Suomeksi

MK-677 (ibutamoren, not a peptide): dosage in studies

Updated 12 Oct 2026 Author: About 2 min read Drafted with the help of AI; sources and claims checked separately.

Not a recommendation, not treatment guidance. This page shows only what published human studies used, with sources. This site does not say how much anyone should use of any substance. The content and quality of a product bought online or as a supplement are not controlled like a medicine's.

MK-677, or ibutamoren, is not a peptide but an orally active substance that mimics growth hormone releasing peptides [3]A. In the studies whose abstract states the route, it was taken by mouth [1, 3, 4, 6]A[2, 5]B.

In adult studies the most common dose was 25 mg once a day, and the longest studies lasted one or two years [6, 7]A. In children the dose was calculated per kilogram of body weight [5]B.

Doses used in studies

Doses used in published human studies. Not a recommendation.
StudyParticipantsDoseFrequencyDurationSource and level
Chapman 1996 32 healthy people aged 64-81 2, 10 or 25 mg by mouth (compared with placebo) Once a day Two periods, 14 and 28 days [1]A
Chapman 1997 9 young men with severe growth hormone deficiency 10 or 50 mg by mouth (some compared with placebo) Once a day Two 4-day periods [2]B
Murphy 1998 8 healthy people aged 24-39 on a low-calorie diet 25 mg by mouth (crossover with placebo) Once a day 7 days [3]A
Svensson 1998 24 obese men aged 18-50, 12 of whom received MK-677 25 mg by mouth (compared with placebo) Once a day 8 weeks [4]A
Codner 2001 18 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency 0.2 mg/kg or 0.8 mg/kg by mouth (some with placebo periods) Once a day 7-8 days [5]B
Nass 2008 65 healthy people aged 60-81 25 mg by mouth (compared with placebo); in four people the dose was lowered blindly to 10 mg Once a day 1 year, extended to 2 years [6]A
Sevigny 2008 563 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease 25 mg (compared with placebo); the abstract does not state the route Once a day 12 months [7]A
Adunsky 2011 123 older hip fracture patients, 62 of whom received MK-677 25 mg a day (compared with placebo); the abstract does not state the route Once a day Planned 24 weeks; the trial was stopped early [8]A

Evidence levels: A = randomised human trial or meta-analysis · B = observational human study or case series · C = animal study · D = cell or laboratory study · E = not peer-reviewed

Notes

In the two-year study in older adults the dose was lowered to 10 mg in two participants because of a rise in fasting glucose and in two because of joint pain [6]A.

In young men with growth hormone deficiency, the response was largest in those whose own growth hormone secretion was least impaired [2]B.

What points the other way or is uncertain

The hip fracture trial was stopped because a safety signal suggesting heart failure appeared in a limited number of patients, and most measures of physical function did not improve [8]A. In an earlier hip fracture trial, function did not differ significantly from placebo [9]A.

In Alzheimer disease, 25 mg for a year raised IGF-1 levels but did not slow the progression of the disease [7]A.

Blood sugar rose: in older adults mean fasting glucose rose from 5.4 to 6.8 mmol/l in four weeks, in obese men the glucose tolerance test worsened at two and eight weeks, and in the two-year study insulin sensitivity fell [1, 4, 6]A.

More on this

Read the research yourself: sources

  1. Chapman IM, Bach MA, Van Cauter E, et al. Stimulation of the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor I axis by daily oral administration of a GH secretogogue (MK-677) in healthy elderly subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81:4249-4257. PMID 8954023
  2. Chapman IM, Pescovitz OH, Murphy G, et al. Oral administration of growth hormone (GH) releasing peptide-mimetic MK-677 stimulates the GH/insulin-like growth factor-I axis in selected GH-deficient adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82:3455-3463. PMID 9329386
  3. Murphy MG, Plunkett LM, Gertz BJ, et al. MK-677, an orally active growth hormone secretagogue, reverses diet-induced catabolism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998;83:320-325. PMID 9467534
  4. Svensson J, Lönn L, Jansson JO, et al. Two-month treatment of obese subjects with the oral growth hormone (GH) secretagogue MK-677 increases GH secretion, fat-free mass, and energy expenditure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998;83:362-369. PMID 9467542
  5. Codner E, Cassorla F, Tiulpakov AN, et al. Effects of oral administration of ibutamoren mesylate, a nonpeptide growth hormone secretagogue, on the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor I axis in growth hormone-deficient children. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2001;70:91-98. PMID 11452249
  6. Nass R, Pezzoli SS, Oliveri MC, et al. Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:601-611. PMID 18981485
  7. Sevigny JJ, Ryan JM, van Dyck CH, et al. Growth hormone secretagogue MK-677: no clinical effect on AD progression in a randomized trial. Neurology. 2008;71:1702-1708. PMID 19015485
  8. Adunsky A, Chandler J, Heyden N, et al. MK-0677 (ibutamoren mesylate) for the treatment of patients recovering from hip fracture: a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2011;53:183-189. PMID 21067829
  9. Bach MA, Rockwood K, Zetterberg C, et al. The effects of MK-0677, an oral growth hormone secretagogue, in patients with hip fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52:516-523. PMID 15066065

The Nass study was read in full: the dose reduction to 10 mg and its reasons appear only in the full text. For the other sources the details are from the abstracts.

Content is general information about research, not medical advice. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare professional.