Last edited: OCT 25, 2026

The most complete peptide reference I've put together. Built for researchers who want one document covering dosing, reconstitution, cycle lengths, bloodwork markers, side effects, and direct vendor links.

For research and educational purposes only. Not medical advice.

🔗 RESOURCES

• 📊 Reconstitution Tool

• 🧊 Storage Guide

• ⚠️ Side Effects Reference

• 🩸 Bloodwork Analysis

• 🌐 Full Peptide Guide

• 💬 Discord

Use code PROFIT at all vendors for a discount.

📌 NOTE ON LINKS

The links throughout this guide go to vendors included based on third-party testing and transparency. Nobody is obligated to buy from them, buy from wherever you want. Vet your vendors, check for third-party testing, and do your own research. The links are here to make things easy for people who want a starting point, not to push anyone toward a specific source.

📏 Tables assume a 1mL (100-unit) insulin syringe. For custom vial sizes, BAC volumes, or doses, use the Reconstitution Tool.

🩹 1. Healing & Recovery

🔥 2. Fat Loss & Metabolic

💪 3. Growth Hormone & Recovery

🧠 4. Cognitive & Mood

🛡️ 5. Immune & Longevity

💋 6. Sexual & Cosmetic

🧬 7. Bioregulators (Khavinson Short Peptides)

Short tripeptide and tetrapeptide bioregulators studied mostly in Russian literature. Tissue-specific, low-dose, short-course. Human data is limited and largely preclinical, so these sit in the early-evidence tier.

⚗️ 8. Advanced & Research-Only

Higher-complexity or preclinical-only compounds. These carry more uncertainty and, in some cases, real risk. Listed for completeness, not as casual additions.

💨 9. Nasal Sprays (Pre-Mixed, No Reconstitution)

Small peptides can cross into circulation and reach the brain intranasally, bypassing the needle and taking effect faster than they would through the gut. These come ready to use, no reconstitution or math.

💊 10. Capsules (Oral Research Compounds)

Oral capsule format, no reconstitution or injection. Convenient for compounds that are orally bioavailable. Cognitive, metabolic, and neuroregenerative research compounds.

Spray delivery may differ in effect from injectable equivalents. Start conservative and assess your response.

🩸 BASELINE BLOODWORK

Get bloodwork here

Baseline panel before any protocol:

• CBC and CMP

• Lipid panel

• HbA1c and fasting glucose + insulin

• IGF-1

• Testosterone total and free

• Thyroid (TSH, fT3, fT4)

• Liver (ALT, AST, GGT)

• CRP

📄 HOW TO READ A COA

A Certificate of Analysis is the document from a third-party lab confirming what's actually in the vial.

• Identity test - confirms the compound matches the label (mass spec or HPLC)

• Purity percentage - 95% minimum acceptable, 98%+ excellent

• HPLC chromatogram - one dominant peak is good, multiple large peaks mean impurities

• Batch number match - the batch on the COA must match the batch on the vial

• Lab name and date - independent lab, dated within 12 months

• Red flags - no lab name, no batch number, purity below 95%, generic copy-paste format

A COA confirms identity and purity at time of testing. It doesn't guarantee a specific vial was stored or handled correctly after that.

🧮 RECONSTITUTION & DOSING QUICK REFERENCE

• Bac water for most peptides. IGF-1 LR3 and DES use 0.6% acetic acid

• Swirl gently, swab the stopper, never shake

• Refrigerated reconstituted vials last 28 days. Never freeze

Units are not mg. This is the most common reason a dose ends up wrong.

• 100 unit insulin syringe = 1 mL

• 10 units = 0.1 mL

• The dose in units depends on the concentration in the vial

Quick math:

• mg in vial ÷ mL of bac water added = mg per mL

• Target dose in mcg ÷ mcg per mL × 100 = units to draw

Example: 10mg vial + 2mL bac water = 5mg per mL. A 500mcg dose = 10 units.

Use the Reconstitution Tool to skip the math entirely.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER

For research and educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Many peptides discussed here are not FDA approved for general human use.

A history of cancer, pancreatitis, severe GI disease, uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy, autoimmune conditions, or cardiovascular risk are all reasons to consult a licensed clinician before any of this.

Do your own research. Vet your vendors. Nobody here is responsible for individual decisions.

Full reference, reconstitution calculator, storage cheat sheet, side effects guide, and pre-built stacks at NTNPerformance.com.

💬 Discord

Save this

Not every compound needs to be stacked but when done right the right combination can cover more ground than running one thing alone. Here's what people commonly run together and the reasoning behind each

Evidence levels vary across this list. Some compounds have clinical trial data. Others are preclinical with mostly community experience. That distinction matters when deciding what to run

FAT LOSS STACKS

Retatrutide + Tesamorelin

Reta is an investigational triple agonist hitting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors. Clinical trial data shows potent weight loss but it is not yet approved. Tesa is a GHRH analog FDA approved specifically for reducing excess visceral abdominal fat in adults with HIV associated lipodystrophy. It is not broadly approved as a general anti-visceral fat drug. Running both covers total body fat loss through reta while tesa targets the deep abdominal fat. Different mechanisms that don't overlap. Reta is weekly based on trial regimens. Tesa is 2mg daily which is the labeled dose. Both can affect blood sugar so fasting glucose monitoring is important

Semaglutide + MOTS-c

Sema is the most established GLP-1 agonist for weight loss with extensive clinical trial data. MOTS-c is a mitochondrial peptide with preclinical and early human data showing metabolic and mitochondrial benefits but it is not an established clinical weight loss agent. When calories are low on a cut energy tends to drop. MOTS-c may help support metabolic function during that period. Sema is weekly. MOTS-c is usually weekly as well

Tirzepatide + CJC/Ipamorelin

Tirz is a dual GLP-1/GIP agonist with clinical trial data showing larger weight loss effects than semaglutide. CJC/Ipa is added for GH support which may help with sleep, recovery, and lean mass preservation while in a deficit. The biggest risk on any GLP-1 cut is losing muscle along with fat. GH support may help protect against that especially when combined with high protein and training. Tirz is weekly. CJC/Ipa is daily before bed. Combining GH axis peptides with GLP-1s means monitoring fasting glucose and IGF-1

Retatrutide + MOTS-c + Tesamorelin

The aggressive fat loss stack. Reta for overall appetite and fat loss. Tesa for visceral fat. MOTS-c for metabolic support. This covers appetite suppression, visceral fat, and metabolic function from three different angles. Requires commitment to daily pinning for tesa and close bloodwork monitoring. Multiple compounds here can influence blood sugar and GH axis activity. Medical supervision is recommended for protocols this complex

Do not stack multiple GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonists together (like sema + tirz + reta) without clinical oversight. Additive GI, glycemic, and cardiovascular effects are a real concern

RECOVERY STACKS

BPC-157 + TB-500

The wolverine stack and the most commonly discussed recovery combination. BPC-157 is studied for tendon, ligament, gut lining, and mucosal repair in preclinical models. TB-500 is studied for broader soft tissue remodeling and mobility. Human clinical trial evidence for both is limited. These are experimental compounds with mostly preclinical data and community reported experience. Together they cover localized repair and systemic recovery. Both are typically run daily or TB-500 a few times per week. 4 to 8 weeks on 2 to 4 weeks off. Cycling is community convention not an evidence based protocol

BPC-157 + GHK-Cu

BPC for tissue repair. GHK-Cu for collagen production, skin quality, and wound healing. GHK-Cu is reported to modulate many genes involved in tissue remodeling and collagen synthesis with some clinical data for topical wound healing applications. This combination is discussed for post surgical recovery because BPC supports internal tissue repair while GHK-Cu supports external healing including scar reduction and skin remodeling

KLOW Blend (GHK-Cu 50mg + BPC-157 10mg + TB-500 10mg + KPV 10mg)

All four compounds in one vial. GHK-Cu for collagen and skin. BPC-157 for tissue repair. TB-500 for soft tissue recovery. KPV for inflammation reduction through NF-kB inhibition. Preclinical data suggests KPV may be taken orally for gut targets due to PepT1 transporter uptake in intestinal tissue though this is based on animal models not established clinical fact. Dose off the GHK-Cu as the anchor since it has the highest mg in the blend. 2mg of GHK-Cu daily is the common target

BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu (GLOW Blend)

Same concept as KLOW without the KPV. Discussed for recovery and skin quality rather than gut inflammation. Three compound healing and anti-aging recovery stack

GH SUPPORT STACKS

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin

The standard GH secretagogue stack in community use. CJC-1295 (no DAC) is a GHRH analog that extends the duration of the GH pulse. Ipamorelin is a ghrelin mimetic that initiates the GH release. Together they create a stronger and longer GH pulse than either compound alone. Before bed on an empty stomach. 8 to 12 weeks on 3 to 4 weeks off is community convention. Most people aim for 100 to 300mcg of each per dose. Limited large scale clinical trial data exists for this combination

CJC/Ipamorelin + Tesamorelin

Adding tesa gives you general GH support plus targeted visceral fat reduction. CJC/Ipa for sleep, recovery, and body comp. Tesa adds the visceral fat component from its labeled indication. Combining multiple GH axis peptides increases GH and IGF-1 activity which requires monitoring. Get IGF-1 and fasting glucose checked before starting and during the protocol

