posted by desk_jockey_dana 16d ago

Are peptides steroids?

Sorry if this is a dumb beginner question but my mom saw the vials in my fridge and lost it, said I'm basically doing steroids for my wrist. A coworker said the same thing when I mentioned BPC-157. Are peptides just steroids with a different name or is that totally wrong? I genuinely don't know enough to argue back.

Currently typing with correct posture. Probably.

11 comments

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Dr_Rehab_RayCleveland, OH9 points16d ago

Not even close. Steroids are hormone molecules that bind androgen receptors and change your hormone levels directly. Peptides like BPC-157 are short chains of amino acids that work through signaling and growth factor pathways. Totally different mechanism, different molecule class entirely.

Load is the drug with the best data.

LabRatLouisBoston, MA5 points16d ago

To put a number on it, BPC-157 is 15 amino acids strung together. TB-500 is 43. Steroids are built on a four ring carbon skeleton, completely different chemistry. Comparing them is like calling a phone call and a text message the same thing because they both send information.

Preclinical is not a promise.

PharmD_NadiaPhoenix, AZ6 points16d ago

From the pharmacy side, they're handled totally differently too. Peptides aren't scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act the way anabolic steroids are. Different storage, different stability concerns, different everything.

If the vial looks cloudy, the answer is no.

JSJohnson_ForceLos Angeles, CA3 points16d ago

Ran into this question a hundred times in the gym over the years. No test suppression, no liver load, none of the hair and skin stuff guys deal with on gear. Different tool for a different job.

Discipline is the shortcut.

rotator_cuff_rickNaperville, IL2 points16d ago

Sure but WADA bans BPC-157 and TB-500 for athletes. If it's nothing like a steroid why do the anti doping people care so much.

Two years of patience beat six months of panic.

CoachTerrellAtlanta, GA3 points16d ago

They ban it because it might help performance or recovery, not because it's classified as a steroid. WADA's list has all kinds of stuff on it that isn't a steroid, stimulants, diuretics, gene doping methods. Different category, same list.

You cannot inject your way out of a bad program.

tendon_tinkerAustin, TX6 points15d ago

I track bloodwork every 8 weeks because I'm that guy. Two years of BPC-157 on and off and my hormone panels haven't moved an inch. Test, estrogen, all flat. If it were doing anything hormonal I'd see it in the spreadsheet by now.

Measure it or it did not happen.

jumpers_knee_jessOmaha, NE2 points15d ago

Genuine question since I coach high schoolers, does this show up on a standard school drug test or is that only an issue for the WADA competitive level stuff?

Isometrics before ice. Every time.

Dr_Rehab_RayCleveland, OH6 points15d ago

Standard panels aren't screening for peptides like this. It's really only an issue if someone is subject to actual anti doping testing under a sport specific banned list.

Load is the drug with the best data.

mito_mikeBoulder, CO1 points15d ago

Same deal with MOTS-C, people hear peptide and their brain jumps straight to gear. It's mitochondrial signaling, nothing hormonal about it. Explained this to my riding buddies three times now and it still doesn't stick.

Watts do not lie. Neither do lactate strips.

Mod_HelenMadison, WI4 points15d ago

Good thread to have pinned honestly, this question comes up in DMs constantly. Glad it's getting hashed out here where new folks can find it.

Read the pinned rules. They are short.