Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
233616 tn?1312787196

KNOW THIS, is could be the treatment nobody wants to give you, that will save you

This in not quackery it could change your life, it's modern not alternative medicine.
I will try to keep it simple.
one thing that happens as we age is we begin to lose our ability to make growth hormone.

this hormone is produced in the pituitary and is ESSENTIAL to tissue repair which occurs mostly at night in 3rd and particularly 4th stage sleep.

the goal of treatment is not just to kill the virus but to see the liver repair itself.

FOR SOME REASON Hepatitis can stop the pituitary from functioning.

If this happens the disease progresses rapidly, and you feel far worse than your years with lots of odd ailments popping up.

The test you need to ask for is called an IGF-1.
It stands for Insulin Growth Factor 1.
this is an initial test, since Growth Hormone (GH) is almost impossible to measure (it is produced in such miute amounts for only minutes each day, and particularly each night.) but the IGF-1 is easy to measure, an inexpensive blood test, and it's level indicated if any GH had been prodiced in the last 24 hrs.

If you have trouble sleeping or dreaming it's quite possible you are low on this hormone.
If you have autoimmune stuff, or trouble healing or exaustion same thing. Thyroid, arthritis, vitilago, fibromyalgia, even MS, where the body attacks the nerve sheath, and many more things are directly related. the pituitary is the MASTER gland which tell the others what to do. It's like the General, the thyroid is the next in command and on down. Our pancreas, our sex glands, are all part of this glandular system. when one thing breaks, then everything begins to break down.

Children who produce no GH age in ten years to about age 80, with all the accompanying pain. this disease is called progeria.

However, aldult onset GH loss is called Pituitary Dwarfism.
for some reason HEP people are often low in it.

In our teens our IGF-1 number should be about 400, this is because we are growing rapidly.
By age 50-60  150-200 is in normal range, depending on the lab.

If you are low on this test, most insurances will allow for a further test, (expensive) to prove you aren't making enough or any GH. My number was 40.    I'm in my mid-fifties, so this number should be seen at 90 years of age. This lowering of GH is considered a key in why we age and develop disease.

You have to go to a good endocrinologist to get this testing.
MY doctor insisted I couldn't have this, but I bypassed her for the initial testing, after 2 years of arguing, and sure enough....

the only draw back to this therapy, side effect wise, is it can mess with blood sugar, leading to diabetes. the idea is JUST to bring you up to normal, NOT turn you into Barry Bonds, or use it as a fountain of youth. It does have profound effects on the thyroid, mine is working agin for the first time in 30 years, and my fibromyalgia is gone.
there is a great deal of research now into whether this is a key to most autoimmune stuff, and Merck and others have come up with several oral secetouges (drugs that stimulate production of GH)

The trouble now is, it's expensive because the only REAL known treatment is the injection of the actual hormone, a 191 chain protein, very delicate, and the cost is 800-1200 per month. Naturally they don't want to test or inform us that this drug may be a key factor in healing, and the race is on with all the companies to see who can make the first inexpensive oral form of this hormone.

Bets are off as to the billions whoever wins this race will glean. But I put myself in a stage 3 trial just to get the oral until I could jump through all the insurance, waits for specialist and testing, and approval etc.

Before getting this drug, I couldn't go to sleep thinking I would wake up. Exaustion doesn't cover what I felt. Sometimes showering, dressing, and getting to the car felt like a marathon race the day after.

So, enough said. Do not expect docs to inform you of all this, but there is a plethora of stuff on pubmed which is how I found and diagnosed myself, looking the key to the fibromyalgia (before I discovered that I also had Hep C.)

I hope you all take this advice seriously. It's true, and I did my homework!!

PS, If you have ever had a head of neck injury from an auto accident you are also at greater risk of having this deficiency since whiplash can bruise or even shove this glands location, resulting in impaired function. I was never told of this either. Thank God for forums and Pubmed.

Take this seriously people. Even autoimmune attacks on the brain are part of this syndrome, I'm dealing with all of this, and don't want anyone else going undiagnosed.

PPS. I have 2 endocrinologists now, both willing to subscribe me growth hormone and the insurance pays, times are changing. they can only keep us in the dark so long, and now that I don't have to go to the library to read the New England Journal of Medicine, and Jama etc, it's just gotten a whole lot easier for us all!!
there are more doctors willing to fight to get you treatment if the insurance denies or balks.
there is also a program through Lilly Pharmaceutical now, to help fight the denials, they make the brand called Humatrope which I am on. Because of this, and my low number, I breezed through the normal "fight" some insurances give people.
Thank the Lord, and may this, my trial, PLEASE bless you all.
75 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
233616 tn?1312787196
sorry for delayed answers this week....we've had a death in the family.