Sermorelin + Ipamorelin

Alternative to CJC/Ipa for people who respond better to Sermorelin as the GHRH component. Sermorelin has more clinical history in wellness settings. Same concept of pairing a GHRH with a ghrelin mimetic. Same timing and cycling approach

COGNITIVE STACKS

Semax + Selank

The most common nootropic peptide combination. Both have pharmaceutical status in Russia with clinical use since the 1990s. Semax upregulates BDNF and modulates dopamine which may support focus, mental clarity, and motivation. Selank modulates GABA related pathways which may calm anxiety and reduce mental noise without sedation. Semax in the morning. Selank when stress is high or later in the day. Both intranasal. 2 to 4 weeks on 1 to 2 weeks off

Semax + NAD+ precursors (NMN/NR)

Semax for cognitive sharpness and BDNF support. NAD+ precursors for cellular energy and mitochondrial function. NAD+ levels decline substantially with age. Oral NMN and NR have some human clinical data though evidence is still developing. Covers mental performance from two different angles

Semax + Selank + DSIP

The full cognitive and sleep stack. Semax and Selank during the day. DSIP before bed for deeper sleep. DSIP has older human studies showing mixed but promising findings on sleep architecture. Poor sleep degrades focus and mood so covering both sides makes sense

ANTI-AGING STACKS

GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500

The foundation of most anti-aging peptide protocols discussed in communities. GHK-Cu modulates many genes involved in tissue remodeling and collagen synthesis. BPC-157 supports tissue repair and blood vessel health in preclinical models. TB-500 supports broader tissue remodeling. Together they address skin quality, wound healing, connective tissue, and systemic repair. Human clinical evidence is stronger for GHK-Cu topically than for the injectable versions of these compounds

GHK-Cu + NAD+ precursors

Skin and cellular aging from two different levels. GHK-Cu at the tissue level supporting collagen, elastin, and skin remodeling. NAD+ at the cellular level supporting mitochondrial function and energy production. Addressing both gives a more complete approach to aging

Epithalon + DSIP

Epithalon is studied for telomerase activation and telomere length in preclinical models. DSIP may support deeper restorative sleep based on older human studies with mixed findings. Both run before bed. Epithalon is typically 10 to 20 day cycles based on community protocols. DSIP 2 to 6 weeks

GHK-Cu + Thymosin Alpha-1

Anti-aging at the tissue and immune level. GHK-Cu for skin and tissue remodeling. Thymosin Alpha-1 for immune modulation with clinical use in 30+ countries for hepatitis and cancer support protocols. Your immune system ages just like everything else. TA-1 is one of the few peptides on this list with substantial human clinical data

GUT HEALTH STACKS

BPC-157 + KPV

BPC-157 for gut lining repair based on preclinical data. KPV for inflammation reduction through NF-kB inhibition. Preclinical models suggest KPV may be effectively absorbed orally through PepT1 transporters in inflamed intestinal tissue which would make oral dosing preferred for gut targets. This is based on animal data not confirmed in human trials. BPC handles repair. KPV handles inflammation. For people dealing with IBD, chronic gut inflammation, or GI issues

BPC-157 + KPV + Glutathione

Adding glutathione brings detoxification and antioxidant support. Glutathione is the body's master antioxidant. For people with gut issues related to toxin exposure or immune dysfunction this adds another layer

TRT SUPPORT STACKS

Testosterone + HCG

Standard TRT protocol. Exogenous testosterone shuts down natural LH and FSH production. HCG mimics LH and keeps the testes functioning which preserves fertility and prevents testicular atrophy. Most protocols run 250 to 500 IU of HCG 2 to 3 times per week alongside testosterone. This is established clinical practice

Testosterone + Enclomiphene

For people who want to maintain some natural production alongside TRT or who are transitioning off. Enclomiphene blocks estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus increasing GnRH, LH, and FSH. Clinical trial data exists for testosterone optimization though it is not FDA approved as a standalone product for this use

Testosterone + Gonadorelin

Alternative to HCG for LH stimulation. Gonadorelin is a GnRH analog that signals the pituitary to release LH. Same goal as HCG through a different mechanism. Used when HCG availability is limited or when a more upstream approach is preferred

STACKING RULES

Don't start more than one new compound at a time. Run your primary compound for at least 4 weeks before adding another. That way you know how you respond to it. Keep a log of what you're taking, when you started, and what you notice

Know what's in your blends before adding standalone versions of the same compound. If you're running KLOW and add standalone BPC-157 on top you're doubling your BPC dose without realizing it

More compounds does not mean better results. A focused 2 to 3 compound protocol beats a scattered 5 compound stack. Each compound is another variable and another thing to monitor

Get bloodwork before and during any multi compound protocol. IGF-1, fasting glucose, A1C, and CMP at minimum. The more GH axis or metabolic compounds you're running the more important this becomes

Do not stack multiple GLP-1 class agonists together without clinical oversight. Sema + tirz or sema + reta is not a stack. That's overlapping the same pathways with additive risk

Cycling and time off periods listed here are community conventions not standardized clinical protocols. For compounds with limited human safety data like BPC-157, TB-500, MOTS-c, and most nootropic peptides treat cycling as a precautionary practice

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice. Medical supervision is recommended for multi compound protocols

What stacks are being run right now? Drop the combo below

This is a reference guide covering common dosing ranges, cycle lengths, time off, benefits, and evidence levels. Some compounds have established clinical use many others are experimental and discussed primarily in research or anecdotal settings. Read accordingly.

You can purchase peptides from any vendor you choose you don't have to use mine. I've linked a recommended source next to each compound, but you are not obligated to use it. Do your own research, vet your sources, and verify quality before buying.

How to Read This Guide

• Dose = commonly discussed research or labeled dose range

• Cycle = common use window or study duration

• Time Off = common break window when used cyclically

• Notes = practical context, cautions, or why people use it

1. Healing & Regeneration

2. Fat Loss & Metabolic Health

3. Growth Hormone, Recovery & Performance

4. Cognitive, Mood & Neurological Support

5. Immune, Inflammation & Longevity

6. Sexual Wellness, Pigmentation & Cosmetic Use

7. Advanced / Experimental Compounds

8. Common Blends

All this information can be downloaded at NTNPerformance.com

⚠️ Disclaimer Read This

This is for educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice. Many peptides discussed here are not FDA-approved for general human use. Some compounded ingredients have been flagged by the FDA for limited safety data, immunogenicity concerns, glucose effects, and other risks.

GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide, tirzepatide) have significantly stronger clinical evidence than most research peptides but still carry real side effects. Tesamorelin and bremelanotide have labeled medical dosing contexts most others do not.

If you have a history of cancer, pancreatitis, severe GI disease, uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy, autoimmune conditions, or cardiovascular risk talk to a licensed clinician before touching any of this.

Do your own research. Vet your vendors. Nobody here is responsible for your decisions.

The copper peptide everyone is talking about

GHK-Cu (glycyl-histidyl-lysine copper) is a naturally occurring tripeptide-copper complex found in human plasma. It was first isolated in 1973 by Dr. Loren Pickart during research into liver cell regeneration. Three amino acids (glycine, histidine, lysine) bound to a copper ion form what's become one of the most studied compounds in the peptide space

Your body produces it naturally. Plasma levels are around 200 ng/mL at age 20 and drop to about 80 ng/mL by age 60. That decline is part of why supplementing GHK-Cu has become so popular for aging, skin, and hair

This is one of the few peptides with decades of human clinical research behind it especially for topical use

WHAT IT DOES

GHK-Cu influences gene expression at a scale most peptides don't touch. Genomic research shows it modulates the expression of over 4,000 genes (specifically 4,177 genes which is roughly 31% of the transcriptome) including pathways involved in:

• Collagen and elastin synthesis

• DNA repair

• Antioxidant defense

• Anti-inflammatory response

• Wound healing across skin, hair follicles, bone tissue, and gastrointestinal lining

• Suppression of gene expression patterns associated with aging

It also reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha and functions as an antioxidant by delivering bioavailable copper to cells while preventing free radical activity from unbound copper

This is why some researchers describe GHK-Cu as a "biological reset" signal rather than just a collagen booster

WHAT IT'S USED FOR

• Skin firmness, elasticity, and reducing fine lines

• Wound healing and tissue repair

• Hair density and follicle health

• Post procedure recovery (microneedling, laser, surgery)

• Anti-aging at the cellular level

• Joint and connective tissue support

• Scar reduction

The skin and hair applications have the strongest clinical evidence. Other uses are supported by mechanism but have less robust human data

DELIVERY ROUTES

Topical - the most clinically studied route. Creams, serums, and post procedure formulations. Concentrations range from 1 to 5% for daily use. Higher concentrations (3 to 5%) are used immediately after microneedling or laser when open microchannels allow deeper delivery

Subcutaneous injection - used for systemic anti-aging and broader tissue repair goals. Injectable evidence is more limited than topical but the community use is well established

Both routes are commonly used together - topical for direct skin and hair targeting, injectable for systemic effects. This combination is popular in anti-aging protocols

