Peptalk: Peptides Unpacked

#13 The Truth About Peptide Quality: Red Flags and How to Source Safely

• Dr. Kylie Burton & Jessica Briecke • Season 1 • Episode 13

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Not all peptides are created equal—and the wrong source can cost you more than money.

In this episode, Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke pull back the curtain on the peptide industry and show you exactly how to separate legitimate, pharmacy-grade compounds from contaminated, mislabeled, or inactive products flooding the market.

If you're serious about safety, purity, and actual results, this episode is non-negotiable.

What We Cover:

  • The non-negotiables: real medical oversight from clinicians who understand peptide protocols, medication interactions, HRT compatibility, and how to tailor dosing to your goals
  • The difference between "research-only" vials and legitimate pharmacy-grade compounds
  • Why certificates of analysis (COAs) matter and how transparent labeling protects you from confusion and dosing errors
  • Hidden fee traps to watch for: intro pricing, memberships, shipping markups, and forced in-clinic injections
  • Red flags that signal a sales script, not clinical care
  • Shipping details most people miss: peptides should arrive cold, sealed, and labeled—not warm with a token ice pack in midsummer
  • Real-world examples of good vs. bad packaging and why cold-chain stability matters
  • Why DIY mixing at home is a hard no
  • How a functional foundation pairs with peptides as targeted enhancements—and why many metabolically stuck people need more than lifestyle alone
  • How a trusted telemedicine model brings expert guidance without surprise costs or pushy upsells

For Anyone Considering Peptide Therapy: Choosing the right partner matters. This episode shows you how to pick sources that put your health first.

Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com or on Instagram @JessB_LMT_NC. Connect with Dr. Kylie at her other podcast Unshakeable Brain where new episodes are posted weekly.

Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for advanced peptide therapy and one-on-one support at drkylieburton.com/peptides

Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll help you make the sales and marketing much easier—at drkylieburton.com/peptides

Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary.

You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step.

This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

SPEAKER_00:

Peptides are powerful and often misunderstood. But we are here to change that. I'm Dr. Kylie Burton. And I'm Jessica Brickie. This is Peptoc. Peptides Unpacked. Science made simple. Results made real. Here's a fact that everyone should pause regarding it. Independent lab testing has shown that more than 80% of peptides sold online are contaminated, mislabeled, and or contain no active ingredient at all.

SPEAKER_01:

Crazy. That means that people are injecting mystery compounds hoping for results that never come. Safe sourcing is not about fear. It's about protecting your health.

SPEAKER_00:

You don't even know what's in it? I know people that are doing it. Oh dear. Today we're unpacking what safe sourcing actually means, how to find legitimate medical oversight, FDA-approved ingredients, and compounding standards you can trust.

SPEAKER_01:

And we'll share why we personally choose to use a licensed telemedicine provider, one that connects us directly with experienced doctors, uses only pharmacy grade, FDA-approved peptides, and keeps things simple with no hidden fees.

SPEAKER_00:

If you've ever wondered what separates a safe source from a sketchy one, well, this episode will clear it up.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep, let's get into it. Okay. Medical oversight. We work, Kylie and I, with a telemedicine company that took a minute for us to find a really good quality for many reasons, a good quality company that we could trust. And this probably is the top of the list for us. Medical oversight. We love that we can actually consult with real doctors who understand peptide protocols and not just order a vial off the internet. Like this is so important that people are working with somebody that is peptide educated. And how does that impact other things, whether it be other medications, other diagnoses, um, HRT, which we know I'm on my own HRT plan right now, but these doctors understand HRT. You want medical oversight with somebody that genuinely gets it and hasn't just been taught by their pharmaceutical rep.

SPEAKER_00:

And supplement industry as well. Correct. Like this isn't something that you can just throw into a supplement and call good and take it. Sadly, it's happening. Yes. Because both sides of the industry want the money that comes out of this peptide world, this peptide space. And one of the biggest reasons why Jess and I have steered clear of all these options as they've come into our laps, and we just set X on that opportunity, and we gave the green light to this one is because of this medical oversight. And the fact that you get to work with them one-on-one, and they will be there to support you if something were to arise. You want someone who understands prescriptions, you want to understand to someone who understands the contraindications, the impact that this peptide will have on anything else that you're taking. Like your journey needs to be specific specified to you and unoverseen by somebody who understands the correlations between it all. Exactly. Transparency. Every prescription comes with a certificate of analysis, clear labeling, and dosing guidance. That's a non-negotiable for us, and it should be a non-negotiable for you.

