Who this guide is for
This guide is for men who are curious about peptides such as sermorelin, tesamorelin, NAD+ or the recovery peptides, and want to know what a first appointment actually involves before they call. It walks through the visit in the order it happens, says what to bring at each stage and explains the conversation about regulation that every first consultation includes.
Expect an evaluation rather than a sales pitch. Some men leave with a plan. Others learn that the peptide they read about is not currently available through a licensed pharmacy, or that their labs point to a different problem worth solving first. Both are useful results of a first visit.
The visit at a glance
| Step | What happens | Roughly when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Free 10-minute phone call | Goals, history, medicines, sport testing | Day one |
| 2. Blood draw | IGF-1 plus metabolic and hormone markers, drawn on site | Within days of the call |
| 3. One-on-one consultation | Results, candidate peptides and the FDA status of each | Once results are back, usually 24 to 48 hours |
| 4. First injection lesson | Taught in the clinic with a small insulin-type needle | When your peptide arrives |
| 5. Check-in | Follow-up labs and a review of how you feel | Six to eight weeks after starting |
Step 1: the free phone call
The call is short and practical. A team member asks what you hope a peptide will help with, such as recovery from a stubborn injury, sleep and body composition, or energy, and what you have already tried. They will ask about your medicines, any diagnosis of diabetes or cancer, and whether you compete in a drug-tested sport.
Have these ready:
- A list of medicines and supplements, with doses
- Any lab reports from the past year
- Names of any peptides you have used before, and where they came from
- Your sport and testing body, if you compete
The call ends with a lab appointment at San Gabriel or Downey. It is also the right moment to ask whether the specific peptide you are interested in is currently obtainable at all, because the answer has changed several times in 2026.
Step 2: blood work, including IGF-1
Peptide labs start with IGF-1, a marker that reflects growth hormone activity. MedlinePlus explains that growth hormone itself swings through the day with food and activity, while IGF-1 stays steadier, which makes it the practical baseline for growth-hormone-releasing peptides.
Metabolic markers matter just as much. The tesamorelin (Egrifta SV) label asks for IGF-1 monitoring during treatment and for glucose to be evaluated before and during therapy, because raising growth hormone can push blood sugar up. Hormone, kidney and liver markers fill out the picture. Our page on blood work before peptide therapy explains each marker, and the one on IGF-1 on sermorelin and tesamorelin shows how the number is used once treatment starts.
Draws are done on site, and results usually come back in 24 to 48 hours.
Step 3: the consultation and each peptide’s FDA status
You sit down one-on-one with a PA-C or MD to go through your results and goals. Then comes the part many men find most useful: a straight account of where each candidate peptide stands with the FDA, so you know what you are agreeing to.
| Peptide | Status as of October 2026 | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Tesamorelin | FDA-approved (Egrifta) for reducing excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy | Other uses are off-label; it is a biologic, so it cannot be compounded |
| Sermorelin | Formerly FDA-approved as Geref; still compounded | Comes from a licensed U.S. compounding pharmacy |
| NAD+ | Widely available as an injection and IV | Evidence for benefits is early and small |
| BPC-157, TB-500 | Removed from the FDA’s safety-concern list in April 2026; an advisory committee voted 8 to 6 in July 2026 to recommend them for 503A compounding | No final rule; availability is unsettled, so ask before planning around them |
| GHK-Cu | Removed from the same list in April 2026; review expected by early 2027 | Status unsettled |
| CJC-1295, ipamorelin, AOD-9604 | Not eligible for compounding | Not offered |
The sources behind that table are public. The FDA’s page on bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks records the April changes, and the agenda for the July 2026 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting covers the vote. Leaving the safety-concern list does not, on its own, make a substance eligible for compounding. Our article on the FDA’s 2026 peptide decisions explains the difference in plain terms.
Questions worth asking at this stage:
- Which peptide fits my goal, and what does the evidence for it actually show?
- Is it FDA-approved, compounded or neither, and which pharmacy would supply it?
- What side effects should I expect in the first few weeks?
- Which labs will we recheck, and when?
- What would make us stop or change the plan?
Step 4: your first injection, taught in the clinic
If a peptide fits, it comes from a licensed U.S. compounding pharmacy or, for tesamorelin, as the approved product. It can be shipped to you or held at the clinic. Your first dose is given in the clinic so you learn the technique with someone watching.
The lesson covers:
- Washing hands and setting out the vial, alcohol swabs, syringe and a sharps container
- Mixing the vial if your product arrives as a powder, using only the liquid named on its label
- Drawing up the amount your provider set, on a small insulin-type syringe
- Choosing a site: MedlinePlus lists the belly at least 2 inches from the navel, the outer thigh and the back of the upper arm
- Pinching the skin, injecting and moving each new injection at least an inch from the last
- Disposing of the syringe safely and logging the dose
Our guides to reconstituting peptides and storing peptides and injectables are good references for the days after.
Step 5: the six-to-eight-week check-in
The first formal review comes six to eight weeks after you start. Follow-up labs show whether IGF-1, glucose and other markers have moved as expected, and the conversation covers how you feel, how injections are going and any side effects. Adjustments happen here, including stopping if the peptide is not doing anything useful for you.
Between visits, call the clinic at 626-319-5261 if you notice:
- Redness, warmth or a lump at an injection site that grows instead of fading
- Swelling in your hands or feet, or joint aches that keep building
- Unusual thirst or urination, which can signal rising blood sugar
- A vial that looks cloudy, discolored or has particles in it
Call 911 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, hives with trouble breathing, chest pain, or sudden weakness or slurred speech.
How Ultimate Male runs your first peptide visit
Our peptide therapy program at San Gabriel and Downey keeps the order above for every new patient: labs before any recommendation, a one-on-one consultation with a PA-C or MD, and a plain answer about each peptide’s regulatory status, including when the answer is that a product cannot currently be supplied. If a peptide does not fit, you hear why, and what else your results suggest.
Care is direct-pay with itemized receipts, and financing is available through CareCredit, Prosper Healthcare Lending and Afterpay. Your plan is quoted before you commit, and the peptide therapy cost page explains what goes into it. To start, call 626-319-5261 or book your first visit.
