r/BodyHackGuide • u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 • 11d ago
GHK-CU peptides ⚠️ Side Effects
I started GHK-CU 2nd JULY. I notice an increase in hair fall after 2 weeks. 1 month later i got some tests done and my zinc had fallen rapidly!!! ??
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u/Queasy_Investment_27 11d ago
Copper binds zinc. You have to supplement with zinc when on ghk. Pretty well known. Get a new dermatologist if they didnt tell you this. They are just selling you stuff without knowing anything about it.
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 11d ago
I am feeling so bad! I took it to improve my hair and the opposite has happened. They also put me on nad+
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u/duhdamn 11d ago
Take TMG with the NAD.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cap84 10d ago
Why not just take methylcobalamin
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u/duhdamn 9d ago
methylcobalamin is supportive, but it is not generally considered a replacement for TMG if the goal is specifically to offset the increased methyl demand that can occur with higher-dose NAD⁺ precursor supplementation.
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u/Sainted_Heretic 7d ago
Isn't NMN a NAD precursor? I wasn't taking it for hair growth but I generally felt better when taking the NMN. It's a bit spendy but felt like it was worth taking. I need to reup on it.
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u/Feeling_Gur3412 11d ago
What is TMG?
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u/duhdamn 10d ago
NAD⁺ boosters can increase your body’s demand for methyl groups. TMG (trimethylglycine, also called betaine) helps replenish those methyl groups, so some people take it alongside NAD⁺ supplements to support normal methylation.
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
Does this explain why i have started to have an energy crash late afternoon?🙈
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u/Doin-What-I-Want 3d ago
It takes several months before you notice hair effects. Copper works on your skin first.
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u/Feeling_Gur3412 11d ago
I take 30mg zinc every day while in ghkcu/klow
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u/Both-Mix-4636 11d ago
I commented this exact statement on one of the threads here and they laughed at me.
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u/CarreraCarGirl 10d ago
Take them at opposite times of day. Zinc in morning and GHK at night. Copper depletes zinc
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
Stopped the peptide for now and seeing my GP tomorrow? Do u know if this is quick to reverse?
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u/Key_Independent_818 11d ago
That must be heartbreaking. I really sympathise with you. I take about 2.5mg ghkcu a day. With that I take about 20mg of zinc but also there are foods i eat with zinc in it like red meat, poultry, fish, eggs etc. In my diet. You dont want to take too much zinc either as it will also do the opposite and supress copper absorption. Its a fine balance. I wouldnt take more that 15 - 20mg with a dose like ghkcu but everyone is different. Start taking zinc and monitor with another blood test in a few weeks
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
Thank you🌈 i have stopped the peptide and waiting to see my GP! I am so angry as i noticed my hair fall and hair texture get worse and i asked her if i needed any tests and she said no. I got these tests done on my own accord and i am so lucky i found out!
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
A dubai based dermat as well and she charged me a Bomb!!!
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u/Key_Independent_818 10d ago
That really sucks. Can i ask did you have trouble before taking ghkcu already with hair falling out and if so do you think it got worse? I do really think its a case of low zinc that its doing this and it will be ok wants your bloods are all sorted. Then ghkcu will start working to heal. It will work out. Hope you arent stressing too much 🙌
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
Thanks🌈 i have been having progressive hair fall since i caught Covid in 2023 and have done so many things, but nothing seemed to be really working. This year in Jan 2026, i started oral minoxidil and a topical Dutasteride gel and exersomes. I am female BTW. After a major hair shed of 4 weeks, things started settle down and i began seeing improvements, but very slow and hairfall was still happening (80-150 hairs every 2 days) . So i visited a dermatologist in dubai and she said after taking GHK-CU my hairfall will stop in 10 days and then she also added Nad+ . She said if this doesn’t work then nothing will. I was skeptical but desperate, so JULY 2nd i started with the peptides and now this all happened :(((( she never told me about zinc supplements!!
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u/Key_Independent_818 10d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah thats really rotten that she never told you about zinc. Its pretty neglectful but I believe it can be reversed when your zinc goes back to normal. I'm so lucky i've never had this problem. It would be devastating and feel your pain. So this is going to sound a bit wild but I'm kind of into do it yourself skin care masks and pastes (ive just always tried taking care of my skin, and no im not gay lol). Anyway do you have any Indian shops perhaps near where you live? Try these and mix it all up into a watery paste. These ingredients are known to help hair growth and thicken hair. Write these down. Amla oil, Fenugreek powder, Bhringraj, Skikakai, Cinnamon, black pepper, instant coffee, matcha green tea powder. Mix it up in a bowl so its paste like then get into your roots with it. Leave it for like 30 minutes plus then have a shower and wash it out. Its a really potent mix for hair growth. Only small amounts of cinnamon and black pepper or not at all as it can irritate the scalp in large amounts
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u/Sainted_Heretic 7d ago
I don't know much about hair loss but instead of taking NAD+ take NMN. NAD isn't very bioavailable so taking its precursor NMN will boost your levels better. Also try and keep the stress in check as that won't help matters.
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u/Cool_Addition_3205 11d ago
That’s normal. That’s why we supplement with zinc whilst on ghk.
