Is Pro Advice Worth It?

[kimmieko22]

With being so new to peptides and having a few that I have already purchased, I am wondering are there any peptides gurus out there that are worth paying for a consultation with?
I want to make sure that I get the correct stack and don't overload my system with taking the wrong peptides together.
I am currently on reta 2mg wk. Cycling mots-c 2mg 5 days a week and ta1 3 mg a week.
I have a few at home waiting to start.
5 amino
Slu pp
Bpc 157
Vip
Ss31
I need to figure out the best way to line all these up and what should I add to it?

 

[AlexSilver]

None of the gurus are worth the money (and half are wrong). You will learn much more reading and asking questions here.
I personally don't think 5A1MQ or Sloop work for shit when injected. Oral is the way to go with them. I will love to hear how your VIP goes.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Do not pay some "pro", "guru", or "expert".

There is literally everything you need on this forum for free. Use the search bar, read what interests you, and interact with other members. You will be fine.

 

[Habibibi]

With being so new to peptides and having a few that I have already purchased, I am wondering are there any peptides gurus out there that are worth paying for a consultation with?
I want to make sure that I get the correct stack and don't overload my system with taking the wrong peptides together.
I am currently on reta 2mg wk. Cycling mots-c 2mg 5 days a week and ta1 3 mg a week.
I have a few at home waiting to start.
5 amino
Slu pp
Bpc 157
Vip
Ss31
I need to figure out the best way to line all these up and what should I add to it?

None are worth it because few peptides have solid human scientific data behind them. For example, on your list, only 1 peptide has fda approval behind it.

 

[lessthanhalf]

As far as I am concerned any peptide guru is a snake oil salesman.
As mentioned above only one of those peptides is approved - SS-31, but it is only approved for a rare genetic mitochondrial disorder. That does not make it safe or effective in the general population. People promoting peptides are in it for the money or maybe publicity/fame. The science on them is pretty clear, apart from the GLP's, with a very few exceptions, none are proven to be effective , safe treatments in human clinical trials. Most have interesting or even promising sounding cell or animal studies, but not human testing apart from people experimenting with them and talking about it online, which does very little to prove they are safe or effective. Anecdotes from people taking them unfortunately does not really prove they work or are safe.

 

[randompersonrandom]

I feel like, given the option to pay a certain fee to NOT talk to someone who self-identifies as a peptide expert, I would consider going so far as a subscription.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier. I like to do one at a time, especially if I've never tried it, that way I can tell if it's doing something for me. If I'm blasting one peptide I can tell if it's moving the needle. If I'm blasting 7 peptides, who the fuck knows which one is doing what.

Then once you know what works you can stack. Obviously reta works. So to start I'd just do one other with it to see whats up.

Not a doctor, but I did bang a nurse one time.

 

[randompersonrandom]

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier. I like to do one at a time, especially if I've never tried it, that way I can tell if it's doing something for me. If I'm blasting one peptide I can tell if it's moving the needle. If I'm blasting 7 peptides, who the fuck knows which one is doing what.

Then once you know what works you can stack. Obviously reta works. So to start I'd just do one other with it to see whats up.

Not a doctor, but I did bang a nurse one time.

So much same. I was blasting seven peptides in December (Tirz, survo, klow, NAD+, SS-31 then MOTS-C and epitalon.) and I felt a little less fatigued and lost some additional weight. Zero clue what did it, and even then was exasperated with myself cause I'm not going to do that again, but which worked and which was snake oil? Who knows! I've knocked that off since.

Also not a doctor, but I did pass some time with an echo tech back in the early '00s, and that dude was an ANIMAL.

 

[DjJoshua]

With being so new to peptides and having a few that I have already purchased, I am wondering are there any peptides gurus out there that are worth paying for a consultation with?
I want to make sure that I get the correct stack and don't overload my system with taking the wrong peptides together.
I am currently on reta 2mg wk. Cycling mots-c 2mg 5 days a week and ta1 3 mg a week.
I have a few at home waiting to start.
5 amino
Slu pp
Bpc 157
Vip
Ss31
I need to figure out the best way to line all these up and what should I add to it?

The classic "give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish" dilemma hits hard in the peptide world, especially when you're new and already have a fridge full of vials. Read up and hopefully you will one day be the MASTER !

