[cryzinger]

What makes you say that compounding pharmacies' testing is way more suspect? Curious because I know people who are still using compounding pharmacies (specifically mom-and-pop joints that might be able to evade crackdowns for a while longer) but have considered going grey market... maybe this is the sign to switch?

[rootusrootus]

It's opaque, and limited. They buy the raws from China just like everyone else, then reconstitute them, fill vials, and drop them in the mail. They'll only provide a COA if you ask them to, and it will just be one basic mass/purity test most often.

In the gray market, there are multiple mass/purity tests for a batch (to look for variation in fill, mostly), as well as tests for endotoxins, sterility, heavy metals, and fentanyl. Rarely (maybe never; I have certainly never seen it) will a compounder do these additional tests and provide the results.

I think in general the well-known compounding pharmacies (e.g. Hallandale, BPI, couple others) are probably reputable enough to feel okay with. The mom & pop ones (or med spas) I'd be a lot more nervous about. Often ends up being someone who's just reconstituting vials in their living room, and maybe not with the quality controls you'd like to see.

[cryzinger]

Good to know, and thanks for the info!