HGH leesvoer

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© 2002-2004 Colorado Futurescience, Inc.

HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (HGH)
written by Jerry Emanuelson

The average person thinks of the damage of aging as an inevitable process of wear and tear. However, if wear and tear were the primary cause of aging in humans, a 60 year-old should have only twice the signs of aging as a 30 year-old.

Why do most 30 year-olds show little effects of aging, while the effects of aging are so obvious in a 60 year-old person?

At the age of 30, people have spent most of their lives with fairly high levels of human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is responsible for growth during childhood -- and for the repair and regeneration of human tissue throughout our lives. By the time we reach the age of 30, our HGH levels are only about 20 percent of their peak levels during childhood, and after the age of 30, they continue to decline at about 14 percent per decade. By the time most of us are 30 years old, our bodies no longer produce enough HGH to repair all of the damage that is occurring in our bodies. As our HGH levels continue to decline, the damage that we call aging continues to accelerate.

The decline in HGH is not the only cause of aging. Even if our HGH levels remained at the level of a 25 year-old, we would continue to experience the effects of aging, but those effects would be greatly reduced.

By increasing the levels of HGH in our bodies, we can slow, or even reverse, many of the manifestations of aging. Ideally, this HGH replacement should begin at about the age of 30 years, but HGH replacement can be beneficial at any age above 30. In fact, for older people, HGH therapy can reverse the manifestations of aging by 5 to 15 years or more. There is no other single therapy currently available that can have the impact on aging that HGH can have.

What HGH therapy can do:

Reduce excess body fat, especially abdominal fat. (The reduction of abdominal fat is the single most profound effect of HGH replacement.)

Increase muscle mass (and physical strength if combined with moderate exercise).

Reduce wrinkling of the skin and some other effects of skin aging.

Re-grow internal organs that have atrophied with age.

Increase bone density.

Strengthen the immune system.
What HGH cannot do:

It cannot eliminate the effects of oxidation damage, although it may alleviate some of it.

It cannot undo the effects of cardiovascular disease, although it sometimes reduces some of its effects. It can also slow its progression by improving one's cholesterol profile.

It cannot eliminate the effects of the reduction of other hormones. In fact, a deficiency of certain other hormones will decrease the beneficial effects of HGH.

It cannot significantly reverse the damage to human proteins caused by glucose, although it may reverse a little of this damage.

Although it helps skin to look younger, it cannot eliminate all of the damage cause by sunlight and other ultraviolet sources.
HGH is produced by the pituitary gland. The ability of the pituitary gland to produce HGH declines very little with aging in most people. The decline with aging occurs one step back from the actual secretion of HGH. There are at least 3 substances which control HGH secretion:

Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), a substance which declines with age. Increasing levels of GHRH causes the pituitary to increase its output of HGH.

Growth hormone releasing peptide (GHRP) is another substance that declines with age. Increasing levels of GHRP also causes the pituitary to increase its output of HGH.

Somatostatin is a hormone that blocks the release of HGH by the pituitary. The natural production of somatostatin increases with age, and causes a corresponding decrease in HGH production by the pituitary.
The production of HGH is controlled by GHRH, GHRP, somatostatin, and other substances in the body. The degree to which changes in the levels of each of these substances is responsible for the decline in Human Growth Hormone varies from individual to individual, and is somewhat gender-dependent.

(The only naturally-occuring growth hormone releasing peptide appears to be ghrelin. Ghrelin is a powerful appetite stimulant. When given to laboratory animals, the animals eat huge amounts of food. The weight gain induced by overeating completely overwhelms the fat burning caused by the growth hormone release, and the animals become obese. Pharmaceutical companies have produced synthetic growth hormone releasing peptides, such as GHRP-6 and hexarelin, which stimulate HGH in humans, but do not increase appetite significantly. These substances are not on the market yet, and probably won't be for many years.)

The effects of HGH in the human body have been studied intensively for decades, but the factors that affect HGH production remain rather complex and mysterious. Part of the reason for this is that the quantities of these substances produced by the body are on the order of a milligram per day in adults. Most people only produce about a teaspoonful of these substances during their entire adult lives.

To make the HGH situation even more complex, HGH is normally released in pulses or bursts throughout the day. There are usually 10 to 20 surges of HGH release, with the largest release occurring shortly after you fall asleep. Is there any advantage to having HGH released in pulses? Or is this simply the body's most efficient way of producing HGH? Nobody knows the answer to this important question.

There are three basic ways for increasing HGH:

Taking a substance that increases the natural secretion of HGH by the pituitary gland.

Using an injectable human growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH).

Using injectable human growth hormone.
With current technology, taking a substance that increases the natural secretion of HGH generally works best for those between the ages of roughly 30 to 45 years.

For most people over 45, injectable HGH is most effective (and usually the only effective) option. But let's look at these three methods in greater detail:

There are a number of substances that increase the natural secretion of HGH. Most of them are amino acids. The most effective and economical way of causing this HGH release seems to be taking 2 grams of the amino acid L-glutamine in the morning and taking 10 to 30 grams of the amino acid L-arginine before bedtime. Both of these amino acids must be taken on an empty stomach.

There has been only one scientific study showing that L-glutamine causes HGH release, but there is a large body of anecdotal evidence from anti-aging physicians and their patients that L-glutamine is actually effective in persons under about age 45.

