A wordbook for the conversation.

Words you may hear at a visit

Peptide

A short string of the units used to build proteins; that makeup alone cannot tell you what it would do for you.

Pituitary gland

A small gland beneath the brain that releases growth hormone when prompted by the natural signal sermorelin copies.

Growth hormone

A hormone released by the pituitary gland; sermorelin prompts its release rather than replacing it.

Compounding

Filling an order by preparing the medicine, rather than supplying a drug company’s already finished product.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval

Review of a specific drug product for a specific use; as of September 26, 2026, compounded medicines do not hold that approval.

Prescription

A medicine order from a professional licensed to prescribe it.

Telehealth

Care carried out at a distance through a screen, phone, or online exchange.

State medical board

The public body that licenses physicians and publishes the license information and discipline it makes public.

Board of pharmacy

The state body responsible for pharmacy licensing, separate from the medical board.

Outsourcing facility

A facility registered under the federal route for making batches of sterile compounded drugs.

Sterile

Free of living germs; sterile compounding has its own preparation standards.

NDC number

An entry code in a drug directory; the FDA’s explanation as of September 26, 2026, says the code provides no evidence of medicine approval.

IGF-1

A growth factor related to growth hormone that some sermorelin studies measured; a growth factor is a body signal involved in growth.

Side effect

An unwanted effect that occurs during treatment; a report alone does not prove that a medicine caused it.

MedWatch

The FDA service where patients and clinicians can report a problem involving a medicine.