 

[lessthanhalf]

If you want info on the peptides Chatgpt is actually pretty good on pharmacology. It can make stuff up which is not ideal. I got it to create this prompt to minimise hallucinations, and make it more scientifically accurate and less speculative. Even without this I have found it pretty useful on peptides and general medical treatment questions. But I always instructed it not to agree with me unless there was evidence to support my statements. You can just copy and paste in in and it will continue to apply it for that conversation.

Scientific safety prompt (pharmacology, translational biology, medicine)

You are assisting with scientific and medical questions.
Core rules:
Do not agree with statements made in the question unless there is evidence to support them.
Do not guess. If evidence is absent, weak, conflicting, or outside your confidence, say so explicitly. “Unknown” is a valid answer.
Separate evidence from inference. Clearly label:
Established human evidence
Limited or indirect human evidence
Animal or in vitro evidence
Hypothesis or speculation
Prefer human data. Prioritize randomized trials, meta-analyses, large observational studies, and well-established clinical consensus. Treat animal or mechanistic data as supportive only.
Be PK- and dose-aware. For drugs or peptides, discuss exposure, dose ranges, route, duration, and relevance to human use. Do not extrapolate from implausible doses.
Avoid mechanistic storytelling. Do not construct detailed biological narratives unless they are supported by direct evidence. Mechanisms should be framed as provisional unless firmly established.
Handle uncertainty explicitly. State confidence levels and key unknowns. Note where expert disagreement exists.
No fabricated citations. Do not invent paper titles, authors, or precise findings. If unsure, describe the type of evidence rather than naming a study.
Cite when possible. When reasonably confident, reference well-known trials, drug labels, guidelines, or review articles. If browsing is unavailable, say so.
Medical decision support, not directives. For diagnostic or treatment discussions:
Frame answers as probabilistic reasoning
Discuss differential diagnoses
Highlight red flags and uncertainty
Avoid absolute recommendations
Self-critique. Briefly note where the answer could be wrong or incomplete and what evidence would change it.
Style:
Be concise and technical.
Avoid hype, certainty language, or persuasion.
Prefer clarity over completeness.
If this requires speculation beyond human data, stop and say so.

 

[kimmieko22]

None of the gurus are worth the money (and half are wrong). You will learn much more reading and asking questions here.
I personally don't think 5A1MQ or Sloop work for shit when injected. Oral is the way to go with them. I will love to hear how your VIP goes.

I tried vip last night and boy did i goof on the injection amount. Most things I found on a Google search were a dosage oh 200mcg and no direct vein injection. From the first minute I did the injection I could feel the little power dosage. My heart rate jumped to 99 and my face got very flushed. It only last about 10 to 15 minutes though. I will say I woke up less stiff this morning and I tend to retain water in legs due to a lipid system issue i have been trying to correct and it was less noticeable this morning. I am going to half the dosage and try a 100 mcg to see if I have the same reaction.

 

[lessthanhalf]

The name of the peptide should have been a bit of a clue, vasoactive intestinal peptide. The blood vessel and heart rate reaction are implied with the vasoactive bit. Hopefully the leg swelling is not heart failure related as messing with your cardiovascular system in that context could cause much more significant problems.
None of these peptides should ever be used IV, not safe for so many reasons.
In terms of possibly useful advice, you might get slightly slower absorption with less side effects if injected subcutaneously in butt or legs? compared to stomach ( that applies to semaglutide ) and I assume it has got something to do with lower/slower blood flow.

 

[YoYoFat]

You will get the same advice from a paid guru that you'd get here. Some great, some decent, some crap. It’s all about spending time to research and exercising your own best judgment.

 

[Gr33dyOctopus]

Do not pay some "pro", "guru", or "expert".

There is literally everything you need on this forum for free. Use the search bar, read what interests you, and interact with other members. You will be fine.

Mr. Blonde is actually a guru, ive sent him pictures of my rash down south, he has suggested a top tier peptide regimen and is flying down to get a closer look at it later this week.

 

[kimmieko22]

The name of the peptide should have been a bit of a clue, vasoactive intestinal peptide. The blood vessel and heart rate reaction are implied with the vasoactive bit. Hopefully the leg swelling is not heart failure related as messing with your cardiovascular system in that context could cause much more significant problems.
None of these peptides should ever be used IV, not safe for so many reasons.
In terms of possibly useful advice, you might get slightly slower absorption with less side effects if injected subcutaneously in butt or legs? compared to stomach ( that applies to semaglutide ) and I assume it has got something to do with lower/slower blood flow.

