Do peptides need a prescription?

The FDA approved peptides, like semaglutide, tirzepatide, tesamorelin, and bremelanotide, require a prescription in the US. The unapproved research peptides, like BPC-157, TB-500, and the growth hormone secretagogues, are not prescription drugs at all: they are sold as research chemicals not intended for human use, so there is no prescribing pathway, and a compounding pharmacy dispensing one for a person is operating in a legally unsettled area this site does not advise on.

Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.

Part of research peptides, the category. What research peptides are, legally and practically, before getting into specific compounds.