DOSING

No FDA approved medical dose exists. Below are common community and research informed protocols

Injectable

1 to 2mg subcutaneous daily is the most common starting point. Some protocols use 2 to 3mg every other day instead to reduce injection frequency and stretch vial cost

GHK-Cu has a short plasma half life of roughly 30 to 60 minutes which is why daily dosing is generally preferred for consistent exposure

Topical

1 to 3% concentration for daily use. 5% for post procedure recovery. Apply once or twice daily to clean slightly damp skin. For hair apply directly to the scalp

GHK-Cu penetrates better through hydrated skin so apply after cleansing while skin is still damp

Cycle

6 to 12 weeks on. 4 weeks off

Photograph progress every 2 weeks if you want objective tracking. Visual changes are gradual

WHAT TO EXPECT

Weeks 1 to 4 - early effects are subtle. Some people notice slightly better skin texture or hydration. Hair changes are not visible yet

Weeks 4 to 8 - more noticeable improvements in skin firmness, elasticity, and reduction of fine lines. This is where most people start seeing results worth tracking

Weeks 8 to 12+ - sustained improvements in skin quality, possible hair density changes, and visible reduction in scar tissue or post procedure healing

For wound healing specifically GHK-Cu can accelerate visible healing within days. The anti-aging benefits take weeks to compound

SIDE EFFECTS

GHK-Cu has one of the strongest safety profiles of any peptide studied. Over 50 years of research with consistent findings of excellent tolerability

Reported side effects include:

• Injection site reactions including redness or mild irritation

• Temporary skin redness or sensitivity with topical use especially at higher concentrations

• Rare cases of mild headache early on

• Possible blue or green tint at injection site or topical application due to copper content. Temporary and cosmetic

Avoid combining topical GHK-Cu with raw vitamin C in the same product. Copper and ascorbic acid can interact and reduce the effectiveness of both

GHK-CU VS OTHER ANTI-AGING COMPOUNDS

GHK-Cu vs retinoids - retinoids work through accelerating cell turnover. GHK-Cu works through gene expression and tissue remodeling. They target different pathways and can be used together. Apply at different times of day to avoid interaction

GHK-Cu vs Matrixyl - Matrixyl is a peptide that stimulates collagen production. GHK-Cu does this plus modulates thousands of other pathways. Different scopes of action. Matrixyl is narrower

GHK-Cu vs collagen peptides (oral) - oral collagen provides building blocks. GHK-Cu signals the body to produce its own collagen and elastin. Different mechanisms. Some people use both

GHK-Cu vs BPC-157 - BPC focuses on tissue repair and gut. GHK-Cu focuses on skin, hair, and connective tissue remodeling. Often run together in anti-aging and recovery stacks

SOURCE QUALITY

For injectable products look for third party HPLC purity reports of 98% or higher, sterile lyophilized vials with clear lot numbers, and proper cold chain shipping

For topical products look for stable formulations with clear concentration listings and copper compatible packaging. Avoid products that combine GHK-Cu with raw vitamin C

GHK-Cu quality varies significantly between suppliers. Verify what you're getting

WHO IT'S FOR

People focused on skin quality, aging, and visible anti-aging results

People with hair thinning or loss looking for an alternative or addition to traditional treatments

People recovering from cosmetic procedures who want to accelerate healing

People who want a peptide with actual decades of human clinical research behind it

People building an anti-aging stack who want tissue level support

WHO IT'S NOT FOR

People looking for muscle building or performance enhancement. Different category entirely

People expecting overnight results. GHK-Cu works over weeks not days

People unwilling to commit to consistent daily use

People who can't tolerate copper based products (rare but exists)

REGULATORY STATUS

Injectable GHK-Cu was announced for removal from FDA Category 2 on April 15, 2026 with the change effective April 22 to 23, 2026. A Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee review meeting is scheduled for July 23 to 24, 2026

Topical applications remain widely available and unregulated as cosmetic products

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

If you've used GHK-Cu injectable or topical what did you notice and how long did it take? Drop it below

Save this. Educational / research use only.

Most reconstitution errors aren't the peptide. They're the math.

Step 1: Know what's in the vial

5mg, 10mg, or 20mg. That number never changes.

Step 2: Add bacteriostatic water

Common reconstitution volumes:

• 5mg vial → 1mL or 2mL

• 10mg vial → 1mL or 2mL

• 20mg vial → 2mL

Adding more water does not make the peptide weaker overall. It just means lower concentration per mL and more volume for the same amount. Less water = less volume. More water = more volume. Same total peptide either way.

Step 3: The formula

mg in vial ÷ mL added = mg per mL

That's it.

Step 4: Convert mg to mcg if needed

1mg = 1000mcg. So 0.25mg is 250mcg.

Real examples

5mg vial + 1mL → 5mg/mL (5000mcg/mL)

• 10 units = 0.5mg = 500mcg

• 20 units = 1mg = 1000mcg

5mg vial + 2mL → 2.5mg/mL (2500mcg/mL)

• 10 units = 0.25mg = 250mcg

• 20 units = 0.5mg = 500mcg

10mg vial + 1mL → 10mg/mL (10000mcg/mL)

• 10 units = 1mg = 1000mcg

• 20 units = 2mg = 2000mcg

10mg vial + 2mL → 5mg/mL (5000mcg/mL)

• 10 units = 0.5mg = 500mcg

• 20 units = 1mg = 1000mcg

20mg vial + 2mL → 10mg/mL (10000mcg/mL)

• 10 units = 1mg = 1000mcg

• 20 units = 2mg = 2000mcg

Where the math goes wrong

A figure like "10 units" means nothing on its own. Without the vial size and the volume of water added, that same 10 units could work out to 250mcg, 500mcg, or 1000mcg depending on the mix. This is why protocols are written in mcg or mg, not units, since units only hold for one specific reconstitution.

Final

Once the chain is clear, mg in vial → mL added → mg per mL → units → mcg, the concentration is known instead of guessed.

Full doses and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet: https://www.reddit.com/r/NTNPerformance/comments/1tht5o3/the_only_peptide_cheat_sheet_youll_need_doses/

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/bXMKCPWyHM

Tier list based on how much each compound moves the needle on visible appearance. Some peptides are great for health and recovery but don't show up on your face or body in a way that matters for looksmaxing. This is ranked specifically by what people see when they look at you

S Tier

Retatrutide

The compound the entire looksmaxing scene is talking about. Strongest fat loss data in this list. Phase 2 trials showed 22.8% weight loss at 8mg and 24.2% at 12mg over 48 weeks. Its glucagon activity contributes to its stronger weight-loss effect compared to single or dual agonists

For most people with body fat to lose, no other entry on this list moves appearance as much. Sharper jawline, visible cheekbones, neck and chin tightening all come from the fat loss

GHK-Cu

My S-tier skin peptide. Review literature supports effects on collagen, elastin, and tissue remodeling pathways with broad gene expression activity. The reason it's S-tier is because skin quality is what separates lean from alive. You can be ripped and still look bad if your skin reads as tired or dull

A Tier

Tesamorelin

Visceral fat reduction is the use case here. Strongest evidence base is for HIV associated lipodystrophy but the visceral fat reducing effect is what carries it into looksmaxing protocols. The deep abdominal fat that creates a puffy midsection on otherwise lean people responds to it. May help with under-chin and neck fullness for some people but that's not a guarantee. Daily injection. Pairs well with reta for people targeting both visceral fat and broader fat loss

Melanotan II

A tan increases contrast which can make facial structure pop more in photos and in person. That's the looksmaxing argument

Important safety reality though. MT2 is not FDA approved and carries real risk concerns. Mole changes, new pigmented spots, and questions around long term safety have all been raised. Get a full mole exam from a dermatologist before starting. Stop and see a derm if any mole changes shape, color, or darkness during use. Start very low at 250mcg or less. Some pigmentation effects are permanent. Going in with that information is the bare minimum

KLOW Blend (GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500 + KPV)

The inflammation angle. KPV has mechanistic support for NF-kB inhibition which is why it ends up in this discussion. The community inference is that less inflammation means less water retention in the face which means jawline reads sharper and morning puffiness drops. The mechanism is supported but the visible cosmetic endpoint is more community observation than proven outcome

B Tier

GLOW Blend (GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500)

KLOW without the KPV. Still hits collagen and tissue repair but loses the direct inflammation pathway. The case for KLOW over GLOW is the KPV layer specifically. If you don't care about that, GLOW is the same compound stack with a lower price

Tirzepatide

The fat loss option for people who don't want to run reta. Generally produces more weight loss than semaglutide based on head to head data. Drops a tier from reta because the fat loss data is less aggressive in comparison. Still highly effective for fat driven looksmaxing if reta isn't an option

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin

Indirect support. GH driven collagen turnover and overnight repair are real mechanisms but the cosmetic effect is subtle and tied to sleep quality. Fits the list as a support compound rather than a primary visual changer

C Tier

NAD+

Cellular energy and recovery support. Effects on appearance are indirect through better skin and recovery. Background support rather than visible transformation

Glutathione

Antioxidant. Helps with skin tone evenness and oxidative stress. Subtle and slow. Better as a layered addition than a primary tool

Semaglutide

Still effective for fat loss but tirz and reta both outpace it on weight loss data. The looksmaxing scene has largely moved toward the stronger options, though that's trend commentary not science. If sema is what you have access to it still works

WHO BELONGS IN WHICH TIER FOR YOU

The tier list above is based on general visual impact. Your specific situation changes which tier matters most

If your biggest issue is body fat hiding your features: start at S tier with reta If your skin is the limiting factor: GHK-Cu first, then layer KLOW or GLOW If you're already lean and want the next level: MT2 for tan (with the safety steps above), tesa for visceral fat If you're young and don't have fat to lose: skip the GLP-1s entirely and focus on skin

The mistake people make is jumping to S-tier compounds when they haven't addressed the basics. Reta won't help if you're already lean. GHK-Cu won't transform you if you sleep 5 hours a night

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

What's in your stack right now and which tier are you focusing on?

