Episode 144 - Peptides: My Personal Experience, Results, and Why I'm Still Skeptical of GLP-1s
Episode 144 Show Notes
In this episode, I'm sharing my personal experience with several popular peptides, including PT-141, BPC-157, TB-500, MOTS-c, and CJC-1295/Ipamorelin. I'll walk you through why I decided to try them, what results I noticed, and where I believe they may have supported my recovery, training, and overall health.
This isn't a conversation about finding a shortcut or chasing the latest health trend. As a nurse, health coach, endurance athlete, and mom of seven, I firmly believe that nutrition, strength training, sleep, recovery, and stress management are still the foundation of long-term health. Peptides may have a place, but they should never replace the basics.
I also share my thoughts on GLP-1 medications and why I've remained cautious despite their growing popularity. While I understand why many people are interested in them, I have concerns about muscle preservation, long-term metabolic health, and relying on appetite suppression without addressing the underlying habits that drive health outcomes.
If you've been curious about peptides, wondering whether they're worth exploring, or simply want to hear an honest discussion about recovery, performance, and longevity, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways
Not all peptides work the same way, and individual results can vary significantly.
Recovery still comes down to the fundamentals: nutrition, sleep, movement, hydration, and stress management.
Preserving muscle mass should be a priority for anyone pursuing fat loss or long-term health.
I share why I'm taking a cautious approach to GLP-1 medications and what concerns me most about their widespread use.
Thank you for supporting my small business. Here are some brands I trust and use myself with a discount for you:
Equip Protein - 15% off with code WICKES
Masa Chips - 20% off code STRONG $50 or more
Let’s Connect! I share tons of fitness tips and more behind the scenes on my social accounts.
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Tiffany Wickes: Hey, friends, welcome back to the podcast. First and foremost, I have to give the disclaimer, okay?
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Tiffany Wickes: This episode is based on my personal experience and available research with peptides, okay? Peptides are still an evolving area of study, and many are not FDA approved for general use.
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Tiffany Wickes: And this is not medical advice.
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Tiffany Wickes: Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about peptides. Alright, so I'm going to talk about them legitimately from my own experience, okay? I'll tell you what they are, what they're used for, and…
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Tiffany Wickes: I don't really give an actual F about what the FDA says or doesn't say. However, I have to give the disclaimer, because we live in a litigious society, and I ain't having nobody try to sue me for saying I gave them medical advice, because I didn't. That's not what this is. Okay, so here is…
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Tiffany Wickes: a concise, breakdown, I guess, of the peptides, that I have tried. So… First one is PT141.
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Tiffany Wickes: And that is a peptide originally developed to support sexual function and desire. So, other medications work primarily through blood flow, but this one, PT141, acts on the brain's, melanocortin receptors and is, you know, often
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Tiffany Wickes: said that it increases libido in both men and women. Okay, personal experience. I did the injection.
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Tiffany Wickes: And I did it once, and I was over it. It just made me, like, hot, and… but not… not that… not that kind of hot, guys. It just, like, temperature… like, thermal made me hot, kind of clammy, and nauseous. So…
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Tiffany Wickes: You know what? That one wasn't for me. I used it one time, thank God it was pretty inexpensive, so I threw it in the trash, and that was the end of it. However, and by the way, I also do need to say that all of the peptides I have used have come from doctors in, settings that are third-party verified, okay? I don't…
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Tiffany Wickes: Do peptides that are just
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Tiffany Wickes: hacked online from… from Sally, your local peppy distributor. I don't do that. These have all come from doctors, and I have had discussions with doctors about all of them. So.
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Tiffany Wickes: That was a one and done for me. Turns out, when you are in the middle ages of womanhood, sometimes you just need a little bit of extra testosterone, and for me, that changed the game big time, and I have a baby dose of testosterone. It's like 2.5 milligrams in
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Tiffany Wickes: a cream, like, one click, 2.5 milligrams. Very tiny dose, but it 100% turned up the, the desire factor. So, there you go. You might just need a little bit of extra testosterone.
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Tiffany Wickes: Alright, the next one is BPC157. So, that's short for Body Protection Compound, and the peptides commonly talked about in the performance and recovery space.
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Tiffany Wickes: For its potential role in supporting tissue repair, gut health, tendon recovery, reducing inflammation, and most of the evidence right now comes from animal research and anecdotal reports.
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Tiffany Wickes: So, my report is that I have used it twice now.
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Tiffany Wickes: Okay, nope, technically 3 times. So, the first time I used it, it was for a knee issue, or what I thought was a knee issue. It did not resolve the knee issue, because turns out, it wasn't a knee issue.