SPEAKER_01:

I could go on and on about the number of companies that are out there that are not talking about where their ingredients are being sourced from, that do not have customer service, whether it's in the form of medical oversight or just a customer service representative that's going to help you navigate the world of telemedicine, because it's new to most of us. There's a lot of us that are still like, I don't know about seeing somebody online or working with somebody that I don't see in person. Um, but there are so many people that are just gonna hear an advertisement, hear a marketing, hear my friend got this cheap here, and they don't care about what's being put out there, whether this company is transparent about what they're producing or not, and they're just gonna go for it. But for us, you you need to give us the receipts.

SPEAKER_00:

FDA approved ingredients. They're sourcing ingredients from FDA registered facilities. That's what separates research use only from legitimate therapeutic quality. Now, this is the one case where FDA does something right. You want to make sure that they are approving the ingredients and the facilities in which these are being made.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because there are a lot of, as we kind of touched on before, there's a lot of supplement companies that are talking about peptides in a supplement capsule form. And there might be some peptides or a powder in a drink. Yeah, so there might, there might be some peptides in there. So for example, collagen is a peptide, right? So if you are getting your collagen supplement, putting it in your body, you're using peptides. So there may be some peptides in some of these supplements and sources, but it doesn't mean that it's what you're looking for when it comes to helping balance your blood sugar or getting your hunger cues back on track or whatever, or or fixing your shoulder, improving your skin or your sexual wellness, whatever peptide it is that is be at the top of your list again, like we'll say that over and over again. Understanding your sources, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

And I also think if you were to go back and or go listen to Jimmy's story, Jimmy's not gonna have the same results if he were to just gone through some one-size-fits-all protocol provided by a supplement company. Right. If you want results, get to the right source and work with people who can help you get those results.

SPEAKER_01:

On the flip side, I will say that there's gonna be people that hear this that that are in our world. So Kyle and I approach uh wellness from a functional holistic perspective with respect to Western medicine for sure, at least for me, and I'm sure for you as well. Um it's necessary intervention when it's necessary. Yeah, I so there are natural ways to help people improve their peptide production and response. But the large amount, the large majority of people out there are metabolically busted to a point that those methods are not going to be enough for them. And you're going to really need to use proper, pure, FDA-approved peptides in your world. And if you can do it naturally, my gosh, I tried, I tried, I tried, I walked the talk, and I would have done anything to be able to do it naturally myself. Um, and it just wasn't, it just wasn't working for me. It wasn't giving me everything I needed.

SPEAKER_00:

