Amongst many other severe symptoms, one of the most common conditions that patients develop as cancer progresses to advanced stages is Cachexia. Cachexia is characterized by weight loss, unusual fat reduction, and weak muscles.
A drug therapy, Anamorelin, has shown promising results in increasing serum growth hormone (GH) levels and improving the symptoms of Cachexia.
This characteristic feature of anamorelin makes it one of the prospective therapies for bodybuilders and fitness pros as well.
Because Anamorelin stimulates the release of growth hormone (GH), it can lead to the building of muscle proteins as well as increase overall strength and endurance.
Perhaps growth hormone (GH) also increases appetite, which helps in weight gain depending upon the individual goals of bodybuilders.
In this review, I will assess Anamorelin and will make sure to include the smallest possible detail so that it will help you decide whether this peptide will meet your bodybuilding goals or not.
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What Is Anamorelin
Anamorelin, more commonly known as Anamorelin hydrochloride, is a synthetic, non-peptidic drug belonging to the growth hormone secretagogue class (GHS) (1).
It is a relatively small molecule with the molecular formula C31H42N6O3. This anabolic secretagogue was originally produced by Helsinn Healthcare.
Due to the promising benefits that Anamorelin offers such as higher levels of growth hormone (GH), which eventually leads to increased muscle building, weight gain, and a little bit of fat buildup, which is why it is under human-based clinical trials globally and is considered successful and safe so far.
How Does Anamorelin Work
Anamorelin follows quite a simple pathway to demonstrate its effects. It mimics the action of naturally occurring ghrelin by binding to its receptors.
Anamorelin targets ghrelin receptors and is a potentially very strong agonist. The pharmacodynamic studies done on Anamorelin so far suggest that it has a very strong affinity for ghrelin receptors and is highly specific in action (2).
The subsequent binding with growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone (GH). This also resulted in elevated serum levels of insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) (3).
Despite binding to ghrelin receptors, Anamorelin doesn’t seem to affect the levels of other hormones secreted by the pituitary gland.
Anamorelin is seen to inhibit nuclear factor ฮบB, which is responsible for producing pro-inflammatory chemicals such as cytokines. This, in turn, stops muscle breakdown.
Benefits Of Anamorelin
Cancer cachexia is a catabolic disorder, which is characterized by unlimited muscle breakdown along with fat loss. This leads to extreme weakness and triggers the onset of other symptoms such as anorexia and less food intake.
As Anamorelin induces growth hormone (GH) release, it results in increased appetite. Higher appetite indicates more food or calorie intake, which eventually results in better metabolism and conversion process.
It is known to increase lean body mass and enhance the process of lipogenesis, which is the synthesis of fatty acids by following different pathways.
This helps the individuals in gaining some weight and compensates for their weight loss.
Anamorelin also inhibits the process of muscle breakdown and helps build muscle proteins, which enhances strength overall. This will also result in increased endurance and stamina.
These features make it a suitable drug therapy for bodybuilders and fitness pros.
Insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) helps in the growth and development of bone and tissues by triggering the proliferation of stem cells.
This means that IGF-1 enhances the musculoskeletal system of an individual leading to improved athleticism.
Elevated plasma levels of insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) also help in glucose metabolism and regulate blood glucose levels
Anamorelin Usage in Bodybuilding
Anamorelin, like most peptides, works by stimulating and increasing the local levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1. Their synergistic effects lead to more potent muscle growth and strength.
Besides this, the peptide also inhibits certain cytokines that limit muscle growth. For this purpose, the studied dose for anamorelin is 100 mg/day
Is Anamorelin Legal
The promising benefits of anamorelin as a drug therapy for treating Cancer-Cachexia patients led the higher authorities to approve it for human-based clinical trials. The good news is that trials are now at stage 3.
The bad news is that FDA has not yet approved its legal purchase. You are only allowed to buy Anamorelin for research purposes.
Who Should Use Anamorelin
All the clinical trials suggest that Anamorelin is a very strong candidate for treating patients with Cancer-Cachexia.