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Tiffany Wickes: It was, a flexibility issue, it was a tightness issue in different parts of my body, okay? So it didn't do anything for me, so I thought, well, this peptide is buns, but it actually wasn't.
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Tiffany Wickes: So, the next time I used it was when I tore my calf back in October. And again, that wasn't even a calf issue, that was tightness in my hamstrings.
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Tiffany Wickes: So, but I did tear my right calf, so in order… and I had just started training for the marathon that I ran, a couple weeks ago.
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Tiffany Wickes: So, with that, I was like, well, that sucked. So I did. I started a blend, and I'll talk about the next one too, TB500, I started a blend of these two, and I was shocked at how quickly that tear actually healed.
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Tiffany Wickes: And I have not had an issue with it since. So, I have used it a third time when my feet, after a long, tough training block leading right up to the marathon, I was
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Tiffany Wickes: a week and a half out from the marathon, and my right foot was, like, in agonizing pain. And there was some bruising.
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Tiffany Wickes: And I thought, there's no way I'm gonna be able to do this marathon with my foot like this. So I was like, alright, I'm gonna pull out all the stops.
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Tiffany Wickes: I'm gonna start another round of the BPC157 and the TB500, which I'll talk about in a minute, and then see if I can get some, like, rapid healing done to this foot, and so I can actually compete.
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Tiffany Wickes: So, I did that, I requested prayers, I went to my chiropractor, she's a sports medicine chiropractor, and she did this electromagnetic therapy, she did shockwave, which actually kind of hurt. And it turns out, like, when you feel
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Tiffany Wickes: like, pain with it. It's actually breaking apart,
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Tiffany Wickes: I want to say fibrotic tissue, but that might not be the right word.
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Tiffany Wickes: like, adhesions. So anyway, it was actually breaking apart things, and I was like, oh, that's uncomfortable. She's like, actually, that's a good thing, because it shows that it's breaking stuff apart. And I 100% felt a difference between my right foot and my left foot, because she didn't do it to my left foot, come to think of it, I wish she had. But she just did it to the left… or, I'm sorry, the right foot.
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Tiffany Wickes: Not my left, it was my right foot. And I felt a difference between the two feet as I continued to, go on with my fitness throughout that week leading up to the marathon. And by the way, once I did the marathon, I felt totally fine, and my feet have not had an issue since. So, did it, quote, work? Yeah, I would say it did.
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Tiffany Wickes: Alright, so the next one is TB500, that's thymus and beta-4 fragment. It's oftentimes paired, like I said, with BPC157, and is associated with recovery, mobility, and healing support. It is believed to help with cell migration, tissue repair, and reducing inflammation after injury or heavy training. In my experience, these two together have actually hit.
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Tiffany Wickes: I love those two. I've experienced zero downside, only benefit. So, loved it.
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Tiffany Wickes: Alright, so the next one I have tried is GHK-CU, that's a copper peptide. So it's a naturally occurring copper-binding peptide, that's frequently used in skincare and regenerative medicine conversations. It's associated with collagen production, skin healing, hair growth support, anti-aging effects, while also being researched for broader
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Tiffany Wickes: Regenerative properties.
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Tiffany Wickes: And I can say for sure that my skin looks so much better. I haven't really noticed much on the hair side of things. My nails… I haven't really noticed much yet with those either, because…
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Tiffany Wickes: Adam likes me to get my nails done, but getting that polish with the UV light, it's just tough on your nails. So, anyway, my nails are not doing super great right now, so I haven't really noticed an effect there, but as far as my skin, absolutely. I have noticed my skin just looks…
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Tiffany Wickes: it definitely feels softer everywhere. I don't do any kind of Botox, or fillers, or…
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Tiffany Wickes: I don't even do facials. I have good skincare, I have a great nutrition routine, good hydration, I really practice low stress, as low stress as you can be when you're running a bajillion miles. But I really have noticed a huge benefit from taking that particular
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Tiffany Wickes: That particular peptide, when it comes to how my skin looks, it just looks better, younger, youthful, more supple. So anyway, huge fan of that one.
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Tiffany Wickes: Alright, and the fourth one I have tried is MOTS-C. So this is a mitochondrial-derived peptide, often discussed in the longevity and performance space.
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Tiffany Wickes: for its potential effects on energy production, metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, and if you've followed me for a while, you know that I struggle a little on the insulin resistance side of things, and exercise endurance. So, sometimes it's referred to as an exercise memetic, because early research suggests that it may help the body adapt to metabolic stress.
