DOSEGUY

Capromorelin

weak data

Also seen as: Entyce, Elura, CP-424391, capro

The Dose Guy’s verdict
Aug 28, 2026
4 sources

Capromorelin has two human studies, modest lean-mass gains in one older-adult trial, an FDA approval for dogs and cats, and very little community mileage. If you want an oral growth-hormone secretagogue, MK-677 has years of collective experience behind it and a deeper evidence base. Capromorelin is interesting because it works through the same receptor with a different molecule, but interesting is not a reason to run something when a better-mapped option exists.

Would I take it?Caution, a curiosity, not a pick.

What it is

An oral small-molecule ghrelin-receptor agonist, the same class as MK-677. Both bind the GHS-R1a receptor and tell your pituitary to release growth hormone, the secretagogue mechanism, but where MK-677 became the community default for oral GH support, capromorelin went veterinary, FDA-approved for appetite stimulation in dogs and cats. Two human studies were run before development stopped.

The appeal is simple: it is oral, it raises GH and IGF-1 reliably, and the vet approvals confirm it does what a ghrelin agonist should. The catch is equally simple: two studies is a thin human record and the community running it is tiny.

What the research shows

A phase 1 single-dose study and one older-adult RCT, up to 12 months. Thin, but real human data:

Single oral doses of 20, 50, and 100 mg in healthy volunteers caused no serious adverse events and no abnormal blood-pressure or heart-rate changes. The human safety floor.Spinal Cord 2015 · phase 1
At six months, lean body mass increased 1.4 kg with capromorelin versus 0.3 kg with placebo (P=0.001). Total body weight rose 1.4 kg versus a 0.2 kg loss on placebo (P=0.006). Modest gains, clearly real.JCEM 2009 · RCT · n=395
The trial reported small increases in fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and indices of insulin resistance. The metabolic cost is the same one the whole class pays: ghrelin agonists push glucose up.JCEM 2009 · RCT · n=395 · safety
In inappetent dogs, appetite improved in 68.6% on capromorelin versus 44.6% on placebo (P=0.008). The vet data is extensive, but you are not a Beagle.J Vet Intern Med 2016 · RCT · n=244 dogs
Capromorelin showed promising results for muscle wasting in older adults but did not advance further in human development. The human program stopped; the vet program shipped.Drug Test Anal 2023 · human exposure and doping-control

Realistic protocols

The honest advice: if you are reaching for an oral secretagogue, MK-677 is the established pick with years of community experience and more data behind it. Capromorelin fills the same receptor, and people who run it are usually doing so because they are curious about the molecule or have a specific reason to avoid MK-677.

If you do run it, start low and take it in the morning or post-training. Pre-bed sounds logical for riding the natural GH window, but the older-adult trial flagged fatigue and insomnia as adverse events, and that is a reason to dose earlier in the day until you know how it hits you. Watch your fasting glucose, the same metabolic tradeoff every ghrelin agonist carries. The appetite boost is real and immediate, useful on a bulk and counterproductive on a cut.

Start20 mg/dayLow end of the human-tested range. Once daily, with or without food.
Working range20-50 mg/dayPhase 1 tested up to 100 mg safely as a single dose. Stay low with thin data.
WatchFasting glucoseGhrelin agonists push glucose and insulin resistance. Check yours.

Side effects

Same class as MK-677, similar profile, less data:

commonAppetite increase, the ghrelin mechanism at work. Useful on a bulk, counterproductive on a cut.
monitorFasting glucose and insulin sensitivity. Check yours at baseline and again a month in. Every ghrelin agonist pushes this dial.
monitorFatigue and insomnia, reported in the older-adult trial. If either shows, move the dose earlier in the day.
unknownTwo human studies, one year max, in older adults. No long-term data, no data in the younger population that actually runs secretagogues. The vet safety data is extensive, but you are not a Beagle.

Where to buy

No live listings from tracked vendors right now.