Beginner roadmap: you've never injected, where do you start

Step 1. Decide what you actually want to fix. Peptides are tools. A healing tool will not give you fat loss, and a fat-loss tool will not heal a torn rotator cuff. Pick one specific outcome.

Step 2. Match the outcome to a category. Healing means BPC-157 or TB-500. Fat loss means GLP/GIP class (semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide). GH-axis means Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 stack. Pigmentation means MT-1. Browse the index and read the timeline section to confirm the category fits.

Step 3. Read the full entry for the specific peptide. Pay attention to: dose range, schedule, side effects, contraindications. If anything in the contraindications list applies to you, stop here.

Step 4. Set up the bare minimum supplies. Insulin syringes (29-31 gauge, 1mL), bacteriostatic water, alcohol swabs, a sharps container. Spend less than $30.

Step 5. Pull baseline bloodwork before your first dose. Skipping this means you'll have nothing to compare to in 8 weeks. The Bloodwork guide has the panels worth pulling for each category.

Step 6. Order the peptide from a verified vendor. The vendor list comes in your welcome email after Pepdex membership. We do not list vendors anywhere else.

Step 7. Reconstitute carefully. The Reconstitution guide has the step-by-step. The biggest beginner mistake is foaming the powder by spraying water at it directly.

Step 8. Calculate your exact units to draw. Use the Calculator. Vial size + bac water amount + your target dose gives you a number of units on a 1mL insulin syringe. Confirm the math twice before drawing.

Step 9. Inject. Sub-q means under the skin in the fat layer. Lower abdomen, 2 inches from the navel, is the standard site. Pinch fat, insert at 45 degrees, push slowly, withdraw straight out. The Injection guide has the technique.

Step 10. Log it in Personal Stack. Track date, dose, site, any sensations. Your AI Coach reads this on every message, so the log is also your conversation memory.

What to expect emotionally: the first injection feels like a big deal. By the third one it's nothing. The first cycle is the hard one — second cycle on you'll know exactly what works for your body and what to adjust.

What to ask the AI Coach: anything specific to your stack. The Coach reads your Personal Stack on every message, so a question like "is my BPC dose normal" gets a real answer with your actual numbers.

What NOT to do: do not stack three peptides on your first cycle. Do not skip the cycle break. Do not run vendor-suggested protocols without cross-referencing the actual data. Vendors are biased toward longer cycles because that sells more product.