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FDA Approved⚠ WADA BannedFor EnergyReference Compound+2 more

HGH (Somatotropin)

Recombinant human growth hormone. We read all 60 studies. The protocol is below.

Updated 03 May 2026Read 14 minEvidence ●●●●●Citations 60

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The HGH (Somatotropin) Report · $19

Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.

One purchase · yours forever

Built from 60 cited studies.

Status

FDA

Class

WADA Banned

Evidence

5/ 5●●●●●

FDA approval (Humatrope)

1987

Approved indications (US)

$19 ↓

WADA status

$19 ↓

⚠ WADA

Read this if

you have diagnosed adult growth hormone deficiency and your endocrinologist is talking about Humatrope
a "hormone optimization clinic" offered you HGH for $1,500/month and you want to know what you're signing
you've read the Rudman 1990 paper and want to know what the follow-up data actually showed

Skip this if

you're a healthy adult expecting "anti-aging" — the trial data doesn't support that
you have active malignancy, retinopathy, or severe insulin resistance
you're shopping by cap color ("blue-top," "yellow-top") — that's marketing on a counterfeit kit, not a purity signal
you're not okay with the federal-law angle on off-label HGH distribution

The 4 ways you can buy HGH (Somatotropin)

Rx required; DEA-restricte…

$800–$1,500/mo

Most 'compounded HGH' is brand product repackaged; true 503A is rare.

RUO (research-only)

✓

Sold for research only

$200–$400/mo

Highest in pharmacy lanes. Counterfeits common; identity/purity unverified.

Gray market

✓

Illegal to import for huma…

$30–$35/mo at 2iu/d

Largest off-label channel by volume; Chinese-source counterfeit risk.

Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown. Prices and lane availability vary by molecule — this is the per-peptide snapshot, not a generic table.

First 90 days · HGH (Somatotropin)

What we'd actually do

Weeks 1–2

Sleep depth shifts within days for the GH-secretagogue class (CJC, ipamorelin, sermorelin, hexarelin). If sleep hasn't deepened by week 2, the rest of the protocol probably won't move either.

Weeks 4–8

Subjective recovery and energy improvements. Body composition shifts modestly — slight muscle gain, slight fat loss if diet allows.

Week 12 — decide

Bloodwork: IGF-1 is the objective check. If IGF-1 hasn't moved, the protocol isn't working at this dose. Side effect bookkeeping: water retention, joint stiffness, any glucose changes.

Quit if

IGF-1 climbs above ~300 ng/mL (cancer-risk territory at the upper end).
Significant water retention or new carpal-tunnel-style symptoms.
New or worsening insulin resistance (fasting glucose creep).
12 weeks with no IGF-1 movement and no subjective change.

Identity

What it is.

HGH is recombinant human growth hormone — the actual 191-amino-acid hormone the pituitary makes, manufactured in genetically engineered cell lines. Sold under brand names like Genotropin, Humatrope, Norditropin, Omnitrope. It's been on the market since 1985.

It's the reference compound for this whole category. Every secretagogue (ipamorelin, CJC-1295, sermorelin, MK-677) is trying to indirectly raise the same thing HGH directly is.

for a specific list: pediatric growth-hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, chronic kidney disease in children, idiopathic short stature, and adult growth-hormone deficiency (AGHD) confirmed by stimulation testing. That last category is the legitimate adult use.

WADA-banned. Selling HGH for off-label distribution (anti-aging, athletic use, body comp) without an indication is a federal crime under 21 USC §333(e) — the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 carved HGH out specifically. It is *not* a Schedule III controlled substance; the federal restriction is a standalone FDA-distribution felony.

TL;DR

TL;DR. 30-second version.

The compressed verdict — what HGH (Somatotropin) actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.

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Mechanism

Mechanism.

Mechanism · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.

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Evidence

Evidence. What we actually know in humans.

Evidence · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.

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Human-Evidence Factbox

FDA approval (Humatrope)

1987

Approved indications (US)

WADA status

Dosing

List price (brand)

Anti-aging claim validated

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"Blue-top vs yellow-top" means

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Dose

Dose. The actual protocol.

Dose · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

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Sourcing

Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.

Sourcing · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.

We read 60 studies to write this report.

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Safety

Safety. Side effects.

Safety · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.

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Editorial Position

Editorial position.

Editorial Position · in the HGH (Somatotropin) report

Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.

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Citations

Citations.

+Show all 60 citations

The HGH (Somatotropin) Report · $19

Everything you need to start.

Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.

Built from 60 cited studies.

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