Sorry if you thought I was suggesting this instead of SOC...I'm NOT.....only suggesting that an as adjunct and aide in the disease recovery process.

I am currently on standard tx....6 months now.  UND as of last week....blood work holding steady, no crashing,  although 1200/180 is taking it's toll.

As I said, your study above, and the ones I found really didn't prove any substantial risk but did have more benefit potentials cheifly in metabolics and rates of repair to damaged tissues.

The insulin resistance is the one draw back, but the same can be said of Interfron which can also cause changes in either direction to insulin metabolism.

Obviously if someone wants to use this therapy for it's benefit, they need to weigh the risks and be willing to alter their life style in ways that will compensate for any adverse effects.  The heart patient cuts out meats and fats...the liver patient alcohol etc.....the HGH therapy required a no sugar/complex carbs only diet stucture to stay on the safe side of the equations.
Otherwise one might be treating one disease only to cause another, which would be foolish.
Also taking more than recommended therapeutic dose is harmful, one doesn't want ones feet, bones, and cartilage to start growing like they did in youth. To take more than a medicinally recommended and monitored amount would do harm, some not reversible.
Helpful - 0
350279 tn?1208013545
I didn't see anywhere, whether or not you have tried the standard treatment? They seem to be getting better results than when I was diagnosed in 1989.
Helpful - 0
350279 tn?1208013545
I saw some positive results also. I guess that you assumed that I am looking just for the
negative.
You have to go to the referenced sites to get a better idea of what the results mean and the scope of this research. I would have had many pages of information if posted complete scope and  I don't know how just by this post, one could decide one way or another to trying this treatment..
A good diet goes just so far to correct blood/sugar.
HCV is Chronic Liver Disease, as can be hepA,B,C,D,E; Hemachromatosis. et al.    

"Clinical side effects
included worsening edema and ascites. Hepatocellular function did not change.
Therefore, rhGH treatment in CLD: 1) overcame hepatic GH resistance; 2) may have
improved whole-body protein catabolism; 3) increased lipolysis and lipid
oxidation; 4) increased insulin resistance; and 5) had potent antinatriuretic
effects. Long-term safety and efficacy require further assessment."

If the above paragraph from the study give you pause, I don't know what would.
Why not go to the sites and read the abstracts, scope and results, to get a better understanding.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The study really does not demonstrate much that would discourage someone from trying the GH therapy, and indeed lists several positice consequences.  I would think that proper diet might help control increases in glucose and insulin resistance to some extent.

They also did not include many/any HCV infected patients with liver disease.  This might be helpful to proper evaluation of the therapy.  Also, a larger study might help as well.  Did they indicate WHY they were testing the GH therapy on this subset of patients to begin with?  What were they hoping to accomplish with the therapy?

DoubleDose
Helpful - 0
350279 tn?1208013545
I spend most of my time researching. Usually on Medically sound studies and tested drugs. I did find this:

GH treatment in adults with chronic liver disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

    eMedicine  The Medscape Journal
  MedscapeLatestNewsCMEConferencesResource CentersJournals & ReferenceExperts &
  Viewpoints  Newsletters |  My Homepage
All Sources     Medscape     eMedicine     MEDLINE     Drug Reference


GH treatment in adults with chronic liver disease: a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled, cross-over study.
Information from Industry
Assess clinically focused product information on Medscape.
  Click Here for Product Infosites -- Information from Industry.
  