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Tiffany Wickes: similar to training, so most current evidence is experimental, and the research is ongoing. So basically, it's being studied for how it helps the body produce and use energy more efficiently at the cellular level, especially around metabolism, endurance, and recovery.
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Tiffany Wickes: Okay, so I had the most hope for this one, and maybe it's just too early. I've been on it for about 2 weeks now, and let me tell you, this one stings like a mother, when you inject it. Like, it literally feels like a bee has stung me in my butt.
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Tiffany Wickes: However, I'm, like, willing to push through it, and there's generally, like, some redness and a little bit of welting.
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Tiffany Wickes: at the injection site, it goes away within a day, so guys, it's not debilitating, like, just, you know…
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Tiffany Wickes: be a big kid about it.
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Tiffany Wickes: But I was really excited about this one. Because of my insulin resistance issues, I was like, okay.
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Tiffany Wickes: I… and I will tell you why… okay, GL… okay, I feel like I'm all over the place, but stick with me. GLP-1s are basically made for people like me, okay? Who have a great lifestyle already, great, you know, exercise, great diet, all the things are in line, except we just have some…
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Tiffany Wickes: insulin sensitivity or resistance issues due to either just age, because lots of perimenopausal women are going through this, become more insulin resistance as you go through this change of time, sometime, you know, in your beginning to mid-40s, up through your mid-50s. It's just what happens. And, so anyway, I was hoping, but I also have a genetic factor. I have two genes that hold a higher
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Tiffany Wickes: blood sugar, so I've kind of got a double whammy going for me right now.
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Tiffany Wickes: And I was hoping that this would be a way to help with that, because gosh knows I've done everything else, and I'll tell you why I haven't started a GLP-1 in just a minute. However.
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Tiffany Wickes: that was kind of my hope. I don't… I don't know that I've seen the benefits that I thought I was looking for, but like I said, it might be too early. It says it takes 2-3 weeks. I've been on it for about 2 weeks now, so maybe it's just too early to tell. But I can say also.
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Tiffany Wickes: I recovered from this marathon way faster than I anticipated.
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Tiffany Wickes: But that also, I can't attribute that 100% to the peptide. It could have been in part, but I also made sure my caloric intake was where it needed to be, which is pretty high calories.
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Tiffany Wickes: My body is still showing some inflammation, like, I look fluffy right now, and I typically don't. So there is still some inflammation, like, how can there not be? The cortisol's increased when you're running for seven and a half flippin' hours. So cortisol increases, and when cortisol increases, water will be retained because it's working on healing muscle tissue and all the things, so…
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Tiffany Wickes: This should all dissipate in a matter of weeks. However, I felt ready to go in terms of working out. I felt really good by Thursday. I ran the marathon on Saturday, I felt really good by Thursday, and felt almost 100% by Friday.
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Tiffany Wickes: Okay, that's really early. Most people are walking with a dang pimp limp for two to three weeks after a marathon like the one that I ran. In fact, I've seen lots of marathoners say, don't run or do anything for a full month.
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Tiffany Wickes: After a marathon, just, like, chill. However, I felt incredible, so…
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Tiffany Wickes: there's that. So that definitely could have helped, but I also did a lot for recovery. Like, as soon as the marathon was over, I got the proper macronutrients into my body. I started, you know, bringing in more calories, or as much as I could, anyway. When you're eating a whole foods diet, it's actually very difficult to get in a high-calorie meal, because nutrients are so much more dense, you have to eat
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Tiffany Wickes: in high volume in order to achieve that result. So, I ate like I should have, I was pulling in fluids, electrolytes, I started with the, compression boots,
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Tiffany Wickes: Gosh darn, what's the name of that? Anyway, I'll remember it later.
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Tiffany Wickes: So I started with the compression boots, I walked around, I was still physically active, I rolled out my muscles, I got in the sauna, I did, contrast therapy, which is heat and cold, and I did that for 3 days, solid, and I… I 100% think contrast therapy, hands down, beats most anything. And I know not everybody has a sauna, but…
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Tiffany Wickes: There's, like, hot yoga places all over, and they will most…
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Tiffany Wickes: of the time, give you a free, like, week to try it out. I'm just saying, go try it out. I can't even remember the names of it right now, but the hot yoga places, saunas, like, get into them.
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Tiffany Wickes: So there you go. Now, the reasons I haven't done a GLP-1, although I am 100% the ideal client for that particular peptide.
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Tiffany Wickes: is… I don't trust it. And I know you guys are like, but that one's FDA approved! The ones you're doing aren't! I don't care, okay? I don't care about that. If it's FDA approved, I'm probably gonna be more skeptical of it.
