A biohacker known online as Soosh ended up needing medical treatment after developing infected lumps at his injection sites, a case fitness coach Greg Doucette broke down in a recent video after Soosh posted about the ordeal on Instagram asking for help.
According to Doucette’s account, Soosh had been injecting MOTS-c, a research peptide, at 5 milligrams three times a week, using 50 units each time. The problem started because he was injecting into the same spot repeatedly rather than rotating sites.
Lumps began forming, which Doucette says were not new to Soosh since he had experienced them before during six years of peptide use. Normally these lumps resolve on their own, but this one did not. Over the course of about a month it grew redder, larger, and warmer, signs of a developing infection, even though Soosh never ran a fever.
Rather than seeking medical attention, Soosh said he tried to ignore the problem and traveled to Europe to party. By the time it was addressed, doctors had to drain the site. Photos Soosh shared showed red streaking lines extending from the wound, a sign known as lymphangitis, indicating the infection had spread into the lymphatic system.
Soosh also revealed he was prescribed the antibiotics cephalexin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, medications commonly used to treat MRSA, a d*ug-resistant bacterial infection. Despite the infections, Soosh said he continued using MOTS-c because he felt it was improving his training, and stated he switched vials at one point while continuing to use the peptide. He also listed several other compounds he was regularly injecting in different spots on his body, including NAD+, glutathione, and GHK-Cu.
Doucette explained that lumps without infection typically indicate an immune response, meaning the body is reacting negatively to the substance or its carrier oil, and that the substance should be discontinued rather than continuing to inject it. He also stressed that contamination can come from multiple sources, including unswabbed vials, unclean skin, or bacteria introduced by the needle itself, and that proper sterile technique, including swabbing both the vial and the skin, is critical to preventing infections like the one Sush experienced.
Soosh, who has a following as a self-described biohacker, said in his posts that he was still figuring out how to handle the healing process and asked his audience whether he should go to the hospital.