There is a large body of scientific study on the effects of L-arginine on growth hormone release. In fact, the administration of a large dose of L-arginine is the standard test for the ability of the pituitary to release growth hormone. (It is generally believe that L-arginine promotes HGH release by inhibiting somatostatin). L-arginine has many other benefits in addition to being a growth hormone releaser. See the chapter of this manual on Arginine for additional information about using arginine as a growth hormone releaser and for safety warnings about the use of arginine.

There are several problems with the use of amino acids as HGH releasers. Their effectiveness generally diminishes with age, and with continued use. This has led some people to the opinion that amino acids such as L-arginine are weak HGH releasers. This can be a dangerous assumption. In some young people, L-arginine may actually cause dangerously high levels of HGH release. Many young people use L-arginine, but it should not be used by anyone until at least 5 years after they have completed their long bone growth (unless they are under close medical supervision).

I personally know of one 19 year-old female who took L-arginine before bedtime for one week. She stopped after one week because it was making her nauseous, which was an indication of an excessive level of HGH release. Even though she had not grown since she was 16, during the subsequent month, she grew an additional inch, and had a noticeable growth of her heel bones.

For most people, the doses of amino acids mentioned above (2 grams of L-glutamine and 10-30 grams of L-arginine) are about right for maintaining youthful levels of HGH beginning at about age 30, and continuing into the 40's, and sometimes (but rarely) beyond 50. In order to maintain its effectiveness, these amino acids should be used for about 6 weeks, then stopped for 2 or 3 weeks. The same 6-week ON, 2 or 3 weeks OFF cycle can be continued indefinitely. This cycling helps to maintain the effectiveness of the HGH release.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of HGH release with amino acids is highly variable from individual to individual. For some people, it is not a very effective means of HGH release for any long period of time. For a few others, it maintains its effectiveness until the age of 60 and beyond.

For these amino acids to be effective, certain other substances must be present, and other substances must not be present.

In order to insure that you have the proper co-factors for these amino acids to produce HGH, it is best to take the L-arginine in one of the commercial products formulated by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw to optimize HGH release. Several companies listed in the Recommended Reading and Resources chapter sell these products under the brand names such as Inner Power. Another advantage of using the Inner Power formulations is that L-arginine tastes awful, and you have to take too much of it to be able to take it in capsules. So the only practical way to take L-arginine is to take it, along with the necessary co-factors, in a specially formulated drink mix.

(Some other options for growth hormone release with arginine-based supplements were discussed in the chapter on Arginine.)

In order for your body to naturally produce HGH, or to produce HGH in response to certain amino acids, the following things must NOT be present:

Anti-cholinergic medicines. This includes most medicines that make you drowsy or dehydrated. The most common of these medicines are the antihistamines that make you drowsy, including Benadryl (or any other brand of diphenhydramine), Sominex, Nytol, Tylenol-PM, and Zyrtec. (Claritin, Clarinex and Allegra probably do not affect the HGH-releasing effect of amino acids or natural HGH release.)

Alcohol, in any appreciable quantity, blunts the HGH-releasing effect of amino acids and also suppresses natural HGH release. An ounce or less of alcohol two or three hours before taking a HGH releaser will have little effect on HGH release, but using alcohol to get to sleep can suppress your natural HGH release during sleep.

Eating protein or carbohydrate within 3 hours before (or one hour after) taking an amino-acid HGH releaser will significantly blunt the growth hormone release induced by the amino acids.
There are many commercial products that are advertised to promote HGH release. Many of them are simply extremely expensive versions of the amino acids known to cause HGH release. Some of these products do work, but often at an extremely inflated price. Most of these products (especially the heavily advertised ones) are simply very expensive scams.

Many products are currently be advertised as Oral HGH sprays. I don't see how these products can possibly work. They don't contain enough HGH to have any biological effect, and all of the scientific evidence indicates that the HGH molecule is far too large to be absorbed through the membranes of the mouth. If HGH is swallowed, it is destroyed in the digestive tract before it can be absorbed into the blood stream.

The advertising for most of the so-called "oral HGH sprays" is clearly fraudulent. I just received a bulk email ad for one of these products, and looked at its website. The website quotes data from a report on injectable HGH, a completely unrelated product. The website quotes data on oral absorption from the Physicians Desk Reference, but if you look at that page of the referenced edition of the Physicians Desk Reference, you see that the absorption data is for a completely unrelated multivitamin product made by another company.

Many "oral HGH" products advertise their HGH levels in nanograms. Keep in mind that the average daily injectable dose of HGH is 333,333 nanograms, whereas the advertised amount of HGH in "oral HGH sprays" is 600 to 2000 nanograms per day. Also, without refrigeration, more than 90 percent of the HGH in liquid solution is lost every 24 hours.

The technology for getting a molecule as large as HGH to be absorbed through the membranes of the mouth or nose is a technology potentially worth billions of dollars. No company that develops such an advanced technology is going to use it on an over-the-counter product. At least one pharmaceutical company has developed a novel technology with the potential to enable the absorption of HGH through the membranes of the nose. The product is in phase 1 clinical trials by Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. If this product does make it to market, it won't be for several years, and it will be available only by prescription.

Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone [REMOVED MOST BUT LEFT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT IT IS]

An injectable GHRH product has been produced with recombinant DNA technology, and it is available by prescription in the United States and many other countries. It is sold under the brand name Geref by Serono Labs. GHRH is a protein consisting of a chain of 44 amino acids. Geref consists of only a 29 amino acid fragment of the GHRH molecule, but it appears to have the same effect as the full GHRH molecule. The generic name of Geref is sermorelin.

