Pharm

Human Growth Hormone

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Human Growth Hormone, Growth Hormone, hGH

  • Indications
  1. Medical Uses
    1. Used to enhance growth in Short Stature
  2. Illicit uses
    1. Ergogenic Aid used by athletes
    2. Similar effect as with Anabolic Steroids
      1. Difficult to detect
      2. Expensive (>$1000/month)
  • Mechanism
  1. Liver converts GH to Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)
  2. Precursor to testosterone
  • Source
  1. Initially derived from cadavers in 1950's
    1. Transmitted Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease to patients
  2. Now produced by recombinant Genetics
    1. Genentech developed Somatrem (Protropin) in 1990s
  • Dosing
  1. Available only via injection
  • Adverse Effects
  1. Growth-hormone induced Myopathy
    1. Muscles hypertrophy, but are weaker than before
  2. Acromegaly
  3. Diabetes Mellitus
  4. Cardiomyopathy
  5. Congestive Heart Failure
  6. May be related to Leukemia development