Everything you should ask.

The peptides Protocol MD offers are prescription medications, legal when prescribed by a US-licensed physician and prepared by a licensed 503A compounding pharmacy. That's the difference between our clinical model and the unregulated 'research-grade' peptides sold online without oversight.

A 503A compounding pharmacy prepares medications for individual patients under a valid prescription, following USP <797> sterility standards. Protocol MD works with US-based, USP-compliant, third-party-tested pharmacies. It's a regulated, physician-directed path — not gray-market sourcing.

Protocol MD currently offers four physician-prescribed protocols: compounded GLP-1 (semaglutide or tirzepatide) for weight management, Sermorelin (GH-axis, sleep and recovery), NAD+ (cellular energy and longevity), and Glutathione (antioxidant and detox support). Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Each is reviewed and prescribed individually — a physician decides whether it's right for you.

You complete a short online intake about your history and goals, and a US-licensed physician reviews it and recommends a protocol — or tells you if none is appropriate. A physician makes the call, never an algorithm. We place a hold on your card at checkout and only charge it after a physician approves treatment. If the physician reviews your intake and decides no protocol is appropriate for you, the hold is released and you're never charged.

Sermorelin is a GH-axis peptide patients use to support sleep quality, recovery, and energy as natural growth-hormone output declines with age. It works with the pituitary's own rhythm.

NAD+ is a coenzyme central to cellular energy, DNA repair, and longevity enzymes; levels fall with age. Patients pursue NAD+ injections or IV for energy, mental clarity, and recovery support as part of a longevity protocol.

Glutathione is the body's master antioxidant and a cofactor for liver detoxification. Patients use it for antioxidant, recovery, and skin-clarity support.

Most peptides in our catalog are generally well tolerated, with mild, temporary injection-site reactions the most common report. Every protocol is screened by a physician against your history first, which is the point of the medical model — safety is individualized, not assumed.

After a physician approves your protocol, your medication is prepared by a 503A compounding pharmacy and shipped the next business day in plain, discreet packaging with everything you need to begin. Your care team stays available by message throughout.

It depends on the peptide. Sermorelin's active sequence has an FDA-approval history (originally Geref); adult anti-aging use is off-label. NAD+ and glutathione are molecules the body makes naturally and are compounded, not FDA-approved finished drugs. All are prescribed by a physician and 503A-compounded under USP standards. We make no disease-treatment claims.

Protocol MD is cash-pay and transparently priced — you see the price before you commit, there's no membership to get a quote, and if a physician reviews your intake and decides not to prescribe, you're refunded in full.

Compounded in licensed U.S. 503A pharmacies. Every batch is tested for sterility and potency, then cold-shipped.

Either path goes through the same intake. If you know what you want (for example, Sermorelin or NAD+), start on that product's page and we'll route you through a shorter clinical intake with it pre-selected. If you're not sure, take the assessment and the physician will design the right protocol for your goals. Either way: clinical intake, physician review, the 503A pharmacy fills it after approval, and you're refunded in full if the physician declines. Many patients prefer a physician-designed protocol since peptides often work in combination, but the choice is yours.

Research-grade peptides are sold online "for research use only" and are explicitly not for human use: not regulated, not tested for purity, and not made or tested for people. Protocol MD's peptides are prescribed by a licensed physician, compounded in a U.S. pharmacy, sterile, tested, and meant for human use. Different category, different supply chain, different safety story.

Most peptide sellers ship one vial at a time with no oversight. You pick the compound, they ship it, you figure out the rest. Protocol MD is different: every peptide is physician-prescribed and US 503A-compounded (the same regulated tier as your local pharmacy's custom medications), not the unregulated "research use only" vials sold online. You can order an individual peptide if you know what you want, or take the assessment and let a physician design a protocol for your goals. Either way: real doctor, real pharmacy, no gray market.

TRT clinics replace testosterone. With Protocol MD, a physician can prescribe peptide therapy — a different category that supports sleep, recovery, energy, and longevity. The two can be complementary. Your physician makes the clinical call based on your intake and goals; we don't push you into a category before they've reviewed your case.

Lab-membership platforms sell you a blood panel and a dashboard. They don't prescribe. Protocol MD is the next step: a US-licensed physician designs a protocol based on your intake (and your labs, if you bring them), prescribes it, and a 503A pharmacy fills it. Labs tell you what's off; with Protocol MD, a physician helps you do something about it.

You can, but most primary-care doctors don't prescribe peptides. It's not part of standard PCP training, the compounding supply chain is specialized, and most clinics aren't set up to manage cycles. Protocol MD's physicians work in peptide therapy and with U.S. 503A pharmacies every day.