BPC 157 Side Effects

Last Updated: August 24, 2022

As you may be aware, BPC 157 is a peptide that consists of 15 different amino acids. It is considered an experimental supplement since it has not been tested enough in human clinical studies. While the supplement has shown promise of some healing and regenerative abilities in rats, it is now on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

More than likely, the supplement ended up on the list because of extensive BPC 157 side effects. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, selling BCP 157 in wellness products is illegal. Therefore, you should steer clear of websites or retailers that sell BPC 157 as a supplement or products that contain the peptide.

Harmful ingredients or supplements that contain them are prohibited for good reasons. In particular, they can cause severe and even life-threatening health issues. Let’s review some of the most common side effects of using BPC 157 that can occur in humans.

Headache

A headache may not seem like one of the more serious BPC 157 side effects. Nonetheless, headaches can disrupt your routine. Frequent throbbing pain that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter medications makes it more difficult to sleep and concentrate. Various headache forms or types can manifest with different severities and related side effects.

For instance, migraine headaches sometimes accompany nausea, dizziness, and visual auras. Although headache pain is often enough of a deterrent, related side effects can cause even more disruption. Dizziness can make it challenging to sit up or participate in physical activity. After all, you may not feel like eating much and have to call in sick to work.

Frequent headaches might also prompt you to take an over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen and aspirin. Although these pills are relatively harmless when taken occasionally, extended use can lead to problems like stomach ulcers. Until the meds kick in, the pain and other side effects from headaches might make you more irritable.

Therefore, you could respond to others in a harsh tone and alienate them. Irritability and poor concentration may even lead you to make rash and incorrect decisions. Headaches can impact your job performance and the results of your work-related efforts. The last thing you want to do is take a supplement that triggers a headache.

Headache Types

As implied, headaches can range in severity from a minor inconvenience to a serious, life-threatening situation. Here are some of the more common headache types and causes:

Tension or stress headaches
Traumatic injury headaches, including those from a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury
Cluster headaches
Headaches from hormonal imbalances and menstrual cycles
Migraines
Headaches from sinus infections, inflamed sinuses, or allergies
Caffeine withdrawal or excess caffeine consumption
Heat stroke or exhaustion
Aneurysm

Some signs that you need immediate medical attention or your headache could be serious are a stiff neck, vomiting, vision loss, and slurred speech. You should also seek urgent care if the pain is the worst you’ve experienced or you have a body temperature of 100.4 Fahrenheit or higher.

Nausea and Dizziness

If you’ve ever had a case of vertigo, you know how uncomfortable nausea and dizziness can get. You feel like the room is spinning regardless of whether you’re sitting up or lying down. With dizziness, you could find it difficult to stand up, walk, or maintain your balance. That can be potentially dangerous as you could fall or run into something.

Consequently, you could sustain a head injury, a sprain, a broken bone, or worse. Some of these injuries might be minor, but they could escalate into something more serious. For example, the extent of a head injury might not be apparent for weeks or months afterward. In particular, conditions like subdural hematomas won’t be detectable without a CT scan or MRI.

With these types of injuries, permanent disability and death are possible. That is why it’s critical to go to the emergency room for an immediate and thorough assessment. But let’s say you can manage your dizziness by taking it easy. Any nausea you continue to feel will still be more than unpleasant or uncomfortable.

Even minor or moderate nausea might cause deter from eating or drinking. This might not be as big a deal for some people. But if you have an underlying medical condition like diabetes, it can be. In addition, the body’s ability to survive without hydration is limited. Nausea that causes you to avoid liquids for three days or more is potentially life-threatening.

Elevated Blood Pressure

Most people don’t need a doctor to warn them about the dangers of elevated blood pressure. Known as “the silent killer,” high blood pressure can lead to heart failure, stroke, and an aneurysm. Of course, nearly everyone’s blood pressure becomes elevated from time to time.

Anxiety over a trip to the dentist or a big work or school presentation can cause your blood pressure to rise. An occasional increase isn’t going to do much damage, but frequent and continuous episodes will. Elevated blood pressure makes your heart work harder, narrows your blood vessels, and can lead to metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is when you don’t process food efficiently, and your body develops insulin resistance. This can cause you to gain weight, especially in the stomach area. Other dangers of high blood pressure include:

Dementia
Impaired concentration
Inability to remember or recall significant events
Difficulty understanding simple or complex concepts

Making BPC 157 side effects worse is the fact that some people’s DNA predisposes them to hypertension. That means they already have elevated blood pressure that may require medication or special diets. Taking BPC 157 will only aggravate hypertension and potentially negate the beneficial effects of treatment.

Appetite Increase

Those who take steroids to suppress their immune systems know that increased appetite is an unwelcome side effect of this medication. Increased appetite can make you hungry sooner and drive you to eat more than you typically would. When you take in more calories than your body burns, you can gain unwanted pounds. Plus, with an increased appetite you might gain rapidly.

Weight gain has harmful physical effects, but it can impact your psychological and emotional well-being as well. After all, you may find you have to buy new clothes and don’t have the stamina for household chores or physical activities. In that context, a sudden change in your appearance can erode your confidence and make you feel more self-conscious around others.

As a result, you might avoid social gatherings and activities. Further isolation can lead to or exacerbate social anxiety and depression. While isolation, anxiety, and depression may not be life-threatening at first, they can increase your suicide risk. Weight gain tied to medication or supplements isn’t something you can easily reverse either.

That’s because increased appetite doesn’t go away as long as you’re taking the at-fault substances. Some substances that increase your hunger might also change how your body balances electrolytes and processes energy. This can lead to hard-to-shed pounds and increased weight from bloating or water retention.

Cancer

Perhaps the most serious of all the BPC 157 side effects is cancer. Once this disease takes hold, it can become quite aggressive in some individuals. But even those who get an early-stage diagnosis face a long and uncertain road. The medical expenses alone are enough to cause someone to declare bankruptcy if they lack insurance or disability coverage. Indeed, some individuals without resources or help end up skipping treatment.

A lack of treatment can exacerbate cancer symptoms and the disease’s progression. Someone who would otherwise have a life expectancy of 85 might see that cut down to 50 or less. This disease ]can spread to multiple organs in the body. Different types of cancer include:

Stomach
Lung
Brain
Skin
Ovarian
Uterine
Colon
Breast
Blood

Cancer treatments usually consist of a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. These methods come with their own side effects and required downtime. And then, there is the fact that between 25% and 50% of new cancer treatments are successful.

So, experimental trials and options outside of traditional methods may be available, but they’re more of a gamble. A cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment often impact family members, friends, and caregivers. Typically, it will be emotional, but there is the potential for physical and financial strain.

Conclusion

You might see supplement distributors and sellers touting the potential benefits of BPC 157, which also goes by the name Bepecin. These include helping to tame systemic inflammation, heal stomach ulcers, and correct muscle sprains and ligament damage. Before January 2022, BCP 157 was not on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. But since that date, the ingredient has been.

The reasons are clear when you examine the laundry list of BPC 157 side effects. Whatever benefits the ingredient or supplement provides are offset by harmful effects ranging from headaches to cancer. Moreover, the medical community has not verified BPC 157 is safe for humans to use.

Given the potential side effects, there is no known safe dosage. Until there is a sound and safe reason for humans to take BPC 157 in supplement form, it is best to avoid any use.

About the author

Jason Hughes

"Hey there, I'm Jason, and you've just landed on the most exhilarating spot on the web - my VL universe! Here's the deal: I'm wildly obsessed (in the best way possible!) with all things diet, strength training, fitness, health, and wellness. It's not just a passion; it's a lifestyle!

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