It’s Time I Spoke up on My Experience With Peptides (Not Just Ones for Weight Loss)

I’ve been using peptides for over a decade as a geeky weight lifter. 

Many weight lifters will go to go great lengths to find things to get a leg up on strength and body composition. 

As I’ve mentioned before – want to know all the underground stuff to tweak your body composition – ask and OG weight lifter. 

Since peptides were extensively researched in Russia and a lot of weight lifting tips also come out of Russia it makes sense that lifters would go after peptides.

The pioneers in peptide research like Vladimir Khavinson from Russia and Jean Francois-Tremblay from Canada are rarely chatted about unless you find yourself in an obscure biohacking podcast. 

Peptides were always an underground thing so when they became mainstream with compounding pharmacies making them for a little bit I was surprised. 

And I wasn’t surprised when the FDA pulled BPC 157 and other peptides from compounding pharmacy production.

I’m curious why compounding of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide hasn’t been cut off yet kinda weird. 

Fearful of recommending something that would give a benefit then be pulled from use I didn’t recommend them as much at first. 

I’d learned from the previous phase of allowing peptides then cutting them that it was tricky to have a patient go from getting peptides at a pharmacy to getting them online from a website stating “for research purposes only”. 

That can make me look like a real quack vs the one I play in real life. 🤪

But now many docs are talking about peptides and I have to put my 2 cents in too!

In the past I’ve had patients look into peptides for certain issues if they were open to purchasing from websites that have to say their products are “for experimental use only”.

I’ve been little leery of recommending these sites due to not being 100% sure of efficacy and product quality.

However, now I’ve had enough time working with certain sites that I have 3 I’m sure are legit. (email me at info@doctorjkrausend.com to get those sites).

Can I guarantee they will stay that way – no. 

That’s why I liked compounding pharmacies providing peptides – I could trust all was good there. 

Either way you look at it the synthetic peptide powders come from Russia, China or India. 

You can’t get around that. 

Maybe you’re wondering – what’s a peptide anyway?

A peptide is a small protein fragment that your body makes to signal a process in your body. 

BPC 157 (BPC = Body Protective Complex) is what your body makes to heal tendons and ligaments as well as muscle strains.

I often pair BPC 157 with TB500 (Thymosin Beta-4) to help with deep healing and repair in a body that’s been overtrained or struggling with chronic pain, fatigue and more. 

Thymosin B-4 has been one of my go-to for hypothyroid conditions that won’t respond to traditional treatment and it’s also an amazing immune support peptide.

Why haven’t I been more vocal about these?

They are expensive and many people weren’t willing to spend the money on them when they could purchase supplements for similar complaints. 

So I stopped recommending them along with my fear of them not being available once I got someone on them. 

I realize this was an error on my part. 

I’m now kicking myself and speaking up because they are amazing and yes they are spendy but they can save you money in the long run. 

Same goes for all the peptides ending in “tide” they are amazing for weight loss from 100+ pounds to dialing in body composition at 10-20 pound weight loss. 

Perhaps you’ve heard of them referred to as GLP-1’s – that’s the generic peptide term for  Semaglutide (version of Ozempic) and Tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro) – marketed as weight loss injections for those with diabetes. 

Thing is – they also help with metabolic fatty liver and microbiome issues as well. 

Some have found them to help with Parkinson’s, Alzheimers and other neurodegenerative conditions. 

Hmmm….perhaps there’s a connection to blood sugar, microbiome, liver health and your nervous system.

You’d know that because you’ve read my emails but no one is talking about this – so here I am!

Doctors, nutritionists and weight loss coaches are divided on the use of the peptides. 

And for good measure – there are side effects and once you stop you have to have your nutrition dialed in to keep the weight off. 

My biggest stipulation with anyone I put on these is that you have to be eating 1 gram per body weight or ideal body weight (if over 150+ pounds) per day and you have to be lifting weights. 

Keep in mind – the mainstream folks got the data from weightlifting and fitness research dating back to the 1980’s. 

Because the GLP-1’s slow down the digestive system I’m very cautious with those who struggle with acid reflux, constipation and other digestive complaints.

But here’s the thing – I know many people are turning to the dark web to get their hands on these thing because their insurance denies coverage.

Cost of a pharmaceutical GLP-1 is often over $1000 a month. 

Compounding GLP-1’s are getting close but the research only websites I use are cheaper. 

For those of you who want to lose 10-30 pounds microdosing peptides is an option.

It requires weekly to a few times a week injections (known as split dosing).

The injections are performed with an insulin syringe and placed into the subcutaneous tissue – aka tissue above your muscles. 

It’s not too painful once you get used to it and some people don’t feel them much at all. 

Using peptides is an easy way to support your body when supplements do not seem to work for you. 

Keep in mind all peptides have different ways to dose them such as BPC 157 and TB 500 are a daily injection vs the common weekly for the GLP-1 peptides. 

While there are guidelines for using them you can go “rogue” and figure out what works best for you. 

A little bump up from the regular dose, a split dose or a micro dose are all acceptable. 

The key is consulting with someone who is familiar with peptides. 

There are a lot more peptides than what I’ve mentioned here today – from…

• Cerebrolysin for brain health
• CJC 1295/Ipamorelin for growth hormone boosting and sleep
• DSIP – (Delta Sleep Inducing Peptide) for deep sleep
• Mots-C for supporting your adrenal glands after a stressful time period in life. 

There is a peptide to support most organ conditions and while I’ve not tried some of the more obscure ones there is ultimately a peptide for almost everything. 

I do think peptides have the potential to support an aging body as peptide production decreases with age. 

And if you’re not great at eating protein you’ll have less peptide production in general.

I see peptides as a tool to age better. 

At this point I’ve found them to be very helpful as long as you’re following the guidelines to minimize side effects. 

If you’re interested in using peptides I’m going to do a masterclass on them on Thursday August 22nd at 5:30 p PST.

Click HERE to register to join! RSVP – even if you can’t make it to get the replay. 

And I have a podcast sharing my stories of peptides that dropped today – click HERE to listen in.

Got questions on peptides – hit reply! 

Here’s to your health,

Dr. J

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