The myth to check
Does custom-made mean the medicine has had the same review?
Read the fact
The fact
A pharmacy or doctor mixes or prepares a compounded medicine to order.
According to the FDA on September 26, 2026, compounded medicines are not reviewed by the agency for quality, benefit or safety before sale.
The FDA says poor mixing or preparation can leave germs or the wrong amount of active ingredient in a medicine. That ingredient is the part intended to do the work.
Pause over these gaps
On September 26, 2026, federal law is broken when a website sells or supplies prescription medicine without a valid prescription.
Ask for the pharmacy’s name and who can answer questions after the medicine arrives.
In its September 26, 2026 warnings, the FDA flags damaged packaging, missing instructions and claims that a medicine prepared to order matches an approved medicine.
A steep discount alone does not settle the question; the FDA lists it among concerns to weigh with the other checks.
Labels and measurements need clear answers
Arizona’s Nursing Board notice, current on October 3, 2026, warns of confusing labels and measurement errors for weight and diabetes medicines prepared to order.
The FDA has received reports of errors with compounded semaglutide injections, some involving a hospital stay.
Ask the person who writes your prescription, or the pharmacist: How do these instructions match this label?
The FDA’s September 26, 2026 warning describes false labels on some semaglutide and tirzepatide medicines made to order. They name a pharmacy that did not make the medicine, or one that does not exist.
Storage depends on the exact product
Some peptide products need to be kept cold; others use room temperature. The storage rule depends on the medicine.
Request this product’s own instructions, plus steps to follow if the delivery seems wrong.
As of September 17, 2026, the FDA advises against using injectable weight and diabetes medicines that arrive warm or without enough cooling.
Get urgent help for severe symptoms
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) calls a severe allergic reaction life-threatening.
Seek emergency help at once for severe signs such as difficulty breathing or a swollen tongue.
These signs call for help; they do not tell you the cause.
For an overdose of semaglutide, NIH’s medicine guide directs readers to Poison Control.
Report a medicine problem
Patients can file a medicine-problem report with the FDA through MedWatch.
A report of a medicine problem alone cannot establish that the medicine was its cause.
Look it up
Sources for this chapter
- Arizona Nursing Board: label concerns
The state notice on labels, added ingredients and measurements.
- FDA: compounded weight medicines
Product quality, storage and label concerns.
- NIH: severe allergic reactions
Symptoms that call for emergency help.
- NIH: semaglutide medicine guide
Where to get help for an overdose.
- FDA: report a medicine problem
Health professionals and patients can both use MedWatch to report medicine problems.
Keep reading
What a claim can actually prove