The very short answer is “we don’t really know”. Here is what the science tells us: These things work by stimulating growth hormone (GH) production . Growth hormone comes from the pituitary. GH pulses may times throughout the day. It is strongest when we sleep, and is one of the things that helps us sleep. Insulin reduces the strength of GH pulses (which is one of the reasons you aren’t supposed to eat right before bed, and if you do, you’ll notice a drop in HRV and deep sleep). So, we know that to maximize the GH pulse, we need to be fasted. That said, Egrifta (the commercial version of Tesa) has ZERO mention in its instructions about taking it fasted, and all of the studies done on it did not require fasting and they still got exceptional visceral fat reduction. This is because the less direct way that these work is by increasing your IGF score. Your IGF levels impact the strength of your GH pulses, because IGF is the thing that triggers and controls the strength of these pulses. In Egrifta, we saw IGF increase 150+ points at the 2mg dose over and over again in studies. And ultimately, a higher IGF score means a stronger GH pulse, which is the effect we are going for here. So… to optimize their function, you should ideally be fasted just based on understanding the mechanisms of action. However, Egrifta has shown us that in the long run, it’s not a super important factor. If you are taking it for sleep, then fasting becomes more important. If you are taking it for body recomp, then fasting may be less of a factor. The half lives matter too. Tesa half life is about 20 min. IPA half life has been shown anywhere between 40-90 min. That may be why so many women love IPA and say it feels “gentler”. So… welcome of your experiment of n=1. As long as your IGF levels shows that it is safe for you to play with these things, test them out and see what works for you!

@Taylor Boyd I take mine in the AM (it destroys my sleep if I take it in the PM), and stay fasted for at least an hour. On non-gym days, I stay fasted for longer. But on gym days, the protein shakes start flowing before I workout. I’m about a month in and already see composition shifts. I’m currently on IPA.

Following. Planning to order this and I was wondering the same timing question

@Raquel Monterrey how long before bed time are you taking it?

I did not, but I’m excessively hydrated on a normal basis. This reaction does make sense though. Ramping mitochondrial cleanup and detox requires a lot of work and hydration

@Tara West when you said TP had been “approved” to stock them, I was hoping it was for the Natures Marvel brand since they only distribute through a select few exclusive providers. I like their extensive research, following the Khavison methodology, and that they are the natural (animal) derived version rather than the synthetics.

@Tara West if you ended up being able to get it, I would be extatic! I spend $300/quarter for my rotation and have to buy from Profound Health and pay their over seas shipping and tariff fees. I’d LOVE to be able to get that from you! Will be excited to see what you end up going with

Could definitely be the compounding pharmacy as well. Not all are created equal.