In this video Dr. Ashley Frazee shares anecdotal reports from over 100 individuals who have used a variety of peptides. She frames the discussion as a collection of personal stories rather than medical advice, emphasizing the wide spectrum of outcomes—from dramatic healing and performance gains to no effect or adverse reactions. The video walks through the most talked‑about peptides, starting with the “Wolverine stack” (BPC‑157 and TB‑500) and moving through growth‑hormone releasing analogs (Sermorelin, CJC‑1295/Ipamorelin), newer GLP‑1‑related compounds (retatrutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide), gut‑targeting peptides (BPC‑157 oral, KPV, GHK‑copper), and mitochondrial peptides (MOTS‑c, SS31/elamipretide). For each, Dr. Frazee relays specific user experiences—rapid injury recovery, sleep improvement, weight loss, muscle growth, skin reactions, and gastrointestinal benefits—while also noting reports of side effects such as skin allodynia, cystic acne, injection‑site welts, and shingles. She repeatedly stresses the lack of formal approval, the regulatory gray‑area, and her inability to prescribe many of these compounds. The narrative culminates in a call for better access to qualified medical oversight, higher‑quality peptide sourcing, and more systematic research, inviting viewers to share their own experiences.
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I've talked to over 100 people who have used peptides, and what they've told me isn't what some regulatory agencies or what most doctors want you to hear. Some of these people swear peptides changed their lives. Some felt absolutely nothing, and some, they're still trying to figure out why it worked for their gym buddy but not for them. I'm Dr. Ashley Frazee, and after making over 20 videos on peptides, I've had more conversations with real people about their experiences than I ever expected, and the range has just Surprised me. And I know you're looking for answers here— what peptides are worth trying. But let me be clear up front, I'm not telling you to take anything in this video. I'm just sharing what people have told me— the good, the bad, the weird, and the wow, really? Because in reality, I don't think I or even other doctors can stop people from pretending to be researchers and buying these compounds themselves anyway. I'm going to start with the most popular peptides I hear about. BPC-157 and TB-500. These 2 peptides together are nicknamed the Wolverine stack. To be honest, for a long time when people asked me about using these peptides, I would just say meh. And I even said that in a video, and I'll tell you where that was coming from. You know, it just doesn't tend to work for me or for about half of the people I've talked to who've tried it. But there's a whole other half that I just hadn't met yet. Now I have some stories that are just Wild. For example, I talked to a man named A. I have to blur some of the details here to respect people's anonymity. Now, A tore several ligaments in one of his joints, so he decided to come do PRP with me, and then he followed that with BPC-157 and TB-500. Now, this injury that he had was so bad that the expected recovery time he was told was a full year, and he has a pretty physical job, so that was pretty disheartening to hear. But when I talked to him again about 6 weeks after the injury. He was out of the brace he was supposed to be wearing, bearing weight on the joint, and the injury felt about 75% healed to him. Then there's A and J, both avid CrossFitters. I spend a lot of time with CrossFitters because that's how I exercise. Both of them had wrist pain right here. It's classic in CrossFit. I see it all the time. Each of them started BPC-157 and TB-500, and within a couple of days, the pain was gone. I can't make this stuff up. And then there's G. This one's probably my favorite. See, G competed in a major competition and then a series of unfortunate accidents happened. So he was really beat up. He ended up using BPC-157, TB-500, and Sermorelin. And the people around him started asking how he was healing so fast from these injuries. Now these stories sound amazing, right? But not everyone gets these kinds of results. And I have plenty of people who tell me that they tried peptides and nothing happened. Let's talk more about Sermorelin. Sermorelin is a growth hormone releasing hormone analog designed to help with recovery and sleep. I've had people tell me that they've tried it and ended up sleeping like babies. I've talked to people who are even able to get off of prescription sleep meds because of it, but others tell me they noticed zero difference. I spoke to somebody who told me that they use CJC-1295 mixed with ipamorelin, classic stack. They did it very inconsistently, and yet they noticed massive quad growth and strength gains from their lifting sessions. And that very same person also told me that they felt really roid ragey, which is why they didn't use it consistently, which does make sense. I mean, growth hormone analogs can do that to some people. Here's something you might be interested in. Let's talk about retatrutide. If you don't already know, retatrutide is a newer, better version of semaglutide and tirzepatide. It hits GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors. It's not approved for human use yet, but people are getting their hands on it. Now, the reason it's getting so much hype is that people believe that its nutrient partitioning and side effect profile allow them to stay active and continue heavy weight training. So it's really popular in the peptide underground. Now, that is not proven science, just so you know, but here's what people have told me. I know a man named B. B told me he lost about 20 pounds with what felt like very little effort, and he was still lifting very, very heavy in the gym. A woman named Dee told me that after 3 doses, they lost about 6 pounds and felt their brain fog improve. M told me it was the first time in years that they felt like they had control over their binge eating. Sounds incredible, right? But again, I can't endorse this. I'm just sharing what people have shared with me. But also, people have told me about some interesting side effects using the peptide. R told me that retatrutide made their skin sensitive. All over, which is now