CJC-1295 (also written CJC 1295, no DAC), also called Mod GRF 1-29 or Modified GRF, is a GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone) analog. It hits a different receptor than ipamorelin. That's the whole reason you stack them. CJC-1295 tells your pituitary 'make more growth hormone' through one receptor while ipamorelin tells it 'release what you've made' through a different one. Two signals, one bigger burst. The no-DAC version is short-acting on purpose. It gives you a natural burst-and-fade pattern instead of a sustained flood. Your body releases growth hormone in bursts, not a steady drip, and you want to work with that rhythm, not blast through it. The DAC version (Drug Affinity Complex) has a 6-8 day half-life and creates sustained growth hormone elevation. No-DAC has a ~30 minute half-life and creates a clean burst that peaks and falls naturally.
CJC-1295 (no DAC) Protocol
Dose: 100-200mcg per day | Frequency: Once nightly with ipamorelin, on an empty stomach | Cycle: 8-12 weeks on, 4 weeks off | Route: SubQ
Always pair with ipamorelin. CJC alone works but the combined effect is the whole point. Same syringe is fine. Take 2+ hours after your last meal. Carbs and fats spike insulin, and insulin blocks GH release by 60-80%. The fasted window is non-negotiable.
CJC-1295 (no DAC) Effects
Bigger growth hormone burst (75%). Turns up the volume on your body's natural growth hormone release when paired with ipamorelin
Improved recovery (62%). Faster recovery from training and injury, you'll feel it around week 2-3
Fat loss (50%). Gradual body sculpt, especially that muffin top that won't leave no matter what you do
Better sleep (48%). Deeper, more restorative sleep from the nightly growth hormone burst
CJC-1295 (no DAC) Side Effects
Flushing / warmth (22%). Your face and chest get warm and flushy about 5-10 minutes after pinning. Totally harmless but it'll freak you out the first time.
Water retention (18%). You might feel a bit puffy the first couple weeks. Settles down on its own.
Headache (10%). Mild headache sometimes, more likely if you're dosing on the higher end.
Tingling / numbness (8%). Carpal tunnel-ish tingling in your hands means your GH is running too high. Drop the dose.
CJC-1295 (no DAC) Dosing by Use Case
Condition
Dose
Duration
Notes
Standard GH protocol (with ipamorelin)
100mcg CJC-1295 (no DAC) + 200-300mcg ipamorelin, nightly
8-12 weeks on, 4 weeks off
The default protocol. Same syringe, same injection, before bed on an empty stomach. 100mcg CJC is the ceiling for most people. Going higher doesn't produce proportionally more GH. Pair with 200-300mcg ipamorelin for the complementary ghrelin pathway. The two signals together kick off a growth hormone burst 3-5x stronger than either one solo.
Anti-aging and body recomposition
100mcg CJC + 200mcg ipamorelin, nightly
12 weeks on, 4 weeks off, repeated
The long-game protocol. Sleep deepens first. Recovery improves weeks 2-4. Body composition shifts weeks 4-12. Skin tightens. Hair thickens. These are downstream effects of your growth hormone working properly again. Expect subtle, cumulative changes. Your body remembering what it used to do on its own.
Recovery from training or surgery
100-200mcg CJC + 200-300mcg ipamorelin, nightly
8-12 weeks
Higher end of dosing for active recovery. Some protocols add a second dose in the morning (fasted, at least 30 minutes before eating). Adding BPC-157 during the day targets the specific injury while the nightly GH stack provides systemic recovery support.
DAC protocol (sustained release, less common)
1-2mg CJC-1295 with DAC, once or twice weekly
8-12 weeks
The DAC version has a 6-8 day half-life. One or two injections per week maintain sustained growth hormone elevation. This is simpler but less physiological. Sustained GH elevation can cause more water retention, joint pain, and insulin resistance than burst-and-fade dosing. Most community protocols prefer no-DAC for this reason. The DAC version has more published human data published.
CJC-1295 (no DAC) Results Timeline
Week 1-2, Sleep improves, flush appears: The warm flush 5-10 minutes after pinning is normal. It's the CJC component. Freaks everyone out the first time. Sleep deepens within the first week. Some water retention and puffiness. Your growth hormone system is waking up.
Week 2-4, Recovery accelerates: Training soreness decreases. Recovery between sessions shortens. The nightly growth hormone burst from the CJC/ipamorelin stack is doing its job. IGF-1 levels rising if you track labs.
Week 4-8, Body composition shifting: Midsection tightens. Lean mass accruing. Skin quality may improve. These changes are gradual. If you're tracking body composition, the numbers start moving here.
Week 8-12, Peak cumulative effects: Full cycle benefits. Take 4 weeks off to let your GHRH receptors reset. The off period prevents desensitization so the next cycle works just as well. Some protocols use 5 days on, 2 days off within the cycle for the same reason.
Frequently Asked Questions About CJC-1295 (no DAC)
What is CJC-1295?
