Peptides For All?
If you have been on social media lately and your algorithm has you pegged as someone interested in health, you may have been inundated with content regarding Peptides. It reminds me of the old apple commercial but instead of “There is an app for that” it seems that these days no matter what you are feeling… “There is a peptide for that.”
Want to be stronger, cut fat, and stay young forever? Try something from the Morelin family of peptides. Stimulate your Pituitary gland, release some Growth Hormone, build muscle, and stay young forever.
Want shiny skin? Try the ‘Glow Blend’. A combination of BPC-157, TB-500, and GhK-CU. This combination promises anti-inflammatory, tissue repair, and increased Collagen.
Do your joints hurt? How about a ‘Wolverine Stack’! A combination of BPC-157 and TB500. This combination promises to accelerate injury recovery, reduce inflammation, and support the healing of tendons, ligaments, and muscle tissue.
Do you want a boost of energy? How about MOT-C or NAD+ (not a peptide by the way!). Get your mitochondria fired up and maximize your metabolic efficiency.
Want a tan without going in the sun and increased libido? Melonotan may be right for you. Inject this to stimulate your melanocytes, increase your libido, and look bronzed year long without having to go in the sun.
The list goes on and on. We will discuss Retatrutide in a separate post, but I just wanted to give my take and the reasons why I am not currently prescribing non-FDA approved peptides.
I use and prescribe peptides every day in my clinical practice. Insulin, Semaglutide, Tirzepatide are common FDA approved peptides. Insulin changed the treatment of Diabetes over a century ago. GLP-1’s like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide have changed the landscape regarding treatment of type 2 Diabetes and Obesity and I think we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the benefits of these medications.
It’s incredible how many of my patients have asked me recently about “peptides” not even realizing that the GLP-1 they are taking and has changed their life is a peptide. In my opinion Tirzepatide is the best FDA approved peptide ever produced, far better, safer, and more effective than anything on your Instagram or TikTok feed promising to cure your ills.
Before I go any further let me define a peptide. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that serve as signaling molecules. They help regulate essential bodily functions like hormone production, immune response, tissue repair, and metabolism. They are generally best administered subcutaneously to maximize their bioavailability and avoid degradation in the stomach that occurs when taken orally. Peptides can either be produced naturally or synthetically. Natural peptides are produced in the human body, animals, plants, or microorganisms. Synthetic peptides are created in a lab artificially to target specific receptors. GLP-1’s like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are FDA approved synthetic peptides. Everything else I listed above like BPC-157, GhK-CU, MoT-C, TB-500, Ipamorelin, etc are non- FDA approved peptides. There are currently about 80 FDA approved peptides, 200 in clinical development, and at least another 600 in pre-clinical trials. What is being advertised on your social media is clearly just the tip of the iceberg within the context of a much larger peptide space. Some of these peptides will have proven clinical use, others may prove to be ineffective, and others may be shown to cause harm prohibiting their use.
Why don’t I prescribe non-FDA approved peptides?
- I cannot honestly tell my patients that they work and/or are safe to use either short or long term. Most of the medications listed to start this article and being sold to you on social media were banned by the FDA in September of 2023. The FDA tightened restrictions on compounding many of these popular peptides labeling them as “having significant safety risks.” These medications have not undergone clinical trials to demonstrate either their efficacy or safety. Some people may feel benefits, others may not. Anyone telling you they are safe to use short or long term is lying to you because they simply do not have that information. Just like they have theoretical benefits based on the signaling pathways they target, they also have theoretical harm. Growth Hormone production may make you feel younger and help you build muscle, but it can also help an undiagnosed tumor or precancerous cells grow. Something like Melotonan may make your skin darker without going in the sun but stimulating melanocytes may also increase your risk of skin cancers like Melanoma.
- Since they are banned by the FDA, they are not being produced by credentialed pharmacies. Instead, they are being produced for “research use only” and typically labeled “not for human consumption”. Prior to being banned by the FDA, it was possible to source many of these popular peptides from credentialed compounding pharmacies like the ones who produce many of the GLP-1 medications that are so popular today. These peptides required a doctor’s prescription, were produced by a credentialed pharmacy, and were being taken under the supervision of a physician. Prior to the ban, I was reluctant to prescribe many of these peptides due to efficacy and safety concerns (which is why they were ultimately banned) but at least there was a process to safely prescribe them if you felt that was in the best interest of your patient. Currently, the process has become completely unregulated and most of the source material for these “research use” peptides is coming from China. This leads to even greater concerns regarding both safety and purity. Personally, I think it is completely unethical to prescribe a medication to a patient that is being produced for “research use” and “not for human consumption”. As a matter of fact, since these peptides are banned by the FDA, most of these peptides do not require a doctor’s prescription. You can just go online and purchase them yourself after clicking a few boxes saying you are not going to use them for human consumption and that you are purchasing them for research purposes only.
Dr. Q’s Take:
What’s my official take when my patients ask me about non-FDA approved peptides? I see it as an experiment at your own risk space. There are some theoretical benefits as well as theoretical risks. Anyone who tells you that they have data showing that these peptides work and are safe to use is lying to you because that data simply does not exist. Imagine if Arnold Schwarzenegger had a TikTok account in the 1970’s documenting his body building and anabolic steroid use without any knowledge of the cardiovascular side effects these substances had long term. That’s what is happening with FDA banned peptides right now by so called health experts and healthcare influencers.
Any doctor “prescribing” you these medications is probably lying to you since you cannot prescribe something that is banned by the FDA for human consumption and is being sold for research use only. Every physician who graduates from Medical School takes an oath to do no harm. I don’t see prescribing unproven peptides produced by unregulated pharmacies and being sold under the guise of being used for research purposes as fulfilling that oath so I have stayed away from the unregulated peptide market. I don’t promote unproven treatments to make more money, I don’t take health advice from social media influencers, and I don’t experiment with my patient’s health. Without data it is very hard to know what is cutting edge and what is the next healthcare cautionary tale. Proceed with caution. If you do decide to take non FDA approved peptides make sure to ask where they are coming from and who is producing them. If you are going to take unproven peptides I would at the minimum do so under close supervision of a physician who specializes in the field and who can screen you before and during treatment to monitor for adverse reactions to these experimental therapies.
Stay safe, Stay educated, and Stay healthy.
- Medically Authored by Dr. Mario Quiros. Board certified Emergency Medicine and Obesity Medicine physician. Owner and operator of Good Hearts Health.
Links:
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/23/nx-s1-5716162/peptides-science-muscle-growth-longevity-wellness
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/15/health/peptides-unregulated-influencers
https://djholtlaw.com/the-unregulated-world-of-peptides-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-inject/
