@BastardTac peptide stack: Tessa/Imp + Retatrutide + Glow blend + NAD+ + Kisspeptin
If anyone's taking peptides which do you take? My personal stack: Tessa/Imp Reta Glow NAD+ Kisspeptin (maybe misspelled this)
An honest community-question post. Author asks what others take, then shares his own. The stack is a classic enthusiast kitchen-sink: Tessa/Ipamorelin GH-pulsing combo, retatrutide, the Glow blend (a community-recognized GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500 mix) doing recovery and skin work, NAD+, and kisspeptin maintaining the HPG axis. Mechanism is real across the stack and the blend is a known quantity. The structural problem that remains is retatrutide, which has no legitimate civilian supply chain. The 'maybe misspelled this' parenthetical is refreshing in a market that usually overdresses.
| Goal | Score | Grade | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longevity | 65 | D | 10% | NAD precursors have plausible longevity-targeted mechanism, but the GH-axis stimulation from Tessa/Imp pulls in the opposite direction per the IGF-1 / aging literature. |
| Cognition | — | Not targeted | — | No ingredient with a primary cognitive mechanism. |
| Sleep & recovery | 72 | C- | 15% | Tessa/Imp GH pulsing aligns with deep-sleep architecture and the Glow blend covers BPC/TB-style recovery. Modest, dose-dependent. |
| Energy & metabolism | 74 | C | 30% | Retatrutide's triple agonism is the strongest metabolic mechanism in the stack. NAD precursors add weaker but legitimate metabolic support. |
| Body recomposition | 75 | C | 45% | Real mechanism (Reta + GH-axis stimulation) and the Glow blend is a known composition. Held off the B range by undisclosed doses and retatrutide sourcing. |
Ingredients (5)
Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin combo (Tessa/Imp)
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- GH-axis stimulator combo. Tesamorelin is a GHRH analog (FDA-approved as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy) that drives endogenous GH release. Ipamorelin is a selective GH secretagogue (ghrelin mimetic) that triggers GH release without elevating cortisol or prolactin. Co-administered for amplified, more endogenous-pattern GH pulses.
- Take
- Author writes 'Tessa/Imp' without disclosing doses. Tesamorelin is FDA-approved at 2mg/day subQ for HIV-associated visceral lipodystrophy; Ipamorelin enthusiast protocols use 100–300mcg pre-bed and post-workout. The pairing is more endogenous-pattern than CJC-1295/Ipa because Tesamorelin's half-life is shorter than CJC. Real GH effects on body comp are dose-dependent and accompanied by water retention and joint stiffness. Bloodwork (IGF-1, fasting glucose, HbA1c) is non-optional for sustained use.
Retatrutide
Retatrutide on peptidelist.org ↗
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon triple-receptor agonist. Activates appetite and gastric-emptying (GLP-1), insulin response and lipid metabolism (GIP), and energy expenditure / lipolysis (glucagon) pathways. Eli Lilly trial drug; Phase 2 data exceeded tirzepatide and semaglutide on bodyweight outcomes.
- Take
- Author writes 'Reta' with no dose. Phase 2 trials titrated to 8–12mg/week subQ, with body-comp data that's exceptional for the GLP-1-class pipeline. The structural problem isn't the dose. Retatrutide is Phase 3 trial-stage and has no legitimate civilian supply chain. Anything sold as 'retatrutide' on the research-peptide market is gray-market trial diversion or unverifiable counterfeit synthesis, and counterfeit GLP-1-class drugs have been documented with off-target compounds.
Glow blend
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Community-recognized peptide blend, typically GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500. Marketed for skin remodeling, recovery, and aesthetic effects. Composition is stable enough to be treated as a known quantity in enthusiast circles.
- Take
- Glow is a community-recognized blend, typically GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500, marketed for skin remodeling and recovery. The composition is reasonably stable across reputable vendors, so the 'mystery blend' concern doesn't fully apply. Real remaining limits: the customer can't titrate any individual component, can't compare per-component to research-typical doses, and depends on the vendor's mixing accuracy. The 'glow' aesthetic framing is enthusiast-circle marketing without RCT support, but the underlying ingredients have plausible mechanism.