CJC-1295 is a synthetic version of a hormone your body already makes (GHRH). It tells your pituitary gland to make more growth hormone and actually push it out. It comes in two versions: with DAC (Drug Affinity Complex) and without DAC (also called Mod GRF 1-29 or Modified GRF). The no-DAC version has a ~30 minute half-life and creates a brief, natural growth hormone burst. The DAC version has a 6-8 day half-life and creates sustained growth hormone elevation. Most people use no-DAC because it works with your body's natural rhythm instead of overriding it.
CJC-1295 DAC vs no DAC: which should I use?
If you're stacking with ipamorelin (which is most people), use no-DAC. The no-DAC version creates a brief pulse that synergizes with ipamorelin's ghrelin-receptor signal. The DAC version creates sustained growth hormone elevation that can blunt the burst-and-fade pattern you're trying to achieve. DAC is simpler (inject once or twice a week instead of daily), but it's less physiological and causes more side effects: increased water retention, joint pain, and potential insulin resistance from your growth hormone being jacked up 24/7. No-DAC is the default recommendation.
What is the best CJC-1295 dosage?
No-DAC: 100mcg per injection, once nightly, combined with 200-300mcg ipamorelin. Same syringe is fine. 100mcg appears to be the sweet spot for most people. Going to 200mcg is common but may not produce proportionally more GH. Inject on an empty stomach (2+ hours after last meal). For DAC: 1-2mg once or twice weekly. No-DAC is dosed daily because the half-life is only ~30 minutes. DAC is dosed weekly because its half-life is 6-8 days.
What are the side effects of CJC-1295?
Flushing/warmth (22%) within 5-10 minutes of injection. This is harmless and specific to the CJC component. Water retention (18%) in the first couple weeks. Mild headache (10%). Tingling in hands (8%), like carpal tunnel, which means your GH is running high. Drop the dose if the tingling persists. No cortisol spike, no prolactin spike. The side effect profile is milder than GHRP-6 or MK-677.
Why does CJC-1295 cause flushing?
The warm flush across your face and chest 5-10 minutes after injection is a vasodilatory response to the GHRH analog. It's specific to CJC-1295 and doesn't happen with ipamorelin alone. Totally harmless. Lasts 10-20 minutes. Some people find it pleasant, some find it alarming the first time. It's not an allergic reaction. It doesn't mean the dose is too high. It's just what CJC does.
Why must I inject CJC-1295 on an empty stomach?
Insulin blocks growth hormone release by 60-80%. Eating, especially carbs and fats, spikes insulin. If your insulin is elevated when the growth hormone burst fires, you get a fraction of the benefit. The fasted window (2+ hours after your last meal, 30-60 minutes before eating anything) ensures your insulin is at baseline. Water, black coffee, and plain electrolytes are fine. Protein shakes count as food. BCAAs count as food. If in doubt, just pin right before bed.
How do you reconstitute CJC-1295?
Add 2mL of bacteriostatic water to a 5mg vial. That gives you 2,500mcg per mL. For a 100mcg dose, draw 4 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. For 200mcg, draw 8 units. If stacking with ipamorelin in the same syringe, reconstitute each vial separately, then draw from both. CJC first, then ipamorelin. Aim the water at the glass wall, not directly on the powder. Swirl gently. Never shake. CJC-1295 is slightly more fragile than ipamorelin. Refrigerate after reconstitution. Use within 3-4 weeks.
Can I mix CJC-1295 and ipamorelin in the same syringe?
Yes. This is standard practice. Reconstitute each vial separately with bacteriostatic water. Draw your CJC-1295 dose first, then draw your ipamorelin dose into the same syringe. One injection, two compounds. The peptides don't interact negatively in solution. Inject subcutaneously in the abdomen. This saves you from pinning twice every night.
Emerging evidence. CJC-1295 without DAC (also called Mod GRF 1-29) is a short-acting GHRH analog that produces a brief, pulsatile GH release. The DAC version has more human data but causes sustained growth hormone elevation, which is less physiological. The no-DAC version is preferred in community protocols for mimicking natural GH patterns.
Approval status: Not approved
References
Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, et al. 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. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. PMID 16352683
Ionescu M, Frohman LA. Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2006. PMID 17018654
Alba M, Fintini D, Saghari S, et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295, a long-acting growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006. PMID 16822960
Sackmann-Sala L, Ding J, Frohman LA, et al. Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects. Growth Horm IGF Res, 2009. PMID 19386527
Van Hout MC, Hearne E. Netnography of Female Use of the Synthetic Growth Hormone CJC-1295: Pulses and Potions. Subst Use Misuse, 2016. PMID 26771670
Memdouh S, Gavrilovic I, Engel A, et al. Advances in the detection of growth hormone releasing hormone synthetic analogs. Drug Test Anal, 2021. PMID 34665524
Storage
Lyophilized: Refrigerate at 2-8C. Keep away from light. Stable for 12+ months sealed.
Reconstituted: Refrigerate. Use within 3-4 weeks. CJC is slightly more fragile than ipamorelin.
Water: Bacteriostatic water, 2mL per 5mg vial.
Needle: 29-31 gauge, 0.5 inch for subcutaneous injection
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for educational purposes only. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any protocol. vialprep sells injection supplies, not compounds.
