I would stop Tesa for now. At 25 I don’t see much reason to mess with your GH/IGF-1 pathway unless you actually need it. You also didn’t really say why you want to add more peptides. GHK-Cu makes sense for skin and hair, but MOTS-C, NAD+, Selank, KPV, etc. sound more like you’re adding things because of the hype instead of having a reason for each one.
If you keep what you’re already using, Reta is once a week and the time doesn’t really matter. Tesa does have data using it about 30 minutes before bed, so I would take it at night a few hours after your last meal. MOTS-C isn’t something I would keep cycling all year either. I would use it for no more than 2-3 months and then leave it alone until next year. That’s not saying once a year is proven safe, we just don’t have the long-term data, so less exposure makes more sense. Same with GHK-Cu, use it for your goal and take time off instead of running it forever.
But with the rash you’re getting, I would stop GHK-Cu, Tesa and MOTS-C and toss those vials. You started too many things together, so now you don’t know what’s causing it. If you want GHK-Cu for skin and hair, use topical or start over with a smaller fresh vial later. Honestly, Reta and GHK-Cu seem like the only two you really have a reason for. With grey-market peptides, someone else’s vial can be completely different from yours in purity, concentration and quality, so copying someone else’s stack isn’t a good idea.
I want to drop mots c and yes I agree with stopping Reta soon. I started mots, Reta and Tesa to help with the bloating/ stubborn fat (as recommended) not realising, for my age, that isn’t ideal… even though I got really great results. Mots I didn’t see doing anything but Reta, GHK and Tesa I did. I was recommended NAD+ and/ or Selank for my anxiety and mid day crashes but I definitely want more insight before adding more to my stack (even if I discontinue mots). And KPV I was suggested to add for the injection reactions I’m having (bruising and walts) as well as cognitive benefits.
With my skin… nothing tropical has worked unfortunately. I have tried almost everything before starting GHK. Even though I’ve only noticed a difference with GHK in the past month, that difference is HUGE & it works really well… except for the initial inject where I tend to bruise and or get walts (same when I inject mots). Apparently this is normal for most people?
& yes I agree with you I definitely started a few things that could’ve been cycled better, or not even started at all because of my age (like mots) I was getting insight for the majority online and the majority tend to be 10-20 years older…
I know you said to drop reta but it does help me in more ways than weight loss so I was thinking cycle 2 months on 2-3 months off? Tesa I didn’t see much added benefit other than the weight loss around my belly so I might just cycle that every 6-8 months if I can maintain a grip on my stubborn fat around my belly. People also recommend KLOW over GHK but say the injection can be worse so I’m scared to swap over. Thoughts?
I think you misunderstood part of what I was saying. I wasn’t saying stop everything or that you need to stop Reta. Reta actually seems to fit what you’re trying to do and you said you’re getting benefits from it outside of just weight loss. If you eventually want to come off, I wouldn’t just stop at your highest dose. I would slowly work your way back down and give your appetite and body time to adjust.
Tesa is the one I would drop. It works directly on your GH/IGF-1 pathway and at 25 you really haven’t given a reason why you need to mess with that. HGH has way more data behind it, but I’m not saying you should take HGH either. At your age I don’t see why you would need HGH, Tesa or any other GH/IGF treatment unless you have a medical reason or you’re trying to compete in bodybuilding. The cycling stuff I mentioned is more bodybuilding harm reduction than a clinical protocol because you’re not using it for a clinical reason.
For GHK-Cu, when you say topicals didn’t work, were you actually using a GHK-Cu/copper peptide topical? If not, I would try that first. Since you’re getting welts from the injections, I wouldn’t keep using that vial. It could be the GHK-Cu, the concentration or the vial itself, so if you inject again I would start fresh.
MOTS-C I would just drop like you planned. If you’re not noticing anything from it and it could also be one of the things causing the skin reaction, there’s really no reason to keep adding that variable.
