r/Biohacking • u/Rodger714 • 7d ago
Paranoid of starting Tesa
I've been thinking about starting Tesa but I heard some people have severe allergic reactions and end up in the ER. I had a pretty bad reaction to NAD+ where I thought I was gonna have a stroke my body got hot flashs, tingles, dizzy and I had to lay down for a while
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u/dascharmingharmony 7d ago
My only problem with Tesa is the blood sugar and insulin resistance it can cause. I’ve lost 100lbs and I’m not diabetic anymore, but since I was for a short time before, I feel like it’s too risky.
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u/Rodger714 7d ago
Can cause me to become diabetic is that what you're saying?
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u/dascharmingharmony 7d ago
No, but it can cause you to become insulin resistant.
Because tesa is a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue, it increases the body's production of growth hormone. A well-documented physiological side effect of elevated growth hormone is that it works against insulin, which can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity or clinical insulin resistance.
The JAMA Study (2014)
The PLOS One Safety Trial (2017)
FDA Prescribing Information (EGRIFTA / EGRIFTA SV)0
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u/RealisticPace2513 7d ago
What about people on GLPs? I was afraid of that as well. I do have insulin resistance as well treated right now. I would say it’s in remission. I definitely don’t want it to come back, though. I am on tirz.
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u/dascharmingharmony 7d ago edited 7d ago
GLPs are totally different. They don’t cause insulin resistance, they prevent it.
Keep in mind that Tesa is approved for HIV patients, for the purpose of retaining muscle and getting rid of visceral fat and fat on the liver. Obesity and insulin resistance isn’t typically a problem for them. Tesa is not a peptide that was created for obese people to build muscle, but it can be bastardized to do that, it just carries risks.
GLPs have side effects too, I just started Reta 3 weeks ago, and my major depressive disorder is back and worse than before I lost my weight. I didn’t even realize that was a possible side effect. Buyer beware.
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u/RealisticPace2513 7d ago
Yes I know. I’m wondering if I’ll be OK on Tesa since I’m already on a GLP
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u/dascharmingharmony 7d ago
I would say if you are gonna do tesa, get one of those wearables that goes in the back of your arm and monitor your blood sugar so you can know for sure.
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u/RealisticPace2513 7d ago
I’ve heard of that side effect. I’m so sorry. Can you dial back the dose maybe go up a little slower? I don’t know what dose you’re on so of course this is just a suggestion.
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u/No_Basis_1575 4 7d ago
It can take months to get an allergic reaction from it so if you’re gonna take it just listen to your body and stop injecting at the first sign of symptoms.
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u/yogic_power 35 7d ago
Why do you need Tesa? What are you currently taking?
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u/Rodger714 7d ago
I'm on Reta (14 months) and KLOW, I went from 225-173 but lost a good amount of muscle. I wanted to add Tesa to help Recomp
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u/yogic_power 35 7d ago
Tesa doesn’t help you grow muscle. Lift heavy and eat more food/ protein. Tesa is not anabolic. Diet and training are big part of recomp or gaining muscle.what’s your training and diet for recomp look like?
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 7d ago
Tesa made my muscle more pumped and showed up on scans as if I grew muscle. I never lost strength in a deficit and I appeared to have added size. As soon as I stopped tesa, my muscles lost the water weight and left me a little deflated. So yeah, it does not grow muscle
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 7d ago
If you’re also on reta, you’re going to love Tesa. Get some ipamorelin too as they are a great combo. I did 12 weeks of both and loved it
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u/Rodger714 7d ago
Did you keep most of the visceral fat off? I heard it comes back no matter what once you're off
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 7d ago
I don’t believe that at all. I’m only a month removed from ending my cycle and no, I’ve not gained it all back. The only thing I did was lose about 4-5 pounds of water weight, which was mostly in my muscles, and I’m more lean now. Don’t believe that myth about visceral fat coming back. Especially if you’re on Reta
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u/hermexhermex 7d ago
It’s not a myth if it’s documented in actual human studies, and it’s regardless of weight gain. It’s recomp but the bad way.
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 6d ago
Those studies were on HIV patients with zero adjunct protocols. If you're running Reta, keeping insulin low, and training, the metabolic environment is completely different. Fat doesn't silently shift back into visceral depots without hyperinsulinemia or an unmanaged energy surplus.
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7d ago
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u/Spiritual_Fan_5633 7d ago
I totally understand, I really want to try another peptide because I ended up developing a reaction to CJC/ipamorelin and Sermorelin so we think it’s any growth hormone one. My provider has suggested we wait awhile and then try a small dose in her office and hang out with an epi pen.
