Your body releases it, or a small injection under the skin delivers it.
Plain-English guides to the medicines our clinicians prescribe: peptides, GLP-1s, NAD+ and Sermorelin. What each one is, what it does inside your body, and what to expect when you start.
What a peptide is, and why such a small molecule can send such a precise message.
3 min read
The gut hormone behind modern weight care: brain, stomach and pancreas.
5 min read
The helper molecule every cell uses to make energy and repair itself.
4 min read
How a peptide prompts your own pituitary, and how it differs from HGH.
4 min read
What actually happens between your intake and your first dose.
3 min readA peptide is a short chain of amino acids, the same building blocks that make up protein. A protein can run to hundreds or thousands of amino acids folded into a complex shape. A peptide is usually somewhere between 2 and 50 links long.
That small size is the point. Peptides work as messengers: they travel through your blood, lock onto a receptor on a specific type of cell, and tell that cell to do one particular thing.
Your body already makes hundreds of them. Insulin is a peptide. So is GLP-1, the gut hormone behind today’s weight-loss medicines. Peptide therapies copy one of these natural signals, or make it last longer, so the message comes through more clearly.
Your body releases it, or a small injection under the skin delivers it.
It fits one specific receptor, like a key in a lock, so it only talks to the cells it’s meant for.
The cell follows the instruction: release a hormone, slow digestion or start a repair.
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a hormone your gut releases after you eat. It tells your brain you’ve had enough, slows your stomach, and helps keep blood sugar steady. GLP-1 medications, called GLP-1 receptor agonists, copy that signal and make it last. Used with medical oversight and everyday habits, they can make eating less feel natural instead of like a fight.
GLP-1 acts on the appetite centers in the hypothalamus and brainstem. You feel full sooner, cravings ease, and many people notice the constant background chatter about food, often called food noise, settles down.
Your own GLP-1 is cleared within minutes. The medicines are built to last about a week, which is why one weekly injection keeps the signal steady.
Both are compounded by a state-licensed 503A pharmacy for you when a clinician decides it’s medically appropriate. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved and are not the same as brand-name products. Your clinician chooses the medication, dose and schedule.
A low dose lets your stomach adjust. Many people notice smaller portions within the first couple of weeks.
Your clinician raises the dose in steps, usually about every four weeks, only if you feel well.
Labs and a check-in show what changed, and your plan is adjusted to match.
You stay on the dose that works for you, with regular check-ins to keep it there.
Most are digestive, mild, and show up early or right after a dose increase. They usually ease as your body adjusts.
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme, a helper molecule found in every living cell. Without it, your cells can’t turn food into usable energy, repair their DNA or manage how they respond to stress.
In your mitochondria, NAD+ carries electrons from the food you eat to the machinery that makes ATP, the energy every cell runs on.
PARP enzymes burn NAD+ as fuel when they repair damaged DNA, which happens thousands of times a day in every cell.
Sirtuins, proteins linked to metabolism and how cells cope with stress, can’t work without NAD+.
Your body is always using NAD+ up and making more. Research suggests levels fall in some tissues as we get older, partly because repair enzymes burn through more of it. That’s why NAD+ has become one of the most studied molecules in aging research.
The strongest evidence comes from cell and animal studies. In people, studies show that NAD+ and its precursors raise NAD+ levels in the body, but the long-term health effects are still being studied. Your clinician will set realistic expectations and track how you feel.
A small injection under the skin, on a schedule your clinician sets. A brief warm or flushed feeling is common.
See injectionNeedle-free and taken daily. Absorbed through the lining of the nose.
See nasal spraySupplements like NR and NMN, which your body converts to NAD+. Over the counter, not a prescription.
Not something we prescribeGrowth hormone comes from the pituitary, a pea-sized gland at the base of your brain. It’s released in pulses, mostly during deep sleep, and drives repair, muscle upkeep and how you burn fat for fuel. Output falls steadily from early adulthood. Sermorelin is a peptide copy of the first 29 amino acids of GHRH, the signal your brain uses to tell the pituitary it’s time to release.