known as a rare side effect, which is allodynia, where your skin just hurts to the touch. And speaking of painful skin, after helping several hundred people using GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss, the number of people I've seen who developed shingles while using them made me raise an eyebrow. Now, even with all of that, I'm still finding more good things about the GLP drugs than bad, like with my friend V, who told me that she lost weight on Semaglutide, then stopped it because she was at her goal, but realized that it had been calming inflammation in her body so much that she forgot that she had carpal tunnel. So now she microdoses it to keep the carpal tunnel at bay. And how many of you use semaglutide or tirzepatide for chronic diarrhea? Because my friend M started retatrutide and his diarrhea was gone within 3 doses. Another 2 people I've met, let's call them T and J, Both had diarrhea chronically, uncontrollably, to the point where they were afraid to leave their houses on certain days. But while using tirzepatide, they have no fear. And GLP-1 drugs affect gut motility, so this actually makes sense. And speaking of gut health, let's talk about BPC-157, which is a peptide that is derived from body protecting compound in the gut, which we think is a major player in the ability of your cells to Turnover and protect the stomach lining. So people try using BPC-157 to improve their gut health. Personally, I talked to a lady named B who used oral BPC-157, oral KPV, and injectable GHK copper, and 3 years of gut inflammation felt gone within a week. I've talked to somebody who had chronic heartburn that cleared up after using oral BPC-157. Now, injectable BPC-157 is not allowed to be compounded for human use. But oral BPC-157 is actually allowable to be sold as a supplement for now. So there's a link for that in my description if you want to see an example. Speaking of BPC-157, people love to try the Glow Blend, which is 3 peptides, BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK copper all in one. People try it to see if they can get skin and hair benefits. And this one, you can read all over the internet stories about glowing skin, faster hair growth, no problem at all. But I've also met 2 people who have told me that they get cystic acne flares every time they try it. GHK copper is known for collagen production and wound healing, but it can also increase oil production in some people. So that one makes sense to me. Then there's a peptide called KPV. This is a fragment of a hormone called alpha MSH, and people try it for gut and skin inflammation. It's researched for some gut inflammation as well. After talking with a couple of people, they told me that their autoimmune rashes and GI symptoms felt completely gone after using KPV. I also had somebody say that they used KPV and never had eczema again. Then I spoke to another person who told me that they were fine while they were using KPV, but when they stopped it, they had the worst eczema flare of their life. Seems like something that should be used under supervision if you ask me. Okay, now let's talk about mitochondrial peptides. This is a mitochondrial-derived peptide. It's one that we make in our bodies. The most popular reason that people try this peptide is for energy and endurance. Kind of like a pre-workout peptide. One person who tried MOTS-c told me that they couldn't tolerate exercise for the last 5 years. Their body just couldn't recover from any sessions. But after just 3 weeks of using MOTS-c, they could exercise and recover properly. If you look all over the internet, you'll see people talking about MOTS-c giving them massive injection site welts, and then you'll see a bunch of advice on using KPV right after that to just calm the welt down. So I met someone who tried that and it didn't work at all. Same compound, different bodies. Now MOTS-c is designed for mitochondrial biogenesis and endurance and a few other things, but there's another peptide that is designed for mitochondrial stability, SS31. Basically, it helps stabilize a protein in the mitochondrial membrane that keeps the membrane from falling apart, which is important given that this is the site where all of your energy is made. So it's pretty important that it remains intact. Here's what people have told me after using SS31. My joint pain is suddenly gone. My fatigue is gone. I no longer have to take naps in the middle of the day. What's interesting about SS31 is it actually has human clinical data behind it. It's FDA approved under the name elamipretide, and it's approved for a very rare mitochondrial disease. And the best part about that is that we can see that it has a very low side effect profile. It's just that it's patented, so most people aren't getting pharmaceutical-grade SS31 due to regulations and costs. They're buying research peptides online. And that brings us to a really big question that you probably have, and one that I'll publicly state that I share with you. See, what's it going to take to get peptides into the hands of more qualified people who understand their mechanisms and their safety profiles, and to also those who can Prove their products are quality and consistent. Can we at least make it more accessible to doctors like me who are just chomping at the bit to help you with MOTS-c dosing, SS31 protocols, or BPC-157 injury recovery? Because as of right now, February of 2026, I can't do that officially. I'm a doctor, but basically I'm being forced to be a bystander watching what people are doing, hoping that the people trying to make money off of peptides are being responsible about it. And let me know in the comments, Have you tried peptides? What did you experience, good or bad? We might never have the research that gets this stuff approved for the reasons that people are using them, but I think we're just in an age now where sometimes human experiences are having to be worth more than the studies. And I'm sure somebody's going to tell me I should lose my license for saying that. Anyway, I'm Dr. Ashley Frazee. If you didn't know already, I like to geek out on peptides. I like to make information available and understandable. If you like this video, please hit like for me, subscribe to my channel, and I'll keep trying my best for you. You guys have the best day.
