Tesa/Ipa

Dosing from the Literature

Published for growth hormone: each half’s own doses, in different people and for different uses. Not published: any dose of the two together, or of the 3:1 pre-blend.

What It Is

Tesa/Ipa is a pairing of two growth-hormone releasers. Tesamorelin is an approved drug: EGRIFTA SV is a growth-hormone-releasing factor analog indicated to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy, first approved in the US in 2010; its label says it is not indicated for weight loss, as it is weight-neutral (Egrifta SV label). Ipamorelin is a pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue that has never been approved (Raun et al., 1998).

A newsletter promoting the pair describes buying it as one lyophilized vial holding 6 mg of tesamorelin and 2 mg of ipamorelin, a 3:1 ratio, from a research-chemical seller (Hunter’s Health Hacks). A 2026 review lists tesamorelin and ipamorelin among the growth-hormone-axis peptides most often met in clinical practice and online self-administration protocols, and notes the uncertainty around product composition, dose and stacking in unregulated supply (Dominikowski et al., 2026).

No study has tested the combination. PubMed returns six records for “tesamorelin AND ipamorelin”, all reviews, and ClinicalTrials.gov lists no study of the pair (both searched September 30, 2026). Trials of the pair itself: zero.

Mechanism of Action

• Tesamorelin: the GHRH route — A growth-hormone-releasing factor analog (Egrifta SV label). In the phase 3 trials, IGF-1 rose 81.0% on 2 mg daily (Falutz et al., 2007).
• Ipamorelin: the ghrelin-receptor route — In rat pituitary cells, ipamorelin released growth hormone through a GHRP-like receptor, with potency and efficacy like GHRP-6; in swine, unlike GHRP-6 and GHRP-2, it did not raise ACTH or cortisol, even at over 200 times the dose needed for growth hormone release (Raun et al., 1998).
• In people — Ipamorelin infusions produced a single episode of growth-hormone release, peaking at 0.67 hours, with a terminal half-life of 2 hours (Gobburu et al., 1999).
• Together — No study has measured growth hormone, IGF-1 or anything else with the two given together.

What the Research Shows

• Tesamorelin: visceral fat in HIV — Two placebo-controlled phase 3 trials, 806 people with HIV and excess abdominal fat, 2 mg daily for 26 weeks: visceral fat fell 15.4% more than on placebo, with lower triglycerides and no change in abdominal subcutaneous fat (Falutz et al., 2010).
• Tesamorelin: liver fat in HIV — Two smaller randomized trials found less liver fat on tesamorelin than on placebo (Stanley et al., 2014; Stanley et al., 2019).
• Ipamorelin: postoperative ileus — A phase 2 trial after bowel resection found no significant difference from placebo in time to a tolerated meal (Beck et al., 2014).
• The pair — No study. Trials of the pair itself: zero.

Human Data

Tesamorelin

• Koutkia et al., JAMA 2004 (PMID 15249570) — The GHRH forerunner: 31 men with HIV lipodystrophy, 1 mg twice daily or placebo for 12 weeks. IGF-1 rose, lean body mass rose 0.9 kg versus −0.3 kg, and trunk fat fell.
• Falutz et al., AIDS 2005 (PMID 16052083) — Dose-ranging, 61 patients, 1 or 2 mg daily for 12 weeks: IGF-1 up 48% and 65%; trunk fat down 9.2% on 2 mg; the visceral-fat fall (−15.7%) was not significant versus placebo.
• Falutz et al., N Engl J Med 2007 (PMID 18057338) — Phase 3, 412 patients, 2 mg daily for 26 weeks: visceral fat −15.2% versus +5.0% on placebo; triglycerides down 50 mg/dL versus up 9.
• Falutz et al., J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010 (PMID 20101189) — The second phase 3, 404 patients: visceral fat −10.9% versus −0.6% at 6 months.
• Falutz et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010 (PMID 20554713) — Pooled, 806 patients: treatment effect on visceral fat −15.4% at 26 weeks.
• Falutz et al., AIDS 2008 (PMID 18690162) — Extension: the visceral-fat change held at −18% over 52 weeks; after stopping, visceral fat came back.
• Stanley et al., JAMA 2014 (PMID 25038357) and Lancet HIV 2019 (PMID 31611038) — 50 and 61 people with HIV: less visceral and liver fat than on placebo; in 2019, more injection-site complaints.

Ipamorelin

• Gobburu et al., Pharm Res 1999 (PMID 10496658) — 40 healthy men, eight at each of five infusion rates: dose-proportional kinetics, half-life 2 hours, one growth-hormone pulse at every dose.
• Beck et al., Int J Colorectal Dis 2014 (PMID 25331030) — Phase 2, double-blind, 114 patients after bowel resection, 0.03 mg/kg IV twice daily for up to 7 days: median time to a tolerated meal 25.3 versus 32.6 hours (P = 0.15), no significant difference in any efficacy analysis; adverse events 87.5% versus 94.8% on placebo.

The pair

• No study — No trial, cohort or case report of tesamorelin with ipamorelin was found in PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov (September 30, 2026). Trials of the pair itself: zero.

Reconstitution & Storage

No document read for this page gives a mixing volume or storage conditions for the pre-blend. The table is arithmetic only, for the 6 mg / 2 mg vial the newsletter describes, at two example volumes (100 units = 1 mL on a U-100 syringe). It is not a recommendation. The approved Egrifta SV vial is mixed with 0.5 mL of its own diluent (Egrifta SV label).