And you know what I love the word enhancement. Like you're you're walking the walk, you're talking the talk. And I know so many other practitioners themselves are doing the same thing.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I talked to one of them who she's like, I could lose 100 pounds, but I've never stepped foot in a fast food restaurant in 20 years. Yeah, I'm I'm going to the gym for two hours, I'm doing all these things, but I'm not seeing the results. And when I go to the grocery store or I go to a community event, everybody's still judging me as if I'm not. So I want to reiterate that people are gonna judge anyways. Yeah, do it anyways. Yes. Okay, so we love you all, no matter what your background is, no matter what you're using, but we're just gonna promote the one avenue that we promote because we vetted out all the other avenues. Right. And this is by far the one that we have chosen and the one that we feel confident. If we trust it, you can trust it, especially if you are a provider providing this opportunity to your clients and the people you love and know and trust.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah. I think the the uh next thing we should talk about with the telemedicine company that we have chosen is that there is no surprise fees. And this is an important topic topic to cover right now because we're seeing a lot of advertisement on television right now for um big companies. I well, I won't say their names, but big companies that are out there right now that are promoting now the use of peptides. Uh, a lot of them are using a microdose approach, so they say anyway, that they're using a microdose approach, whether it truly is microdose or not, I'm not sure. Um, and they're advertising these really low prices. And a lot of times what you're not seeing on that advertised price is that's an introductory price, that there is often a membership price, there is shipping costs that are put on there. You may have to put money down to have your provider consultation. So there are hidden surprise fees that you're not seeing when you're seeing these really great rates of, you know, let's say, let's say when it's a GLP1 microdose for$100. I promise you it doesn't cost$100. It sounds great because you've maybe looked at other things and it's you know you've seen at higher prices, but there's more to it. There's more to what that price is. So we prepared for the upsells. Correct. And so we have chosen a company where there is no surprise fees. The price is the price, and it is including all of those things. And if you wanted to talk to a provider that we've mentioned before, because this has got great medical oversight, and you wanted to talk to them every day, every week, whatever it is, and you had a question, you can do that, and it's not going to cost you anything. You can set up an appointment to have an audio or video call with that medical provider who is now your medical provider when you become a patient of these telemedicine companies, the one that we're at least the one that we're talking about here. So we've seen clinics that are charging big consultation fees or monthly subscriptions just to reorder. And we prefer a model where you just you pay for what it is that you actually need and what you're using. I got a call, I'll tell you on a side note, I got a call from a girlfriend of mine last night who lives in a rural area where there is not a lot of access to cutting-edge medical advancements, let's say. Okay. That is gonna definitely include HRT and peptides, which are just like thank goodness for them, right? So the only way she could get access was through a meta-spa. So a nurse practitioner is in this medical spa who is able to write prescriptions and may have done some certifications to get some knowledge, but that doesn't necessarily mean that that is good. So two years ago, this was kind of the place to get them because you couldn't get them. I don't know if anybody remembers that they were just not available. So you could go to the meta-spa and you're paying this. She is tied in to this plan that she pays a lot of money to go in every single week to get an injection that she could do at home, easy. Just go into the clinic for it. Just go into the clinic for it. And if she doesn't give them enough advanced warning, they will automatically charge her her next six, and they do it six weeks at a time or something like that, the the charge. And the charge is a lot more money than it is in other places. And this is happening all over the place that you have these meta-spas that have been charging astronomical amounts, and now they're becoming a little bit more predatory because there's so much more access now and they're losing business that they are trying to upsell in the meta-spa. They always many of them were anyway, but this is a my my girlfriend weighs probably a hundred and I don't know, maybe 120 pounds at five foot six, five foot seven, something like that. So she's teeny tiny. And this provider now wants to put her on a GLP one. When that wasn't her, like for she, one of the things she mentions was weight loss. She said, What are you talking about, weight loss? What did the nine I need to gain weight? So be careful. What peptides is she on? Not GLP1s. What are they so she's do so well? Her journey actually started with HRT with this MetaSpa, and in probably a backwards order, and probably the not the greatest source. And so she would do well with something probably like an NAD in her particular case, but this is not something that that particular provider is versed on. She's only versed on the moneymakers, which is a GLP1. Can it help people with inflammation and other problems that she's she is experiencing? Absolutely. But when the primary response for GLP1 and GIP, the primary response is to help with your number on the scale and blood sugar balancing, um, you're not looking at somebody like her that's got a good balanced blood sugar and a low weight and putting them on a GLP1 for lowered inflammation and for brain health. There's other things that can do better. So just be careful where you're going and know that there are hidden fees all over the place. So whether it's in a Meta-Spa or whether it's one of the places that you're seeing on TV or most definitely online, um, there's a lot of people out there that want a piece of the pie and they're very predatory to get you in, and then it's sometimes hard to get out of.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I think of you know, I'm always going on the business and the marketing route because that's my my jam now. But uh Alex Hermozzi put out a book called$100 million money models, and in that he talks about how you just want to get somebody in the door. And then from there you create all the upsells. Okay, now that is a money model. I don't work like that. Neither does this company that we recommend and trust. So just know that there are money models out there designed in that manner, not just in peptides, not in the just just the peptide space, but in all spaces. So don't fall culprit to their get in the door, bring in the customer, bring in the client, sell, or upfront a special. Okay. Last but not least, safety and stability are prescriptions that we recommend from the medicine company. Okay, so last but not least, safety and stability are prescriptions that we recommend from this telemedicine company shipped cold, sealed, and labeled. No mystery powders or vials from unknown labs. And I know, Jess, you can speak to the multiple different options you've seen and tried with their packaging and their shipments.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. My husband um has been prescribed through his endocrinologist to um, he didn't qualify for, even though it's prescribed by his endocrinologist, he still didn't qualify for using um trusepatide or GLP1, uh just a semaglutide. And so, in order for him to get that, he had to go to a compound pharmacy that a lot of medical doctors are using. This um pharmacy quality FDA improved, so there's it absolutely was a good source, but they were sending this tiny. If you've ever seen a vial, it's an inch tall and a half inch wide, it's teeny tiny. And when I tell you this vial was coming in a box that was 12 inches high by 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep with a million ice packs in it for this tiny little bottle, it just was so gross to me, the environmental impact that that had, right? The company that we're using has this small um star phone container with an ice pack that's right below the peptides, and we are leaving a much smaller footprint with this company by the just the way that we're shipping safely on its own. I've also had other people that have had things shipped across the country, especially in the summertime. So mine came all summer like this, no problems, and we had a hot summer, always cold. But I had people that were receiving from another company that was sent out from across the country and it would arrive hot. Hot. It had one tiny little ice pack in there, um, no insulation around the box whatsoever. You were shipping that way in the summertime, and these peptides do need to be kept cold. They can uh come to room temperature for a short period of time and still be safe, but we're talking hot. So you really want somebody that is going to use pharmacies that are gonna ship these prescriptions in a safe manner, and and the environmental footprint to me is also important. So safely shipped, labeled well, no mystery as to what it is, what it's coming in from some crazy unknown source. On that note, I do want to add one more thing. There are a lot of people out there that are desperate to use these, that are searching the internet for uh inexpensive, affordable peptides, which will lead you down this black hole of some pretty dangerous place to get. And I know people that are obtaining the powders and the liquids, and they are mixing these things in their kitchen, which is bananas to me, that somebody would think that that's a safe option. Okay, so you don't know who is what the powder even fully is, right? It's coming to you in this form. You're you're playing pharmacist, mixing them in the kitchen. I was on a chat just this morning where people that were practitioners were having a discussion about dosing, and they, in their discussion, were getting it wrong. MLs versus MGs versus MCGs versus units, and their math was all wrong, and they were all like, wait, are you talking about this? Wait, what do you mean? Don't mix it yourself, don't go shopping for this thing that you are looking for the cheap option. It's not safe. It's crazy to me that people would risk their health and inject something into their body, and they don't know the source, and they don't even know how to, they're not a pharmacist, they don't know how to mix medicine. It's bananas.