If your cancer has progressed to advanced stages and you are experiencing Cachexia-related symptoms, then you should start the intake of Anamorelin.
Perhaps if you are a bodybuilder and looking for drug therapies for weight gain, muscle building, and enhanced strength, Anamorelin might fit in well for you then, too.
How To Use Anamorelin
As Anamorelin is a novel, non-peptidic, and orally active drug, subjects in all the clinical trials were administered varying oral dosages of Anamorelin.
- In phase 1 clinical trials for one of the studies used 25-50 mg units of Anaamorelin, and appetite increased by 18.4% compared to placebo within 30 minutes. The effects were experienced for 4 hours.
- In another phase 1 clinical trial of one of the studies used 50-70 mg of Anamorelin was administered in 29 healthy volunteers, and weight gain was quite observable as compared to placebo with minimum side effects observed.
- The phase 2 clinical trials involved the use of 50mg of anamorelin for 3 days. A significant increase in body weight was experienced among the subjects involved in the studies.
An important precaution in consuming anamorelin is to use it while having an empty stomach to ensure better efficacy (4). This is because as Anamorelin works by increasing the appetite, eating before might interfere with the physiological pathways.
If you were to take my suggestion, make sure that you don’t administer Anamorelin in the absence of any expert supervision.
Forms of Anamorelin
Helsinn Healthcare SA, the pioneer of developing Anamorelin, has so far developed oral forms only. The oral forms of Anamorelin seem to have better bioavailability and trigger the release of growth hormone (GH) quite efficiently.
Research also suggests that it is amongst those few growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) that seem to be highly effective orally.
Anamorelin Dosage
As FDA hasn’t approved the use of Anamorelin for the general public, there are no set guidelines available.
However, the research and the experiences from users suggest adults have as high as 100mg of daily intake of Anamorelin.
You can split the dosage in half if you want and consume two capsules/tablets a day.
Anamorelin Cycle
After my thorough analysis of the clinical trials of Anamorelin, I would recommend starting with low dosages.
Start with 25-30mg at first. As your body gets used to the drug therapy, you may increase the dosage to 50mg. Eventually, you can go as high as 100mg.
You may continue your cycles for up to 12 weeks.
It is important to note that if you don’t see any results within the first 3 weeks of intake, discontinue the administration of Anamorelin straight away.
Note that all the dosage and cycling guidelines are based on experimental evidence available so far.
Anamorelin Stack
Although there is no evidence, currently that suggests the stacking of Anamorelin with any other compound, if we compare the pharmacokinetics, growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) are ideal for stacking.
As all growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) stimulate the release of growth hormone (GH) by following similar pathways, stacking Anamorelin with other compounds such as hexarelin and ipamorelin might help in achieving maximum synergistic benefits.
This will lead to an amplified release of growth hormone (GH) after binding with ghrelin receptors, which will eventually cause greater muscle building, enhanced body strength, and improved lean body mass.
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Anamorelin Experience
Being still under research-based trials, I couldn’t find enough reviews about Anamorelin. However, a few people on Reddit did have an opinion to offer regarding Anamorelin.
Morningwood01 said,
” I bought some a few years ago and was told to dose it right before the gym with a High carb meal. I remember it being like mk677 but 2x better with fewer side effects and way more benefits such as freaky pumps, vascularity, hunger, sleep, and perfect skin & nails. The only side effect I got from running it was hypoglycemia and mild carpal tunnel.”
Dasitman111 said,
“basically a better mk 677 I’ve only done a month of it, but it’s like mk 677 without that much bloat for me. Never got bloodwork so idk.”
Most concerns that people had about Anamorelin were whether it increases other hormonal levels such as prolactin and cortisol.
The answer to this is NO.
As talked about earlier, Anamorelin doesn’t seem to influence any other somatotropic pathways.
Anamorelin Side Effects
The good news is that Anamorelin doesn’t seem to trigger any adverse side effects in the subjects involved in the clinical trials.
