A peptide product was tested. It was claimed to contain epimelanin. Lab results found zero percent detected. What it did contain? Arsenic and lead.

That's the answer to one of the most common questions our panel on peptides received: how do you safely source peptides?

When compounding access was restricted, the demand didn't disappear, it just moved underground. "The gray market is what took over when they restricted and took away the compounding for us," and compared it to the shift to the Dallas Buyers Club era, where cutting off what was working for people just drove it into an unregulated space.

And, they say, it really is dangerous. Anything injectable, even something as ordinary as vitamin B12, is classified as a dangerous drug once safety protocols disappear. Buying it without any oversight opened the door to adulterated, sub-therapeutic, and toxic products reaching consumers who were sold on it through social media with no medical supervision at all.

@delbigtree