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HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (GH/SOMATROPIN/STH)

  • Active-Life: Varies upon injection method
  • Drug Class: Growth Hormone/IGF-1 Precursor (For injection)
  • Average Reported Dosage: 2-16 i.u. total daily (1mg=2.7 i.u)
  • Acne: None
  • Water Retention: Very rare
  • High Blood Pressure: Very rare
  • Liver Toxic: None
  • Aromatization: None
  • High Anabolic/No Androgenic Effects
Human Growth Hormone (GH) has been a subject of debate since I was a kid.Natural (endogenous) GH is produced by the pituitary gland. Children produce 2 i.u."spurts" 4-7 times per day for 4-5 non-consecutive days during a 2-3 week period (duringgrowth spurts). That would equal 32-70 i.u. in only a 4-5 day span. A healthy adult'spituitary releases only 0.5-1.5 i.u. daily.
Until the mid 1980's, the only available form of exogenous (occurring outside thebody) GH was manufactured by taking the pituitary glands of dead corpses (like there area lot of "live" corpses running around?) and grinding them up. (I am not joking!). TheGH was then extracted and purified through a series of expensive procedures, packed andsold by prescription only for use by children suffering from stunted growth. About 1987,this form of GH was linked to a fatal brain disease called CREUTZFELD-JAKOBDISEASE, and removed from the market.
Enter Genetech and synthetic GH. The first synthetic GH was produced bygenetically altering transformed mouse cells /Ecoli. Natural GH has a 191 amino acidsequence where as the Protropin brand of GH produced by Genetech contains 192 aminoacids in its sequence. This may have the affect of causing the body to produce GH antibodieswhich deactivate the GH. Most synthetics now contain the normal 191 amino acidsequence, of which there are over a dozen available today.
GH has 3 effects any athlete desires: GH helps the body burn more adipose (fat)tissue by promoting the release of fatty acids to be used as energy. Normally at rest, thebody uses about an equal division of fat and carbohydrate calories. When the endocrinesystem senses a low circulatory level of glucose, the hypothalamus-pituitary-axis (HPA)reacts by releasing GH. The GH then triggers (through a series of enzymic/chemicalreactions) the release of fatty acids from adipose stores so metabolic energy requirementscan be met. This means exogenous GH administration has been well documented to dothe same.
GH has a very potent anabolic (protein synthesis/tissue building) effect. Inexerting anabolic effects, it can cause both hyperplasia (an increase in the number ofmuscle cells) and muscular hypertrophy (the enlargement of muscle cells). This change incell number is permanent and therefore means more cells to make bigger. GH also has ananabolic effect on soft tissues such as tendons, cartilage, and other connective tissue. Thismeans old injuries repair and strength increases due to stronger connective tissue… bothat an accelerated rate. It is a well known fact that GH is a powerful anti-catabolic agent(protein sparing). This effect has allowed modern bodybuilders to retain or even addsignificant lean mass tissue during calorie restricted periods (cutting phases) and becomethe shredded monsters of the new era.
When using GH many athletes were less than satisfied with their results. Mostlikely this was because they bought bogus GH. It was common to find GH for a hard-corepro bodybuilder cost about $35,000 or more, yearly. To test GH, most simply bought apregnancy test kit, mix a vial of (hopefully) GH and place a drop or two in the test area.If the test result was “pregnant”..they had been screwed. Most pregnancy test kits test forelevated gonadoltropins (which HCG is and GH is not). For those few, whose bodiesmanufactured GH anti-bodies (and GH failed to work for you) sorry about your luck. GH,used properly, has overwhelmingly been renowned as a genetic equalizer if used for thatpurpose.
Any polled athlete chose to use GH as a performance enhancing drug should havefirst understand at least the basics of its actions.
