What to avoid
Pause when the details do not add up.
Even a carefully presented website may omit answers to basic questions. Get the missing detail before agreeing to treatment or payment.
Words, unpacked
When a medicine is compounded, a pharmacist or a doctor makes it to order.
Check that a prescription is part of the care
A licensed health professional issues a prescription to order your medicine.
US law, as of September 26, 2026, makes a valid prescription necessary for a prescription medicine.
- Ask who makes the prescribing decision.
- Ask how your health details reach that person.
- Pause if medicine is offered without that step.
Question research labels and approval claims
FDA is short for the US Food and Drug Administration. Compounding is when a medicine is prepared to order.
A research label presents a product as being for lab work, not for use as treatment.
FDA advises against research-labelled drugs offered for use in people, as of September 26, 2026.
It says the quality of those products is unknown and they may harm health.
The claim 'FDA-approved' is false for compounded medicines, as of September 26, 2026.
Registration puts a business's details on record.
An FDA registration grants no approval to the listed facility or its medicines, as of September 26, 2026.
- Have the exact medicine's status explained to you.
- Match the pharmacy's name to its state licence entry.
- If a website displays a sign of approval, ask who gave it and what it means.
- Ask what the business means by 'FDA registered'.
Ask about a damaged or unclear package
For semaglutide and tirzepatide, medicines for weight and diabetes, FDA flags damaged packs, missing instructions and label errors, as of September 17, 2026.
Different medicines need different storage conditions; peptides share no single rule requiring cold storage.
- Ask the pharmacy about the exact product's storage instructions.
- Ask it to resolve missing or conflicting label details before use.
Severe allergic symptoms need urgent help
For severe allergic symptoms, seek emergency care: that is MedlinePlus's direction in information checked on September 17, 2026.
A swollen tongue or difficulty breathing can be among those symptoms.
Seek emergency help for severe symptoms.
A medicine problem can also be reported
Patients have a reporting route for medicine problems in FDA's MedWatch service, as of September 17, 2026.
- Ask the doctor treating you about a medicine concern.
- Use emergency care for severe symptoms before making a report.