Since growth hormone is naturally produced in the human body, side effects from the use of growth hormone are rare. Side effects mainly occur when growth hormone is used in doses higher than recommended and for longer periods than advised by specialists. In practice, the following side effects of human growth hormone are observed (based on frequency of occurrence):

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome – manifests as pain and numbness in the limbs. This is due to the muscles, which increase in size, compressing peripheral nerves. This side effect is not dangerous and is quickly resolved after reducing the dose of the drug.
  • Fluid retention – is hard to call a side effect because the fluid accumulates in the muscles, giving them larger size and firmness. Overall, the phenomenon of “rebound” is minimal after completing the course. It is also important to note that during the course with growth hormone, salt intake should be reduced by at least half and alcohol should be avoided to prevent the undesirable accumulation of excess fluid. Even with minimal doses of the drug, this can lead to painful swelling of the limbs, mainly in the wrists and fingers.
  • Increased Blood Pressure – This can be managed either by reducing the dose of growth hormone or by taking antihypertensive medications.
  • Local Reactions – At the injection site (occurring in >1% and <10% of cases), symptoms may include rash, itching, tenderness, numbness, redness, swelling, and lipodystrophy (fat atrophy).
  • Thyroid Function Suppression – This effect is typically not noticeable subjectively, as it is usually very mild. To counteract this and improve cycle effectiveness, a dose of 25 mcg of Thyroxine per day may be used. Thyroid function fully recovers after discontinuing growth hormone.
  • Acromegaly – This condition arises from excessive use of growth hormone. When used correctly, it does not occur.
  • Hypertrophy of the Heart and Other Organs – This happens only with long-term use of high doses of growth hormone. It is not seen with proper use.
  • Increased Risk of Stroke in Children – A long-term study, completed in 2014, showed that the use of growth hormone in childhood increases the risk of stroke in later life. Among 7,000 children receiving GH (average age 11), 11 cases (6 of whom had hemorrhagic strokes) of stroke (average age 24) were recorded. In contrast, the incidence of stroke in a similar group of 24-year-olds [1] who did not receive growth hormone did not exceed 7 (2 of whom had hemorrhagic strokes).
  • Morning Fatigue – This feeling of weakness, apathy, and joint and muscle pain, similar to a cold, is sometimes accompanied by a fever. This reaction may be a sign of an autoimmune response to antigens, even a few days after the first injections, which could indicate a poor-quality drug. [2]
  • Drowsiness – Some individuals experience daytime sleepiness.
  • Increased Abdominal Size – It is a common belief that growth hormone can increase abdominal size due to the hyperplasia of internal organs (since the intestines and organs have IGF-1 receptors). Currently, there is no solid scientific evidence to support this claim, but noticeable changes in the abdomen are observed among professional bodybuilders, and are often associated with this. However, practical experience from most athletes shows that short cycles of growth hormone do not lead to abdominal growth. Experts believe that an increase in abdominal size (often referred to as “GH gut” in English-speaking countries) has a polyetiological nature, possibly caused by using high doses of GH combined with insulin, steroids, and consuming large amounts of food.
  • Gynecomastia – This is a very rare side effect. [3]

Impact on Carbohydrate Metabolism and Insulin Use

Growth hormone has opposite effects compared to insulin on glucose and lipid metabolism, but like insulin, it also enhances protein synthesis in the body. In a healthy organism, the body’s own growth hormone has minimal effects on glucose metabolism due to its low concentrations.

When exogenous growth hormone is administered, glucose consumption and oxidation by muscles decrease, fat oxidation increases, and gluconeogenesis is activated. As a result, immediately after the injection of GH, hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose levels) occurs [4].

Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels)
In the early days of a course, the pancreas registers hyperglycemia after the GH injection and starts producing insulin intensively, signaling tissues to use the free glucose in the blood. A powerful insulin peak occurs, leading to a drop in blood glucose levels, and symptoms of hypoglycemia may even develop.

Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels)
With prolonged courses and high doses of growth hormone, a diabetogenic side effect develops [5]. The pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to handle the excess glucose in the blood, leading to insulin resistance (the liver, muscle, and fat tissues do not respond even to high concentrations of insulin). This results in a condition similar to type 2 diabetes. Both hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia are observed. To counteract hyperglycemia, supplements like alpha-lipoic acid can be used to restore insulin sensitivity.

Due to the development of hyperglycemia, many athletes also administer insulin. However, it should be noted that this can further increase insulin resistance in tissues.

Mythical Side Effects

  • Suppression of Own Growth Hormone Secretion – Professor Elmer M. Cranton, M.D. conducted a study with over 100 patients, and no suppression of natural GH secretion was found. However, your own somatotropin levels will never return to the same levels they were at before the course. Any course lasting a month or more becomes a form of replacement therapy, so don’t expect your somatotropin level to be higher than 0.05 ng/ml after a course. It will never return to the reference (normal) range. Only in old age, when it is no longer needed, may this level return

    • .

  • Tumor Process – Growth hormone causes a sharp acceleration in the division of tumor cells, so scientists have become concerned about whether growth hormone itself can provoke cancer. A retrospective study was conducted on people who underwent growth hormone treatment, and the frequency of tumor processes in these people did not differ statistically from the rest of the population, which suggests the absence of a carcinogenic effect of growth hormone [6]. However, one study observed an increased risk of developing Hodgkin’s lymphoma. [7]
  • Impact on Potency and Erectile Function – Growth hormone has almost no effect on sexual desire but may improve erectile function. [8] [9]

Overall Conclusion

Growth hormone rarely causes side effects [10] if used in moderate doses [10]. Almost all side effects are reversible [11]. At the same time, it has been clearly proven that growth hormone can rejuvenate the body: improving physical condition, lowering harmful cholesterol levels, improving skin quality, strengthening bones and ligaments, and producing many other positive effects.

Read also

Warning

Anabolic drugs should only be used as prescribed by a doctor and are contraindicated for children. The provided information does not encourage the use or distribution of potent substances and is aimed solely at reducing the risk of complications and side effects.

Sources

  1. http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20140813/children-prescribed-growth-hormone-may-face-stroke-risk-later-study
  2. http://www.somatropin.cn/effects.html
  3. Liu, H.; et al. (2007). The safety and efficacy of growth hormone in the healthy elderly: A systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine.
  4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1806481
  5. Liu H, Bravata DM, Olkin I, Nayak S, Roberts B, Garber AM, Hoffman AR (January 2007). “Systematic review: the safety and efficacy of growth hormone in the healthy elderly”. Ann. Intern. Med. 146 (2): 104–15
  6. Swerdlow AJ, Higgins CD, Adlard P, Preece MA (July 2002). “Risk of cancer in patients treated with human pituitary growth hormone in the UK, 1959-85: a cohort study”. Lancet 360 (9329): 273–7
  7. Freedman RJ, Malkovska V, LeRoith D, Collins MT (October 2005). “Hodgkin lymphoma in temporal association with growth hormone replacement”. Endocr. J. 52 (5): 571–5.
  8. Becker AJ, Uckert S, Stief CG, et al. Possible role of human growth hormone in penile erection. J Urol 2000;164(6):2138-42.
  9. Becker AJ, Uckert S, Stief CG, et al. Serum levels of human growth hormone during different penile conditions in the cavernous and systemic blood of healthy men and patients with erectile dysfunction. Urology 2002;59(4):609-14.
  10. Savine R, Sönksen P (2000). “Growth hormone – hormone replacement for the somatopause?”. Hormone Research 53 (Suppl 3): 37–41.
  11. Alexopoulou O, Abs R, Maiter D (2010). “Treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency: who, why and how? A review”. Acta Clinica Belgica 65 (1): 13–22.
  12. Ahmad AM, Hopkins MT, Thomas J, Ibrahim H, Fraser WD, Vora JP (June 2001). “Body composition and quality of life in adults with growth hormone deficiency; effects of low-dose growth hormone replacement”. Clinical Endocrinology 54 (6)