→ Peptide Calculator — vial-to-syringe math

Side Effects & Risks

• Tesamorelin’s label — Contraindicated in people with a disrupted hypothalamic-pituitary axis, active cancer, hypersensitivity, or pregnancy; its long-term cardiovascular safety has not been established (Egrifta SV label).
• Tesamorelin in trials — Generally well tolerated over 52 weeks, with no clinically significant change in glucose measures (Falutz et al., 2008); more injection-site complaints than placebo (Stanley et al., 2019).
• Ipamorelin — FDA placed ipamorelin acetate in its 503B Category 2 in September 2023, citing possible immunogenicity, unnatural amino acids that complicate characterization, and a published report of serious adverse events including death when it was given intravenously for gastric motility (FDA safety-risks page).
• The pair — No safety data.
• WADA — Both are prohibited at all times under S2.2.4: tesamorelin as a GHRH analogue, ipamorelin as a growth hormone secretagogue (WADA 2026).

Bloodwork & Monitoring

What the member trials measured. These describe the studies; they are not a monitoring plan:

• Tesamorelin — IGF-1, glucose and insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol, and visceral fat by CT (Falutz et al., 2007); liver fat by spectroscopy (Stanley et al., 2019).
• Ipamorelin — Plasma ipamorelin and growth hormone (Gobburu et al., 1999); adverse events and laboratory tests (Beck et al., 2014).
• The pair — Nothing has been measured.

Commonly Stacked With

Tesa/Ipa is itself a stack. Its members and the nearest stack:

→ Peptide Calculator — vial-to-syringe math

Legal Status

Related Compounds

Other growth-hormone releasers on this site:

Next Steps

References

1. Falutz J, Allas S, Blot K, Potvin D, Kotler D, Somero M, Berger D, Brown S, Richmond G, Fessel J, Turner R, Grinspoon S. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(23):2359-70. PMID: 18057338.
2. Falutz J, Potvin D, Mamputu JC, Assaad H, Zoltowska M, Michaud SE, et al. Effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor, in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized placebo-controlled trial with a safety extension. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;53(3):311-22. PMID: 20101189.
3. Falutz J, Mamputu JC, Potvin D, Moyle G, Soulban G, Loughrey H, Marsolais C, Turner R, Grinspoon S. Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95(9):4291-304. PMID: 20554713.
4. Falutz J, Allas S, Mamputu JC, Potvin D, Kotler D, Somero M, Berger D, Brown S, Richmond G, Fessel J, Turner R, Grinspoon S. Long-term safety and effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS. 2008;22(14):1719-28. PMID: 18690162.
5. Falutz J, Allas S, Kotler D, Thompson M, Koutkia P, Albu J, Trottier B, Routy JP, Cote P, Abribat T, Grinspoon S. A placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of a growth hormone releasing factor in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS. 2005;19(12):1279-87. PMID: 16052083.
6. Koutkia P, Canavan B, Breu J, Torriani M, Kissko J, Grinspoon S. Growth hormone-releasing hormone in HIV-infected men with lipodystrophy: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004;292(2):210-8. PMID: 15249570.
7. Stanley TL, Feldpausch MN, Oh J, Branch KL, Lee H, Torriani M, Grinspoon SK. Effect of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014;312(4):380-9. PMID: 25038357.
8. Stanley TL, Fourman LT, Feldpausch MN, Purdy J, Zheng I, Pan CS, et al. Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial. Lancet HIV. 2019;6(12):e821-e830. PMID: 31611038.
9. Theratechnologies Inc. EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) for injection, prescribing information (DailyMed set ID 3d783378-b02d-4f19-99dd-0fc91a042224): dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. Read September 30, 2026. (Indication, dose, contraindications.)
10. Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thøgersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, Andersen PH. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139(5):552-61. PMID: 9849822.
11. Gobburu JV, Agersø H, Jusko WJ, Ynddal L. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res. 1999;16(9):1412-6. PMID: 10496658.
12. Beck DE, Sweeney WB, McCarter MD; Ipamorelin 201 Study Group. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014;29(12):1527-34. PMID: 25331030.
13. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (content current as of April 22, 2026): fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks. Read September 30, 2026. (Ipamorelin acetate in 503B Category 2 since September 29, 2023.)
14. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B (updated March 21, 2025): fda.gov/media/94164/download; and Section 503A (updated May 14, 2026): fda.gov/media/94155/download. Read September 30, 2026.
15. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List (September 2025), section S2.2.4: wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf. Read September 30, 2026.
16. Dominikowski A, Rękoś Z, Olejarz M, Szczepanek-Parulska E, Domin R, RuchaŁa M. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2026;17:1822475. PMID: 42395176.
17. Hunter’s Health Hacks (newsletter). “How to mix a Tesamorelin/Ipamorelin blend.” huntershealthhacks.beehiiv.com. Read September 30, 2026. (A promoter’s description of a 6 mg / 2 mg pre-blend vial and how he injects it; the seller is not named here: Kalios doesn’t name or link vendors.)
18. PubMed search “tesamorelin AND ipamorelin” (6 records, all reviews) and ClinicalTrials.gov search “tesamorelin AND ipamorelin” (no studies), September 30, 2026.