Field guide / understand the product
Ask for a product name before judging a treatment. “Peptide therapy” is too broad to tell you what is being offered.
Think of a small string of protein building blocks.
A peptide consists of a short string of amino acids, the small units used to build proteins.
Insulin is a familiar example of a peptide.
These terms describe different checks. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews a proposed medicine’s evidence in the US.
Approved product
As of September 26, 2026, semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have FDA-approved products for type 2 diabetes.
For weight loss and weight maintenance, approved products include semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound), as of September 26, 2026.
Ask what the medicine is called, whether it comes as a tablet or shot, and what FDA has approved it to treat.
Prepared for a need
Compounding means a licensed pharmacist or doctor makes a medicine to meet a patient’s need. A business registered with FDA to make batches of medicines can also compound.
As of September 26, 2026, FDA does not assess how well compounded medicines work, or their safety and quality, before sale.
Calling a medicine compounded does not settle whether Alabama allows that peptide. Ask how the exact medicine meets the board’s notice.
Lab label
As of October 1, 2026, Alabama’s medical board says research-grade peptides lack FDA approval and a review establishing safe, effective human use.
Ask why a lab-labelled product has entered a conversation about your treatment.
Check the person and the proposed medicine separately.
As of October 1, 2026, the Alabama board notice says nurse practitioners and physician assistants are not authorized to prescribe or give research-grade peptides.
That notice says a signed research-grade consent form leaves the health professional responsible under professional rules and the law.
Use these questions to turn a broad offer into a clear discussion.
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