NAD+
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- NAD+ is a coenzyme central to mitochondrial energy production and sirtuin/PARP enzyme activity; declines with age. Supplemented as IV NAD+, oral NMN/NR precursors, or subcutaneous NAD+.
- Take
- 'NAD+' could mean IV NAD+ (typical $300–1500/session with essentially no published evidence of clinical benefit), oral NMN/NR precursors at 500–1000mg/day with weak biomarker evidence, or subcutaneous NAD+. The choice has wildly different cost-effectiveness profiles. Author doesn't specify, which is the standard problem with how 'NAD' gets listed in stacks.
Kisspeptin
Kisspeptin on peptidelist.org ↗
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Hypothalamic peptide that stimulates GnRH neurons, increasing LH/FSH and downstream endogenous testosterone (in males) or estradiol (in females). Kisspeptin-10 is the commonly-used research analog; studied for HPG-axis restoration and fertility.
- Take
- Common research-peptide protocols use Kisspeptin-10 at 50–250mcg subQ. The parenthetical 'maybe misspelled this' suggests the author isn't deeply familiar, which is fair since kisspeptin is one of the more obscure research peptides. The mechanism (HPG-axis stimulation upstream of LH/FSH and endogenous testosterone) is real; magnitude in healthy adults is modest. Used to maintain HPG axis function alongside other endocrine-modulating compounds, the rationale is reasonable.
Risks & interactions
- Retatrutide has no legitimate civilian supply chaincritical
Phase 3 trial-stage drug, not FDA-approved. Anything sold as 'retatrutide' on the research-peptide market is gray-market trial diversion or unverifiable synthesis from an offshore lab. Counterfeit GLP-1-class drugs have been documented with off-target compounds, including dangerous sympathomimetics. This is the central risk of including retatrutide at all, not a sourcing concern on top of a legitimate compound.
- Two endocrine axes running concurrently with no monitoringhigh
The stack stimulates the GH/IGF-1 axis (Tessa/Imp) and the HPG axis (Kisspeptin) at the same time. Sustained IGF-1 elevation has known associations with insulin resistance, joint discomfort, and theoretical cancer-progression concerns. HPG-axis stimulation changes total/free T, E2, and LH/FSH in ways that interact with any other hormonal compound the user might be running. Without baseline and follow-up bloodwork, the user can't disentangle which compound is driving any subjective change or catch problems early.
- Glow blend forecloses per-component titrationmedium
Glow is a recognized blend (typically GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500), so the composition itself isn't a concern. The remaining issue is that any pre-mixed product forecloses harm-reduction titration: the customer can't start low on any single component, can't compare per-component to research-typical doses, and depends on the vendor's mixing accuracy. Real but bounded.
- No doses across five ingredient categoriesmedium
Five compound categories (Tessa/Imp counts as two peptides, Glow likely contains three) with zero dose disclosure makes this stack not replicable, not titrable, and not safety-evaluable. Standard problem with enthusiast share-the-stack posts; understandable but limiting for any reader trying to learn from it.
- GLP-1 / triple-agonist GI side effectsmedium
Retatrutide and other triple agonists cause significant nausea, vomiting, and GI distress in 30%+ of users at therapeutic doses. Slow titration and antiemetic protocols are standard in trial settings. Vendor-sourced retatrutide users typically don't have the protocol structure to titrate cleanly.
The stack runs two endocrine-modulating axes concurrently: GH/IGF-1 from Tessa/Imp and HPG axis from Kisspeptin. Without baseline and follow-up labs, the user can't tell whether either is doing what's intended, can't catch GH-driven insulin resistance early, and can't disentangle which compound is driving any subjective effect. For a stack this active, monitoring is the cheapest improvement available.
Estimated cost
Tesamorelin/Ipamorelin ~$200–400/mo at compounding pharmacy or research vendor pricing; retatrutide $300–1500+ if sourceable, with the central caveat that it isn't legitimately available; 'Glow' blend $80–150/mo at typical research-peptide vendor pricing; NAD ranges from $30–80/mo for oral NMN/NR to $1200+/mo for regular IV NAD; kisspeptin $50–100/mo. Wide range driven by retatrutide and NAD ambiguity.