Human growth hormone (HGH) is crucial for many aspects of health throughout life. When HGH levels decline, it can result in concerning symptoms and health issues. Getting treated with HGH therapy at our Equilibrium Hormone Institute can help resolve deficiency and improve wellbeing.
Many patients seeking out HGH therapy first notice decreased energy levels, mental fuzziness, and reduced muscle mass. More specifically, some common signs and symptoms of growth hormone deficiency in adults include:
If you've noticed multiple symptoms on this list, HGH deficiency could potentially be the reason. Getting your hormone levels tested is the next step toward diagnosis and treatment.
In children and adolescents, stunted growth hormone production early in life typically causes deficiency. In adults, the most common reasons for declining HGH levels are:
Understanding the underlying reason for your hormone imbalance allows our clinicians to provide expert care tailored to your needs. Our clinic conducts comprehensive lab testing and imaging to pinpoint causes when appropriate.
The symptoms caused by adult growth hormone deficiency often worsen gradually over months and years. Patients often chalk up issues like low energy, weight gain and feeling "off" to normal aging or stress. By the time bothersome symptoms emerge, they have already lost years of healthy aging.
Moreover, muscle loss and bone weakening related to low GH levels raise risks for frailty, fractures and loss of independence later in life. Getting diagnosed and starting growth hormone replacement therapy can help recover strength and vitality patients thought were gone forever.
We emphasize early detection of hormone imbalance and prompt treatment when indicated. Our goal is helping patients realize their full healthy life expectancy through properly managed growth hormone therapy. We also aim to avoid accelerated aging that comes from leaving deficiencies untreated.
Growth hormone injections prescribed to treat deficiency deliver back the crucial hormone patients are lacking. This growth hormone therapy offers the following evidence-based benefits:
Human growth hormone plays an integral role in building and maintaining muscle mass throughout life. When levels drop too low, muscle tissue gradually breaks down faster than the body can replace it.
HGH injections stimulate muscle protein production, effectively reversing muscle loss from deficiency. Adding lean mass revs up metabolism, burns more calories, and makes it easier to manage weight.
Most patients also enjoy feeling stronger and performing better during day-to-day physical activities and exercise. Increased strength typically shows within the first month on growth hormone therapy.
Another primary job growth hormone handles is burning stored body fat for energy. It accomplishes this by making cells more sensitive to insulin’s effects. This process breaks down fat, especially around the abdomen, for conversion into usable energy.
When growth hormone levels lag, this fat-burning effect wanes. Excess body fat accumulates and becomes increasingly difficult to lose through diet and exercise alone.
Restarting growth hormone replacement reinstates efficient fat metabolism leading to decreased body fat percentage. This effect helps reveal lean muscle definition that has been hiding below excess flabby fat.
Most patients love “revealing their abs” and finally slimming down stubborn belly fat thanks to properly managed HGH therapy through our clinic.
Your body continually breaks down small areas of old bone tissue and replaces it with new mineralized matrix to keep bones strong. Human growth hormone facilitates this bone remodeling process and determines the pace at which it happens.
With low growth hormone levels, bone tissue regenerates slower than it degredates leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis over time.
HGH therapy speeds bone building back up to overtake gradual mineral loss. This results in measurable increases in bone density through DEXA scans for patients treated at our clinic. Improving bone integrity helps avoid becoming frail and prone to debilitating fractures later in life.
Feeling constantly exhausted yet restless is one of the most common complaints from patients with GH deficiency. Your body requires growth hormone to process stored fat and glucose into usable energy. Without enough growth hormone, this internal combustion engine runs sluggishly.
Growth hormone injections rev metabolic processes back up, often resulting in remarkable bursts in energy within just a few weeks. Having ample energy again allows patients to fully participate in family/social activities and hobbies they enjoy rather than sitting on the sidelines.
In addition to physical processes, growth hormone deficiency also dulls cognition and mood. Research confirms hormones like HGH and testosterone regulate neurotransmitter balance, nerve conductivity, and new brain cell formation.
HGH therapy improves mental sharpness, clears away brain fog, and brightens mood in most cases. Patients often describe feeling more motivated, quicker thinking and improvements in memory after starting treatment. For many, enhanced cognition is one of their favorite benefits of HGH therapy through our clinic.
Since human growth hormone plays diverse roles throughout the body, having too little often causes varied, non-specific symptoms. This makes deficiency notoriously difficult to recognize clinically at first glance.
Accurately diagnosing growth hormone deficiency requires targeted lab testing, medical history review, clinical evaluation and sometimes brain imaging. Our clinic follows best-practice guidelines to securely establish diagnoses prior to considering treatment.
Clinical practice guidelines explicitly declare checking insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) blood levels as mandatory for assessing adult growth hormone status. This protein directly correlates with GH production, serving as the standard diagnostic biomarker.
Blood tests checking IGF-1 levels relative to age provide the most definitive method for detecting clinically significant HGH deficiency. Our lab also measures related factors like thyroid and sex hormones for context about factors influencing IGF-1 status.
Reviewing patient symptoms and medical history alongside these lab results allows our hormone specialists to make accurate GH deficiency diagnoses most of the time. Further stimulation testing provides added precision when the initial findings remain less definitive.
For some patients, IGF-1 testing and history alone leave uncertain whether borderline low growth hormone is causing their issues. In these situations, we often recommend growth hormone stimulation testing for clearer diagnostic confirmation.
