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The Selective GHRP

GHRP-2

Also known as Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2

Summary coverage

At a glance

What it is
A ghrelin-receptor GH releaser with less appetite stimulation than GHRP-6.
Evidence
Practitioner experience onlyHow the tiers workOur material describes GHRP-2 only in comparison to GHRP-6 and cites no study specific to it; the human sleep and GH data we hold is for GHRP-6. Why this tier
Half-life
About 25 to 40 minutes, when given into a vein
From GHRP KAKEN 100 prescribing information, Japan, July 2022
Routes
Subcutaneous
Category
Growth hormone, Sleep
FDA
FDA Category 2
As of 3 August 2026. What that means
WADA
Prohibited (S2.2.4)

Putting GHRP-2 on a schedule, with the vial it comes from and a log of each dose, happens in the app: Claritide for iPhone.

Evidence

Why this tier

Our material describes GHRP-2 only in comparison to GHRP-6 and cites no study specific to it; the human sleep and GH data we hold is for GHRP-6.

Overview

What it is

GHRP-2 is a growth hormone-releasing peptide that stimulates the pituitary through the ghrelin receptor. Our sleep guide positions it as the preferred option over GHRP-6 for people who want the GH-driven deep-sleep benefit without increased hunger. It is the GHRP in the DSIP sleep stack our material describes.

Mechanism

How it works

The largest natural growth hormone pulse of the day happens during the first cycle of slow-wave sleep. GHRP-2 stimulates the pituitary to release GH through the ghrelin receptor, and enhancing that secretion is described in the endocrinology literature as deepening and extending those sleep stages. Compared with GHRP-6, GHRP-2 offers a more selective GH release with less appetite stimulation. GHRP-6 activates the same receptor but drags stronger hunger signalling along with it. The elevated GH also supports muscle repair, fat metabolism and immune function during sleep.

Dosing

Commonly researched ranges

These are figures reported in published literature and practitioner protocols: a commonly researched range, not a recommendation. Claritide does not tell you what to take.
  • Standard100–300 mcg

    Nightly · Before bedtime on an empty stomach, at least 2 hours after the last meal

    Often paired with a GHRH peptide such as CJC-1295 without DAC for synergistic GH release.

Cycle guidance
8–12 weeks, cycling 5 days on / 2 days off.
Goals
Sleep, Recovery, Muscle
Legal standing

Where this sits with the FDA

Dated, sourced, and separate from whether it works. Removal from a warning list is not permission to compound.
FDA Category 2as of 3 August 2026 · US

503B Category 2 · bulk substances that may present significant safety risks

A live FDA “significant safety risk” designation. Nothing in the 2026 reclassification wave changed it: GHRP-2 was not among the 12 substances removed from Category 2.

Last change · 29 September 2023 · Added to the 503B Category 2 list on 29 September 2023.

Primary source

How it got here

  1. 29 September 2023

    FDA placed GHRP-2 in 503B Category 2.

Sport

WADA status

The 2026 Prohibited List entered force on 1 January 2026.
Prohibited (S2.2.4)

Named on the 2026 List under S2.2.4, growth hormone secretagogues and GHRPs. Prohibited at all times.

Reconstitution

Mixing recipes our sources document

Concentration (mg/mL) = vial mg ÷ diluent mL. On a U-100 barrel, 1 unit = 0.01 mL.

Not established in available literature. Use the calculator with the figures printed on your own vial.
Open the calculator

Expectations

Week by week

What our material describes people reporting. Individual responses vary widely.
  1. 1
    Week 1–2

    Our sleep guide places noticeable sleep change in this window for the GHRP class.

Tolerability

Side effects

Grouped by how often our sources report them. Percentages appear only where a published trial figure exists.

Not established in available literature. Absence from this page does not mean absence of risk. It means our sources publish no side-effect profile for GHRP-2.

Safety

Contraindications and interactions

Do not use if

  • Active cancer: GH promotes cell proliferation
  • Never combine with GHRP-6: they target the same receptor
  • Pregnancy or nursing: no safety data in our sources

Interactions

  • GHRP-6avoid

    Same receptor target. Our sleep guide states these should not be combined.

  • Other GH secretagogues and exogenous GHcaution

    Cumulative GH-axis load with unpredictable hormonal effects.

Absence from this list does NOT mean safety. It means lack of research.

Handling

Storage and cost

Storage
Lyophilized powder: refrigerator 2–8°C, freezer −20°C for long-term storage. Reconstituted with bacteriostatic water: refrigerate and discard after 28 days.
Cost
Not established in available literature
Combinations

Stacks with

Only pairings our own material actually documents. Stacking is the least evidence-based part of this field.
DSIPThe Sleep ResetCJC-1295 (no DAC)The Short Pulse

Curated stacks including it

Deep dive

GHRP-2 in full

Limited coverage

GHRP-2 appears in our sleep guide and in comparison tables only. We cite no study specific to it, and we hold no side effect data or reconstitution table for it.

What it is

A growth hormone-releasing peptide that stimulates the pituitary through the ghrelin receptor, the same class as GHRP-6 and ipamorelin, a different class from GHRH analogs like CJC-1295 and tesamorelin.

Why it appears in a sleep guide

The connection between growth hormone and sleep is well established: the largest natural GH pulse occurs during the first cycle of slow-wave sleep, and enhancing GH secretion deepens and extends those stages. GHRPs work sleep from that angle rather than DSIP's direct delta-wave route.

The elevated GH also supports muscle repair, fat metabolism and immune function overnight, which is why our sleep guide frames the GHRPs as the choice for athletes and anyone prioritising recovery sleep specifically.

GHRP-2 versus GHRP-6

They hit the same receptor. GHRP-6 produces a stronger GH release but also stimulates appetite substantially through ghrelin receptor activation, useful or unwelcome depending on your goals. GHRP-2 gives a more selective release with less appetite stimulation, which makes it the default for sleep benefit without added hunger.

Because they target the same receptor, our sleep guide is explicit: do not combine GHRP-6 and GHRP-2.

What our sources give as dosing

100–300 mcg subcutaneously before bed on an empty stomach, at least two hours after the last meal, nightly. Cycles of 8–12 weeks, five days on and two off. Often paired with a GHRH peptide such as CJC-1295 without DAC.

The fasting requirement is not optional for this class: GHRPs need an empty stomach to produce effective GH release, unlike DSIP and Epitalon which have no fasting requirement.

The stack our material describes

DSIP plus GHRP-2 is the most common sleep stack in our sources: GHRP-2 first on an empty stomach, then DSIP 15–20 minutes later before bed. It addresses sleep architecture and GH release through two separate routes.

Every caution about GH-axis stacking still applies. Active cancer is a contraindication, and combining multiple GH-modulating compounds produces unpredictable hormonal effects.

References

Sources

This record is built from our own guides and comparison tables, which cite no primary literature for GHRP-2. That is itself worth knowing.

Every record in this library is free to read, and it stays free. Your own schedule, vials and log live in the app: Claritide for iPhone.