No, my heart is good.It's just a common thing with women functional lipid systems drainage. It affects about 11% of women in and not really highly studied like most women health issues. I am perfectly healthy just chunky lol. I'm using the vip along with TA1 to help with a immune issue. The cell receptors on the immune aspect have a high probability of correcting a hyperactive immune system or at least that's my theory I am applying and testing. I caught mono years ago and it made my immune system mad. So far the TA1 has done wonders with increasing my immune tregs and adding in the the vip I am hoping to calm the overactive cells. Found the TA1 study for it in a Russian study so why not apply it to my own.

 

[Calm Logic]

As far as gurus, I sometimes refer to the peptide book by William Seeds, MD, who is on Youtube (with the others who profit in one way or another from pushing peptides). They are all hypocritical of the research and community-based dosing/protocols.

Regarding experimental peptides in general:

If you can get sides from taking too much of a peptide or supplement, that is a good sign to me, in a way (like your recent experience with VIP). A lot of people are careful not too take too much of the GH peptides, MT1, MT2, or PT-141. Most of those peptides are also already commercially available as prescription drugs.

Some people here have quit tesofensine due to sides. So that is a sign of something, lol.

Glutathione is used clinically for the liver, which gives credence to other uses.

There is visual evidence of ARA-290 growing nerves compared to placebo.

 

[Calm Logic]

Cycling mots-c 2mg 5 days a week and ta1 3 mg a week.
I have a few at home waiting to start.
5 amino
Slu pp
Bpc 157
Vip
Ss31

Regarding human data for those:

Peptide	Human Clinical Status	Key Human Findings & Applications	Notable Human Study Limitations	Evidence Grade
Tα1 (Thymosin Alpha-1)	Approved Drug (Global)	Extensive human data for Hepatitis B/C, HIV, and cancer. Clinically proven to increase T-cell counts, enhance vaccine response, and modulate the immune system without over-stimulation.	While globally approved, it is primarily used in the US for "orphan" or research purposes; most robust clinical data comes from international infectious disease trials.	Very High
VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide)	Pharmaceutical Grade	Used clinically for pulmonary hypertension and erectile dysfunction. Strong human evidence for reducing "cytokine storms" and improving oxygenation in acute lung injury.	Highly unstable molecule; human clinical efficacy is heavily dependent on the delivery method (IV vs. compounded nasal spray).	Very High
SS-31 (Elamipretide)	Phase 2 & 3 Trials	Large human trials for mitochondrial myopathy and heart failure. Shown to stabilize cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane, improving ATP efficiency in aging humans.	Clinical studies are typically designed for patients with severe mitochondrial damage; data on "biohacking" for healthy individuals is extrapolated.	High
Selank	Prescription (Russia)	Approved for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Human EEG trials show it stabilizes the GABAergic system and improves "flow state" focus without the sedation of traditional drugs.	Published clinical literature is predominantly in Russian; limited Western Phase 3 replication exists for standard US medical guidelines.	Moderate-High
MOTS-c	Early Clinical / Phase 1	Human studies verify it as a naturally occurring "exercise mimetic" hormone. Interventional Phase 1 trials are looking at its role in treating NAFLD and metabolic decline.	Most "evidence" currently relies on human association studies (levels in centenarians) rather than large-scale interventional dosing trials.	Moderate-Low
BPC-157	Experimental / Phase 1	Small-scale human trials for Ulcerative Colitis showed safety. Popular for tendon/ligament repair, but this specific "healing" use lacks published human RCTs.	The "Clinical Gap": Over 30 years of animal data exists, but the lack of human musculoskeletal trials makes it an experimental compound in humans.	Low
5-Amino-1MQ	Pre-Clinical	No published human clinical trials. Human evidence is restricted to in vitro studies showing it inhibits NNMT in human fat and muscle tissue samples.	Strictly "research use." There is zero published data on what happens when a human ingests or injects this compound over long periods.	Negligible

So if a drug has better evidence I may give it more of a chance in my backlog of peptides to try. Or be less likely to discontinue. Or be more likely to incorporate with similar peptides.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Mr. Blonde is actually a guru, ive sent him pictures of my rash down south, he has suggested a top tier peptide regimen and is flying down to get a closer look at it later this week.