Medscape Newsletters

Sign Up To Receive
Medscape Best Evidence
Key journal articles ranked for newsworthiness and clinical relevance in each
specialty, linked to Medline abstracts.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.  2002; 87(6):2751-9 (ISSN: 0021-972X)
Wallace JD; Abbott-Johnson WJ; Crawford DH; Barnard R; Potter JM; Cuneo RC
Metabolic Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Queensland,
Princess Alexandra Hospital, Wooloongabba, Brisbane 4102, Australia.
***@****
Patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) are catabolic and GH-resistant. The
effects of supraphysiological recombinant human GH (rhGH; 0.2 IU.kg(-1).d(-1))
treatment in adults with CLD were assessed in a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled cross-over trial (4-wk dietary run-in, 4-wk treatment, and
2-wk wash-out phases). Nine adults with mild- to moderate-severity CLD
participated (median age, 49 yr; three males and six females; Child's
classification A in six and B in three). Biopsy-proven etiologies were: alcohol
(four patients), primary biliary cirrhosis (three patients), non-A, non-B, non-C
hepatitis (one patient), and cryptogenic (one patient). Treatment with rhGH
increased serum IGF-I (median increase over placebo, +93 microg.liter(-1); P =
0.004), IGF-binding protein-3 (+0.9 mg.liter(-1): P = 0.004), and acid labile
subunit (+10.7 nM; P = 0.004). Total body potassium (+8.0 g; P = 0.023), body
weight (+1.6 kg; P = 0.008), and total body water (by bioelectrical impedance;
+4.9 kg; P = 0.004) increased. Resting metabolic rate (+313 ml.kg(-1).min(-1); P
= 0.004) and lipid oxidation (+1072.0 kcal.d(-1); P = 0.032) increased.
Metabolic changes included increased fasting plasma glucose (+1.2 mM; P =
0.008), insulin (+33.8 mU.liter(-1); P = 0.004), C-peptide (+0.7 nM; P = 0.004),
and free-fatty acids (+0.1 mEq.liter(-1); P = 0.04). Clinical side effects
included worsening edema and ascites. Hepatocellular function did not change.
Therefore, rhGH treatment in CLD: 1) overcame hepatic GH resistance; 2) may have
improved whole-body protein catabolism; 3) increased lipolysis and lipid
oxidation; 4) increased insulin resistance; and 5) had potent antinatriuretic
effects. Long-term safety and efficacy require further assessment.
Subject Headings
      Major Subject Heading(s)Minor Subject Heading(s)CAS Registry / EC Numbers
        Blood [metabolism]
        Carrier Proteins [blood]
        Chronic Disease
        Cross-Over Studies
        Double-Blind Method
        Female
        Glycoproteins [blood]
        Human Growth Hormone [adverse effects] [therapeutic use]
        Humans
        Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 [blood]
        Insulin-Like Growth Factor I [metabolism]
        Liver Diseases [blood] [drug therapy]
        Male
        Middle Aged
        Placebos
        Recombinant Proteins [adverse effects] [therapeutic use]
        0  (Carrier Proteins)
        0  (Glycoproteins)
        0  (Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3)
        0  (Placebos)
        0  (Recombinant Proteins)
        0  (insulin-like growth factor binding protein, acid labile subunit)
        12629-01-5  (Human Growth Hormone)
        67763-96-6  (Insulin-Like Growth Factor I)


  PreMedline Identifier: 12050245


All Sources    Medscape    eMedicine    MEDLINE    Drug Reference
  • About Medscape • Privacy & Ethics • Terms of Use • WebMD Health• WebMD
  Corporate • Help
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2008 by
Medscape. This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
Wow!  Very good thread, even your condensed version was very good, when the person asked you to put it in one sentence, you patiently took on that assignment.  Good for you, so I can't get through the whole thread without asking my main two questions.

1.  Are you currently in that trial/study?  

2.  Is there any drug or vitamin that is similiar in composition to "Humatrope" and safe that a person like me can take, I'm talking over the counter?  I am HepC positive, geno 1 who hasn't been treated.  I ask because you have definitely done your homework.  Also I believe in "self diagnosis" whole heartedly.  Oh, even if there is something that is a prescription drug that is similiar in nature to "Humatrope", could you please mention it.  Sorry for the messed up question, I should ask if Humatrope currently available through prescription.

Thank you very much for your eye opening post, I wish I would have read it sooner.  I just kept passing it by, because I really didn't think it could apply to me, but hey live and learn and that I did once again on this forum.  It's very possible that you may have already answered these questions.  My back is killing me just sitting on this chair in front of the computer. If you have answered you can just say "it's in there", like that Ragu commercial and I will find it. (free smile)  God Bless

  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community

Top Hepatitis Answerers
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
683231 tn?1467323017
Auburn, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Answer a few simple questions about your Hep C treatment journey.

Those who qualify may receive up to $100 for their time.
Explore More In Our Hep C Learning Center
image description
Learn about this treatable virus.
image description
Getting tested for this viral infection.
image description
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
image description
4 steps to getting on therapy.
image description
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
image description
How the drugs might affect you.
image description
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.