Unfortunately, at adult doses, Geref currently costs more than injectable HGH, and it is more difficult to obtain. Also, it doesn't work for everyone. Some studies indicate that GHRH seems to work better when used in conjunction with L-arginine. If the release of HGH in pulses is important, the use of Geref with L-arginine may be superior to the use of HGH, but this varies from individual to individual. Geref looks very promising, but there is currently very little available experience with using Geref in anti-aging medicine.

Geref is a much smaller molecule than HGH, and research has been done on a Geref nasal spray. Only 3 to 5 percent of Geref is absorbed in the nasal spray form, however. This makes a Geref nasal spray far too expensive, so Geref is only available in injectable form. It is likely that the new Nastech technology could be used to make an effective Geref nasal spray, but work on such a product hasn't even started yet.

Pharmaceutical companies have produced growth hormone releasing agents that have been shown to be very effective in reversing the decline in HGH production with age. The one that worked the best was MK-0677, which was very effective in restoring HGH release in middle-aged and "normally-aging" elderly individuals to the levels of much younger people. MK-0677 was an oral medicine that restored the release of HGH in the pulsatile fashion characteristic of HGH release in young people. Unfortunately, it was not very effective in restoring HGH in the frail elderly, which was its target market. Restoring HGH in "normally-aging" people is not a function that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers to be a legitimate function of a medicine; therefore, Merck (the pharmaceutical company) has stopped all further development of MK-0677. Other effective oral HGH releasers developed by the pharmaceutical companies seem to be facing a similar fate.

A considerable amount of research has been done on HGH releasers by the pharmaceutical companies, and some very promising substances have been developed, but there is no sign that any of them will be on the market anytime soon.

In a free market, MK-0677 would likely have had a revolutionary impact on the health of most people over 40. Since free market in pharmaceuticals does not exist, MK-0677 will remain a laboratory curiosity.

The one way to enhance your HGH levels regardless of age, or other factors, is to use injectable HGH. For most people past the age of 45 years or so, this is the only HGH option that really works well. The use of injectable HGH has been a subject shrouded in mystery for most people. The rest of this chapter will describe some of the details about what using injectable HGH is really like. The cost has come down to less than $300 a month for most anti-aging doses, and the process is as simple as getting a prescription from your doctor and getting the prescription filled at a drugstore.

What doctor should you go to, and what drugstore should you use?

Any licensed physician can prescribe HGH, but few are willing to do so. It is best to find a physician who is familiar with HGH, and who has other patients using it. As stated elsewhere in this manual, there are 3 excellent sources for locating an anti-aging physician, and these three sources are also the best for finding a physician to prescribe HGH therapy. Those lists of physicians are at the following web sites:

The American College for Advancement in Medicine

The Life Extension Foundation

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

Not all of the physicians on the above lists are familiar with HGH therapy, so ask before making an appointment.

Most of these physicians will want to do a comprehensive physical examination on your first visit. You will find that this initial consultation is well worth the money. Ask about cost first, though. With many anti-aging physicians, this initial exam will cost about $200 plus the costs of routine blood tests. The typical cost is somewhat higher in the coastal population centers, especially in New York, Florida and California. (A few "high-end" anti-aging clinics will charge $1,500 or more for an initial exam. The more expensive clinics may also want you to buy HGH directly from them for a highly inflated price -- 4 or 5 times the price you would pay at your local drugstore.)

I usually recommend the ACAM physicians as the most likely to offer excellent service at a very reasonable cost.

[removed some excess info. on what a dr. would do since most people don't go through a doctor]

It was once thought that the effects of HGH were due to only to IGF-1. We know that IGF-1 has important effects, but the advantages that one gains with HGH are often not proportional to the increase it causes in IGF-1 levels. Some people on HGH therapy have only a small increase in IGF-1 levels, yet have large positive results from using HGH.

Which brand of HGH? The sharp reduction in the price of HGH in the past few years has been due to the fact that there are several companies producing it. Since the beginning of 2004, however, prices at most pharmacies have jumped by about 20 percent. In the United States, injectable human growth hormone is available in the following brands:

Humatrope (from Eli Lilly). This was the first brand of HGH to become widely available. Recently, however, it has become the most expensive brand in the United States.

Genotropin (from Pharmacia/Upjohn).

Saizen (from Serono Laboratories).

Norditropin (from Novo Nordisk)

Nutropin (from Genentech)

All of these brands contain real high-quality injectable HGH made with recombinant DNA technology. Each of the brands is a little different in the packaging and mode of delivery, though. (Saizen and Genotropin seem to currently be the most popular for use in anti-aging medicine. Humatrope was the most popular until its recent large price increases.)

Originally, the HGH package consisted of two vials. One vial contained powdered freeze-dried HGH. The other vial contained sterile water with a bacteriostatic preservative. When the user was ready to begin using the contents of the package, a certain amount of the sterile water would be drawn out of the second vial (with a needle and syringe) and injected into the first vial to dissolve the powdered HGH. The solution would then be ready for injection. The unused portion would have to be kept refrigerated. The entire vial of dissolved HGH would have to be used within 2 or 3 weeks.

The HGH is dissolved by the patient because HGH powder is much more durable than dissolved HGH. The dissolved HGH is very susceptible to being attacked by bacteria and degraded by proteolytic enzymes. HGH is always normally refrigerated, but if HGH powder is is left at room temperature for a few hours, no harm is done as long as the room is not too warm. (Sterile powdered HGH can even be left in a cool room for days or weeks, but this is not a good idea.) After being dissolved in water, the un-refrigerated HGH solution loses its much of its potency after a few hours, and becomes completely unusable in a day or two, especially if the room is warm. The HGH solution must be kept refrigerated.

