Combatting Insulin resistance on GH

[dabigcheese]

In the past when I have measured my blood glucose, Ive run numbers of around 4.6 mmol (fasting). But when Ive run growth, this number balloons to anywhere between 5.8 and 6.8 mmol (which is almost the highest number within the normal range).

I had an A1c done recently (the GH had been run for 5 months). The number I ran on the A1c was 6.5% (again high normal).

I stopped the GH last week and then checked BG again this morning. And as expected, the number was down to 4.3 mmol.

So obviously, while I am not diabetic, I become somewhat insulin resistant on GH. How does one combat this? Can OTC supplements combat it or is glucophage essential for this?

Any suggestions?

[dabigcheese]

bump

[agnisz]

First do everything which would decrease insulin resistance: quit smoking if you still smoke (I assume it's not you on the pic smoking cigar), do more cardio (if it won't hurt your current goal), cut carbs (especially those with high glycemic index). Maybe you wanna try also chromium picolinate, however results are not guaranteed. There are also lots of stuff offered OTC, however I wouldn't trust to any of them. But that my personal opinion, you might try it.

Alternatively remember, that IGF in contrast to GH does not increase insulin resistance. There are even some studies where IGF has been used to actually treat diabetes.

Ultimately go for Glucophage. After all your fasting glucose level during GH usage is close to diabetic level. So, Glucophage might be even very appropriate for you while on GH. Also Thiazolidinediones in combination with GH have demonstrated beneficial effect not only to glucose metabolism, but also to waist circumference.

[dabigcheese]

Thanks for the useful info. Is Glucophage hard on the kidneys?

Btw, I quit smoking four years ago.

[agnisz]

yes, it is and it's contrindicated in case of kidney failure...

[dabigcheese]

I think what I am going to do is use IGF-1 when I have to heal injuries. It should act quicker than GH anyway (from what I have read) and should, therefore, be a cheaper option.

With GH I would cut down my dosage to 1 IU a day for only anti-ageing purposes. I would then check my blood sugar a that dosage. I suspect it may not rise by much if I stay at that limited dose (my cycle was about 3.3 IU a day).

What do you reckon?

[agnisz]

Remeber that GH is generally considered to exert anti-insulin actions, whereas IGF-I has insulin-like properties. By only adding IGF-1 to your existing GH dose there is chance that your glycemia may get better. Besides, IGF-1 may suppress GH action, therefore at this moment it wouldn't be wise to decrease the dose of GH.

[dabigcheese]

Isn't it the problem with IGF that you cannot run it for extended periods of time? You can only cycle for a month and then have to come off for a month.

For me GH has two main uses: (1) keeping bodyfat under control; and (2) anti-ageing benefits.

(1) can be achieved with a better diet. Would using IGF-1 in cycles of a month over a period of time produce the same anti-ageing effect?

[kesam1]

Bump on this as I'm in exactly the same situation

[MidwestMuscle]

Best way to combat this is with alittle insulin, maybe 4-5ius of humalog, do your reading before you even begin to think about using insulin

[johnsomebody]

Do you do cardio at all? One study I've read showed cardio forced on rats lowered insulin resistance. It involved making the critters swim for their lives an hour a day though!

By the way, it's an excellent idea for anyone taking HGH check the effect it has on blood sugar levels. If you become insulin resistant from using HGH, it can have some really negative health effects.

[kesam1]

Cardio does have an effect on my blood glucose levels but only if I train above 75% max heart rate. Effective but not good for holding muscle