The Tamesis
We’ve reached peak peptides. Tech bros in Silicon Valley trade insider info on Chinese peptide experts, Upper East Side moms can gush about their peptide stacks, and, lest you forget, the “P” in GLP-1 (the class of appetite-suppressing drugs we collectively can’t stop taking) also stands for peptide. Peptides are short-chain amino acids that suppress inflammation and regulate hormones, and over time, more and more people are turning themselves into human pincushions to experience their purported benefits.
Or, as TikTok’s health and optimization corner attests, they laugh at it. “No Fixed Peptide” read a post from a guy who rarely posts without a shirt, describing his account as “skin care and fitness.” Another video shows a man completing a pile of paperwork at breakneck speed, with the caption: “Nasal Spray, the Easiest Way to Go Up.” But are nasal peptides another TikTok-fueled health scam (remember okra water? Yep.) Or are they actually a viable and genius delivery system?
Amanda Kahn, MD, a New York macrobiotic doctor known as the “Peptide Princess,” says they are indeed a viable delivery system; in fact, she says, some peptides don’t come in injectable form at all and can only be injected intranasally. She adds that nasal peptides enter our systems differently than injections do: Nasal sprays take a direct path from the nose to the brain, while injections have to snake their way through the bloodstream. The amino acid chains that make up a peptide can vary in size (a length of 3 looks different than a length of 45). “If they’re long, they’re usually not given intranasally because the nasal environment just disrupts it,” explains Jamie Gabel, MS, PA-C, a licensed physician assistant at the Longevity Clinic +advitam in Manhattan. “Peptides in general are very fragile, so only a few can actually be used intranasally.”
Selank is a peptide with excellent efficacy when administered intranasally. “It’s a potent mood enhancer and nootropic designed to enhance cognitive performance and relieve brain fog,” Kahn said, adding that many of her patients who don’t want to use SSRIs spray it daily. “It’s ideal for those looking to enhance mental performance, improve emotional well-being, or seek support during high-stress times.” That TikTokker talking about boosting? He uses Selank (in combination with MT2 or Melanotan II, which increases melanin and makes the user look more tanned, and Semax, another drug that Gabel says works intranasally). Kahn also mentioned the peptide VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide), which reduces systemic inflammation, supports the gut, and aids brain health and focus; DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide), which calms the central nervous system and promotes deep sleep; oxytocin, a well-known feel-good molecule, and three other potent nasal peptides.
Online, peptide pushers are suggesting adding more acronyms to your nasal regimen, but despite TikTok’s insistence, not everything should be stuffed up your nose. BPC-157, a peptide most commonly used for treatment and repair, first gained notoriety as part of the so-called “Wolverine Stack” favored by Joe Rogan and others, and is often labeled as a nasal peptide online. But Gabel said he has never prescribed intranasal medication and would not recommend it. “There is no question that injection is the way it has been studied and should be delivered,” he added. PT-141 and GHKCU are two other nasal peptides found online. Gabel says the former is an exciting advancement for improving sexual desire in both men and women. “It acts on melanocortin receptors in the brain that are involved in sexual arousal,” Gabel said. “It can be administered intranasally, but the gold standard for efficacy is injectable,” Kahn says, as does GHKCU, a collagen-boosting, inflammation-reducing peptide that’s getting a lot of attention in the skin-care world. “I usually use it as an injection because it’s more bioavailable and easier to absorb and distribute in the body,” Kahn said. “But for patients who are more needle-averse, I would rather they use GHK nasal spray than nothing at all.”
