HGH Uses and Abuses

Synthetic human growth hormones was developed in 1985 and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults. In children, we approve growth injections for treating short stature of unknown cause and poor growth because of several medical causes, including:

• Turner’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects a girl’s development
• Prader-Willi syndrome, an uncommon genetic disorder causing poor muscle tone, low levels of sex hormones, and a constant feeling of hunger
• Chronic kidney disease
• HGH deficiency or insufficiency
• Children born small for gestational age

In adults, approved uses :

•  Short bowel syndrome, a condition in which nutrients are not properly absorbed because of severe intestinal disease or the surgical removal of much of the small intestine
• HGH deficiency due to rare pituitary tumors or their treatment
• Muscle-wasting disease associated with HIV/AIDS

But the most common uses for HGH are not FDA-approved. Some people use the hormone, along with other performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, to build muscle and improve athletic performance. Yet HGH’s effect on athletic performance is unknown.gh.

Because the body’s GH levels naturally decrease with age, some so-called anti-aging experts have speculated and claimed that HGH products could reverse age-related bodily deterioration. But these claims, too, are unproven. Using HGH for anti-aging is not FDA-approved. gh

Some people get injectable GH from doctors who prescribe it for off-label purposes (uses for which the FDA did not approve it) and through Internet pharmacies, anti-aging clinics, and websites.

Others purchase HGH products — or products that claim to increase your body’s own production of HGH — as pills and sprays. Companies that market these products on TV infomercials or online claim they turn back your body’s biological clock, reducing fat, building muscle, restoring hair growth and color, gh strengthening the immune system, normalizing blood sugar, increasing energy and improving sex life, sleep quality, vision, and memory. However, the Federal Trade Commission has seen no reliable evidence to support the claim that these products have the same effects as prescription HGH, which is always given by injection. Taken orally, the stomach digests HGH before we can absorb it into the body.