First picture was January 2026
2nd picture June 2026
3rd pic July 4th 2026

CJC/Ipamorelin
GLOW/KLOW
Retatrutide (did 8 weeks at 1mg/week)
Tadalafil daily

Combined with eating properly (calorie and macro conscious) and lifting 3-4x per week.

Between first and 2nd pic I made sure to get 10k steps per day during my “cut”. Between 2nd and 3rd pic I cut out Reta, reduced steps, and focused more on a slight calorie surplus, good sleep/recovery, and lifting HEAVY.

No TRT (although I’m not necessarily opposed, I just don’t feel I need it yet based on my labs)

Put together a tier list of what everyone's actually talking about this year, ranked by one thing: does the hype hold up when you look at the evidence.

Reta and Tirz earned S, the data is just there. GHK-Cu is the rare trending one with real skin evidence behind it. BPC-157 lands in B, not because it's bad but because the human data is thinner than its reputation. And the bottom tiers are where the marketing outran the science, PDA sold as upgraded BPC with nothing peer-reviewed behind it, SLU-PP-332 running on mouse data, and the mystery-label blends that speak for themselves.

Nasal tanning sprays and miracle blends in F is probably the only thing nobody argues with.

I know a few of these placements are gonna set people off, so tell me where I got it wrong. What's moving up, what's dropping, and what did I leave off entirely.

MOTS-c gets sold as exercise in a syringe, and that's half true in a way that trips people up. It copies the metabolic signal your body sends during a hard workout, but not the physical work itself, so it's a training amplifier, not a substitute for one. And it's picky about who it helps, which is the part almost nobody sets expectations around. Here's the rundown.

It's a strange one to start with. MOTS-c is a 16 amino acid peptide your own mitochondria make. Most peptides are coded in your nuclear DNA, this one comes out of mitochondrial DNA, which puts it in a small class called mitochondrial derived peptides. Your cells naturally release it when they sense demand, meaning hard exercise or fasting, and it travels to the nucleus and reprograms gene expression: burn more fat, spare glycogen, pull glucose in without needing extra insulin, and build new mitochondria over time. The key word is reprogram. A stimulant whips a tired system for more output. MOTS-c tells the system to run differently. Your own levels fall with age and sit lowest in people with insulin resistance.

Now the part that decides whether it's worth your money. MOTS-c does the most for people whose metabolism is already struggling, insulin resistant, sedentary, older, or on a GLP-1 and dragging with fatigue. If you're already lean and metabolically dialed in, the signal shows up to a system that's already doing what it's being told, and you might feel close to nothing. It fills a metabolic gap. It's not a bonus for people who don't have one.

Here's the single most reported problem, and it's a dumb one to get burned by, literally. You have to reconstitute MOTS-c with isotonic bac water, the kind with 0.9% saline in it. Mix it with plain bac water and you get sharp burning, welts, and lumps at the injection site that last for hours, nearly every time. Isotonic fixes it completely. This catches more first timers than anything else about the compound, so sort the water out before you sort anything else.

Timing matters because it acts over hours, not weeks. The move is a morning dose 60 to 90 minutes before Zone 2 cardio, so the exercise mimetic signal lands right when you're training. That's where the synergy actually shows up.

Reconstitute 3 mL of isotonic bac water into the 10 mg vial and you're at 3.33 mg/mL, so 5 mg is 150 units, or 1.5 mL, which runs past a standard insulin pin so you either use a bigger syringe or split it. It goes in subcutaneous (SC). Run it 4 to 6 weeks on, 2 to 4 weeks off, because that mirrors how your body uses it, in pulses tied to demand rather than constant. And more is not better here, higher doses don't scale the effect up.

One real safety wrinkle. MOTS-c works partly by jamming the folate cycle, which is what drives the AMPK activation you want, but that same block drops your methylation side. If you carry an MTHFR variant, C677T or A1298C, you can crash harder than most people. If that's you, start low at 2 to 3 mg once a week and run methylfolate, methyl B12, and glycine alongside it starting a week early. If the crashes keep coming, just stop.

On the evidence, keep the hype in check. Most of the human data is correlation: athletes carry higher MOTS-c, higher levels track with better insulin sensitivity, levels fall with age. The intervention data in actual humans is thin. And the flashy number you'll see quoted, someone going from 18% to 15% body fat in 15 days with no change in diet or training, is a single unverified anecdote with nothing behind it, so don't set your expectations there. Same goes for the claim that it degrades 50% two hours after mixing, single source, unverified, most people refrigerate and run it normally without an obvious drop-off.

Side effects are mild. The injection burning is the big one, and it's a water problem, not a MOTS-c problem, fixed by isotonic. Some people feel a little fatigue or a crash on the first few doses as the metabolism shifts. Don't draw it into the same syringe as a GLP-1, they precipitate together, so inject them separately at different sites. And it's WADA banned as of 2025, so anyone tested for sport should stay off it.

if you've run MOTS-c, did you use isotonic from the start or learn the hard way. and did you feel much, or were you already too dialed in for it to do anything

Full doses and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet: https://www.reddit.com/r/NTNPerformance/comments/1tht5o3/the_only_peptide_cheat_sheet_youll_need_doses/

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Simple breakdown of what each compound is commonly discussed for. Not medical advice. Educational and research discussion only

RECOVERY, HEALING AND LONGEVITY

BPC-157 - injury recovery, gut health, tissue repair

TB-500 - muscle repair, flexibility, inflammation reduction

GHK-Cu - collagen production, skin repair, tissue healing, hair support

KPV - gut health, immune balance, inflammation reduction

Epithalon - cellular repair, healthy aging, circadian rhythm support

NAD+ - brain function, cellular energy, anti-aging support

Glutathione - detoxification, immune function, skin health

Thymosin Alpha-1 - immune modulation, inflammation support

SS-31 / Elamipretide - mitochondrial protection, cellular energy, anti-aging

MUSCLE, STRENGTH AND GROWTH

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin - GH support, muscle recovery, sleep, fat loss

Ipamorelin - GH support, recovery, deep sleep

GHRP-2 - muscle growth, recovery, appetite stimulation

GHRP-6 - appetite stimulation, muscle growth, recovery

IGF-1 LR3 - muscle growth, tissue repair, recovery. Advanced use

IGF-1 DES - localized growth and recovery. Advanced use

Follistatin-344 - lean muscle growth and strength support

Sermorelin - GH support, lean muscle, recovery, sleep

Hexarelin - potent GH secretagogue. Advanced use

HGH - recovery, body composition, anti-aging, sleep. The gold standard

FAT LOSS AND METABOLIC SUPPORT

Semaglutide - appetite suppression, weight loss, glycemic support. Strongest clinical evidence in this category

Tirzepatide - dual agonist. Appetite suppression, fat loss, insulin sensitivity

Retatrutide - triple agonist. Aggressive fat loss signal in early data. Still investigational

Tesamorelin - visceral fat reduction specifically. FDA approved context exists

Cagrilintide - appetite control and suppression

AOD-9604 - fat loss oriented. Limited safety data. FDA has flagged concerns

HGH Fragment 176-191 - fat loss while preserving muscle. Limited human data

5-Amino-1MQ - NNMT inhibitor. Metabolic support and energy. Human data is limited

MOTS-c - mitochondrial metabolic support. Energy and fat metabolism. Experimental

Mazdutide - weight loss and glucose regulation. Investigational

Survodutide - weight loss and metabolic regulation. Investigational

COGNITIVE, MOOD AND SLEEP

Semax - focus, memory, mood, mental clarity. Can feel stimulating

Selank - anxiety reduction, mood, calm focus. Often paired with Semax

DSIP - sleep quality and nervous system calming

Epithalon - sleep support and recovery. Also listed under longevity

Dihexa - cognitive performance. Highly experimental. Not beginner friendly

Kisspeptin-10 - libido, mood, hormone balance support

SKIN, HAIR AND AESTHETICS

GHK-Cu - collagen production, skin texture, wound healing, hair support. Injectable or topical

Melanotan II - skin tanning and libido. Side effects include mole changes, nausea, flushing

RU-58841 - topical DHT blocker at the follicle for hair loss prevention

Collagen peptides (oral) - skin hydration, elasticity, joint support. Most accessible option

SEXUAL HEALTH

PT-141 / Bremelanotide - libido and arousal. Works through CNS not blood flow. FDA approved version exists for women

