Testing GH Levels

[Dr. Zeus]

Is testing GH levels as easy as screening IGF levels? I know low IGF levels would indicate low HG levels, but is this all a doctor needs to know before prescribing GH therapy to an adult?

[jdavis2007]

I don't know of any doctors that can test GH output, but I'm sure there is someone that can do it. For the older friends of mine that I know have been prescribed GH, their doctors tested their IGF levels and if they were low then they got the 'golden ticket'...a script for GH covered by insurance. Just find a doc that will test for IGF and your insurance should be able to take it from there. Hope this helps...

[Dr. Zeus]

Thanks for the reply. Most everything I've read says to test for IGF levels. I'm hoping it'll be that easy.

I've also heard of physicians running a stim test, which is when they inject you with some sort of compound that stimulates your pituitary into producing more GH. Then they draw blood every ten minutes for an hour, to see if your pituitary is working as it should be.

[Ufa]

You can be tested for GH & IGF. No insurance company in their right
mind will pay for GH unless you have aids or are a dwarf. Please
feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

[Dr. Zeus]

I'm hoping you are.

[Dr. Zeus]

Just spoke with my doc today. They're telling me they won't test my IGF levels. If I want it done, they'll refer me to an endocrinologist.

I guess there's some law in florida that says if a doctor tests for a certain medical condition, they're obligated to treat it. Being my doc isn't familiar with gh therapy, he doesn't want to do the testing himself.

To hell with it. I'm ordering a kit of jin myself. But I'll probably go ahead and make my appointment with an endo. How long will I have to lay of the GH injections before my IGF level return to their natural levels? A week long enough?