HGH is still sold with the HGH powder separate from the sterile water, but there are now several more convenient options for the mixing process.

I prefer the Genotropin Intra-Mix cartridge for several reasons. In the Genotropin Intra-Mix cartridge, the HGH powder and the sterile water are in separate compartments of the same cartridge. Turning a knob on the handle at one end of the cartridge (until it screws all the way in -- three turns) automatically mixes the HGH and the sterile water. Since there is no mixing needle exposed to the room air, better sterility is obtained, and the Intra-Mix cartridge is advertised to last 3 weeks after mixing. (Most other brands are advertised to last 2 weeks.) With careful refrigeration, I'm sure that the useful life of an Intra-Mix cartridge can be safely stretched to 4 weeks.

Another thing that I like about the Genotropin Intra-Mix cartridge is that it is very expensive to counterfeit. Counterfeit medicines are always a potential problem, and the conventional two-vial HGH package is very easy to counterfeit -- and very profitable for any counterfeiter. Counterfeit HGH has not been a big problem, but counterfeit HGH has appeared on the market on several occasions. The most recent counterfeiting problem has been with Nutropin.

Genotropin Intra-Mix cartridges also have the most concentrated solution of HGH. With the 5.8 mg. (17.4 unit) cartridge, one unit of HGH is only 0.06 cc. This is about two drops. (This can be a significant psychological advantage when you're first learning to inject HGH.)

Most HGH packages require you to inject the HGH using insulin syringes. (The same ones used by diabetics.) Usually, you will use the smallest size syringe. This is a 0.3 cc. syringe with an 8 mm. 30 gauge needle. This is a very short, thin needle.

Some HGH packages use a pen with a built-in needle. For those who wish to avoid needles completely, Saizen is available in the CoolClick cartridge which blasts the HGH through the skin in a very narrow jet. Buying Saizen with the CoolClick cartridge will increase the cost, though.

HGH is sometimes measured in international units, and sometimes measured in milligrams (mg).

3 International Units = 1 milligram

Different doctors have different recommendations for the amount of HGH you should inject. The dose may depend upon your age and overall health. It is often best to start with a low dose, such as one half unit per day, and work up from there. Most physicians recommend taking 1 unit per day, 4 or 5 days a week. Many people recommend taking two or three days a week off so that your pituitary gland doesn't forget how to make its own HGH. (You may want to use the amino acid HGH releasers on the off days.)

Adverse effects from injectable HGH therapy are very rare as long as the amount of HGH used averages 1 unit or less per day. Most anti-aging physicians believe that 1.5 units per day reaches the point of diminishing returns, and more than 2 units per day begins to put you at some risk of side effects. (The clinical studies that resulted in frequent side effects from HGH used much larger doses.)

When you increase or decrease your dosage, it is best to do it very slowly. Even at doses below 2 units per day, abrupt changes in dosage can cause temporary problems such as water retention and headache in some people.

Many people experience increases in blood glucose levels when starting HGH. This effect usually goes away with time, but there appears to be a definite advantage to taking the prescription medicine metformin along with HGH to keep glucose levels under control. (Also, there is evidence that metformin can slow the aging process at a more fundamental level than HGH.)

Since the largest natural HGH release in healthy young people occurs shortly after the onset of sleep, most doctors originally suggested that HGH be injected just before bedtime. Some people (especially those between 40 and 65 years old) report better results taking the HGH in the morning (or at some other time of the day), and letting their pituitary gland supply the nighttime HGH dose.

Most people over the age of 65 or 70 have a very small natural production of HGH after sleep onset, so injecting HGH just before bedtime is probably best for these older people.

There appears to be a definite advantage to dividing the HGH into a few smaller injections taken throughout the day. The advantage is usually not a large one, though, and most people find this far too inconvenient.

For most people, convenience outweighs the small advantages of one dosing schedule over another. Most people inject their growth hormone once a day at whatever time is the most convenient.

(It is probably best not to inject HGH during the period of 1 to 4 hours before bedtime. This may cause some inhibition of the natural HGH release during sleep.)

HGH requires a somewhat larger dose in women to achieve the same effectiveness as in men. Exactly why this is true is not well understood. It is known that taking oral estrogen cuts the effectiveness of HGH in half as compared with transdermal estrogen. Women taking oral estrogen should consider switching to patches or gels.

HGH can be purchased through almost any pharmacy. At your local pharmacy, though, the price is likely to be higher than necessary, and they probably don't keep it in stock. Most local pharmacies require take a day or two to obtain it. For these reasons, many people prefer to use a mail order pharmacy.

[I REMOVED THE PRICING PART]

For many people, the main problem with HGH is the difficulty in giving themselves a injection. When you see a physician for an HGH prescription, you will receive instruction on how to give yourself the HGH injection. Nearly everyone has some apprehension about it the first few times that they do it. If you are a needle phobic, it may seem out of the question. If you do have needle phobia, please see the Needle Phobia Page at this web site.

Needle phobia is a serious problem, but it is one that can be overcome. Needle phobia has always been a problem for me. Because I am on an experimental Life Extension program, I get a complete blood chemistry test every six months. I always have to take certain precautions (listed on the Needle Phobia Page) when getting blood drawn for these tests. I still pass out during a needle procedure once every few years.

After getting blood drawn for a baseline IGF-1 reading before starting HGH injections, I passed out because of carelessly standing up too fast afterward. As I was lying on the floor of the doctor's office returning to consciousness, I was thinking to myself that my plan for giving myself 5 injections a week was not getting off to a very good start. I did begin giving myself HGH injections two weeks later, though. Overcoming needle phobia is sometimes very difficult, but it can be done. For anyone on a Life Extension program, overcoming needle phobia has enormous benefits.

A few references:

The thymus gland: a target organ for growth hormone.
Savino W, Postel-Vinay MC, Smaniotto S, Dardenne M.
Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro,
Scand J Immunol. 2002 May;55(5):442-52.

Age-associated loss of bone marrow hematopoietic cells is reversed by GH and accompanies thymic reconstitution.
French RA, Broussard SR, Meier WA, Minshall C, Arkins S, Zachary JF, Dantzer R, Kelley KW.
Laboratory of Immunophysiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Endocrinology. 2002 Feb;143(2):690-9.

An excellent technical book on HGH for scientists and health care professionals:

GROWTH HORMONE IN ADULTS: Physiological and Clinical Aspects, edited by Anders Juul and Jens O. L. Jorgensen. Cambridge University Press: 2000.

bron: anabolic review forum

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Here is something from Red Baron..

Few other hormones have generated more excitement and hype in recent years than HGH. From reports of incredible fat loss to tales of increases in lean muscle that defies genetics, HGH has been touted as one of the panaceas of all bodybuilding woes. Depending on which statistics you trust, reports of as many as 80% of professional athletes have used or are using HGH as a supplement to their training program.

The purpose of this guide is to give you a good working knowledge of HGH and how to intelligently use it. While this is not intended to cover every conceivable nuance of HGH use, it should provide you with a solid background to create your cycle around. So lets take a look at this hormone called HGH.

WHAT EXACTLY IS HGH?
Human Growth Hormone (somatotropin - also referred to as rHGH, HGH, or GH) is created by the pituitary gland, the primary form consisting of a 191 amino acid chain. When we are young, HGH is in big part responsible for the proper growth of bones, muscle, and other tissues. To little of this hormone and we remain dwarfs … too much and we become giants and/or suffer from abnormal growth deformities. As we become adults, HGH is responsible for keeping muscles from wasting away, supports healthy immune system response, regulates aspects of our metabolic function dealing with increased fat metabolism and healthy body composition in later life, and maintains and repairs our skin and other tissues.

Our levels of HGH peak while we are adolescents and then begin to drop off sharply beginning in our 30’s. By our 60’s, our daily HGH secretion can be as little as 10% of what it was during our youth. Many of the markers of aging are affected by this decrease in HGH. Some of the results of this are:

· Increase in fat.
· Decrease in muscle and lean body structures.
· Decreased skin texture resulting in a less youthful appearance.
· Decreased bone density, onset of osteoporosis.
· Decreased brain function, loss of intellect with aging.
· Decreased sex drive.
· Decrease in overall physical and mental well being.
· Increase in sleep disorders, lower quality of sleep.
· Depression and fatigue.

The addition of supplemental HGH beginning in the later 30’s can reverse or improve these symptoms in the majority of people attempting therapy. This is why you will often hear references with respect to HGH as “the fountain of youth” and other similar terms. It can present a better quality of life for those aging as well as provide some great benefits for bodybuilders.

For bodybuilders, HGH (and the IGF-1 that is a result of its use) is the only substance that can actually initiate hyperplasia, which in the interest of our use in bodybuilding equates to new muscle cells. While use of anabolic steroids can cause hypertrophy (the enlargement of existing muscle cells), steroids do not offer the ability to recruit and mature more muscle cells. HGH can. HGH also increases protein synthesis, which can be responsible for hypertrophy. HGH also strengthens and heals connective tissues, cartilage, and tendons. These uses are what make it so attractive to athletes in all sports, and in bodybuilding in particular.

HOW IS HGH RELEASED IN YOUR BODY?
HGH is secreted from the pituitary in a pulsatile fashion, generally following a circadian rhythm. A number of stimuli can initiate an HGH secretion, the most powerful being short duration, high intensity exercise and sleep. During the first few hours of sleep (deep sleep stages), Somatostatin is turned off and GHRH is turned on, resulting in HGH bursts.

HGH secretion is stimulated by Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) which is produced by the hypothalamus. HGH, and IGF-1 create a negative feedback loop, meaning when their levels are high, it blunts release of GHRH, which in turn blunts the release of more HGH.

Somatostatin (SS), secreted by the hypothalamus as well as other tissues inhibits the secretion of HGH Somatostatin in response to GHRH and to other stimulatory factors such as low blood glucose concentration. High levels of IGF-1 also stimulate Somatostatin secretion.

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone secreted from the stomach. Ghrelin binds to receptors on somatotrophs and potently stimulates secretion of growth hormone. Ghrelin, as the stimulator for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, potently stimulates secretion of growth hormone. The ghrelin signal is integrated with that of growth hormone releasing hormone and somatostatin to control the timing and magnitude of growth hormone secretion.

Once HGH is released, it is very short lived. It is generally metabolized and gone within a half-hour. During this half-hour, it travels to the liver and other tissues and induces them to secrete a polypeptide hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor One (IGF-1).

HOW DOES HGH DO ITS WORK?
As mentioned above, HGH is short lived, but during its short half-hour or so activity per burst from the pituitary, it exerts itself through direct and indirect effects.

Its direct effects are the result of the HGH binding its receptor on target cells. Fat cells (adipocytes) as well as myocytes (muscle cells) have HGH receptors. On fat cells, HGH stimulates them to break down triglyceride and suppresses the fat cells ability to uptake circulating lipids.