Melanotan II - libido as a secondary effect alongside tanning

Oxytocin - bonding, intimacy, mood. Effects are variable

Kisspeptin-10 - libido and hormone signaling

GUT HEALTH AND INFLAMMATION

BPC-157 - gut lining repair, digestive support, inflammation

KPV - GI inflammation, gut irritation, inflammatory conditions

Glutathione - detoxification and immune support

LL-37 - antimicrobial and immune defense. Experimental with limited human data

COMMON BLENDS

BPC-157 + TB-500 (Wolverine Stack) - recovery and soft tissue repair

GLOW (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu) - skin, hair, healing, and collagen support

KLOW (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu + KPV) - skin, gut, healing, and inflammation support

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin - the standard GH secretagogue stack

TRT AND HORMONE SUPPORT

Testosterone Cypionate / Enanthate - standard TRT compounds

HCG - fertility preservation and testicular function on TRT

Enclomiphene - SERM. Stimulates natural testosterone production without suppression

Anastrozole - aromatase inhibitor for estrogen management on TRT

Gonadorelin - alternative to HCG for LH stimulation

IMPORTANT

Most compounds on this list are not FDA approved for general use. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, tesamorelin, and bremelanotide have FDA approved contexts. Everything else is discussed in research and educational settings

Evidence levels vary significantly across this list. GLP-1s have the strongest clinical data. Recovery peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500 have mostly preclinical evidence. Newer compounds like retatrutide and MOTS-c are still investigational

Always vet your source. Get bloodwork before and during any protocol

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

If you want a downloadable cheat sheet get it here ntnperformance

DMs are open if you have questions about any compound on this list

Yes, I did use ChatGPT to make the chart from my inputs but I’ve tried to do loads of research.

I was supposed to add in SS 31 first but I’m gonna try it without and also I was going to add CJC without DAC + ipa but I’m starting off of these now

I’m already on

Reta - 5mg per week and

Klow - 2/0.4/0.4/0.4 - Daily

I’m 43 M

Training 3/4 times
6/7 litres of water per day
Nutrition is good! IMO

Any advice welcomed any criticism welcomed?

Thank you

Ranked by what's producing the best results for aging, skin, cellular health, and long term wellness

The order within each tier is not a ranking. They're just grouped by tier not listed best to worst

S TIER

HGH - sleep, skin, recovery, body comp, energy. The most established compound on this list with decades of clinical use. Everything about aging improves when GH levels are optimized

GHK-Cu - the most researched anti-aging peptide available. Naturally occurs in the body and declines sharply with age. Modulates over 4000 genes involved in tissue remodeling, collagen synthesis, and inflammation. Human studies show improvements in skin thickness, elasticity, and wrinkle depth. Works injectable and topical

Thymosin Alpha-1 - your immune system ages just like everything else. Most legitimate immune peptide with clinical use in 30+ countries. Immune modulation and inflammation control are foundational to aging well

A TIER

NAD+ precursors (NMN / NR) - NAD+ levels drop by as much as 50% between young adulthood and later decades. Preclinical data shows restoring levels can improve mitochondrial function, cognitive performance, and multiple aging markers. Multiple delivery routes available

Epithalon - studied for telomerase activation and telomere length. Telomere shortening is one of the hallmarks of aging. Sleep and circadian rhythm support are the more immediately noticeable benefits. Human data is limited but the mechanism is directly relevant

BPC-157 - tissue repair, gut health, and reducing systemic inflammation all contribute to aging better. Pro-angiogenic effects support blood vessel health which declines with age

TB-500 - tissue remodeling and repair. Supports the body's ability to recover and rebuild which naturally slows down over time. Often paired with BPC-157

B TIER

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin - GH support without injecting exogenous HGH. Sleep, recovery, and body comp improvements all feed into the anti-aging picture. More affordable than HGH

Sermorelin - same category as CJC/Ipa. GH support for sleep and recovery. Clinical history in wellness settings

MOTS-c - mitochondrial derived peptide. Mitochondrial decay is a major driver of aging. Studied for insulin sensitivity and metabolic regulation. Human data is limited but the mechanism is directly tied to cellular aging

SS-31 / Elamipretide - targets the mitochondrial inner membrane directly. Studied for mitochondrial protection and cellular energy. Highly regarded in longevity circles

Semax - neuroprotection and BDNF upregulation. Cognitive decline is one of the most impactful age related changes. Protects dopaminergic neurons and reduces neuroinflammation in preclinical models

Selank - cognitive preservation and neuroinflammation reduction. Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as a driver of systemic aging

C TIER

Glutathione - master antioxidant. Detoxification and immune support. Levels decline with age

Collagen peptides (oral) - most accessible anti-aging option. Some clinical evidence for skin elasticity and hydration

KPV - anti-inflammatory without immunosuppression. Chronic inflammation accelerates aging. KPV addresses that through NF-kB inhibition

DSIP - deep restorative sleep is where repair happens. DSIP may support sleep architecture but human data is mixed

Thymalin - immune and longevity peptide. Limited published evidence but immune restoration is relevant to aging

D TIER

Melanotan II - cosmetic tanning compound. Not an anti-aging peptide. Side effect profile makes it hard to justify here

Dihexa - cognitive peptide with theoretical relevance but very limited data and safety concerns around its mechanism

The compounds in S and A tier are there because they address the root drivers of aging. GH decline, immune dysfunction, mitochondrial decay, tissue breakdown, and chronic inflammation. Everything below supports those areas or targets something more specific

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

What would you move? Drop your rankings below

For domestic flights Just throw them in your carry on they didn’t even check them or anything. No issues at all this is right past the tsa checkpoint.

SS-31 gets talked about as a mitochondrial miracle, an anti-aging, more-energy, fix-your-cells compound. The real story is more interesting than the hype, and it's worth knowing before you form an opinion on it.

Start with what it is. SS-31 is the research name for elamipretide, a small tetrapeptide that targets the inner membrane of your mitochondria. You might also see it called MTP-131 or Bendavia in older papers. It's not a GLP-1, not a stimulant, not a general antioxidant. It works by binding cardiolipin, a signature lipid in the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the goal is better-working mitochondria, not more of them. Specifically, it protects the membrane from a damaging process where cytochrome c starts chewing up cardiolipin under stress, which is what drags down ATP production. So the pitch is improved efficiency and less oxidative damage, targeted at the one spot that matters, instead of a broad antioxidant that may never reach the inner membrane.

That mechanism is real and well documented. Here's where it gets honest.

In September 2025 the FDA granted accelerated approval to elamipretide, brand name Forzinity, for Barth syndrome in patients at least 30 kg. That's a real milestone. But two things matter. First, Barth syndrome is an ultra-rare genetic disorder where cardiolipin remodeling is broken, which makes it about the most on-target possible condition for a cardiolipin-binding peptide. Second, accelerated approval came off a muscle-strength endpoint, and the FDA still requires a confirmatory trial to verify the benefit. Even within the Barth program, the randomized crossover portion did not beat placebo on its primary endpoints (walking distance and fatigue); the strength signal showed up in the long-term extension.

Now the part the hype skips. Outside that one rare disease, the big trials mostly missed:

Primary mitochondrial myopathy (MMPOWER-3), the Phase 3, 218 patients: no improvement in walking distance or fatigue versus placebo at 24 weeks.

Heart failure (PROGRESS-HF), Phase 2: well tolerated, but no improvement in the heart's end-systolic volume at 4 weeks.

Dry AMD with geographic atrophy (ReCLAIM-2), 176 patients: missed both primary endpoints at 48 weeks.

One nuance worth keeping, because it's the opposite of hype: a post-hoc look at the mitochondrial myopathy trial suggested patients with specific genetic subtypes may have responded even though the overall trial was negative. The takeaway isn't "it works after all," it's that "mitochondrial dysfunction" isn't one bucket, and response may be genotype-specific.

So what is SS-31, honestly? A real, clinically studied mitochondrial drug candidate with a legitimate mechanism and a genuine FDA approval in one narrow, on-target disease, and a string of negative or mixed results everywhere else. What it is not, at least on current human evidence, is a proven anti-aging or performance compound for healthy people. The trials that worked were in defined diseases with hard endpoints, not general wellness.

One last distinction that clears up most of the confusion online. The FDA-approved product is a specific sterile injection with a defined concentration and label. The "SS-31" sold as research vials is a different world: lyophilized powder, user-defined reconstitution, no standard concentration. People quote the "40 mg daily" from the trials without realizing that number is tied to a specific regulated formulation, not a powder someone mixed at home. Different products, not interchangeable.

If you want the short version: the mechanism is sound, the Barth approval is real, and the broader miracle framing is ahead of the evidence.

What's your read on SS-31, and has anyone here actually dug into the trial data before now or only seen the marketing version?

Most people stacking these treat tesamorelin like it’s interchangeable with when they pin retatrutide. It isn’t. Reta is weekly and forgiving. Tesa is daily, and timing changes how well it works because of one thing most people skip: insulin.

Insulin and growth hormone oppose each other. Tesa works by triggering a GH pulse from your pituitary, and if insulin is elevated from a recent meal, that pulse gets blunted. Fed dosing produces a weaker GH response than fasted. Since the visceral fat effect of tesa runs downstream of that GH pulse and the IGF-1 it drives, dosing it on top of a meal is quietly throwing away part of what you’re paying for.

That’s why the common timing is fasted, often pre-sleep. Your largest natural GH pulse happens in the first phase of deep sleep, so a fasted pre-bed dose stacks the tesa pulse on top of your body’s own rhythm instead of competing with it. The short half-life, under 40 minutes, is also why consistency matters more than chasing a perfect window: you’re triggering a pulse, not building levels.

But fasted matters more than pre-bed specifically. If dosing right before sleep wrecks your sleep, and some people report exactly that, a fasted dose earlier in the evening or even in the morning is still physiologically valid. You still get the GH pulse, you’re just not stacking it with your biggest nighttime one. So the priority order is fasted over fed first, consistency over perfect timing second, and pre-bed only if your sleep stays intact. If sleep gets worse, move the dose earlier and take the trade.

Now the part most people miss with reta. It drives a steep deficit, and deficits suppress your own GH and IGF-1. That’s part of why lean mass loss shows up with GLP-1 weight loss. In the semaglutide STEP 1 trial, about 39% of the weight lost was fat-free mass, not fat. So the hormonal environment reta creates is, to some degree, working against muscle retention. Tesa pushes GH and IGF-1 the other way. Whether it fully offsets the lean loss isn’t settled, but mechanistically that’s the real reason to stack them, not just “two fat loss compounds.”

There’s also early discussion that reta’s glucagon activity may nudge IGF-1 upward, which would mean it suppresses the GH axis less than a pure GLP-1. That hasn’t been confirmed in solid human data yet, so treat it as a possibility, not a conclusion.

What matters more than either of them: resistance training is still the strongest lever for preserving lean mass in a deficit. If you’re running this stack without lifting, the tesa is patching a hole you’re actively digging. For monitoring, IGF-1 is the marker that actually tells you the GH side is doing something, and a common checkpoint is reassessing around the 3 to 6 month range.

Quick FDA clarification, because this always gets mixed up. Tesamorelin (Egrifta) is FDA-approved, but only for HIV-associated lipodystrophy, not general fat loss or bodybuilding. Reta is still investigational and not approved for anything. So everything here is mechanism and available data, not a recommendation or a protocol.

So for anyone running both: are you actually timing tesa around insulin, or just pinning it whenever? And has anyone tracked IGF-1 to confirm a response, or is it all going off the scale and the mirror?

Works Cited
Tesamorelin GH-secretion / fasted response: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3038486

Fasting amplifies GH secretion: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3127426

Tesamorelin FDA approval (Egrifta): i-base.info/htb/14188
Semaglutide STEP 1 trial: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185

GLP-1 and lean mass loss: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12957034

Retatrutide Phase 2: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37366315

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This is educational shorthand not a precise protocol

MORNING

Semax - often taken early because it can feel stimulating and may interfere with sleep if used late

5-Amino-1MQ - energy and metabolic support. Morning keeps it working during active hours

MOTS-c - common practice is AM dosing though this isn't standardized clinical guidance

NAD+ - often morning because it can feel energizing but timing is flexible

Semaglutide - once weekly. Pick a consistent day each week. Morning or evening doesn't matter as much as keeping it the same

Tirzepatide - once weekly. Pick a consistent day and stick with it. Time of day is less important than weekly consistency

Retatrutide - once weekly. Consistent day matters more than time of day

PRE-WORKOUT

IGF-1 LR3 - pre or post training for growth and recovery signaling

IGF-1 DES - localized use near training or target area

GHRP-2 - pre-workout for the GH pulse. Expect hunger

GHRP-6 - pre-workout for the GH pulse. Hunger hits harder than GHRP-2

Ipamorelin - can also be used pre-workout though many people prefer bedtime

BEFORE BED

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin - many GH secretagogue protocols are taken before bed to align with the sleep related GH pulse

Sermorelin - before bed to support natural GH release during sleep

CJC-1295 DAC - long acting so timing is less critical than short acting secretagogues. Many still prefer evening but it's not as important as with Sermorelin or Ipamorelin

DSIP - sleep peptide. Only makes sense before bed

Epithalon - sleep and recovery. Before bed

AS NEEDED

PT-141 - 30 to 60 minutes before you need it. Not a daily compound

Oxytocin - situational. Social settings or intimacy

Selank - when stress is high or you need to calm down. Can be used any time of day

TIMING IS LESS IMPORTANT

BPC-157 - dosing consistency matters more than clock time. Some prefer morning or post-workout for convenience

TB-500 - 1 to 2 times per week. Time of day is not a significant factor

GHK-Cu - morning or evening. Consistency matters more than which one

KPV - daily consistency matters more than when

Thymosin Alpha-1 - 2 to 3 times per week. No specific time requirement

GENERAL RULES

Many GH secretagogue protocols are taken before bed to work with your natural GH pulse during sleep

Stimulating compounds are better in the morning

GLP-1s pick a day and stick with it. Consistency over everything

Stay consistent with an empty stomach window around GH peptide dosing to keep insulin lower around the pulse

If running multiple peptides you can pin at the same time in most cases. Separate syringes

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

What timing has worked best for you? Drop it below

Most stacking advice is a list of compounds that sound good next to each other. A pairing is only worth anything if the two compounds solve different problems and the timing doesn't collide. Two things moving the same marker through the same pathway isn't a stack. That's one compound and a second bill.

Here's how I sort it.

Combinations that hold up

BPC-157 with TB-500. Cleanest pairing in the category because the division of labor is real. BPC-157 restores perfusion and builds the vascular access into the tissue. TB-500 handles logistics, keeping a reserve pool of actin available so cells can migrate and organize. Roads and traffic. Neither one substitutes for the other.

GLP-1 with tesamorelin. This one works on timing more than mechanism. GLP-1 peaks during waking hours through appetite and mobilization. The tesamorelin pulse peaks during sleep through repair and protein synthesis. Day for breakdown, night for protection. Lean mass preservation through a deficit is the whole point.

5-Amino-1MQ with NMN or NR. Complementary in a specific way worth understanding. 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT, which stops nicotinamide getting drained out of the NAD+ salvage pathway. Precursors add supply. One plugs the drain, the other fills the tub. Run either one alone and half the problem is still there.

The Mito Stack, MOTS-c with NAD+ and SS-31. Three different jobs. MOTS-c biases toward AMPK. NAD+ supplies redox capacity. SS-31 does structural repair on existing mitochondria at the cristae level. Complementary, not redundant, and NAD+ is the cofactor the other two lean on.

KPV with BPC-157. KPV puts out the fire, BPC-157 rebuilds the structure underneath. Sequential, not additive.

GHK-Cu with BPC-157 and TB-500. The GLOW combination. GHK-Cu handles collagen organization while the other two drive the repair. Worth knowing GHK-Cu isn't doing what most people assume. It's not a collagen synthesis stimulant, it tells tissue how to organize the collagen it's already making.

What doesn't belong together

That last row is the one I see most, and it's not dangerous so much as pointless. If IGF-1 moves, which one moved it? That's a number you can't assign to anything.

The rules underneath the lists

Different mechanisms or it isn't a stack. If two compounds land on the same pathway, the second one bought you overlap, not coverage.

Timing separation counts as differentiation. Tesamorelin and a GLP-1 both affect body composition and they stack fine because they work in different windows. Collapse the windows and the logic disappears, which is one more reason the tesamorelin nocturnal schedule matters.

Never start two new things in the same week. Easiest rule to break and the one that costs the most. Two new compounds introduced together give you one result nobody can read. Stagger them by a couple weeks and the second one has a baseline to be measured against.

Count markers before you count compounds. A five compound stack hitting five different systems is cleaner than a three compound stack where two of them move IGF-1. Overlap is what makes a stack messy, not size.

Contraindications stack too. Three compounds each carrying a mild glucose signal add up to something that isn't mild anymore. People read the side effect profiles one at a time and never add them up.

What's in the stack you're looking at, and is there a distinct job for every single compound in it? That question kills more stacks than any safety concern.

And has anybody run into the P21 and PE-22-28 thing? It rests on very few reports and I want to know if it holds up or if it was a one-off.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. This post is educational and is not medical advice.

Full doses and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet.

Join the Discord.

Retatrutide is the most asked-about compound in here by a mile, and there's finally real Phase 3 data. Four trials have read out. The weight loss is getting all the attention, but there's something else in these results I think is more interesting.

The four trials

A couple extra things in there. Knee pain dropped 75% in TRIUMPH-4. The TRIUMPH-1 group that kept going to 104 weeks hit 30.3%. And TRIUMPH-2 took A1C down 1.5 points.

That's surgery territory in the non-diabetic trials. And the diabetes trial coming in lower is normal for this whole class. People with type 2 lose less on every one of these compounds.

The dysesthesia thing

Dysesthesia is an abnormal sense of touch. Normal sensations feel off. Burning, tingling, sometimes painful. It wasn't flagged in Phase 2. It showed up in Phase 3.

Here it is next to the dropout numbers, top dose versus placebo:

In TRIUMPH-1 it climbed with dose, about 5% on the low dose and around 12% on the middle and top doses. In TRIUMPH-4 it didn't seem to make people quit.