SPEAKER_00:

I I have flashbacks back to my organic chemistry days where you're in the lab mixing things and like explosions everywhere. Like that's what they're playing in their kitchens, organic chemistry. Absolutely zero background of information on how to do it. Crazy, crazy eye for that one. Yeah. All right. Um we've talked a little briefly about you know the affordability of these things. The bottom line is if you want the results, you'll find a way. If you want the iPhone 17 that comes out, you'll find a way. Whatever your priorities are, you will find a way. That said, many individuals I've I've seen online, um, they've turned this into an opportunity to help them create an additional income stream in their life, whether they be a practitioner or whether they just be a stay-at-home mom. And whatever your motivation is, you can actually offer these to your friends as well. To learn more about getting started with your peptide therapy and getting started on the business side of it, go to drkylemburton.com slash peptides and then pick which avenue is right for you at this point in your life. But there are options for helping increase your financial budget through this affiliate avenue. Okay, safe sourcing isn't a buzzword. It's the difference between a life-changing tool and a risky experiment.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. So when you work with a licensed medical team using pharmacy-grade peptides, you're not just buying a product, you're partnering with professionals who care about your outcome.

SPEAKER_00:

It's about informed choices, real doctors, FDA-approved ingredients, and no surprise fees or sketchy websites.

SPEAKER_01:

If this episode helped you understand what to look for, share it with somebody curious about peptides. It might save them from making a bad decision.

SPEAKER_00:

Follow Pep Talk, Peptides Unpacked. Share this podcast with your friends, especially on social media, because you never know what people are doing behind closed doors and on their computer screens. Let's have edu, let's promote the education and provide honest conversations about this new frontier of wellness.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Well, if anybody wants to work with me, you can find me at b2bewithjess.com, and that's the number two, b2bewithjess.com, or on Instagram at JessB is and boy underscore LMT underscore N C. Man, I need to make that easier.

SPEAKER_00:

You can find me at drkylyburton.com slash peptides, get started on your journey, or find my other podcast, Unshakable Brain, wherever you get your podcasts. Your body isn't broken, it just needs the right message from the right source. This is Pep Talk, Peptides Unpacked. See you next time.

SPEAKER_01:

See ya