A lot of the medication offered through telehealth wellness programs — including peptides — is "compounded." It's a word people see and skip past. It's worth understanding, because it changes what you're getting and what questions to ask.
What "compounded" means
A compounded medication is prepared by a licensed pharmacy for an individual patient, based on a prescription from a licensed provider, rather than mass-manufactured in fixed doses. Compounding pharmacies in the U.S. generally operate under what are known as 503A and 503B frameworks. It's an established part of medicine — it's how a patient can get a specific formulation or strength that isn't available as a standard commercial product.
How it differs from a product off the shelf
- A commercially manufactured drug is made in large batches and reviewed and approved by the FDA for a specific use.
- A compounded preparation is made for you. Because each preparation is individualized, compounded medications are not FDA-approved — the FDA does not review individual compounded formulations for safety or effectiveness.
- That is not the same as "unregulated." The pharmacy is state-licensed and the medication is dispensed only on a valid prescription from a provider licensed in your state.
Compounded medications are prepared by a state-licensed pharmacy for an individual patient. They have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA as safe or effective for the treatment of any condition.
Questions worth asking any clinic
Whether you're considering us or anyone else, these are reasonable things to ask before you start:
- Who evaluates me, and are they licensed in my state? A prescription should follow an actual evaluation, not a checkout page.
- Is the pharmacy licensed, and where is my medication made?
- What are the realistic expectations, and what are the risks and side effects for someone like me?
- How does billing work, and how do I cancel if I want to stop?
- Who can say no? A clinic that will decline to prescribe when it isn't appropriate is a good sign, not a bad one.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Whether a compounded therapy is appropriate for you is decided by a licensed provider after an evaluation.
Products are available only by prescription after a consultation with a licensed provider, who decides whether treatment is appropriate. Many compounds described here are not FDA-approved medicines and have not been tested in people for the uses described; information on this site is educational and is not medical advice.