Comparison
MK-677 vs HGH
An oral secretagogue against injected growth hormone. Cheaper, needle-free and indirect on one side. The hormone itself, dosed in IU, on the other.
MK-677 is an oral small molecule, not a peptide, and it acts on the ghrelin receptor to raise growth hormone and IGF-1. Somatropin is growth hormone itself, injected.
The appeal of the first is obvious. A capsule instead of a daily injection, at a fraction of the price. The trade is that it works through the body's own release, which is subject to feedback, and that its trial history includes a programme stopped early.
Water retention and appetite are the two effects people consistently report from MK-677, and both follow directly from what it does rather than being incidental.
| Attribute | MK-677 | HGH (Somatropin) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Oral small molecule secretagogue | Growth hormone itself |
| Route | Oral | Subcutaneous |
| Evidence level | Early human | Approved |
| Dosed in | Milligrams | International units |
| Subject to feedback | Yes | No |
| Consistently reported effects | Water retention, increased appetite | Fluid retention, joint stiffness |
Things worth knowing
- MK-677's water retention shows up on a scale inside a week. Reading that as tissue gained is the most common misreading of this compound.
- It is not a peptide and it is not SARMs either, despite being sold alongside both.
- The units differ, milligrams against IU, with no general conversion between them.
Full profile
MK-677
An orally active ghrelin receptor agonist that raises growth hormone and IGF-1. Not a peptide, and not injected. It is a small molecule taken by mouth.
Full profile
HGH (Somatropin)
An approved medicine for people with a growth hormone deficiency. Used without that diagnosis it is a controlled substance in the United States, and the anti-ageing claims it is sold on were retracted by their own author.
Related
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice.