Actually I take HGH for a few reasons, being older I want the anti aging benefits from it, the joint healing and skin benefits, plus the fat burning aspect of it. Secondly the IGF benefit, which is just as important for "new muscle growth" I was never a fan of any blood tests, plenty of good bloods and people still look like dog shit, even test levels. If im shooting HGH im going to test for HGH. Not going to argue its just not rational in my view and experience, you can shoot bunk and still have decent IGF1 levels, and have zero hgh serum. Anyhow I am glad I got all the opinions and experience from all of you. At the end of the day I am hear to help and learn.
You are so wrong. GH serum fluctuates greatly depending on how long ago you injected hgh before blood was drawn. So a GH serum can indicate the authenticity of what's in the vial but it can't determine the quality of HGH.
Generic HGH yield higher GH serum than pharma grade. bunk HGH have been giving higher GH serum levels (3 hours after injecting), making you believe it's HGH while having minimal to no effect on igf-1 levels. Some AAS and insulin do increase igf-1 level but it won't increase your baseline by 2 fold or more. certain meds like nolva and acutane can decrease igf levels and its true because many types of blood tests can be altered by some substances, so you should be aware of them.
On the other hand, igf-1 is stimulated by HGH and reaches max level in 2-4 weeks. That's why many bodybuilders here rely on igf-1 test for HGH legitimacy because it is the ultimate test for bio-availability of HGH usage. For example peptides such as ghrp/ghrh can put your GH level in the 60s but the level only stay elevated for an hour or so, thus having very little effect on IGF level. Because igf-1 takes 4 weeks to achieve a steady state level, other factors that can significantly alter GH levels such as peptides, false GH readings or bunk HGH can be disproved by an IGF blood test.
Nonetheless, most of the anti aging benefits are also provided by IGF, not HGH itself. People with severe igf-1 deficiency (laron syndrom) who make normal level of HGH still suffer from obesity, premature aging, and fragile hair/nail. Also, the growth stimulating effect induced by IGF is independent of HGH but sadly, synthetic igf-1 isn't available on the black market. Igf-lr3 or igf-des are designer peptides and have no impact on IGF levels. many of us would've escaped the HGH route and begin shooting straight igf-1 if it was available (it'll be hopefully available soon).
therefore, GH only blood test can be an exception if you're getting the HGH straight from the pharmacy. otherwise, you'll end up getting burnt because chinese chemists have figured out many ways to make their shit look legit.
when using HGH to induce muscle hyperplasia, igf test is still needed regardless of its legitimacy as the production of igf-1 is poorly or greatly stimulated by hgh in some people, so that you'll know where your levels are at.
like eman and mands said, both GH and IGF-1 blood test are required to determine the quality and how your IGF receptors are stimulated by HGH.