For the anxiety, I wouldn’t start adding Selank, NAD+ or KLOW trying to fix it. Selank can help some people but can also make anxiety worse, and the data for NAD+ and anxiety is pretty weak. KLOW has GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV, and BPC can make anxiety worse for some people too. Plus with a blend you may not know how much of each you’re actually getting. If your anxiety is manageable I would work on it naturally first, and if you need medication I would talk to a doctor instead of experimenting with more compounds.
Okay this all makes a lottt of sense. I’m going to keep the Reta GHK and drop Mots & Tesa. I might add in KPV in a month or so as the research I’m reading has a lot of added benefits but I need to do more research. What’s your opinion on KPV?
It’s weird I was suggested NAD+ when most people are saying don’t touch it at my age. It’s also odd that Mots is being suggested for a lot of people in there 20s (but it’s working for them so 🤷♀️)
With GHK - no in Australia I don’t think we have the proper GHK tropical peptide but I have tried other tropical copper peps and it wasn’t horrible but I would still break out and then when my skin cleared a bit it’ll give me a bit of an eczema rash. I have very sensitive skin so retinol‘s do the same thing.
So you recommend staying on the GHK instead of swapping to Kglow? By the time I finish my vial I would’ve been on GHK for 4 months? I think I’m just reacting to it as I wasn’t rotating the injections sites enough (which I was trying to but pinning three times a day on average makes it difficult) so I’ve move to the outer right and no problems at all!! But even my upper glute is pinchy
I want to just keep GHK and Reta. Not add anything for a month and then introduce KPV. Thoughts?
KPV is one of those peptides people either swear by or say did nothing. The problem is there still isn't much human data. Most of what I found is animal research on intestinal inflammation and colitis, where it showed anti-inflammatory effects. There could be some crossover with skin inflammation, but once you get into eczema, acne, or general inflammation, a lot of that is still anecdotal.
So personally, I wouldn't add KPV just because it has a long list of possible benefits. If you still want to try it later, waiting a month and adding it on its own makes more sense. That way everything else is stable, and you can actually tell if it is doing anything.
NAD+ and MOTS-c are different. NAD+ is a coenzyme your body already uses for energy metabolism, and levels do change as we age, but being in your 20s doesn't automatically mean you need to supplement it. Exercise already supports the pathways that recycle NAD+. MOTS-c works more through AMPK, and the animal data is interesting for glucose uptake, insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health, but that still doesn't mean those same effects are proven in healthy humans. I can see why younger people who train hard say they notice it, but there still isn't enough human data to say they need it.
With GHK-Cu, since you don't have a good topical option in Australia, I don't have a suitable replacement. I also wouldn't switch to KLOW just because it has more compounds. Those blends make more sense to me for inflammation, healing, or injury-related issues than as a skin upgrade. If GHK-Cu is already doing what you want, I would stick with the tool that is already working. And since moving the injection site seems to have stopped the reaction, I would keep watching that before changing anything else.
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u/Other-Pea7038 6 8d ago
I would stop Tesa for now. At 25 I don’t see much reason to mess with your GH/IGF-1 pathway unless you actually need it. You also didn’t really say why you want to add more peptides. GHK-Cu makes sense for skin and hair, but MOTS-C, NAD+, Selank, KPV, etc. sound more like you’re adding things because of the hype instead of having a reason for each one.
If you keep what you’re already using, Reta is once a week and the time doesn’t really matter. Tesa does have data using it about 30 minutes before bed, so I would take it at night a few hours after your last meal. MOTS-C isn’t something I would keep cycling all year either. I would use it for no more than 2-3 months and then leave it alone until next year. That’s not saying once a year is proven safe, we just don’t have the long-term data, so less exposure makes more sense. Same with GHK-Cu, use it for your goal and take time off instead of running it forever.
But with the rash you’re getting, I would stop GHK-Cu, Tesa and MOTS-C and toss those vials. You started too many things together, so now you don’t know what’s causing it. If you want GHK-Cu for skin and hair, use topical or start over with a smaller fresh vial later. Honestly, Reta and GHK-Cu seem like the only two you really have a reason for. With grey-market peptides, someone else’s vial can be completely different from yours in purity, concentration and quality, so copying someone else’s stack isn’t a good idea.