Peptides

What are common amounts of a peptide/peptides to take? 

How much of a peptide you take depends a lot on your individual body, the peptide you're using and what you're using it for.

We recommend you do your research before using any peptide to figure out what type and dose will work best for you. Many dosage recommendations for peptides are based on community reports, rather than scientific studies, so be cautious when starting to use peptides.

If you're using a peptide that isn't prescribed to you, it's best to use a smaller amount and wait several weeks before increasing your dose. This gives you time to see how your body reacts and if you experience any side effects.

There are various online resources on dosing peptides, including AI dosing calculators. If you're using these, remember that they are not medical advice. They also don't take into account the fact that non-prescription products may not contain the doses or ingredients that they claim.

There isn’t really any research on these [new peptides] so I feel like my plan is to start really small instead of going all out.

Advice from person using a drug checking service. 

How can you be safer with peptides?

• Get your injecting equipment and advice from a needle exchange. They can help make sure you get the right gear and can answer your questions around injecting technique and risks. All the injecting equipment at Needle Exchange programmes in New Zealand is free. You can see more about subcutaneous injection of peptides here. Needles and other injecting gear from online vendors are not guaranteed to be sterile and are best to avoid. 
• Keep a close eye on injecting sites. Remember that non-prescription peptide products may not be sterile, which could lead to infection when injected. Using bacteriostatic water to reconstitute peptides does not completely remove the risk of bacterial contamination. If you have prolonged tenderness where you injected, redness around the site, hard lumps or bumps or the area becomes hot, swollen or oozes pus seek medical attention as soon as possible. These could be signs of infection from a contaminated product or incorrect injecting technique. Some needle exchanges also have free wound care services.
• Start slow and keep an eye on your health. It's best to start with a small amount and keep an eye out for any side effects. Be extra cautious if you are ‘stacking’ peptides together - there is no research on how these substances might interact in your body. Keep an eye out for side effects or any unusual symptoms and talk to a medical professional if you feel unwell.
• Get your bloods checked. Get regular blood tests to monitor your health when using peptides. This can help to identify issues early.  If your doctor knows what you are using and any side effects you are experiencing, they can help you get the right care. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about peptide use with your GP, you can pay to get tests done privately, e.g. through Awanui Labs BODYiQ. If you have any results on your lab tests that are considered ‘abnormal’, it's important to follow up with a medical professional.
• Be sceptical of claims made by online sellers. Most peptides have very little clinical evidence and research on their effects. Online vendors are not pharmaceutical companies and do not have to make sure their products are safe. These sellers can make any claims they like - including making up test results of products. PedTest Australia has a scammer list of online vendors that may be selling risky products.
• Don’t trust everything you see on online forums and social media. Online forums, Reddit, and information on social media is not the same as clinical evidence. Take information you get from these sources with a grain of salt and don’t assume that your experience with peptides will be the same as someone else’s. Keep an eye out for peer reviewed research and use reliable information sources such as Safe Pulse and PED test Australia. Hi-Grounds general resources on performance and image enhancing drugs may also be useful for people using peptides.

Can I take my peptides to drug checking to find out what’s in them?

Unfortunately, drug checking services cannot detect peptides at the moment. Drug checking also cannot identify contaminants such as mould, heavy metals or bacteria that can cause significant harm.

If you bring a peptide sample into drug checking, we can look for other substances - such as drugs, binders and fillers that may be in your peptide. Our article goes into more depth on the PIEDs that we can and can’t test.

What happens if you overdose on peptides?

Taking too much of some peptides over a short period of time can be risky and cause health issues.

If you feel anxious, nauseous, have diarrhoea, have tenderness or redness at your injection site, call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116). 

Signs you are having a more severe reaction include: 

• Feeling dizzy
• Having serious muscle pain
• Very dark urine
• Persistent nausea, vomiting and/or severe stomach pain
• Confusion
• Loss of consciousness

Call 111.

There is also a risk from contamination in peptide products. This can lead to health issues, especially when injected – including serious infections and sepsis.

It is important to know the signs and symptoms of infection at your injection site so you can get this treated before the infection worsens or spreads. Common symptoms include redness, tenderness, hard lumps or hot skin around the injection site.  For more information, see the NZ Needle Exchange resources.  

Infection can quickly lead to sepsis which can be deadly. Signs of sepsis include very high or low temperature, breathlessness, sudden changes in mental state, severe headache and rashes (read more about sepsis on Healthify). Sepsis is a medical emergency - Call 111.

A reddit user talks about a friend’s overdose experience with Melanotan II.

He experienced extreme nausea, complete loss of appetite, a heavy feeling of discomfort, and basically had an almost constant erection for the entire night.

What do comedowns from anabolic steroids feel like, and how can you feel better?

From a single or very short-term use of peptides, it is very unlikely you will experience comedowns like you would with other drugs such as MDMA and methamphetamine. 