The brain’s control center releases GHRH. Sermorelin is a copy of GHRH’s active part.
Sermorelin acts hereThe pea-sized gland answers in natural pulses, mostly during deep sleep.
Growth hormone tells the liver to make IGF-1, the growth factor that does much of the work.
Tissue repair, muscle upkeep and using stored fat for fuel.
The system has built-in brakes: rising IGF-1 and a hormone called somatostatin tell it when to ease off. Sermorelin works through those brakes rather than around them.
| Feature | Sermorelin | Synthetic HGH |
|---|---|---|
| Where the hormone comes from | Your own pituitary | From the syringe |
| Natural pulses | Kept | Replaced by a single dose |
| Body’s built-in brakes | Stay in charge | Bypassed |
| How it works | Prompts release | Replaces the hormone |
Timed with your body’s natural overnight release. An insulin-size needle, under a minute.
Deeper sleep is usually the first thing people notice.
Recovery, muscle tone and fat loss build gradually with steady use. Results vary.
Tesamorelin is a more potent, longer-lasting GHRH analog, best known for reducing deep belly (visceral) fat. The brand-name version is FDA-approved only for a specific group of adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.
About Tesamorelin
Telehealth lets you start a prescription treatment without a waiting room. You still get a licensed clinician’s review and a pharmacy-prepared medication, just on your schedule. Here’s exactly what happens.
A short online questionnaire covers your goals, health history and the medications you already take. It takes about five minutes.
A U.S.-licensed clinician reviews everything, asks follow-up questions and decides whether a treatment is safe and appropriate for you.
We measure before we prescribe, so in 90 days we can show you what changed instead of guessing.
If you’re a fit, your prescription goes to a state-licensed U.S. 503A pharmacy that prepares it for you.
It ships in discreet, temperature-controlled packaging, with supplies and step-by-step instructions.
Your clinician adjusts your dose based on how you feel and what your labs show.
Whether you choose us or someone else, these are the basics worth checking. We built Tempo to meet every one.
A real medical review before anything is prescribed, not just a checkout button.
Not “research use only” peptides, which aren’t made for people and aren’t checked by a licensed pharmacy.
You should know who prepares your medication and that they are state-licensed.
One monthly price that includes the medicine, the visits and support, with no surprise fees.
Questions about a side effect or a missed dose should reach a clinical team quickly.
Dosing that changes as you do, not a single prescription you’re left to manage alone.
No. Most insurance plans don’t cover compounded GLP-1s, peptides or NAD+, so care is self-pay with one clear monthly price. You may be able to use HSA or FSA funds; check with your plan administrator.
You don’t have to work it out alone. Your clinician looks at your goals, health history, medications and labs, then recommends a treatment, or tells you if none of them is a good fit.
It depends on the treatment. GLP-1s are injected once a week. Sermorelin is usually a small injection at bedtime. NAD+ is either an injection on a schedule your clinician sets or a daily nasal spray.
With GLP-1s, nausea, fullness, constipation or tiredness are most common, usually early on and after a dose increase. Peptide and NAD+ injections can cause redness or itching where you inject and sometimes flushing. Tell your care team about anything that is severe or doesn’t go away.
Yes, and it should be. Your clinician changes your dose based on how you respond, any side effects and your 90-day labs.
Don’t double up. Message your care team and they’ll tell you when to take the next one. Most medications travel well in their insulated pouch; ask us before a long trip.
No. These treatments aren’t right for everyone. They may not be suitable during pregnancy, with certain cancers or with some other conditions and medications. Only a licensed clinician can decide whether a treatment is safe for you.
Yes, when a licensed clinician prescribes them and a licensed pharmacy prepares them for you. Peptides sold online as “for research only” are a different thing. They aren’t made or checked for human use.
Answer a few questions and a licensed clinician will tell you what fits your goals, and what doesn’t.
Start my intakeThis page is for general education and isn’t medical advice. Treatments are prescribed only after a licensed clinician’s evaluation and may not be right for everyone. Compounded medications are prepared by state-licensed 503A pharmacies for individual patients; they are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality. Individual results vary. Individuals shown are models.