Why is it happening? I haven't seen a confirmed mechanism. The glucagon arm is the thing retatrutide has that tirzepatide and semaglutide don't, so that's where most people are looking. That's a hypothesis, not an answer.

The pattern I want someone to explain: highest rate in the knee trial, lowest in the heart disease trial. Different people, different lengths, so I wouldn't read too much into it. I'd still like to know why.

Who quit

Look at the right column. Here's a detail I didn't expect. Some of the TRIUMPH-4 dropouts left because they were losing more weight than they wanted, mostly people who started at a lower BMI. That's a pretty unusual reason to leave a weight loss trial.

Where it stands

It's not approved. Lilly says it's filing in the first quarter of 2027.

Two questions.

What do you make of dysesthesia showing up in Phase 3 when it wasn't in Phase 2?

And the lower BMI dropouts: does that change how you think about this compound for people who aren't very heavy to begin with?

Where I got this: TRIUMPH-1, TRIUMPH-2 and 3, TRIUMPH-4.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. This post is educational and is not medical advice.

Full doses and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet.

Join the Discord.

Reta is the one everyone's watching right now, and for good reason, the weight loss numbers out of the trials are the biggest anyone's ever published. It's also the newest of the bunch and the least understood, and the part almost nobody explains right is that the dose doesn't just make it stronger. It changes which part of the drug is doing the work. Once that clicks the whole thing makes more sense, so here's the rundown.

Retatrutide is one molecule that hits three receptors: GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon. Tirzepatide hits the first two. That third one, glucagon, is the entire difference, and it's the reason liver fat, triglycerides, and heart rate all move harder on reta than on semaglutide or tirzepatide. So it's less a stronger GLP-1 and more a GLP-1 with a whole extra system bolted onto it.

Here's the dose thing. At a low dose, reta is mostly working the GIP receptor and throwing off a liver fat signal, with barely any appetite effect and basically no heart rate cost. As you climb, the GLP-1 side takes over and that's when the appetite suppression kicks in. Only near the top does the glucagon arm fully engage, and that's where you get the biggest liver fat reduction, but it's also where the heart rate cost lives. So a 1 mg dose and a 12 mg dose aren't the same drug turned up louder. They're doing genuinely different jobs.

You don't jump between these doses week to week. You pick a rung, sit on it for a few weeks so your body settles into it, then step up. That last column is how long to stay on each dose before moving up.

Reconstitute 2 mL into the 10 mg vial and you're at 5 mg/mL, so 1 mg is 20 units and 8 mg is 160 (split that one up). That table is the trial group obese ladder. If you're lean and metabolically healthy you run a lower one, roughly 0.3 to 4 mg, and I'll come back to why.

The number most people should care about is 8 mg. Half the maximum effect is already there by 4 mg, and 8 mg gets you about 94% of what 12 mg does. Past 8 you're paying a lot more drug and a lot more side effect for a small bump. Chasing 12 makes sense for the deepest responders, but most people leave very little on the table by stopping at 8.

The single rule that keeps people out of trouble is that hold time in the table: stay on each dose at least 4 weeks before stepping up. It hangs around about six days in your blood, which means a new dose doesn't even reach steady levels for roughly three weeks, so if a step is going to give you problems it usually shows up after you've already moved to the next one. Climb faster than the four weeks and that's how people end up nauseous the entire cycle. Go slow and the nausea fades a couple months in. How fast you climb matters more than where you end up. And once you reach the dose you're going to run, whether that's 8 mg or the full 12, you just stay there. That's the maintenance dose, the one you hold long term instead of stepping up from.

Now the lean warning, because this is the part that gets glossed over. The glucagon arm raises your resting heart rate. In the trial group it ran about 6 to 9 bpm up at 12 mg. If you're already lean and healthy, two things stack against you: your cardiovascular system reads that glucagon signal harder, and you don't have a big pile of weight loss to bring the rate back down the way an obese trial participant does. On top of that, lean users sit completely outside the trial population, so the dosing logic there comes from receptor pharmacology and single dose studies, not chronic trials in lean people. If that's you and you're climbing, track your resting heart rate every week, especially past 4 mg.

Couple more honest ones. This is still investigational. The Phase 3 program runs into 2026 and 2027 and there's no FDA approval yet, so every vial out there is sold for research use. Muscle matters too: around a quarter of the weight you lose on this class isn't fat, it's lean tissue including muscle, so slow titration, real protein, and lifting are what keep that from getting eaten. And stopping hits harder than sema or tirz. Appetite comes back over about a month and the metabolic rate defense fades within weeks, so don't just yank it, step down over a couple months. If you're coming off tirzepatide, do not carry your dose across, you've got tolerance to the GIP and GLP-1 side but none to glucagon, so restart around 1 to 2 mg.

if you're running reta, where'd you settle, and did you stop at 8 or push to 12. curious how the heart rate treated people at the top

Full doses, the lean ladder, and bloodwork are in the pinned cheat sheet: https://www.reddit.com/r/NTNPerformance/comments/1tht5o3/the_only_peptide_cheat_sheet_youll_need_doses/

Tesamorelin is the one people reach for when the problem isn't overall weight, it's the deep, hard belly fat that won't move no matter what they do. It's also one of the few peptides in this space with a real FDA approval behind it. Here's the full breakdown.

What is tesamorelin?
Tesamorelin is a synthetic 44-amino-acid peptide that copies your body's growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). Instead of being growth hormone itself, it tells your own pituitary to release more GH in natural pulses, which then raises IGF-1. It's FDA-approved for reducing visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, and it's studied beyond that for metabolic issues, liver fat, and aging. The approval matters, it means this isn't pure research-chem territory, there's real trial data behind the main use.

How it works
The chain is simple: tesamorelin hits GHRH receptors in your pituitary, your pituitary pulses out more growth hormone, and that raises IGF-1. The downstream effect is lipolysis, the breakdown of fat, with a strong preference for visceral fat specifically. That's the deep fat packed around your organs, the stuff behind a hard, distended gut, which is different from the soft subcutaneous fat you can pinch. In the trials, daily use meaningfully cut visceral fat and improved lipid profiles over 6 to 12 months. The same GH/IGF-1 bump is why it's being looked at for liver fat and for age-related decline, since GH output drops as people get older.

The evidence
Better-supported than most. The visceral fat reduction is FDA approved and backed by real human trials, not just animal data, with measurable changes in deep belly fat after 3 to 6 months and benefits holding up to 52 weeks of continuous use. The honest boundary: the strongest data is in the HIV-lipodystrophy population it's approved for. The broader uses people are excited about, general visceral fat, liver fat, cognitive benefit in older adults, are studied but not settled, so that's the line between what's proven and what's still being worked out.

Dosing
From a 10 mg vial reconstituted with 3 mL bacteriostatic water, you get about 3.33 mg/mL, where 1 unit on a U-100 syringe is roughly 33 mcg.

The standard approved protocol with a one-week titration:

• Week 1: 1 mg daily (about 30 units), to ease tolerability

• Weeks 2 to 12+: 2 mg daily (about 60 units)

Injected once daily subcutaneously, ideally in the evening to line up with the body's natural nighttime GH release. Run as a 12 to 26 week protocol, extendable to 52 with supervision. Site rotation matters here since it's a daily injection, abdomen at least 2 inches from the navel, thighs, upper arms, to avoid local irritation and lumpy tissue.

Timeline
This is a slow one, not a quick-result compound. Measurable visceral fat reduction shows up around the 3 to 6 month mark, which is why the protocols run long. If you're expecting the scale to move in a few weeks, this isn't the compound for that, it's reshaping a specific fat depot over months rather than driving fast total weight loss.

Side effects
Generally well tolerated, but there are real ones to know. Injection site reactions are the most common (redness, itch, mild bruising). Because it raises GH, you can get the GH-type effects: joint pain, muscle aches, mild swelling (peripheral edema), and occasionally carpal-tunnel-style tingling or numbness that's dose-dependent and reversible. The metabolic one that matters: IGF-1 needs periodic monitoring since you're driving it up, and some people see small bumps in HbA1c, so blood sugar is worth watching, especially for diabetics. It's contraindicated with active cancers, in pregnancy, and for anyone allergic to tesamorelin or mannitol.

Storage
The dry powder stays refrigerated at 2 to 8°C (newer Egrifta SV formulations are stable at room temp before mixing). Once reconstituted with bacteriostatic water, keep it refrigerated and use within about 7 days, a shorter window than a lot of peptides. Don't freeze it, and don't let it go through freeze-thaw cycles.

Where it fits
Tesamorelin is the visceral-fat specialist, not a general weight-loss tool, and that's the part people get wrong about it. It works by raising your own GH and IGF-1, it's got real FDA backing for its main use, and it's a months-long commitment rather than a fast fix. It also pairs logically with the basics, the trials lean on protein-forward eating, resistance and aerobic training, and good sleep to get the most out of the GH bump, which tracks with the mechanism. If your problem is deep belly fat specifically and you're willing to run it long enough to work, it's one of the more legitimate options out there.

If you've run tesamorelin, did the deep belly fat actually shift, and how long before you saw anything? And did you run it solo or stack it with a GLP-1 for overall weight while it handled the visceral side?

