What peptides are, what we offer, and an honest account of what the evidence supports.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the same building blocks proteins are made from. In the body they work as signalling molecules, carrying instructions between cells that influence growth, repair, metabolism and immune activity. Peptide therapy uses specific peptides as treatment, generally by injection, because taken by mouth they are broken down by digestion before they can act.
This is an area with a wide gap between what is claimed and what is established, so it is worth being direct about it. Some peptides are well studied and FDA approved as medications. Others are researched but not approved for general clinical use in the United States. Anything prescribed here follows a consultation, a review of your medical history and a discussion of what is known and what is not.
If a provider anywhere describes peptide therapy as a fix for a broad list of unrelated problems without discussing regulatory status or risk, that is a reason for caution.
A GLP-1 receptor agonist used for type 2 diabetes and, since FDA approval in 2021, for weight management. It helps the pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is high, slows gastric emptying and reduces appetite. This is the one item on this page that is an approved medication for its stated use. It is covered in more detail on our weight management page.
These act on the pathways that govern the body's own growth hormone release rather than supplying growth hormone directly. Ipamorelin is described as doing so without the appetite stimulation associated with some related compounds. Growth hormone has established roles in soft tissue and muscle repair and in metabolism.
A fifteen amino acid chain studied in animal models for effects on joint pain, joint mobility, tendon and ligament healing, and blood flow to damaged tissue. Human clinical evidence is limited, and it is not an FDA approved medication in the United States.
Binds to actin and is studied for its role in cell migration, blood vessel formation and tissue regeneration, including reduced scar formation in wound healing. As above, the clinical evidence base in humans is limited.
Studied for effects on the adaptive immune response, and investigated in relation to viral, bacterial and fungal infection and to conditions involving immune dysregulation including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
A consultation covers what you are trying to address, your full medical history, your current medications and any history of cancer, since several of these compounds act on growth and repair pathways and that history changes the calculation. Where there is a well established treatment for your problem, we will say so, because a proven option should generally be tried before an experimental one.
Where treatment goes ahead, you get the dosing schedule, what to watch for and a review point. Patients frequently combine this with hormone optimization or primary care, and lab work is often part of the picture.
Peptide therapy is marketed heavily, and a lot of that marketing runs well ahead of the research. Promising results in a cell culture or a rat model are a reason to study something further, not a reason to treat a person as though the question is settled. A compound can be genuinely interesting and still not have the human trials behind it that would justify a confident claim about what it will do for you.
We would rather tell you that than sell you certainty we do not have. Where the evidence is limited, we say it is limited, and you decide with that in front of you.
Health plans generally do not cover peptide therapy, with the exception of approved medications prescribed for an approved indication. Ask about cost at the consultation. CareCredit is accepted, and there is more detail on our insurance and payment page.
Ask whether the specific compound is FDA approved for the use being proposed. Ask where it is sourced and whether it is compounded by a licensed pharmacy. Ask what the human evidence actually shows, as opposed to the animal evidence. Ask what the side effects are and what would make you stop. A provider who cannot answer those is not the right one.
Call 918-615-3433 to discuss whether peptide therapy fits your situation.
The information on this site is general and is not medical advice. It does not replace a consultation with a licensed provider. Individual results vary.
Short chains of amino acids that act as signalling molecules between cells, influencing growth, repair, metabolism and immune activity.
Some are, some are not. Semaglutide is an approved medication. BPC-157, TB-500 and thymosin alpha-1 are not FDA approved for general clinical use in the United States. Ask about regulatory status specifically.
That depends on your history, your medications and what you are addressing, and it is decided in a consultation. It is not appropriate for everyone.
Usually by injection, because digestion breaks these compounds down if they are swallowed.
Call the clinic and we will give you a straight answer about whether it fits.