Peptides, without the hype.
Peptide therapy is one of the most promising — and most oversold — corners of modern medicine. Dr. Simon's approach is the same one behind everything on this site: one specific compound at a time, evidence graded honestly, sourced legally, and monitored with labs.
What peptides are — and aren't.
Your body already runs on peptides: insulin, glucagon, and oxytocin are familiar examples. Scientists can make or modify peptides so they imitate, extend, or alter a biological signal — which is why a well-chosen peptide can act on one pathway rather than the whole endocrine system.
Unlike anabolic steroids, which directly replace or override a hormone, many therapeutic peptides work upstream — prompting your own glands and tissues to act. That specificity is the appeal. It is not a guarantee of safety or effectiveness, and "peptide" as a category tells you nothing about whether a specific product works, is legal, or is right for you.
The three legal categories
- FDA-approved drugs. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, tesamorelin, and bremelanotide (PT-141) have approved products for specific indications. Approval applies to that product and use — it doesn't transfer to copies or other uses.
- Compounded medications. Prepared for a specific patient by a licensed pharmacy under a prescription. Legitimate — but not FDA-reviewed for safety or effectiveness before marketing.
- "Research use only" chemicals. Sold online with no approval, no quality control for human use, and no lawful path to injection. We don't source from these, ever.
Peptides by goal — with their real status.
The names patients ask about most, grouped by goal. Status honest as of mid-2026; individual pages of marketing sites won't always tell you the third column.
GLP-1 & Dual Agonists
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are FDA-approved peptides with strong outcome data for diabetes and weight management. This is the best-evidenced peptide class in medicine — and the one where muscle-first support matters most. See Weight Loss & Muscle Performance.
BPC-157 · TB-500 · KPV
Studied for tissue, tendon, and gut repair — but the evidence is mostly animal-model, with no FDA-approved products and flagged safety-data gaps. July 2026 advisory votes supported compounding review; final FDA decisions are pending. Honest grade: preliminary.
Sermorelin · Ipamorelin · CJC-1295 · Tesamorelin
Secretagogues prompt your own growth-hormone release rather than replacing it. Tesamorelin holds a narrow FDA approval (HIV-associated lipodystrophy); the others are compounded or research-stage. Tracked with IGF-1 over 4–8 weeks.
MOTS-c · Epitalon · Semax · DSIP
Mitochondrial, sleep, and cognitive research names. Interesting mechanisms, thin human data, no approved products. If a website promises anti-aging results from these, it is selling ahead of the science.
GHK-Cu · PT-141
GHK-Cu has real cosmetic/topical evidence; injectable use is a different, unapproved category. PT-141 (bremelanotide) has one FDA-approved indication in premenopausal women — discussed properly in Sexual Health & Wellness.
MK-677 & Friends
Often marketed alongside peptides, MK-677 (ibutamoren) isn't a peptide at all — it's an oral secretagogue with FDA-flagged safety concerns. Category labels on sales sites are marketing, not pharmacology. Bring us the exact name; we'll grade the exact compound.
How peptides are obtained legally.
In July 2026, an FDA advisory committee recommended six ingredients — BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, Epitalon, and Semax — for the Section 503A compounding bulks list, and did not recommend DSIP. These were advisory votes, not drug approvals. The FDA has not made final decisions, so current access rules remain unchanged.
What that means in practice: FDA-approved peptide drugs require a prescription for their approved uses. Compounded peptides require a prescription and a licensed compounding pharmacy. "Research-only" websites are not pharmacies — products from them are not approved, prepared, or quality-controlled for human use.
How it works at this practice
- Evaluation first. A real visit: history, goals, exam, baseline labs. Peptides are never the first tool when foundations are broken.
- FDA-approved options first when one fits your goal.
- Compounded options only when legally available, clinically reasonable, and sourced from licensed US pharmacies — with informed consent about evidence limits.
- Monitoring always: baseline and follow-up labs, symptom tracking, and a defined stop/continue decision point.
- Sometimes the answer is no. If the honest grade is "not ready," you'll hear exactly that — and what to do instead.
The blood work that keeps peptide use honest.