Its indirect effects are in the process we described in the section above. When HGH travels to the liver, the result in its pass through the liver is the secretion of IGF-1. When this IGF-1 is secreted, it stimulates proliferation of chondrocytes (cartilage cells), which result in bone growth. It also plays a part in stimulating both the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts (the precursor to skeletal muscle fibers). IGF-1 also stimulates amino acid uptake and protein synthesis in muscle and other tissues.

HGH stimulates protein anabolism in many tissues. This reflects increased protein synthesis, decreased oxidation of proteins, and increased amino acid uptake. As mentioned above, HGH enhances fat utilization by stimulating triglyceride breakdown and oxidation in fat cells (adipocytes).

HGH can affect the function of other hormones. HGH can suppress the abilities of insulin to stimulate the uptake of glucose in tissues and enhance glucose synthesis in the liver, though administering HGH actually stimulates insulin secretion and can create a state of hyperinsulinemia. This combination can lead to decreased insulin sensitivity, which in turn can lead to hyperglycemia. HGH can also have a slight inhibitory effect on the thyroid, though this varies greatly from individual to individual. We’ll discuss more on how to deal with these potential effects later in this guide.

Okay, so we have a hormone that can assist with maintenance and healing of most of the body’s systems, can create new cartilage, bone, and muscle cells, can assist with protein uptake, decrease the oxidation of proteins, and can accelerate the rate at which fat is utilized. This paints the picture of the excitement that follows HGH. So how do we utilize this to our advantage? Let’s look at what is involved in exogenous HGH use.

HOW DO I INCREASE MY LEVELS OF HGH?
To state it simply, we need to inject exogenous HGH. There are a few methods to increase your own production of HGH, but for the most part these aren’t going to give us the increase necessary to promote the benefits mentioned above in their full measure.

By adding several grams of Arginine and Glutamine to our daily supplement program, we can increase our levels of HGH. This increase equates for a very small amount though, so unless are very young or we are only in need of a modest jump in production, this is not an optimal way to proceed.

As mentioned at the beginning of our guide, intense short duration exercise will also induce a sizable HGH release.

Another possibility is to inject GHRH. This peptide is available from research companies and when injected at doses of 100mcgs per day, sub-q it does seem to show promise in increasing levels of HGH. At this stage, there isn’t a real cost advantage to this over rHGH, so unless we are trying to promote some of the other forms of HGH in addition to the primary form, there is no clear advantage to this course of action.

What we are left with is acquiring and injecting recumbent Human Growth Hormone. The remainder of our guide will concentrate on its use.

INJECTIBLE HGH AND ITS USE
HGH only comes in the form of a lyophilized powder. Any other form that you see advertised or run across is NOT true HGH. The only way to administer true HGH is by sub-q or intramuscular injection.

HGH is somewhat fragile by nature, and it needs to be protected from light and heat. HGH should be stored between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit at all times both before and after its reconstitution.

There are a couple of American brands of HGH that can survive in normal room temperature for a reasonable amount of time BEFORE reconstitution (Genotropin – 3 months, Saizen – until expiration) , but for the most part it is better safe than sorry. All brands of HGH should be refrigerated after being reconstituted, and all brands should be protected from light at all times.

RECONSTITUTING AND MEASURING YOUR HGH
So you now have a vial HGH in the form of lyophilized powder. The amount of this powder should be indicated on the vial somewhere. It will either be stated in Units (IU's) or in Milligrams (mg). If it is stated in milligrams, the conversion is most commonly stated as 1mg = ~3IU's (its really more precisely 1mg=2.7IU). We will use this 1mg = 3IU's for our guide since this is the standard most commonly referenced by manufacturers.

What we need to do with this lyophilized powder is add either some Bacteriostatic water (BW), Sterile Water, or even liquid vitamin B12 to reconstitute it and make it ready to inject.

What we choose to reconstitute it with should depend on how rapidly we use the GH. Bacteriostatic water is basically sterile water with 0.9% Benzyl Alcohol added, and this Alcohol keeps anything from growing in the water, thus making it safe for injection for the longest amount of time, up to three weeks. If the amount of GH in our vial is enough to last for a few weeks at our desired daily dosage, BW is the wisest choice. For the common use for bodybuilding (2-5 IU's a day) and the more commonly used vial size (10 IU's), it isn't really as critical which of the above listed dilutents are used......the vial will be used up long before bacteria or anything begins to grow in our reconstituted HGH. It is really personal preference outside of the considerations listed above.

RECONSTITUTING
1.) Take a alcohol swab and swab the stopper of both your HGH vial and the vial of the dilutent (BW, sterile water, B12).

2.) Take a 3cc syringe with a 23 or 25 gauge needle (1" or 1.5") and draw up and amount of your preferred dilutent. The amount isn't critical, other than making sure you know exactly how much you have used. The best rule of thumb is choose an amount that will make measuring the final product easy

example- 1ml(cc) per 10 IU vial of HGH would mean each 10 mark on a U100 slin syringe would equal 1 IU of HGH

2ml(cc) added to a 10 IU vial of HGH would mean that the 20 mark on a U100 syringe would equal 1 IU of HGH

3ml(cc) added to a 10 IU vial of HGH would mean that the 30 mark on a U100 syringe would equal 1 IU of HGH

3.) Take this syringe with the dilutent and push it into the vial of lyophilized powder, angling so that the needle touches the side of the vial, and avoiding shooting the dilutent directly on the lyophilized powder. Make it run slowly down the side of the vial (don't let it forcefully rush in).

