Barely a week goes by without a patient mentioning peptides. They've seen them on Instagram, heard about them on a podcast, or been recommended something by a friend who swears by BPC-157for their bad shoulder or a growth hormone peptide for better sleep. The question I get is almost always the same: should I try them?
The honest answer is: it depends entirely on which peptide you're talking about and most people don't know there's a meaningful difference.
Some peptide-based medications are among the most important therapeutic advances in recent decades. GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide have transformed how we manage obesity and type 2 diabetes. Insulin, a peptide, has been keeping people alive for over a century. These are peptides that went through rigorous clinical trials, have well-understood mechanisms, and have demonstrated genuine benefit.
Then there's the other category. Compounds like BPC-157, TB-500, and Melanotan-II — often sold online, frequently injected, and almost universally described with terms like "recovery," "anti-ageing," and "optimising cellular health." Compelling language. Much thinner evidence. And real risks, including contamination, incorrect dosing, and unknown long-term effects. The TGA has issued a specific warning about importing these products — and we've recently seen a disturbing case of a teenager developing abnormal moles afterf using Melanotan-II to tan.
That doesn't mean every unapproved peptide is useless. It means we don't yet know enough to use them safely and confidently outside a research setting.
If you're curious about peptides, or already using them, come and have a conversation. There's no judgement here. But there are better and worse ways to approach this, and I'd rather help you think it through.