GH itself is not responsible for the majority of the effects seen from GH use.Actually GH is only a precursor to the so-called "good stuff". When GH passes throughthe liver, it is converted into INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTORS (such as IGF-1).IGF-1 is a very active but unstable chemical, which is why the body waits until the lastsecond to make it naturally. The liver has a limited capacity to convert excess GH intoIGF-1 unless other chemical hormone levels are also elevated. Insulin, T-4/T-3 thyroidhormones, gonadotropins, androgens/anabolic hormones, and even estrogen andcorticosteroids all play an important role in the positive effects of GH. So they too wereoften exogenously elevated in what was considered “the correct ratios” by the largest ofthe self administering athletes. For the liver to convert high levels of GH to IGF-1 severaltimes a day and cause a high quality anabolic response, it was commonly noted that T-3thyroid hormone and insulin also needed be increased to accomplish the desired effect.
Triacana may be strong enough to increase thyroid activity, but Cytomel was consideredto be a better choice. Though some seemed to disagree, most emphatically believed that afast-acting insulin such as HUMULIN-R or Humalog was a better and safer choice ofexogenous insulin since they allowed better timing and have a much shorter effectiveperiod. This allowed the athletes to time insulin activity with the active period of GH atthe optimum absorption times such as upon waking and the first few hours after a workout.The result was less chance of fat accumulation and a heightened anabolic response.Since GH suppresses natural T-3 thyroid hormone release, the exogenous administrationof Triacana or Cytomel allowed for an elevated calorie intake that was utilized more forbuilding muscle and soft tissue than for adipose tissue storage. Many pro bodybuildersused Clenbuterol and/or ephedrine stacks with GH while dieting. Since Clenbuterol andEphedrine both suppress natural insulin release, they usually stacked the GH andClenbuterol /Ephedrine with a synthetic T-3 thyroid hormone and sometimes with insulinas well. The use of insulin was dependent upon whether it was a bulking or dieting phaseand depending on how their body responded to exogenous insulin use.
*I can not stress enough how dangerous insulin use can be. Comas and death are quitepossible if used wrong. If you wish to use it, please see a doctor for monitoring.AAS and/or Clenbuterol further enhance the anabolic effects of GH. From all buta few polled it was reported that excellent muscle mass gains resulted with the use of GHwhen other chosen hormone levels were also met (*also see "cycles") and one couldafford it. Also, beware of fake GH. It is more common than you may realize. It is anillegal drug and the black market is not always honest.
The question of dosage was a big one. For the purpose of stunted growthmanufacturers of GH (due to pituitary hyophysially caused stunted growth) state 0.3 i.u.weekly per LB of body weight. So for a 235 LB bodybuilder that would equal 70.5 i.u.weekly, meaning a daily total of about 10-i.u. However, even 2-3i.u. daily did producesome nice results over a 6-8 week period when the other reported hormone requirementswere met as well. Short high dosage burst cycles too were noted to create these results(which will be discussed later) by the more elite of those polled.*GH is medically administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously (under the skin).*When multiple injections were utilized, I personally noted better results withsubcutaneous administration.
*1-mg=2.7 i.u. of GH and some products are listed as such.With exception of those few whose insert states otherwise, the dry unmixed GHsubstance maybe stored at room temperature. Once the solution has been mixed with thedry GH powder, (SWIRLED, DO NOT SHAKEN) the mixture must be refrigerated andlasts for 24-hours before it begins to degrade. An interesting product has becomeavailable called DEPO-NUTROPIN that has an active-life of about a month. This wouldallow for fewer injections and a reduced price. Also, several patents run out thisyear so many overseas and less expensive GH preparation will soon be available in theU.S. by prescription only.
*Though no negative side effects were reported, the available literature does listseveral serious ones: Kidneys and heart enlargement, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroidhormone deficiency, and acromegaly. For the most part, they are rare to say the least andusually would be from extreme dosages and lengths of cycles. But like most hormones, youjust do not know until it is a fact for you. Kind of scary, huh?When GH was utilized with an insulin protocol, it was considered important tospace injection periods between GH and insulin about an hour. Also if GH was utilizedonly twice daily, it was reported best to avoid natural high points of GH release such asfirst thing in the a.m., post-work out, and right before bed. This was if GH was utilizedwithout insulin.