues act through a receptor that also governs appetite, cortisol and prolactin. Repeated dosing raises those hormones alongside growth hormone, and desensitisation of the receptor is well described, which encourages users to escalate. Contraindicated in active malignancy and pituitary disease; no long-term safety data exists in healthy users.
Stacking
Often paired with a GHRH analogue such as CJC-1295, on the reasoning that the two act on different receptors. The combination amplifies growth hormone output in the short term; whether that produces benefit is unstudied.
Related compounds
CJC-1295
Modified GRF 1-29, CJC-1295 without DAC
Growth & Performance
A GHRH analogue built for a sharp, short pulse.
Kisspeptin-10
KISS1-derived decapeptide — GnRH pathway activator
Growth & Performance
The peptide that controls the pulse generator behind the reproductive axis.
Tesamorelin
GHRH(1-44) analogue — Egrifta
Growth & Performance
The GHRH analogue with an approval and a narrow indication.