4.) After all of the dilutent has been added to the HGH vial, gentling swirl (do NOT agitate or violently shake the vial) until the lyophilized powder has dissolved and you are left with a clear liquid. The HGH is now ready for use. Store your now reconstituted HGH in the refrigerator. If you used BW to reconstitute it will be good for three weeks. If you used sterile water, it will be good for about 5 days.

MEASURING
After you have successfully reconstituted your HGH, now you need to know how to measure the desired amount out for injection. You will want to use a U100 insulin syringe to draw out and inject your HGH.

Here is the way to figure out how much to draw out. Since you know the amount of IU's in your HGH vial, and you also know how much water you have diluted it with, we just divide this out as follows:

You will need to know the following to be successful -

1ml = 1cc = 100 IU's

So we take our number of IU's of HGH from the label of the dry lyophilized powder (most commonly 10 IU's for all of us Jintropin users), and we divide that into the amount of dilutent we used.

example- We used 1cc(ml) of water. We have a 10 IU vial of HGH.
From our formula above we know that 1cc = 100 IU's, so we have 100 IU's of water.
We now divide the 100 IU's (the amount of our water) by 10 IU's (the amount of our HGH)

100 IU / 10 IU = 10

This 10 will perfectly correspond with the markings on a U100 insulin syringe. In our example every 10 mark on our syringe will equal 1 IU of HGH. Want to draw out 2 IU's of GH? ....draw out to the 20 mark on the syringe.

This is about all there is to it. So to recap, just keep straight:

1.) How much actual HGH you are dealing with (read from the vial)
2.) How much water (dilutent) you are using to add to the actual HGH.
3.) Divide the amount of water in units by the amount of GH in units.
4.) This result will equal the measurement on your U100 Insulin syringe per unit of GH.
5.) multiply the number you get it step 4 by how many units you want to inject. This is the number to draw to on your syringe.

Now that we know what HGH is and how to reconstitute and measure it, lets look at some strategies for using it to our best advantage

STRATEGIES FOR USING HGH
There are many different approaches to taking HGH. The right approach for your particular situation will depend on your goals. For many, HGH is a general purpose supplement to help maintain low bodyfat percentages and reasonable levels of lean body mass. For others who have reached their genetic potential for growth, HGH is a supplement that can assist in continued growth beyond what mother nature gave you to work with. For yet others, it is a supplement that is used for general health and healing of injuries. Let’s look at each of these uses with respect to a reasonable HGH program.

To begin with, it should be stated that for the vast majority of HGH users, results are not rapid and earthshaking in nature. If your idea of using HGH is to get ripped in a few weeks, gaining 20 pounds of muscle in a matter of a month or two, or being miraculously healed in a matter of a few injections … you are likely in for a BIG disappointment. HGH does some pretty incredible things, but it HAS to be viewed as a long-term endeavor. A reasonable length HGH cycle would be 20-30 weeks in length. While you will always be able to find the one or two individuals who will make great strides in a short amount of time, the majority need to be dedicated to its use for the long haul for it to be a worthy venture.

As mentioned in our introduction to HGH, one of the major roles it plays in growth is by its passing through the liver, which in turn secretes IGF-1. This process is cumulative in nature, and it will take some time for your exogenous HGH use to bring your IGF-1 levels to create an environment conducive to optimal growth. While it is true that HGH begins shuttling nutrients to your muscles, and begins mobilizing fat from the first injection, these behind the scenes benefits will only be VISIBLE several weeks (up to 12) down the road.

DOSING

For anti-aging, general health & healing, fat mobilization
For these purposes, a dose of 2-3 IU’s per day will be sufficient for the majority. A dose of 1.5 to 2.0 IU’s is considered to be a full replacement dose for those in their middle-age and beyond.

For gaining lean muscle and substantially improving body composition
For this purpose a dose of 4-8 IU’s per day will be necessary. Most people will respond very well at a dose of 4-5 IU's per day.
For maximum benefit in this regard, the addition of Testosterone, Insulin, and low-dose T3 would be something to seriously consider. More on this in our comparative cycle guide of HGH/Insulin/IGF-1.

Regardless of your goal, as a general rule the best way to begin your HGH program is to start with a low dose and ease your body into the higher doses. This will allow you to avoid or at least minimize many of the more common sides of HGH such as bloating and joint pain & swelling. Most people can tolerate up to approximately 2 IU’s with few sides, so that would be a good place to start.

For many using this as a general health supplement, that is as high as you will need to go. For others this will be only the start. Above 2.5 – 3 IU’s, I would definitely suggest that your split your injections into two per day instead of one unless it is just not feasible to do so.

Here is what a good ramp up program would look like:
Weeks 1-4 = HGH 2 IU’s one injection
Week 5 = HGH 2.5 IU’s one injection
Week 6 = HGH 3.0 IU’s split into two injections of 1.5 IU’s each
Week 7 = HGH 3.5 IU’s split into two injections of 1.75 IU’s each
And so forth until you reach your desired dose.

If at any point in this progression you begin to have unbearable bloating or joint pain, drop the dose by 25% and hold it at this lower dosage for a couple of weeks. If the sides subside, begin your progression back up toward your desired level. If the sides remain, lower your dose again and hold it at the lower level for two weeks before beginning the upward progression. This method will keep your HGH experience a good one and side free for the most part.

