In The Substance, a woman injects a black market drug that promises a younger, better version of herself. It works. And then it destroys her.

That was fiction. The following isnt.
People are injecting unregulated peptides from Chinese labs. US imports doubled to over $328M Last year alone.
The hot one right now is retatrutide.
It activates three hormone receptors at once including glucagon.
Glucagon is a stress hormone. Doctors literally inject it to test your cortisol response, it raises heart rate and triggers fight or flight.
Trials showed heart rate increases of 5-10 bpm. Thats your body thinking its under threat because chemically, it is.
Chronic cortisol elevation accelerates aging, breaks down muscle, weakens bones and suppresses your immunity. The exact things people take peptides to avoid.
Youre getting thinner because your body thinks it’s in danger and burns fat to survive.
The longest trial was 68 weeks, nobody knows what years of this looks like.
In the movie she couldnt stop because the results were too good.
Sound familiar?