Didn't see this until now... Gr33dy is correct. Definitely a guru. Send me pics, preferably good quality and both zoomed in and zoomed out views. I'll hook you up with a top tier protocol to get you back on your feet, or in the sack, in no time!

 

[kimmieko22]

Regarding human data for those:



So if a drug has better evidence I may give it more of a chance in my backlog of peptides to try. Or be less likely to discontinue. Or be morely to stack with similar peptides.

I will say selenk has been amazing for me. I am not one to seek meds for anxiety. Did that once and it screwed with my immune system and sex drive. Replaced them with gym time. Selenk helps me focus which has helped at work.
TA1 has help me improve my immune markers which I wish I found earlier.
What irritates me is doctor's push horrible steroids before even trying to correct the situation with immune issues.

 

[conzopiriani]

So much same. I was blasting seven peptides in December (Tirz, survo, klow, NAD+, SS-31 then MOTS-C and epitalon.) and I felt a little less fatigued and lost some additional weight. Zero clue what did it, and even then was exasperated with myself cause I'm not going to do that again, but which worked and which was snake oil? Who knows! I've knocked that off since.

Also not a doctor, but I did pass some time with an echo tech back in the early '00s, and that dude was an ANIMAL

Not a Doctor, but I did watch a Rabbi certify a room full of tanks of foreskin cells as kosher.

 

[Calm Logic]

KPV is extremely popular in my circle as well as at this forum, including stacked with TA-1.

Also:

KPV has demonstrated antimicrobial properties, specifically against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, which adds a layer of utility that BPC-157 lacks.

Anyone on MOTS-c and SS-31 may want to be on CoQ10 as well, which many are already, but there's always more supplements contending for cabinet space:

The Mighty Mitochondria - SSRP Institute

ssrpinstitute.org

If you are looking for ways to support mitochondrial biogenesis (a fancy way of saying ‘help your body make more mitochondria’) there are several well researched supplements that may help.

Here are some of the top contenders:

Resveratrol – This polyphenol found in red wine activates the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway that initiates mitochondrial biogenesis.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) – A component of the electron transport chain, CoQ10 supports mitochondrial energy production.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) – A potent antioxidant that enhances mitochondrial function and may be useful for various conditions associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.

L-Carnitine – Facilitates the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria to produce energy.

Creatine – Well known for its benefits in high intensity exercise, creatine improves mitochondrial efficiency.

B-Vitamins – B3, B6, B12, and folic acid, which serve as essential cofactors in mitochondrial function.

Magnesium – Important in ATP production and over 300 biochemical reactions in the body including those occurring in the mitochondria.

Berberine – A natural product that stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) – An antioxidant from green tea that stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis.

These supplements vary in their effect from individual to individual, but most of them activate PGC-1α, which is the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. When you are educating your patients on how they can help support mitochondria health and redox balance through supplements, check out my second book, The Redox Promise, where I discuss numerous other supplements that can benefit cellular health. Look for it!

References:

Checking your browser - reCAPTCHA

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/13/5/613

Mitochondrial DNA variation in Alzheimer’s disease reveals a unique microprotein called SHMOOSE - Molecular Psychiatry

Mitochondrial DNA variants have previously associated with disease, but the underlying mechanisms have been largely elusive. Here, we report that mitochondrial SNP rs2853499 associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neuroimaging, and transcriptomics. We mapped rs2853499 to a novel mitochondrial...

www.nature.com

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10027624/

NAD+ is often stacked these peptides. But the only thing that I know Dr. Seeds to be critical of is NAD+:

Why NAD Supplementation Isn't Beneficial - Redox Medical Group

By now, you may have come across numerous claims regarding the potential benefits of supplementing with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). While it is

redoxmedicalgroup.com

Even testing NAD+ levels in the blood doesn't tell you how much actually gets into the cells:

Because red blood cells lack mitochondria, their NAD+ levels don't reflect the metabolic activity or "fuel status" of your heart, liver, or skeletal muscle—the areas where you’re likely looking for performance or anti-aging benefits.

Even within a single cell, NAD+ is compartmentalized into different "pools" (cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria). A blood test cannot distinguish between these. You might have "adequate" total levels, but if your mitochondrial NAD+ pool is depleted, your cellular energy production (ATP synthesis) will still lag.