However, many people report experiencing a variety of effects after stopping peptide use or taking breaks between peptide ‘cycles’.  If you stop using peptides, especially going ‘cold turkey’ (stopping without tapering slowly) you might feel very tired and lethargic, have a flat mood or other mood changes, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, internal tremors (sensations of shaking or vibrating inside the body), increased food noise and/or appetite, weight gain and changes to your sleep.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, try to: 

• Get plenty of rest and sleep.
• Remember to eat and drink plenty of water.
• Get moving to release feel-good brain chemicals.
• Reach out and talk with friends and whānau for support.
• Relax and do things that you enjoy to take your mind off not feeling well.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and other drugs.
• Practise mindfulness and deep breathing and try writing down your thoughts and feelings.

If any of these symptoms intensify or don't go away, then call a Doctor or Healthline 0800 611 116. They can talk you through the next steps

If you or someone around, you:

• Has chest pain
• Has a seizure
• Loses consciousness
• Has a high fever
• Has severe pain anywhere in the body
• Experiences severe vomiting 

Call 111. These are signs that something more serious is going on. You or the people around you should act quickly. 

A reddit user talks about the effects from stopping peptides ipamorelin and CJC-1295:

I wake up feeling like I did in high school. Could keep hitting the snooze button all morning which hasn’t been me in 25 yrs. Energy levels are low but a bit better in the mornings. But by mid-afternoon I just crash and need to dig deep to just get through work. I’m in bed by 8pm instead of 10.

What are the long-term effects of using peptides?

Taking peptides will impact your body, particularly if you use them regularly. As very little research has been done on non-prescription peptides, many of the long-term impacts are still unknown. We also don’t know much about how these peptides interact with other medications and other health conditions.  

Using peptides that aren't prescribed to you, especially over a long period of time, carries the risk of being exposed to contaminants that may cause long-term harm to your body. For example, heavy metal contamination in products can build up in the body over time. Heavy metals can cause serious long-term impacts on the heart, liver and kidneys. It can cause affect your hormones and increase your risk of developing various cancers.

Early and emerging research on some peptides suggest that they could cause hormone imbalances, increase the risk of developing cancers, accelerate tumour growth and cause gastrointestinal problems, gall bladder issues, metabolic changes and loss of muscle mass. We are unlikely to know the long-term impacts of many of these substances for many years.

Injecting drugs subcutaneously (into the fatty tissue just beneath the skin) over the long-term can come with some risks, which are made worse by using improper gear or injecting techniques, or injecting products with contamination, binders and fillers. These risks include permanent tissue damage, scarring, fat redistribution at injection sites and scarring. 

How do you manage withdrawal from peptides?

See the 'Making changes' page for more information on how to Manage withdrawal from drugs and alcohol.

Peptides don’t generally cause withdrawal symptoms like other drugs such as opioids, alcohol or benzodiazepines. We don’t fully understand what withdrawal from peptides might look like because there is limited research. However, people stopping peptides report a variety of side effects. Many report that the changes they initially wanted (e.g. build muscle, lose weight) disappear after they stop using peptides.

Some people choose to taper their dose over a period of several weeks or months which can reduce the chance of experiencing unpleasant effects.

The effects from stopping can vary depending on how large a dose you take, how long you have used them for and your individual body. Shortly after stopping peptide use, you might:

• Feel tired or lethargic
• Feel increased hunger (with weight-loss peptides)
• Experience weight gain (with weight-loss peptides)
• Have headaches
• Nausea and/or gastrointestinal discomfort
• Have problems sleeping or changes to your sleep cycle
• Mood changes
• Experience muscle aches and pains 

You can try:  

• Consider counselling or support groups if feelings of anxiety and depression are getting worse. 
• Lean on a support network of friends, family and professionals. 
• Stick to a routine – waking up, eating well, keeping active and rewarding yourself with things that bring you joy. 
• Practise mindfulness by writing down your feelings, doing breathing exercises or meditating. 

If these symptoms worsen or don’t go away with time, call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116).

Chest pains, seizures, signs of a serious allergic reaction or loss of consciousness are signs something serious might be going on. Call 111.

How can peptides affect your daily activities? 

Generally, peptides are not likely to affect your ability to go about your daily activities, including working and driving. 

Although some peptides (GLP-1) can increase your risk of hypoglycaemia (severe low blood sugar). Hypoglycaemia can cause shakiness, dizziness, confusion, sweating and light-headedness, which can be dangerous when driving or doing some work activities. If you are predisposed to low blood sugar, or experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia it is important to monitor your symptoms.

Are peptides illegal?

Many popular peptides in New Zealand are regulated under the Medicines Act. This means that if you don’t have a prescription, possessing or buying them is against the law. It is also illegal to import, sell or make peptides under the Medicines Act. 

You can read more about scheduled peptides in New Zealand here, but note that new peptides are regularly scheduled under the Medicines Act.

Medsafe has also released a warning about unregulated, non-prescription peptides.

To find out more about the law around legal and controlled drugs, including anabolic steroids, see our Drugs and the law page.