MikeyMike said:
Thanks for the detailed write-up and for letting us in on your experience. I went ahead and picked up some HGH with similar expectations. TRT kicked off for me only 4 weeks back, and the muscle gains are already looking solid. My reason for starting was low T rather than just chasing size. Even so, I've added 5lbs of muscle over the past 2 weeks, while fat loss has been under 1 lb.
My plan is to begin HGH at 2 iu. I was leaning toward a nighttime dose since I could use help sleeping, but it sounds like morning shots still deliver strong sleep benefits. I'll start with am and move to pm only if I need to. Bringing my body fat down is the goal. Earlier I dropped 35lbs on sema, then about 2 months ago I made the switch to Reta. The scale hasn't moved much lately, though the recomp has been good so far. Currently BF sits near 27%, and I'm aiming to push it under 20%, with 15-17% as the eventual target.
At 52, adding muscle has proven really tough for me. For the past year I've lifted heavy without missing sessions, and I even ran a mild bulk, yet the only thing that grew was fat, not muscle. TRT has completely changed things for me, and I'm eager to see where HGH fits into the picture.
Something to consider:
NOTE: Growth hormone dosing uses IU (international units) and mg (milligrams):
1 mg = 3 IU
1 IU = 0.33 mg
Initial dosing:
• Under 30 years old:
1.2 – 1.5 IU daily (0.4 – 0.5 mg/day) (possibly greater for those moving from pediatric care)
• 30-60 years old:
0.6 – 0.9 IU daily (0.2 – 0.3 mg/day)
• Over 60 years old:
0.3 -0.6 IU daily (0.1-0.2 mg/day)
Anyone with diabetes, or who may be prone to insulin resistance / glucose intolerance, ought to begin at the smallest dose (0.3 -0.6 IU daily) no matter their age.
Subcutaneous shots are typically given at night so they resemble the body's natural overnight GH release.
Raising the dose (titration):
Every 1 to 2 months, raise the dose by 0.3 -0.6 IU daily (0.1-0.2 mg/day), guided by clinical response, blood IGF-1 levels, side effects, and personal factors such as insulin resistance / glucose intolerance.
For older patients, longer gaps between increases and smaller steps may be needed.
What GH treatment aims for:
Target blood IGF-I levels in the middle of the normal range for age and sex, unless side effects are significant. A trial of higher GH doses may be considered to see whether more benefit occurs, provided serum IGF-I stays within the normal range and no side effects appear.
Monitoring:
Although IGF-1 levels do not reliably reflect GH status, using IGF-1 to monitor treatment of adult GH disorders is now broadly accepted, particularly since GH-dosing for growth hormone deficiency has shifted from weight-based dosing (linked to overtreatment and side effects) toward individualized dose-titration strategies that keep IGF1 within target limits.[7]
Once maintenance doses are reached, check every 6 months. Monitoring should cover clinical evaluation and side effects, blood IGF-1, fasting blood glucose, T3, T4 and free T4, plus a lipid profile. Quality of life assessments may be performed every 6 or 12 months.
For patients also receiving thyroid, sex hormone or glucocorticoid treatment, dose adjustments may be required once GH replacement begins.
Situations that may call for higher GH doses:
• Young patients, whatever the onset type
• Low blood IGF-1 levels
• Starting oral estrogen
• Switching from transdermal to oral estrogen
• To promote breakdown of stored body fat (lipolysis)
Situations that may call for lower GH doses:
• Elderly patients
• High blood IGF-1 levels
• Stopping oral estrogen
• Switching from oral to transdermal estrogen
• Concurrent testosterone treatment
• Higher fasting blood glucose and/or HbA1c (i.e. worsening glucose tolerance)
