Peptide ‘Stacks’ Are All Over Social Media – One GP Explains Why She’s Concerned
Hailey Bieber has spoken publicly about injectable peptides. Main image – Jeffrey Mayer
Dr Sonia Khorana is a GP with a special interest in dermatology and Live That Glow’s own skincare agony aunt. She is passionate about helping people feel confident in their own skin. In this month’s column, she advises on the rise in online peptide ‘stacks’ sales. Got a question for Dr Sonia? Send it to columnists@livethatglow.com for a chance to have it featured.
I keep seeing people online talking about buying peptide “stacks” and injecting them at home, and it honestly scares me a bit! Are these actually safe, and is there any real benefit to them?
Dr Sonia says:
There’s an important distinction to make here because peptides aren’t inherently dangerous.
We already have very effective peptide-based medicines that have gone through extensive clinical testing and regulatory approval. The GLP-1 medicines used for weight management and diabetes, such as semaglutide(wegovy) and tirzepatide(mounjaro), are good examples. There are also peptides used in skincare, where they can have a useful role in supporting the skin.
What concerns me is the trend for people to buy injectable peptides online and create their own “stacks” – often combining several different peptides. Many of these products are not licensed medicines, and some are being sold through websites that are not regulated pharmacies.
The fact that something is described as a “research peptide” or is being widely discussed on social media does not mean it has been proven to be safe or effective in humans. Regulatory bodies have raised concerns around a number of these products, including questions around their quality, purity, dosing and lack of clinical evidence.
There may be interesting science behind some of these molecules, and that is probably why they have become so popular online, but promising biology isn’t the same as proven clinical benefit. For many of the injectable peptides being marketed for anti-ageing, muscle gain, recovery or fat loss, we simply don’t have the same level of robust human evidence that we have for licensed medicines.
The other issue is what are you actually injecting? If you buy an injectable product from an unregulated source, you can’t necessarily be confident about its contents, concentration, sterility or how it has been manufactured and stored.
That introduces risks that have nothing to do with the peptide itself – including contamination, infection, incorrect dosing or simply receiving something different to what is written on the label. UK regulators specifically warn about the risks associated with buying medicines from unauthorised online sources.
So my advice would be: don’t take an injectable peptide simply because it’s trending on TikTok or Instagram, and certainly don’t inject something bought from an unregulated website at home. If there is a genuine medical indication for a peptide based treatment, speak to a qualified medical professional and use a properly regulated, evidence based product.
I think we’re going to see much more interest in peptides over the next few years, and that’s exciting. But we need to separate the genuinely promising science from the online hype. With any injectable treatment, “natural”, “peptide” or “research use” doesn’t automatically mean safe.
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