Test before you start and again during a protocol. A baseline tells you where you stand; the follow-up tells you whether anything is actually happening.
| Lab | What it tells you | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| IGF-1 | The readout for growth-hormone-axis peptides — it should rise if a secretagogue is working. | Baseline, then 4–8 weeks into any GH-axis protocol. |
| hs-CRP | Systemic inflammation — relevant for healing peptides and overall safety. | Baseline and follow-up on most protocols. |
| Comprehensive metabolic panel | Liver enzymes and kidney function for safety monitoring. | Any protocol, any compound. |
| Goal-specific additions | A1c/insulin for metabolic goals, hormone panels where relevant, CBC when indicated. | Chosen at your evaluation. |
Labs are ordered and interpreted in the context of your full history at Rebel Med NW — in person in Seattle or by telemedicine across Washington State.
The Peptide Tracking Toolkit.
Two free tools in the Seattle Natural Doctor brand — one guide for the questions you have now, one workbook for the details you keep. No email wall; just use them.
Before-you-start guide
How to evaluate one specific offer at a time: legal categories, common names with their real status, COA literacy, storage, travel rules, and the exact questions to bring your clinician. 10 pages, cited to FDA/CDC/TSA sources.
Eleven-sheet tracking workbook
Vials, schedules, administration log, site rotation, wellness observations, labs, storage, and travel — kept private on your own device, in exactly the structure a clinician can use at your next visit.
Bring your completed records to a visit — decisions get better when they're based on what actually happened, not memory.
The exact info sheet for each compound.
These are the physician-written patient guides used at Rebel Med NW — what each peptide is, what the research does and doesn't show, honest risk framing, and safety instructions. Free to read before you ever book.
BPC-157
Tissue, joint, and gut-repair research — mostly animal-model, graded honestly, with the 2026 FDA compounding context.
Download the guide →TB-500 / Thymosin β4
Soft-tissue recovery signaling, often discussed alongside BPC-157 — plus the sports-eligibility warnings that matter.
Download the guide →GHK-Cu
The copper peptide: real topical/cosmetic evidence vs. injectable claims — and how to tell those categories apart.
Download the guide →MOTS-c
The mitochondrial-metabolic research peptide — mechanisms, early data, and what remains unproven in humans.
Download the guide →Semax
The nootropic research peptide — what the (largely Russian) literature shows, and its honest evidence grade.
Download the guide →Sermorelin
The growth-hormone-releasing analog: who considers it, IGF-1 monitoring, and realistic timelines.
Download the guide →Tesamorelin
The one GHRH analog with an FDA-approved indication — what that approval actually covers, and what it doesn't.
Download the guide →SS-31 / Elamipretide
The mitochondrial peptide discussed in Long COVID circles — trial status, access reality, and safety framing. Pairs with the Long COVID clinic.
Download the guide →Transparency: prescribed peptide care at the clinic includes written informed consent and an assumption-of-risk release — you can read both before your first visit. Every guide is educational, cites its sources (PMIDs included), and is not a prescription or medical advice.
Peptide therapy — common questions.
Are peptides legal?
It depends on the peptide. Some have FDA-approved products for specific uses; some are legally compounded with a prescription; many sold online are research-only chemicals that are not approved for human use. The July 2026 FDA advisory votes were about compounding review — not approvals — and final decisions remain pending. We review the current status of the exact compound you're asking about at your visit.
What's the difference between peptides and steroids?
Peptides are amino-acid chains that typically signal your body to produce or release hormones it already makes. Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that directly replace or override your own production. Different mechanisms, different risk profiles — and neither is a shortcut past foundations like sleep, training, and nutrition.
How long do peptides take to work?
It varies by compound and goal. Growth-hormone-axis peptides typically need 4–8 weeks for noticeable body-composition change, though IGF-1 can shift within a month. Healing applications are often evaluated over shorter windows. Every protocol at this practice includes a defined evaluation point where we decide — with data — whether to continue.
Do peptides require a prescription?
FDA-approved peptide drugs and compounded peptides both require a prescription from a licensed provider. Washington NDs have prescriptive authority appropriate to these evaluations. "No prescription needed" is a red flag that you're looking at a research-chemical seller, not a pharmacy.
Will Dr. Simon prescribe the peptide I read about?
Maybe — after an evaluation, if it's legally available, clinically reasonable for your situation, and you understand exactly where the evidence stands. And if it isn't appropriate, you'll get a straight answer and a better plan, which is worth more than a vial.
Is this page medical advice?
No. Everything here is educational — it doesn't diagnose, treat, or recommend any product, and it isn't a substitute for care from a licensed clinician who knows your history. For individual guidance, book a visit.
Curious about a specific compound?
Bring the exact name. You'll leave with its honest grade — and a plan either way.
Book a Peptide Consult