If your doctor diagnoses a growth hormone deficiency, it means that your pituitary gland is not producing enough growth hormone. You may have been growth hormone deficient as a child, or your pituitary gland may have been injured at some point during your life. Radiation treatment for cancer is one of the more common causes of damage to the pituitary gland. In order to bring your growth hormone level up to normal, your doctor may prescribe somatotropin, or Human Growth Hormone. The dosage you receive will be based on your current growth hormone (GH) level and your age. (Growth hormone level normally declines with age.)

There are a number of brand names of growth hormone, including Humatrope, Genotropin, Nutropin, Protropin, and Saizen. All are synthetic forms of somatotropin, and all come in a number of delivery systems. Depending on your dosage you can either use a premixed or powdered formula that is reconstituted with water. All growth hormone supplements must be injected but there are different delivery systems, including "pen" systems that press the medicine through the skin and are useful for those who fear needles. Frequency of dosage varies from a few days a week to every day.

Unfortunately, adults are more prone to side effects from growth hormone therapy than children are. Side effects are most common when you first begin taking growth hormone, so your doctor will probably start you on a very low dose (0.1 to 0.3 mg/day) and increase it gradually, monitoring you carefully for side effects.

The most common side effects of GH therapy are swelling, headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome, likely caused by swelling of the wrists. Aching joints are another common complaint, probably due to swelling. If you experience any of these side effects, your doctor may reduce your dosage until they go away.

Taking growth hormone can also lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, so your doctor will monitor your glucose tolerance. Luckily, the type of diabetes caused by growth hormone is reversible. Because there is also a possibility that growth hormone makes tumors grow faster, your doctor will need to monitor your overall health carefully.

In recent years, patients suffering from the wasting associated with HIV and AIDS are sometimes prescribed growth hormone to build muscle and increase their strength. These patients must take a much higher dosage to rebuild muscle and increase bone density. These doses are typically 10 to 20 times higher than those used for replacement therapy and may be as high as 4 to 8 mg a day.

The most serious side effect of taking growth hormone is called acromegaly, which is an overgrowth of tissue that gradually affects the entire body. The most common early sign of acromegaly is enlargement of the hands and feet. However this is very rare side effect and only occurs at a very high dose of growth hormone.

Finally, although experts don't have any actual evidence that growth hormone therapy causes problems during pregnancy, the FDA has not approved growth hormone use by pregnant women, and it's probably advisable not to take the risk.

References

First published December 17, 2003
Last updated October 31, 2007
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive

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