Guides
Long-form, organised by where you are in your peptide journey. Pick the track that matches you and read from the top.
Get told when a peptide changes legal status
12+ peptides are moving categories with the FDA right now. Drop your email and we'll send you the first-cycle starter checklist, plus a short note any time one of these gets reclassified, so you're not finding out from a vendor.
No spam. No selling your email. Just the checklist and the occasional reclassification alert.
Start here, the foundations
If you don't know a peptide from a peanut, this track gets you to confident in under an hour.
- 01Pepdex A-Z: zero to first cycle6 min
Never touched peptides? Read this first. 8 minutes, end-to-end. The whole landscape in plain English.
Read - 02Research-only labels: what they actually mean (in plain English)4 min
Why most peptides say 'Not for human consumption' even though humans use them. The label is a regulatory category, not a safety verdict.
Read - 03Peptides vs steroids, SARMs, supplements4 min
Are peptides like steroids? Like SARMs? Like supplements? Here's where they actually fit, and why it matters.
Read - 04Peptide myths and misconceptions4 min
10 things 'everyone knows' about peptides that are wrong. Cleans out the bad info before you act on it.
Read - 05When to expect results, realistic timelines for every category4 min
How long until you actually feel something? By peptide category and by week, so you don't quit at week 3.
Read - 06What 'FDA approved,' 'WADA banned,' and 'Cat 1' actually mean6 min
What FDA approved, WADA banned, RUO, and Cat 1 actually mean. Plain English, zero acronyms left undecoded.
Read - 07When NOT to use peptides, the hard contraindications4 min
The contraindications. Pregnancy, active cancer, recent surgery, certain medications, pre-existing conditions. Read before you start anything.
Read - 08First-cycle FAQ, the questions everyone asks but few articles answer6 min
The blunt questions you have right now, answered without dancing around them.
Read
Track · 8 guidesBefore your first injection, the how-to
The mechanical stuff. Open a vial, mix it, draw the right amount, inject it correctly, store the rest.
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Before your first injection, the how-to
The mechanical stuff. Open a vial, mix it, draw the right amount, inject it correctly, store the rest.
- 01How to reconstitute a peptide vial without screwing it up3 min
How to mix peptide powder + BAC water without contaminating it.
Read - 02How much BAC water to use: 1, 2, 3, or 5 mL, and why it matters7 min
1, 2, 3, or 5 mL of BAC water? The choice changes injection volume, syringe math, and how long the vial lasts. Plain-English picker.
Read - 03Insulin syringes, units, mL, gauge, and the geometry behind dosing4 min
Reading units, mL, gauges, and why insulin syringes are the standard.
Read - 04Sub-q injection technique: where, how, and what not to do2 min
Where to inject, what angle, what not to do. Sub-q step by step.
Read - 05How to take peptides, sub-q, IM, nasal, or oral3 min
Sub-q, IM, intranasal, oral, what works for which peptide.
Read - 06Peptide storage: fridge, freezer, room temp, and what kills product2 min
Fridge vs freezer vs room temp. What degrades product.
Read - 07Mixing peptides in one syringe, what's safe, what's not4 min
When two peptides can share a syringe and when they need separate injections. Compatibility table for the common combos.
Read - 08Running out mid-cycle: what to do (and how to never do it again)5 min
Reorder timing, what to do if you run out, restarting after a forced break, emergency switching peptides.
Read
The complete kit you need before any first injection, syringes, alcohol pads, sharps disposal, vial storage, fridge thermometer. Top-rated picks, mid-priced sweet-spot.
Track · 13 guidesMake it actually work, timing, cycling, tracking
The concepts that separate a working protocol from a wasted vial. Read before cycle 2.
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Make it actually work, timing, cycling, tracking
The concepts that separate a working protocol from a wasted vial. Read before cycle 2.
- 01Half-life, what it means and why dosing depends on it3 min
Why some peptides need daily dosing and others weekly.
Read - 02Peptide cycling basics: when to take a break and why2 min
When and why to take breaks. Cycle length by peptide type.
Read - 03Stacking peptides, how to combine them without messing up the signal3 min
How to combine peptides without canceling out the signal.
Read - 04Adjusting your protocol: loading, plateaus, when to up the dose7 min
Loading phases, why nothing's happening yet, when to up the dose, when to drop, when to stop. The mid-cycle decisions that determine whether the peptide actually works.
Read - 05Coming off peptides, risks, rebound, and how to plan the exit8 min
Planning the exit, rebound risk, taper logic, what to expect.
Read - 06What bloodwork actually matters when you run peptides2 min
The exact panel to run before, during, and after a peptide cycle.
Read - 07Side-effect management: what's normal vs what's an emergency6 min
GLP-1 nausea, MT-2 flushing, injection-site welts. What's normal, what's a yellow flag, what's an ER trip, and what to actually do.
Read - 08First-week side effect calendar (what to expect, day by day)5 min
Day-by-day calendar of what's expected in week 1 by peptide class. The 'is this supposed to be happening?' answer.
Read - 09Journal & tracking: what to log, when, and why5 min
5 metrics, 60 seconds a day. The minimum-viable tracking that tells you whether your protocol is actually working.
Read - 10How to talk to your doctor about peptides (without losing them)6 min
Finding a peptide-friendly provider, how to bring it up at intake, what labs to ask for, what to do if your doctor refuses.
Read - 11Traveling with peptides: TSA, customs, hotels, ice packs5 min
TSA, customs by country, hotel fridges, ice packs, what happens if a vial gets warm. The travel guide that doesn't exist anywhere else.
Read - 12Peptides for women: what's different and what isn't5 min
What's actually different for women on peptides, cycle-phase dosing, contraception interactions, fertility, perimenopause. Most peptide content is written male-default.
Read - 13Pre-existing conditions: how they change the peptide calculus5 min
Hypothyroid + GLP, prediabetes + GH-axis, hypertension + MT-2, anxiety + nootropics. If you have an underlying condition, the math shifts.
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Quick lookups
Reference docs. No reading order, search and dip in when you need them.
Editorial & reference hubs
These aren't guides, they're the deep-dive landing pages on quality, evidence, blends, and Pepdex itself. Bookmark, don't binge.
What Pepdex is, what every tab does, what's free vs paid, the editorial discipline behind the catalog.
Four reminders + 5 articles on RUO meaning, contamination, quality, storage, and regional regulation.
Every test on a peptide Certificate of Analysis explained. The 7 things to verify before you trust a vial.
Strong / Moderate / Limited / Anecdotal, what each tier means and what it does NOT mean.
GLOW, KLOW, Wolverine, CJC+Ipa, BPC+TB-500, CagriSema, when to run a blend and when to run singles.
Supplements that pair with peptide protocols. Deficiency fixes, side effect controls, synergy gaps. Free to read, all of it.
12 non-peptide compounds peptide users research alongside their stack, NAD+, NMN, methylene blue, TUDCA, glutathione, and more. Tagged so you know exactly what class of molecule each one is.