What can go wrong, and who can help? | Chicago peptide therapy

Made-to-order quality can vary

Poor preparation of a custom medicine can leave germs in it or an incorrect amount of the working ingredient, warns FDA, the U.S. drug agency.

That part is called the active ingredient. Preparing a custom medicine is known as compounding.

As of September 2026, FDA lacked enough information from use in people to judge harm from some proposed peptide injections, including BPC-157.

As checked in September 2026, FDA had reports of some people needing hospital care after dose errors with custom-made semaglutide.

Ask the pharmacy to read the label with you and match it to the prescription. Leave any unclear amount for the person who prescribed it to explain.

Some peptide drugs need to be kept cold; some do not.

For injected semaglutide, FDA advises against using a warm shipment when the medicine needs to be kept cold.

Ask the pharmacy how to store the product and what to do if it arrives warm.

The FDA label for semaglutide (Wegovy) notes possible harm to an unborn child during pregnancy, as checked in September 2026.

Custom-made drugs have no equivalent FDA-reviewed pregnancy details, as of September 2026.

Tell the prescriber if you are pregnant, are breastfeeding or plan a pregnancy. Ask about the drug by name.

A serious allergy reaction may develop rapidly and put a life at risk, according to MedlinePlus.

For severe signs such as trouble breathing or a swollen tongue, MedlinePlus calls for emergency help.

Get help for severe symptoms right away.

MedWatch lets you send the FDA a report about a problem with a drug.

IDFPR, Illinois’s licence agency, takes complaints about health professionals and pharmacies.

For a bill dispute or misleading health ad, Illinois’s Attorney General has a Health Care Bureau.

It can help with those concerns but cannot act as your own lawyer.