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Tiffany Wickes: But here's the thing. When I was a nurse, I worked in long-term care facility, I worked in an acute care facility, I never saw these peptides being given for type 2 diabetes, and I saw a lot of type 2 diabetes, okay? A lot. I never saw these injections. Not once. So…
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Tiffany Wickes: the fact that people are saying, these have been around treating type 2 diabetes for a long time. I'm like, where? Where were they? I never saw them. I never heard of them. The only time I heard about them is when they started being pitched for weight loss. And that's what makes me skeptical, is that we don't actually know long-term
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Tiffany Wickes: what this does for people, as it relates to their metabolic health, we really don't know about this, and now that it's moved into the,
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Tiffany Wickes: you know, I'd like to… I know, I know, I know, I know. There's studies coming out saying it helps with blah blah blah blah blah, but I would…
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Tiffany Wickes: I would probably bring into the argument, like, okay, if it's helping with cardiovascular disease, could it also be that you're eating less of the crap you ate before, which contributed to heart rate… heart disease, you know? Like, when your appetite is suppressed and your gastric emptying is slowed down, you're typically just eating less on average. So if you're eating less of the crap that got you into a higher risk in the first
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Tiffany Wickes: place, then yes, I guess you could say it lowers the risk.
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Tiffany Wickes: However, I know that the, the, the…
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Tiffany Wickes: the dose is highly dependent on outcome and how much, you know, lifestyle, and nutrition, and fitness training and yadda yadda yadda. I'm just saying, I don't trust it, so I'm not willing to try it, at this point. I really think if this was beneficial long-term, we would have heard about this way earlier, because the fitness industry has been a billion-dollar industry for at least as long as I've been alive.
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Tiffany Wickes: even longer. You've seen women back in the 50s with their waist trainers, like, shaking their hips around, and…
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Tiffany Wickes: look at these women out doing plyometrics! And everyone was just aghast, but women primarily have been concerned about their physical appearance for a very long time, and it's always been, like, trim down, shape up, trim down, shape up. And the conversation about being strong and healthy and capable and viable and, you know, pliable and all that things, that's kind of a newer conversation that's entered into the arena, is like, let's build muscle, ladies.
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Tiffany Wickes: Because, you know, I'm still hearing women, like, I don't want to get bulky.
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Tiffany Wickes: Lady, you're not gonna get bulky! I am taking a tiny dose of testosterone, and I'm not even getting bulky with that. All that's done is boost that level, like, a teensy bit, to put me back into the semi-normal range of where a testosterone level could be, which is turned on libido, like I talked about earlier, and has made it a little bit easier
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Tiffany Wickes: to build some muscle. But we're still talking about lifting really heavy weights multiple times a week, oftentimes to failure, and working on recovery as a result of that level of stimulus that you place on your muscle.
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Tiffany Wickes: That's not happening, okay? You're not getting big, huge, bulked up. There's other peptides I do want to try.
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Tiffany Wickes: When it comes to the, you know.
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Tiffany Wickes: the fat burning and the muscle building, there's some thymus and alpha I'm kind of interested in trying, but right now, GLP-1s, they're just not sitting well with me. So, I'm not trying that at this point, and I'll let you in on an insider secret, okay? Don't tell anybody.
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Tiffany Wickes: We, Adam and I, have opened up the conversation to possibly growing our family. And with that being said.
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Tiffany Wickes: The half-life of GLP-1s is highly advised to not take that during a pregnancy, or within 3 months of attempting to become pregnant. So if we've got that on the warning label, like, I'm just gonna stay away from that, because we practice natural family planning, and truly.
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Tiffany Wickes: A pregnancy could occur at any point in time, because nobody is sterilized over here, we're not injecting anything, inserting anything, or swallowing anything to prevent babies, so I'm not willing to put a potential child at risk.
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Tiffany Wickes: Simply because I want to be creative with my, longevity routine. So, anyway, there's that. Lots of conversation in the world around peptides. Thought I would share my personal experience with… what is that? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of them that I have personally tried. Results may not be typical.
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Tiffany Wickes: I'm not selling anything, I don't even have a link for you. However…
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Tiffany Wickes: I do have a couple of references for doctors that you could contact.
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Tiffany Wickes: If you wanted to learn more about these peptides, okay? Highly advise speaking to an actual physician about them, and about your needs with them, and what they could or could not do for you, rather than just buying it from a polypeptide girl online. Okay? K. Glad we had that talk. Alright, love you, mean it. Thanks for showing up. As always, mama, stay strong, and I will talk to you next week. Bye, guys!