Growth Hormone (GH) is produced naturally in the body, but it starts dropping off as we age. Similar to testosterone, the amount of GH that is produced by the body will be dictated by our genetics, lifestyle, and our environment. The pituitary glands are responsible for producing growth hormone, and it has two sections: the Anterior and the Posterior. Growth hormone is secreted by the anterior part.
The best way to maintain healthy natural GH levels in the body, is to be sexually active, workout often, eat a healthy diet and sleep well.
Medical uses
Medically, human growth hormone is used to help children suffering from growth disorders, and to supplement adults who have growth hormone deficiencies. For example, I knew a 14 year old when I was in high school who was very short and looked very young for his age; therefore, he was prescribed HGH. In addition, it’s regularly prescribed to HIV patients to help them maintain muscle mass and stay healthy. Since HGH is far more expensive than testosterone, HIV patients tend to re-sell it to bodybuilders to make a profit. As a result, a lot of the pharmaceutical HGH on the black market comes from HIV patients.
The risk of buying and how to avoid fakes
Because HGH comes in a powder form, and is so expensive, it opens a big black market for counterfeits. There are many fake HGH kits out there, many of which contain HCG instead, or some other white powder, and are sold at a high price defrauding people. One must be very careful to use a reliable source, as a single kit will run over $700 in many cases, which may last you barely a month, so this isn’t cheap stuff. Professional bodybuilders will use more than a few kits per month, and the costs can run well into the thousands. For comparison, an amp of long estered testosterone can be found for 2-10 dollars, and each amp can last you a week.
Another big difference is HGH can take quite a while to show results, so it’s recommended to run 2 IUs to 10IUs per day for 6 months, with pro bodybuilders running up to (and over) 20 IUs. On various forums, you will see different strategies, including ‘5 day on 2 day off’ strategy, which merely saves the person money. In addition, I have even seen 3 times a week protocols at a higher dose each time to save on injections. How you decide to use HGH is important because it isn’t something you can be impatient with, and it’s crucial you make sure your source is selling you legitimate HGH.
Benefits
Here are some anecdotal benefits of HGH use from bodybuilders:
Faster recovery
Improved cholesterol levels
Increased endurance and performance in the gym
Higher energy levels
Increased libido
Improvements in the immune system
Improvements in skin – smoother skin
Increased metabolism
Increased fat loss
Deeper sleep
Many pro athletes in every sports use HGH. The NFL did not test for HGH for a long time, but recently the NFL began a pilot HGH testing program. Though, it’s logical that every player would be using some growth agent to give them an advantage. No wonder the players of today are far bigger, faster, and stronger than they were 20 years ago. Heck, just look at how they are able to recover from injuries faster.
Side Effects
Besides the cost and counterfeited HGH being sold, there are other issues with exogenous HGH use. From a physical standpoint these are regular side effects felt by users:
Hypoglycemia
Achy feeling when waking (pains in joints)
Water retention
Carpal tunnel (painful wrists)
Sleepiness (having to take naps during the day)
In addition, long term exogenous HGH use has been linked to organ growth. Ever see professional bodybuilders with 4% bodyfat and 8 pack abs, but their stomachs that look like beer bellies? Well, that’s growth hormone abuse showing itself (growth gut).
Cancer
We can assume that since growth hormone multiplies cells that the use of HGH might increase the chances of cancer. Although there may not be concrete evidence to show this, we can make educated guesses that this would be possible. It is not that growth hormone will directly cause cancer, but the fact that it can accelerate the growth of cancer should probably be explored further. There are studies that link HGH use to some potential cancer growth, but they need to be explored further.
Let’s stay unbiased here though, we are talking about the steroid industry. Almost anything, when abused, can cause side effects, including cancer. Try taking a full bottle of aspirin an see what happens (no need, you’ll be dead!). It’s just a fact of life that we need to take everything in perspective and be careful with the dosages and duration of the drugs we take.
Who should and shouldn’t use HGH
It’s recommended in the bodybuilding community that HGH should not be used by younger guys, and it’s recommended you not use HGH until you really feel like you are ready to take that next step up. Generally, this mea