by Kevin Hunter (www.anabolic-pharma.com)

Many people favor a use of Growth Hormone (GH) to increase performance and muscle growth. It attracted increasing interest among amateur and proessional bodybuilders as well as professional athletes. Growth Hormone is used by many bodybuilders whose performance has plateaued, for some even with the use of anabolic steroids; therefore it is not a surprise that demands for this "wonder" drug are increasing constantly. A recent study showed that Growth Hormone and Erythropoietin (EPO) together have more than 50% of the total market share in the anabolic industry. The only problem that we see nowadays is lack of quality products that are available for online sale.

Due to strict regulations in the industry of hormone production only a handful of companies holding all required licenses for Growth Hormone production exist. As one of the youngest company that joined the club, is a European company Eurohormones. Somatropin, as they named their growth hormone product, is produced under a valid GMP license, meaning their product must have passed all strict pharmaceutical tests before it got license to be sold on the market. All these regulations that control the production of hormones are in place to guarantee high quality of the products and this is what we, consumers, can rely on.

If we take a closer look to the regulations for production of Growth Hormone we notice that only products containing up to 8 IU (International Units) are legitimate products and can be sold on the market (in pharmacy stores). Most common, legitimate and licensed products contain 4 IU or 8 IU, but unfortunately we see a lot of products that contains more than 8 IU of somatotropin. Products containing more than 8 IU can be related as underground GH products and when buying those, extra caution is never enough.

One of the best known legitimate GH products is Genotropin from company Pfizer (previously manufactured by Pharmacia, but later acquired by Pfizer), but unfortunately this product is almost impossible to buy online, therefore the new product Somatropin from Eurohormones was welcomed with a hands wide open among the online pharmacy owners.

Somatropin is available in a pack of 10 vials containing 8 IU each. Although the price of Somatropin ($449) is very attractive it may still be too expensive for some and therefore we will also sell single vials of 8 IU for $55 each. But this is not all, during the summer we offer a box of 10 vials for only $399 as a special promotion of this new product and 2 boxes for only $749. For more details please click here.

The next logical question that someone might ask is; what benefits do I get if I use Growth Hormone instead of Anabolic Steroids? There could be a simple answer, but we believe that a short note with the most common information about GH will much better answer this question...

Growth Hormone Facts

Growth Hormone (GH) or Somatotropin (STH) is a protein hormone which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and animals. Most of the physiologically important secretion occurs as several large pulses or peaks of GH release each day. The amount and pattern of GH secretion change throughout life. Basal levels are highest in early childhood. The amplitude and frequency of peaks is greatest during the pubertal growth spurt. Healthy children and adolescents average about 8 peaks per 24 hours. Adults average about 5 peaks. Basal levels and the frequency and amplitude of peaks decline throughout adult life.

Effects of growth hormone on the tissues of the body can generally be described as anabolic (building up). Like most other protein hormones, GH acts by interacting with a specific receptor on the surface of cells. Height growth in childhood is the best known effect of GH action, however it also serves many other metabolic functions;

• It increases calcium retention, and strengthens and increases the mineralization of bone.
• It increases muscle mass through the creation of new muscle cells
• It promotes lipolysis, which results in the reduction of adipose tissue (body fat).
• It increases protein synthesis and stimulates the growth
• It reduces liver uptake of glucose, an effect that opposes that of insulin.
• It contributes to the maintenance and function of pancreatic islets.
• It stimulates the immune system, etc.

GH Therapies

In general, treatment with growth hormone is used for increasing height in children, but it may also be used for other benefits. Growth Hormone treatment improves muscle strength and slightly reduces body fat. Growth Hormone has also been shown to help maintain muscle mass.

Most common - non-medical - therapies with growth hormone are ;

• GH treatment to reverse effects of aging in older adults
• GH treatment to enhance weight loss in obesity
• GH treatment for bodybuilding or athletic enhancement

Bodybuilding Therapy

Growth Hormone is a favored 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. Average dose for sport-related performance enhancement can be as low as 2 IU per day and all the way up to 10 IU per day taken by some professional bodybuilders.

Relatively few side effects are seen at doses of less 4 IU per day, but doses of 8+ IU per day have been known to have permanent side-effects ( please refere to the term acromegaly for more details). Most common dose within the safety boundaries would be from 4 IU to 8 IU administered every second day. 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, however the recreational use of insulin is very dangerous and can lead to serious health risks, including diabetes .

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 can be used without a break, for as long as desired. In practice, substantial results are usually only seen after continuous use of at least two months. Usually the non-prescribed use of growth hormone depends how long said individual can afford to stay on for. Because growth hormone is very expensive, costing typically at least $800 USD per month, but can cost (dependent on dosage and black-market cost) up to $4000USD per month. Growth Hormone is also stacked with anabolic steroids, especially potent androgens, like testosterone to work in synergy.

A simple 6 week cycle with 20 vials of 8 IU each from Eurohormones would cost you no more than $749. Should you need more vials for a longer cycle you have a great choice of buying extra box with 10 vials at additional $399 or any number of single vials for only $55 per vial. For more details about products please click here.

For additional information you are welcome to check our Knowledge section and read the Growth Hormone profile.

A list of all published articles:

• Somatropin