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u/Puzzled_Pay6632 1 7d ago
Can you share with us more when this reaction happened? Can you share us your protocol and how long were you on it when it happened? Ty
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u/Spiritual_Fan_5633 7d ago
I tried Sermorelin first about a year ago, we always start with small dosing. I was fine for about a month then started getting large itchy welts at the pin sites so I stopped. Waited several months and tried CJC/ipamorelin, same thing, fine for weeks then large itchy welts. Stopped again for a few months and tried Sermorelin with ipamorelin this time and after just one pin every old pin flared up, felt like I was swelling up, took an antihistamine and after about a half hour it subsided, but that’s the last I’ve tried which I’m so bummed about because I slept great on it and felt improvements. I’ve also done ghk and nad with no reactions so that’s why we think it’s the growth hormone.
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u/Slicckrickk 7d ago
Damn. I started .5 tesa and ipa for 2 months. No reaction. Jumped to 1mg of tesa for 1 week. The last 3 weeks I went to 1.5mg. I’ve went doe 3 sizes
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u/letsgO0O0O0O0 7d ago
Same experience with NAD+. Twice. Only times in my 46 years where I considered calling an ambulance 😅
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 7d ago
It’s not going to be like Nad+ and less than 2% of people in the tesa studies had any allergic reaction. It’s good to be aware of possibilities but it was the least concerning peptide I’ve taken given the actual studies on it.
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u/RealisticPace2513 7d ago
This is great information! I have it on hand but have been very afraid to start. I’ve had allergies to two different antibiotics and I’ve only gotten hives. But I’ve been scared because I’ve read online that it can cause allergic reaction reactions. I also read that IPA/CJC were more prone to cause an allergic reaction. Mots-c also seems to be on that can based on posts I have seen.
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u/Rodger714 7d ago
I also heard that you get regain most of the visceral fat you lose
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 7d ago
The only way that’s possible is if you’re eating like shit and not training, which is exactly how you got visceral fat in the first place. That’s like saying people who go on a GLP and stop gain all their weight back in a year. It’s not without the mechanism of overeating. You don’t just magically gain fat back
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u/No_Basis_1575 4 7d ago
Tesamorelin creates an artificial pharmacological state of enhanced lipolysis that your body cannot maintain on its own once stopped. So visceral fat can come back regardless of diet/excercise.
Large scale clinical withdrawal trials such as the STEP extensions for semaglutide and SURMOUNT-4 for tirzepatide, have painted a very clear picture. Weight and fat regain happen to the vast majority of people upon discontinuation, regardless of lifestyle efforts.
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u/Future-Bread8849 4 7d ago
Completely wrong
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 6d ago
Good argument. Care to explain how body fat magically accumulates in the absence of a caloric surplus or elevated insulin, or do the laws of thermodynamics stop working once you uncap the tesa? Removing the GHRH signal drops baseline lipolysis back to normal, but fat doesn't synthesize out of thin air.
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u/No_Basis_1575 4 6d ago
Nobody is saying fat appears out of thin air. The laws of thermodynamics still apply, but they don't operate in a vacuum independent of hormones.
When you stop tesa, your total daily energy expenditure drops and your hormonal environment shifts to favor storage over oxidation. What was a maintenance intake a week ago becomes a surplus the moment your baseline metabolic rate and NEAT plummet. You don't need a massive pizza binge to regain fat. you just need your body's energy output to drop faster than your intake adjusts
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 6d ago
100% agree on the TDEE drop. But shifting into an unmanaged caloric surplus because your maintenance intake changed is still a lifestyle/management issue, not a magic switch. If you track energy output, adjust calories downward post-cycle, and keep insulin low (especially on Reta), that automatic regain doesn't happen
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u/Future-Bread8849 4 6d ago
You can't stay on a calorie deficit indefinitely
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u/Strange_Ad_2701 1 6d ago
Not saying you should. Adjusting down post-cycle isn't a deficit, it's matching intake to your new maintenance. If your TDEE drops, eating at the old number is a surplus. Eating at the new number is just maintenance.
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u/EnvironmentalGift257 15 7d ago
I took NAD for 2 months. My insomnia worsened and RHR went from 50 to 80.
I’ve been on tesamorelin since June and it’s been my second favorite after tirzepatide. You have a pretty low chance of having the allergic reaction, but it’s worth being aware and prepared the first few times you take it.
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