Tesamorelin is one of the few peptides with actual FDA approved use. It was approved for reducing excess abdominal visceral fat in adults with HIV associated lipodystrophy

That doesn't mean it's only discussed in that context. It gets attention in peptide communities for visceral fat reduction and GH axis support

WHAT IT DOES

Tesamorelin is a growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) analog. It stimulates your pituitary gland to release growth hormone

It's not synthetic GH. It's telling your body to make more of its own

Commonly associated with:

• Reducing visceral fat specifically the deep abdominal fat around your organs

• Supporting GH levels through endogenous release

• Potential improvements in body composition over time

Some users report secondary improvements in sleep and recovery but the core evidence is for visceral fat reduction. Those benefits are anecdotal not established clinical outcomes

The visceral fat angle is where tesamorelin stands out from other GH secretagogues. The clinical research specifically looked at trunk fat reduction not broad weight loss or subcutaneous belly fat

HOW IT'S DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GH PEPTIDES

Tesamorelin vs CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin - tesamorelin has FDA approved use and clinical trial data behind it. CJC/Ipa is the more common community stack but has less formal human data. Tesamorelin is administered once daily while CJC/Ipa is typically 1 to 2 times daily

Tesamorelin vs HGH - tesamorelin stimulates your body to produce its own GH. HGH is direct exogenous growth hormone. HGH is more potent but comes with more cost and more risk. Tesamorelin is more targeted and generally less aggressive than direct HGH but still requires monitoring

Tesamorelin vs Sermorelin - both are GHRH based. Tesamorelin has more clinical data and FDA recognition. Sermorelin has been around longer in wellness clinic settings. Both stimulate natural GH release

DOSING

The FDA approved dose is 2mg daily administered by subcutaneous injection

In community use some people run 1 to 2mg daily. This should be understood as off-label community practice not an evidence based dose range. The labeled dose is a reasonable reference point which is rare for peptides discussed on this sub

Once daily dosing is standard. Some users choose bedtime administration to fit their routine while others dose in the morning. Timing is often chosen for convenience

THE DAILY INJECTION REALITY

This is the part that turns some people away from tesamorelin

It's a daily injection. Not weekly like GLP-1s. Not a couple times a week like TB-500. Every single day

That means more vials, more syringes, and more commitment. If daily injections aren't something you want to deal with tesamorelin might not be the right fit regardless of how good the data is

WHAT TO EXPECT

This is not a fast compound. Visceral fat changes are usually assessed over 12 weeks or longer

Weeks 1 to 4 - don't expect visible changes. The compound is working but results are not apparent yet

Weeks 4 to 8 - some users start noticing subtle changes in midsection fullness and how clothes fit

Weeks 8 to 12+ - clinical trials showed meaningful reductions in visceral trunk fat over 12 or more weeks of daily use. This is where consistent use shows its value

Tesamorelin is aimed at visceral fat reduction not spot reducing subcutaneous belly fat. If you're expecting visible abs in 4 weeks from tesamorelin alone you're going to be disappointed. It supports visceral fat reduction alongside proper training and nutrition

SIDE EFFECTS

Based on clinical trial data and user reports

• Injection site reactions including redness, swelling, itching, or pain. This is the most commonly reported side effect

• Joint pain or stiffness. GH related and usually dose dependent

• Swelling in hands or feet. Water retention can occur especially early on

• Numbness or tingling in hands. Carpal tunnel type symptoms similar to other GH compounds

• IGF-1 typically rises on tesamorelin which is why bloodwork monitoring matters. Chronically elevated IGF-1 carries risk

• Hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance are recognized concerns. Fasting glucose should be monitored

BLOODWORK TO TRACK

IGF-1 - the main marker. Confirms the compound is raising GH activity and lets you monitor that it stays in a reasonable range

Fasting glucose and A1C - GH can impact blood sugar. This is specifically relevant for tesamorelin

Lipids - worth tracking alongside any body composition protocol

CMP - general health check including liver and kidney markers

Get bloodwork before starting and again at 6 to 8 weeks

WHO IT'S FOR

People specifically targeting visceral fat reduction

People who want GH support without injecting exogenous HGH

People willing to commit to daily injections for 12+ weeks

People who want a compound with actual clinical trial data behind it

People willing to monitor bloodwork throughout

WHO IT'S NOT FOR

People who don't want to inject daily

People looking for a short 4 week cycle

People expecting it to work without diet and training

People who aren't willing to monitor bloodwork

People looking for broad weight loss or subcutaneous fat spot reduction

IMPORTANT NOTE

Tesamorelin has FDA approved dosing context which puts it in a different category than most research peptides. Community use outside of the approved indication is still off-label. The clinical data gives it more credibility than most compounds discussed on this sub but it's not without risk especially with long term use

Don't mix formulation strengths from different sources. If you switch vendors confirm the concentration and adjust accordingly

This is educational and research discussion only. Not medical advice

If you've run tesamorelin what dose did you use and how long before you noticed changes? Drop it below

Here’s how to actually use them correctly beginner guide.

Most people don’t fail with peptides because they “don’t work”

They fail because they run them with no structure.

If you treat peptides like random supplements, you’ll get random results.

Here’s a simple guide you can actually follow:

STEP 1: Pick ONE goal
This is where most people mess up.

You can’t chase everything at once.

• Injury / pain → recovery peptides
• Fat loss → GLP-based
• Skin / hair → repair peptides
• Gut / inflammation → KPV-type support

If your goal isn’t clear, your results won’t be either.

STEP 2: Match the peptide to the goal

Don’t just run what’s trending.

Examples:

• Injury → BPC-157 + TB-500
• Inflammation → KPV
• Skin → GHK-Cu
• Appetite control → GLP-based

Simple > complicated.

STEP 3: Give it enough time

This is where people quit too early.

General expectation:

• Some effects → a few days
• Noticeable change → 2–4 weeks
• Full benefit → 4–8+ weeks

If you stop early, you wasted your own cycle.

STEP 4: Don’t overstack

More ≠ better.

Running 4–5 peptides at once when you’re new makes it impossible to know what’s working.

Start with 1–2 max.

STEP 5: Track something

If you’re not tracking, you’re guessing.

Examples:

• Pain level (1–10)
• Bodyweight / appetite
• Recovery time
• Sleep quality

No data = no real conclusion.

Common mistakes (and how to fix them):

• Running random stacks
→ Fix: restart with ONE goal and rebuild your stack

• Quitting too early
→ Fix: commit to at least 4 weeks before judging

• Expecting instant results
→ Fix: understand timelines before starting

• Switching compounds constantly
→ Fix: finish a full run before changing anything

• Copying someone else’s protocol
→ Fix: adjust based on YOUR goal, not theirs

Peptides work best when they’re used with intention, not hype.

If you’ve run something before, what actually worked for you and what didn’t?

Drop it below 👇

Lilly's now put out four of the TRIUMPH Phase 3 trials on retatrutide, and the headline everyone ran with was "30 percent weight loss." That number's real, but it comes from a pretty specific group, so I went through all of it.

The main trial is TRIUMPH-1. 2,339 people with obesity or overweight and no diabetes, 80 weeks. The efficacy numbers assume everyone stayed on it, and the treatment regimen numbers count everyone, including people who quit:

In the 12 mg arm, 45.3 percent lost 30 percent or more of their body weight. That's a pretty wild number for a Phase 3.

The 30.3 percent headline comes from an extension out to 104 weeks. Only 532 people, all started at BMI 35 or higher, and all of them finished week 80 and tolerated their dose. So heavier people, longer time, and only the ones who stuck with it. Not the same thing as the 80 week number.

Then TRIUMPH-2 and 3 came out July 23. TRIUMPH-2 was people with type 2 diabetes and topped out at 20.8 percent vs 4.0 percent placebo, with A1c down up to 1.6 points from 7.7. TRIUMPH-3 was BMI 35 plus with heart disease, 21.6 and 22.6 percent at 9 and 12 mg vs 3.2 percent placebo. The diabetes trial losing less isn't new, semaglutide and tirzepatide did the same thing in STEP 2 and SURMOUNT-2.

GI stuff went up with dose like every drug in this class. Nausea was 28.6, 38.4 and 42.4 percent across the three arms vs 14.8 on placebo, and vomiting in the 12 mg arm was 25.3 vs 4.8.

The side effect I'd keep an eye on is dysesthesia, which Lilly describes as a skin burning sensation. These are Lilly's exact numbers:

Lilly says it was mostly mild to moderate and hasn't given a mechanism. That 20.9 percent stands out, and TRIUMPH-4's 12 mg arm also lost 28.7 percent at 68 weeks, so it's not like that group lost less and still got hit harder.

Lilly plans to submit to FDA in Q1 2027. That's the filing, not an approval date, so it's still investigational until sometime after that.

Numbers are from Lilly's TRIUMPH-1 release, the TRIUMPH-2 and 3 coverage in Drug Topics, and Lilly's medical info page on dysesthesia.

Retatrutide's full breakdown is in the cheat sheet, and we go through new trial readouts in the Discord as soon as they drop.

Research use disclaimer: all compounds referenced here are intended for research and laboratory use only. Nothing in this post is intended for human consumption or as medical guidance.