A few people complained about fatigue and lethargy. Nausea, vomiting, and constipation were also some of the common side effects experienced.
The most severe side effects reported by some people are related to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) and certain gastrointestinal disorders.
Where Can I Buy Anamorelin?
This is a very important question to be answered.
Most of the stores that you see selling Anamorelin are fake and unauthentic. Because Anamorelin is not used on a larger scale at the moment, you wouldn’t find any credible stores with Anamorelin stock.
Check out any approved pharmacy in which you can put your trust. Make sure that the stores you are looking for have approved 3rd party testing. This will give you a sigh of relief in terms of the original Anamorelin product.
As Anamorelin works in similar ways as other growth hormone secretagogues (GHS), you can check out other similar products such as Sermorelin or Ipamorelin on one of the reliable stores such as Pure Rawz.
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Anamorelin Pricing
As it is available very scarcely, stores that actually have Anamorelin stock are selling it at very high prices. It is a rather very expensive product to buy for customers.
The average price of 10mg is $100 and for 50mg is approximately $200.
Maybe when it successfully passes all the phases of clinical trials and is available at a larger scale, you might expect prices to go low relatively.
Anamorelin vs. Other compounds
Anamorelin vs Ipamorelin
Ipamorelin, a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), is a peptide comprised of 5 amino acids. It also binds to growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHS-R1a) like Anamorelin and stimulates the release of growth hormone (GH).
The important difference is that Anamorelin is a non-peptidic growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), while ipamorelin is a peptide. Just like Anamorelin, ipamorelin also doesn’t affect other hormonal levels such as prolactin and cortisol.
Perhaps the major difference is that Anamorelin only offers limited benefits while ipamorelin gives a bucket list of advantages to the users, such as quick healing, effective recovery, healthier musculoskeletal system, and it is hypothesized to act as a treatment for many bone-related chronic conditions.
Synergistic use of ipamorelin with Anamorelin might help in experiencing tremendous benefits.
Anamorelin vs Hexarelin
Hexarelin acetate, also a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), is a peptide made up of 6 amino acids.
Hexarelin also mimics the action of ghrelin and binds with growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a), just like Anamorelin.
Hexarelin builds muscle greatly, burns down body fat, makes the individuals resistant to injuries, and enhances the sleep rhythm.
While Anamorelin is hypothesized to treat Cancer-Cachexia symptoms, hexarelin seems to be promising in the treatment plans for cardiovascular disorders.
Is Anamorelin Legit?
Okay, so what I believe so far is that Anamorelin definitely seems to be an effective drug. It works in quite an organic way by binding with ghrelin receptors.
All the phases of clinical trials also suggest that it helps relieve the harsh symptoms of Cancer-Cachexia, but I wouldn’t suggest this drug for any purpose other than medication.
If you are someone who is a bodybuilder and wants to put on some weight, enhance strength and improve your overall physique, this isn’t the drug therapy you should be looking for.
If your goals are more related to bodybuilding and fitness, I would vote for other more effective growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) such as Ipamorelin, Sermorelin, or Hexarelin.
If more research is done on Anamorelin, maybe we can explore the other benefits that Anamorelin might offer to individuals.
Is Anamorelin legal?
Anamorelin is still under research-based clinical trials.
What is the half-life of Anamorelin?
The pharmacokinetics of Anamorelin suggests that it has a half-life of 7-12 hours.
What’s the difference between Anamorelin and MK677?
MK677 has a longer half-life and is relatively cheaper as compared to Anamorelin.
Just if you want to know what MK677 is, it is an orally active non-peptidic drug that increases the levels of growth hormone (GH) by binding to ghrelin. It is more widely used relative to Anamorelin and it seems to possess anabolic effects.
Is Anamorelin a peptide?
No, it’s a non-peptidic growth hormone secretagogue (GHS). Peptides can also be a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS). The major difference only is the structure. Most of the peptides and non-peptides growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) follow the same pathway.
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