I'm getting a guided cortisone injection for a spine problem. Does anyone have research or personal experiences about enhancing how well cortisone shots work by adding peptides like TB500/BP157, or any GH agonists? Or should I simply let the cortisone work on its own?
Using Wolverine Stack or GH agonists to boost cortisone-guided injections?
- Thread starter nwark
- Start date
My understanding has always been that cortisone, even though it brings down inflammation and offers a certain amount of relief, is only a short-term fix. Combining BPC/TB and possibly KPV, on the other hand, looks like it could be the better route.
*not a dr, listen to professionals not idiots on the internet.
lessthanhalf
Explorer
Getting a physician to put something into your body that they didn't prescribe themselves, that lacks guaranteed sterility, that has no solid science supporting it, and that isn't registered for therapeutic use in Australia — I just can't see it happening. Should anything go wrong, they'd have no defense in court against a malpractice claim. It could even rise to the level of criminal negligence, or cost them their medical license. The sterility uncertainty by itself is a strong enough argument to never inject any peptide anywhere other than under the skin, unless it came from a legitimate pharmacy company with proper standards and inspections. A minor infection under the skin from a few bacteria is very unlikely to kill you, but the same thing near the spine is an extraordinarily serious infection — one that could be fatal, cause permanent damage, or at minimum land you in hospital on intravenous antibiotics for weeks.
As for those peptides ( TB500/BP157 ), my own view is that the evidence they work is weak, and they've been tested in humans minimally if at all, even though the internet is full of people raving about them. If you're set on using them — orally or subcutaneously — then if you go the s/c route, pick somewhere sensible like the stomach, well away from any joints. HGH probably does help healing, but it comes with side effects too. The reason doctors don't use it to speed up healing is that the risk to benefit ratio isn't considered worthwhile.
As for those peptides ( TB500/BP157 ), my own view is that the evidence they work is weak, and they've been tested in humans minimally if at all, even though the internet is full of people raving about them. If you're set on using them — orally or subcutaneously — then if you go the s/c route, pick somewhere sensible like the stomach, well away from any joints. HGH probably does help healing, but it comes with side effects too. The reason doctors don't use it to speed up healing is that the risk to benefit ratio isn't considered worthwhile.
RubbaDubba1
Explorer
To date I've received more than 100 Cortisone shots over the course of my life. When it goes into the correct location and remains inside the joint (so to speak), it can work. If you're diabetic, keep an eye on your blood sugar! For a stretch of time it can genuinely help, and in a few instances it helped me for as long as a year. The nice thing about Cortisone is that it delivers relief quickly, unlike peptides and regenerative approaches such as Prolotherapy, PRP, Stem cells, and so on. The trouble comes when injections become repeated, happen more often, and stretch across several years — that's when soft tissue (Cartlidge) begins to break down. After that you get Arthritis, bone on bone, and/or Spondylosis (Bones fuse), and the pain climbs sharply.
Usually insurance will cover a cortisone injection for 45-90 days. You could cancel it and run a course of BPC/TB to see whether it helps. If it doesn't, then go back and get the Cortisone shot. Personally, though, I'd go ahead with the Cortisone shot, see what level of relief you get, if any, and hope it helps. Once you feel the Cortisone fading (and you will), and you get close to the point when you 1st considered a cortisone shot, that's when you run your course of BPC/TB — try it then and see what it does for you. As for GH for spine, I don't know; run them all separately to see what works and what doesn't. Some people are non responders to peps, or else it's awesome for them. For me it's mild, but enough that I'll stay on it, since I need all the help I can get with my Arthritic load, as I can't take Nsaids. Just had my shoulder operated on: /community-link/thread/13222/
Good luck
At no point did I suggest putting peptides directly into a joint, and neither did the OP.
My point was mostly to show how limited the benefits of cortisone really are. On top of that, some studies link it to degeneration after just 1 injection.
Honestly, I'd be careful about combining either of those with cortisone.
Cortisone works as an anti-inflammatory — its job is to settle down swelling and nerve irritation. It isn't really aimed at repairing tissue; it's about controlling symptoms... dialing down inflammation so that the body and (therapy) can function better.
BPC-157 / TB-500, on the other hand, is used to boost blood flow and drive angiogenesis, which supports tissue repair and lowers inflammation.
That's where I see a problem: the two mechanisms might work against each other.
- Cortisone shuts down inflammation and certain healing signals
- BPC/TB ramp up healing and inflammatory pathways, so in theory you'd be pushing against what the steroid is doing.
Another point: BPC/TB is better known for soft tissue injuries (tendons, muscles... so if that's the case, you might be onto something), but not for disc compression, disc bulging, nerve problems, or really the spine in general. In that situation, timing would be key so the two aren't fighting each other.
GH is somewhat similar, unless we're talking about a soft tissue injury like instability, weak supporting muscles, or chronic strain. But timing would be crucial here as well, since cortisone is catabolic (it breaks tissue down and suppresses repair signals), while GH is anabolic (it builds tissue).
**So if you take them together... you're essentially pressing the gas and the brake at the same time**
Thanks for weighing in — that's exactly why I raised the question. What I'm dealing with is a synovial cyst located at the facet joint. The neurosurgeon's plan is a guided injection first, and only if that fails would we move on to surgical removal (in his estimation, a 50% chance of success).
Boosting the odds wasn't his suggestion; it's me asking whether anything could tilt that 50 50 toward 60 40 or better. Based on what people have said here, it sounds like the answer may be no.
Boosting the odds wasn't his suggestion; it's me asking whether anything could tilt that 50 50 toward 60 40 or better. Based on what people have said here, it sounds like the answer may be no.
lessthanhalf
Explorer
My mistake, I had misread what you originally wrote.