Growth hormone treatment for bodybuilding

Growth hormone (GH) has attracted increasing interest and use by amateur and professional bodybuilders, as well as professional athletes to increase performance and muscle growth. GH is used by many bodybuilders or athletes whose performance has plateaued - even with the use of anabolic steroids. It is also reputed to promote fat loss.

GH is also a favoured drug of many professional athletes and Olympic athletes, due to the fact that, as of 2005, there is no conclusive test to determine the presence of exogenous GH. Dosages for sport-related performance enhancement can be as low as 2IU/day, all the way up to 10IU/day taken by some professional bodybuilders.

Relatively few side effects are seen at doses of <4IU/day, but doses of 8+IU/day have been known to have permanent side-effects (see acromegaly). Bodybuilders have also used insulin in combination with HGH to achieve further muscle size, density, vascularity, and the appearance of paper-thin skin sucked tightly to the muscle. The recreational use of insulin for aesthetic reasons is very dangerous and can lead to very serious health risks, including diabetes and permanent insulin resistance.

Unlike anabolic steroids which must be cycled on and off to avoid permanently suppressing the body's hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA), GH does not suppress the HPGA and - in that respect, can be used without a break, for as long as desired. In fact, substantial results are usually only seen after continuous use of at least two months. Usually the illegal use of GH depends how long said individual can afford to stay on for, as GH is very expensive, costing typically at least $500USD/month, but can cost (dependent on dosage and black-market cost) up to $4000USD/month. GH is also stacked with anabolic steroids, especially potent androgens, like testosterone to work in synergy.

The use of the acronyms "HGH" or "hGH" (human growth hormone) in products sold over the internet is associated with misleading intentions (See HGH quackery).