During GH stimulation tests, patients receive medications that normally trigger strong flushes of human growth hormone secretion. We then measure GH levels in blood samples collected at timed intervals afterwards.
By demonstrating whether patients can produce growth hormone when fully prompted, stimulation tests add valuable clarity toward diagnosis. This helps guide treatment plans tailored to address the most likely underlying cause, whether that involves HGH therapy or alternative strategies.
If clinical findings and laboratory testing suggest potential structural damage or tumors affecting the pituitary gland, we sometimes recommend brain imaging for further evaluation. MRI and CT scans visualize the pituitary and surrounding anatomy for signs of:
Seeing anatomical problems affecting growth hormone cells on imaging confirms definitive diagnoses. These scans also provide useful details toward surgical or other treatment considerations to manage underlying causes.
Pinpointing the reason for growth hormone deficiency guides the best plan forward regarding HGH replacement therapy specifics, medication choices, lifestyle factors and additional care as needed. We gather all relevant diagnostic information possible for fully customized treatment through our clinic.
Once our clinic confirms growth hormone deficiency requiring treatment, wedevelop customized plans for HGH replacement therapy based on the patient’s unique health profile and lifestyle considerations.
Currently, most growth hormone therapy utilizes synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) mirroring the 191-amino acid structure manufactured by the pituitary gland. Brand names patients might recognize include Genotropin, Humatrope, Norditropin, Nutropin, Omnitrope, Saizen and Zomacton.
These injectable HGH medications all effectively replace growth hormone that deficient bodies fail to produce on their own. However, subtle differences between formulations allow our staff physicians to select the optimal version based on convenience, side effect profiles, and insurance coverage considerations.
Some patients do better with daily vs less frequent injection schedules. Out-of-pocket costs also vary between products, and insurance companies often prefer specific brands. Finding the right growth hormone medication and regimen for each patient’s needs is key.
Growth hormone therapy relies on regular injections, typically done daily at home using very small needles. Teaching patients and family members proper injection technique ensures success from the start.
Most of our patients or their spouses learn to handle self-administering their growth hormone medication after some initial guidance. However, some patients prefer having a home health nurse visit periodically to handle injections instead.
No matter who handles giving the injections, our clinical team closely monitors each patient’s progress through follow-up appointments, lab testing and dosage titrations as needed. We all work together to achieve treatment goals while avoiding side effects. Open communication brings the best outcomes.
HGH therapy requires commitment and patience to realize the full scope of benefits. We coach patients about reasonable expectations, timelines and necessary self-care steps that facilitate success.
For example, patients acheiving the most profound strength and body composition improvements commit to:
We also advise patients to temporarily limit high impact activities that increase injury risk during the initial muscle and bone building phase. Following individualized guidance leads to maximal treatment response.
Our XZYHormones clinical team offers fully comprehensive oversight, education and troubleshooting from diagnosis through maintenance growth hormone therapy phases. We empower patients to be active partners in their care while providing expert guidance each step of the way.
While often used to fight aging effects, HGH therapy was originally developed in 1985 to treat children with growth hormone deficiency. When given to adults with normal hormone levels, benefits of HGH are still debated, with risks like joint pain and diabetes. More research is needed on proper dosing and long-term impacts.
Successfully managing hormone balance with growth hormone therapy works best when combined with healthy lifestyle habits and access to high quality local resources.
As your hometown hormone health experts in Levittown, we keep track of the following establishments we’re happy to recommend to our patients during treatment.
Having a convenient, competent lab for periodic blood testing during hormone replacement therapy offers important convenience. (/location-selector?id=4051) right here in Levittown accepts walk-in patients for quick phlebotomy work.
Their direct billing relationships with insurance carriers also make them our go-to lab referral resource. We have accounts setup to easily order tests then view results we need for adjusting treatments accordingly.
Maintaining an exercise routine focused on building lean muscle serves as a key therapy adjunct while on HGH. We often refer patients to join the affordable () within walking distance of our clinic.
Their broad range of strength training equipment, group exercise classes and pool access offers something for all ages and abilities. Having guided instruction and built-in social support makes establishing exercise habits more practical.
Members also gain access to their certified nutrition coach whose healthy meal plans align perfectly with the goals of growth hormone therapy. We help patients take full advantage of these top-notch resources in town.
Hormone balance intimately affects emotions and mental health. Many patients beginning growth hormone therapy also appreciate having counseling support to process psychological aspects of treatment.
We often refer patients to our trusted colleagues at () across town. Their diverse counselors address Depression, anxiety, self-esteem, sleep hygiene and more using proven talk therapies and wellness strategies personalized to what each client needs.
Having a source of confidential support during the exciting yet challenging process of neuroendocrine recalibration can profoundly help some of our patients manage mood, motivation and new life directions. We ensure everyone has access to mental health assistance when desired.
Conclusion
We hope this overview conveys how significantly low growth hormone levels can impact wellbeing and vitality - yet also how effectively restoring GH balance reverses concerning symptoms. Our Equilibrium Hormone Instituteal staff offers cutting edge diagnostics paired with nuanced age management therapies like HGH replacement tailored to your unique needs.
Please () or visit us in person to learn more about whether growth hormone testing and treatment could help resolve frustrating symptoms holding you back from fully enjoying life again!