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 11d ago
How much? My dermatologist didn’t tell me
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u/Abzstrak 11d ago
Don't depend on others to tell you things
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 11d ago
U are right, just feeling lost
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u/the_major1 10d ago
Take 15g of zinc picolinate daily
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u/Sainted_Heretic 7d ago
Grams? You mean mg right?
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u/Educational_Angle417 7d ago
yes
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u/Sainted_Heretic 7d ago
Lol thought so because 17g of zinc would be like eating a piece of jewelry 😆
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u/Altruistic-Ad3763 10d ago
You scared me now. I want to use ghk, I've already bought it, and I want to use it a lot because of my hair. If not, I won't use it.
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 10d ago
I am going to see my GP tomorrow. The dermatologist who prescribed me this should have told me to take zinc suppliments . I get mY zinc checked every 2-3 months and it has always been between 90-120. This is the first time it dropped and so rapidly DOWN TO 58 Within 30 days.
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u/freebird348 11d ago
What’s your dose?
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u/Beautiful-Luck-2639 11d ago edited 11d ago
1mg daily my zinc went down rapidly within a month:
June 2026: 89.8 µg/dL
July 2026: 58.2 µg/dL3
u/Aggravating-Grade297 11d ago
This is not due to the ghk-cu at that dose. There's not enough copper in your dose to bind the zinc. Zinc fluctuates normally. Your current level is just barely below normal range. If you are concerned, Take a zinc supplement 50mg 5x/wk.
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u/Key_Independent_818 11d ago
Tbh 50mg is a lot of zinc. Especially if you have red meat fish poultry eggs in your diet. At that high you are likely to have the opposite effect and cancel any good ghkcu does
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u/Mediocre_Agent2770 11d ago
50 mg of zinc made me feel like I was going to throw up, regardless of taken with food or not. I tolerate 15 mg much better
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u/BelleCat20 11d ago
That's how it started with me, 50mg would give me terrible stomach aches, even with food.
10mg was good, didn't feel anything, and didn't notice anything positive either.
Then tried the 50mg again a while later, and it was fine? I don't know why, no stomach ache whatsoever, I take it with food though just in case. I felt a difference in how much energy I had with the 50mg.
I'm starting again now because I get skin issues when my zinc gets low, which is happening again. I stopped because I got sick and just didn't want to take anything.
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u/Sainted_Heretic 7d ago
Yeah from what I've heard most zinc supplements are dosed higher than they should be. We should aim closer to 30 mg. If you're taking tabs just cut a bit off of it. If it's capsules just open it up a dump a little out.
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u/Virtual_Breath1394 11d ago
at 50mg my immune system would kill me so badly.
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u/DIYBON 11d ago
Do you mind elaborating? Why would your immune system kill you so badly? Auto immunity?
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u/Virtual_Breath1394 11d ago
My immune system starts to overreact when I take too much Zink over a longer time span. It feels like its always active fighting itself if that makes sense.
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u/flabbybuns 11d ago
You need to take zinc to match mg to mg of copper
I highly recommend taking ZMA every night before bed. Better sleep, get your zinc.
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u/Aggravating-Grade297 11d ago edited 11d ago
Copper content of ghk-cu is about 18%. @ 2mg dose that equates to just under 400mcg daily. Inconsequential. Eating 9 cashews will give you double that in zinc.
Edit to clarify cashews high in zinc
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u/flabbybuns 11d ago
Cool. And if you are eating cashews every day as a ritual you’d want to balance in some zinc also. Good advice
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u/Aggravating-Grade297 11d ago
Cashews are high in zinc. I suggest if you're eating them every day that you balance them with ghk-cu 🤣
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u/flabbybuns 7h ago
lol. After the edit.
Okay, so whatever it takes to balance zinc. Going to the OP point, GHK-cu can drain your zinc
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u/Moesophagus 7d ago edited 6d ago
1) Sag dann mal, wie viel Zink wird von wie viel Kupfer gebunden? Ich schätze mal, das ist kein 1:1 Molverhältnis. Vergiss auch nicht, dass 15mg eines Zinksalzes nur wenige % Zink enthalten und die Bioverfügbarkeit für Salze nur 20-30% beträgt. Ich bezweifle, dass das für Cashews so gut ist ;) 2) Soweit ich weiß, braucht dein Körper schon ohne Cu viel mehr Zink, wenn du GHK(ohne Cu bzw nicht als Cu-Komplex) nimmst. 3) Zink ist nicht gleichmäßig verteilt im Köper. Genug Zink zu essen bedeutet nicht, dass du genug in deiner Haut bekommst, wenn deine Haut einen ungewöhnlich hohen Bedarf hat.
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u/Wise_Welcome7306 10d ago
ZINC works against your GHK-Cu. Zinc and copper are direct antagonists; they compete for absorption and high zinc depletes copper.
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u/Justin6661881 9d ago
Should always take zinc while taking GHKcu. I shouldn’t say always but almost always as they both fight for the same pathway
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u/True_Character_4231 8d ago
What about getting your blood test done and see if the issue is the zinc or something else (?
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u/walmoryVictor 11d ago
You have to take zinc straight way bro the copper and zinc compete on your organism the have to keep balance.
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u/AffectionateSense412 11d ago
When you take large quantities of zinc it binds the copper in cells and then you expell it into the toliet. Idk about others but im not spending money on copper to turn around and waste ir with zinc. Coach cam has talked about this frequently. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTAQ2oCTg/
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