For a normal cycle of 5-8 months in length, injecting once or twice a day, 7 days a week should be fine. While there are studies that suggest that the suppression from exogenous HGH is short lived (about 4 hours from injection), there are no large-scale studies to indicate safety of everyday injections in long-term use. There are studies by anti-aging groups demonstrating that a day or two off per week is adequate to protect the pituitary and its triggers over long cycles. If your use of HGH becomes more a lifestyle than a single cycle, I would consider running it 5 on/2 off, or 6 on/ 1 off until such time as we have reliable data demonstrating long-term safety sans any degradation of your own output or the triggers initiating that output.

Another option would be to run your HGH cycle everyday for the first two months to get your IGF-1 levels elevated quickly and to a level to assist you in an anabolic way, then drop back to 5 days a week.

TIMING
As described above, the body produces HGH is a pulsatile fashion throughout the day with the heaviest pulses occurring approximately 2-3 hours after going to bed as you fall into a deep sleep. Injectible HGH is completely absorbed and put to use within approximately 3 hours. The strategy with respect to timing depends somewhat on our age and the other elements of our cycle. As you will see below, there is no single best strategy … it depends a lot on your individual situation.

For those that are between their late 20’s and early 50’s, there is still a reasonable chance that your own endogenous production of HGH is still at a reasonable level. The best time to take and injection, this being the case, would be early morning …. After your body’s own release of HGH in the night. If you get up to go to the bathroom in the early morning, this is probably the perfect time to take a couple of units of HGH. This will be the least disruptive time to take an injection of HGH. The second best time would be first thing in the morning when you wake up.

If you are splitting your doses, two times of the day when your cortisol levels are at peak are when you wake up and in the early afternoon. Another good strategy is to take your HGH injections at these times. Cortisol is very catabolic by nature and a well -timed HGH injection can go a long way toward blunting this effect.

If you are in your late 50’s or beyond, or if for some reason you have a condition that has rendered your pituitary incapable of a normal release of HGH, a great time to take HGH is right before bed. This allows you to closely mimic the natural pattern that would occur if your pituitary were functioning properly. For the rest of us, taking your HGH right before bed is going to end up creating a negative feedback loop, robbing you of your body’s own nightly pulse of HGH.

Yet another strategy should be considered if you are using insulin with your HGH. Insulin should be used immediately post workout. HGH and insulin do some great things together – they shuttle nutrients in a very complimentary way with each other, and the combination of HGH and Insulin create the best environment for IGF-1 production. If you are using insulin immediately post workout, this would be a great time to take a couple of units of HGH.

SIDE EFFECTS – HOW TO MANAGE THEM

While HGH for the most part is well tolerated, there are some side effects that can occur. The biggest and most common side effect is bloating and joint pain. The chances of getting these can be minimized or even eliminated by utilizing the ramp up method discussed above.

If you are younger than your late 20’s, it would be very wise to enter an HGH cycle under the guidance of an MD, who can monitor and confirm whether your growth plates have fused. While abnormal bone growth with HGH use is not common, if used at the wrong point in your body’s development, it could cause disproportionate growth.

If you have a history of cancer or other tumors (at any age), it would be wise to get a complete checkup and be monitored by an MD to make sure that there are no active tumors before your HGH cycle. While HGH (and IGF-1) won’t cause cancer or tumors, they can create an environment that can allow already existing, active tumors to grow at an accelerated rate.

Beyond this, there really isn't anything specific that you would HAVE to take with HGH. There are supplements that you could take for specific conditions that are possible with HGH use. The way people react to HGH is a pretty individual thing. Some people get very little suppression of any kind, others don't see any gains from adding HGH because of significant enough suppression of one kind or another. Here's a general rundown of a few of the bigger ones.

For the slight thyroid suppression that is possible:
conservative - take nothing
moderate - t-100x, bladderwrack, coleus forskolin, selinium, zinc, chromium, copper
aggressive - T3 at a dose of 12.5 - 25 mcgs per day

For the insulin resistance that is possible:
conservative - 300mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid and 200 - 300mcgs of Chromium Piccinolate
moderate - 15mg of Actos - a prescription med to increase insulin sensitivity, Glucophage or Metformin to dispose of excess glucose and increase uptake in muscles.
aggressive - add a few IU's of insulin to your HGH cycle

For healthy test levels to best utilize HGH
conservative - do nothing
moderate - use Tongkat or Tribulus
aggressive - add 200-300 milligrams (or more) of testosterone weekly to your HGH cycle

For protection against prostate growth
conservative - do nothing
moderate - use Saw Palmetto (approx 2000mg)
aggressive - use Proscar or equivalent

For those that have a problem with breast tissue growth while on HGH
For those that suffer from this, there is a difference of opinion as to the cause. In the presence of adequate estrogen, HGH can prompt growth or breast tissue. Others theorize that HGH can raise prolactin levels, which can prompt breast growth.
The current consensus seems to be that the best approach for those with this problem is twofold - Take 200mg of B6 (or Bromo if B6 is not sufficient) and also use 20-40mg of Tamoxifen (Nolva) to control this.

Once again, I wouldn't say that all of these are necessary for everyone. I would these supplements as needed to correct whatever conditions that arise with your HGH use. As stated above, reaction to HGH (and just about anything else we use) is very individual.

Hopefully this guide has given you a better understanding of HGH and what it can do for you. HGH, especially when used in conjunction with an AAS cycle, will produce some high-quality, lean mass gains. It can also be used in conjunction with IGF-1 and insulin, which will be the topic of our comparative guide. Happy growing!!

[Suat]

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[ECLIPSE]

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[Zelda]

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[anak]

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