CJC-1295 No-DAC (Mod GRF 1-29): Pulsatile GHRH Tracking
How the short-acting GHRH analog works, why it mimics natural GH pulses, and what to track when using it.
At a glance
- What it is
- Short-acting GHRH analog (Mod GRF 1-29)
- Route
- SC injection
- Frequency
- 1-3× daily, empty stomach
- Typical cycle
- 8-12 weeks
- First effects
- 2-4 weeks (sleep)
CJC-1295 without DAC — often called Mod GRF 1-29 — is the short-acting cousin of the weekly DAC version. Half-life is roughly 30 minutes. That short window is the design feature, not a limitation: it lets you trigger discrete GH pulses that look closer to natural physiology than a long sustained elevation.
What it does
Mod GRF 1-29 is a tetrasubstituted analog of the first 29 amino acids of endogenous GHRH, stabilized against enzymatic breakdown. It binds the same GHRH receptor and triggers a GH pulse from the pituitary. Without DAC, the signal rises and falls within an hour.
Human evidence is limited and mostly comes from short pharmacokinetic studies. It is not approved for clinical use by major regulators.
Why short-acting is a feature
Endogenous GH is pulsatile. The body releases bursts roughly every 3-5 hours, with the largest pulses in early sleep. Continuous elevation (as with DAC or rhGH) overrides this rhythm. Pulsatile GHRH dosing aims to amplify natural pulses without replacing them.
This is also why no-DAC is almost always stacked with a GHRP like ipamorelin — the GHRH primes the pituitary and the GHRP triggers the release, producing a larger, cleaner pulse than either alone.
Typical protocol shape
- Frequency: 1-3 injections per day is the commonly reported pattern
- Dose: 100 mcg per injection is the most frequently cited self-experimenter dose, often paired 1:1 with ipamorelin
- Timing: pre-bed is nearly universal; some add a post-workout or fasted morning dose
- Duration: continuous use or 5-on-2-off cycling are both reported
What to track daily
- Injection time and dose (each one, separately)
- Time-to-sleep after evening injection
- Sleep depth (subjective 1-10 or wearable data)
- Morning hunger
- Flush, lightheadedness, or tingling after injection
- Fasting state at injection (food blunts the pulse meaningfully)
What to track weekly
- Morning weight
- Waist
- Recovery and training quality
- Subjective skin and nail growth
- Any water retention
Bloodwork worth doing
- Baseline: IGF-1, fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin
- IGF-1 at week 6-8 — expect modest movement; pulsatile dosing typically raises IGF-1 less than continuous DAC dosing
- Glucose check at week 8
If your IGF-1 doesn't move at all on a real protocol, the most common explanation is eating too close to injection or under-dosing the GHRP partner.
Realistic expectations
The most reported acute effect is sleep onset and depth, often noticeable in the first week. Body composition effects accumulate slowly and are easy to attribute incorrectly. Skin and recovery changes are the next most reported, over weeks not days.
Common mistakes
- Eating within 60-90 minutes of an injection (insulin and free fatty acids blunt the pulse)
- Using Mod GRF without a GHRP partner and expecting big effects
- Reconstituting and storing at room temperature — Mod GRF is less stable than DAC
- Treating it like a long-acting peptide and dosing once a week
A tracking template
Peptid AI works well here with a multi-injection-per-day log, a pre-injection fasting flag, and a sleep-quality slider tied to the evening dose. Plot IGF-1 against weekly average daily dose to see whether more is actually doing more.
CJC-1295 no-DAC vs DAC
- No-DAC: pulsatile, multiple daily injections, closer to natural rhythm, stacks with GHRP
- DAC: weekly, sustained elevation, simpler schedule, blunter physiology
Bottom line
Mod GRF 1-29 is the option for people who care about pulse fidelity and are willing to inject multiple times a day. If that schedule isn't realistic for you, DAC is the honest alternative. Tracking the timing, the fasting state, and IGF-1 is what makes the data useful.
Peptid AI is an educational and self-tracking tool. Nothing in this post is medical advice. Doses mentioned reflect what is commonly reported in research literature — they are not recommendations. Always consult a qualified physician before starting, changing, or stopping any protocol.
Atlas entry
CJC-1295 No-DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) — half-life, route and cautions
30 min · Subcutaneous