Think I am getting every side effect of HGH

[Az_1]

Just my luck lol, I am like a side effect magnet. Even with Reta I got all the sides. Currently on HGH and experiencing frequent urination, tingly hands/feet, increased acne, night sweats to the point my blankets are damp, and despite being a massive deficit from Reta I have rapid weight gain from what I assume is water retention.

Taking 6 IU a day, titrated up pretty fast, did 1-3 IU for a week, then 4-5 IU for a week, now doing 6 IU daily.

Been monitoring my blood glucose and it's fine (4.1-4.8 nmol/L). Despite it being fine I am taking 500mg of berberine a day too. Should I be worrying or just push through the sides?

 

[heavydutygorilla]

So you got on HGH and never gave your body time to acclimate nor a regular, consistent dosing protocol? What did you expect would happen bro? Your approach is quite literally the exact way to ensure you get side effects from ANY compound you take. Drop to 2iu every day for the first month, then bump to 3 the next month, then bump to 4, but give it time, hgh is a long game, not quick!!

 

[Az_1]

So you got on HGH and never gave your body time to acclimate nor a regular, consistent dosing protocol? What did you expect would happen bro? Your approach is quite literally the exact way to ensure you get side effects from ANY compound you take. Drop to 2iu every day for the first month, then bump to 3 the next month, then bump to 4, but give it time, hgh is a long game, not quick!!

I've been told conflicting things, been told to stay low and slow kind of like Reta, but also been told going low is a complete waste since (at least I've been told) you start to see the actual benefits at 4 IU minimum.

If these sides aren't debilitating, which they aren't, more of a mild inconvenience, is it worth going back down?

 

[Psy-chonaut]

Just my luck lol, I am like a side effect magnet. Even with Reta I got all the sides. Currently on HGH and experiencing frequent urination, tingly hands/feet, increased acne, night sweats to the point my blankets are damp, and despite being a massive deficit from Reta I have rapid weight gain from what I assume is water retention.

Taking 6 IU a day, titrated up pretty fast, did 1-3 IU for a week, then 4-5 IU for a week, now doing 6 IU daily.

Been monitoring my blood glucose and it's fine (4.1-4.8 nmol/L). Despite it being fine I am taking 500mg of berberine a day too. Should I be worrying or just push through the sides?

You have been an imbecil and started waaaay to high, titrated way to fast, like many others....

Lower the dose to 1,5 -2 iu (or do a wash out phase for a couple of weeks, stop injection) ...... Prolong the titration a bit - 3-4 weeks, ease in to it slowly, and yep if it's ok and BG looks ok, then up the dose

 

[heavydutygorilla]

I've been told conflicting things, been told to stay low and slow kind of like Reta, but also been told going low is a complete waste since (at least I've been told) you start to see the actual benefits at 4 IU minimum.

If these sides aren't debilitating, which they aren't, more of a mild inconvenience, is it worth going back down?

Definitely drop to 2iu and let your body acclimate to it. Wait a month, if no sides and BG is good, bump it up! I got on HGH for my first time back in July. I stayed at 2iu for the first 3 months, then jumped to 3iu which is where I am currently still at. My approach to any Peptide/Steroid is get the most benefits possible from the least amount that I can use. I'm going to assume you're cutting/recomping since you're pairing it with Reta? If so, start low and slow with both of those compounds, stay consistent with training/diet and you'll have amazing results in a few months time!

 

[riggspersonal]

Just my luck lol, I am like a side effect magnet. Even with Reta I got all the sides. Currently on HGH and experiencing frequent urination, tingly hands/feet, increased acne, night sweats to the point my blankets are damp, and despite being a massive deficit from Reta I have rapid weight gain from what I assume is water retention.

Taking 6 IU a day, titrated up pretty fast, did 1-3 IU for a week, then 4-5 IU for a week, now doing 6 IU daily.

Been monitoring my blood glucose and it's fine (4.1-4.8 nmol/L). Despite it being fine I am taking 500mg of berberine a day too. Should I be worrying or just push through the sides?

You titrated up wayyyyyyyy too fast. For reference, I'm currently taking 3iu bolus before bed. I took 2iu for 30 days prior. Zero side effects other than water retention, which was expected and I wouldn't really consider it to be a negative side.

I'll stay at 3iu until week 9 (~60 days from start) before bumping to 4iu IF everything else checks out. It's important to me to get IGF-1 levels and z scores at each dosage to understand thresholds as I want to stay under 3-3.5 zscore / 1.5x top end of my IGF-1 reference range to mitigate acromegaly risk.

I also wouldn't add things like berberine unless needed. Better to have a clean read on your BG management free of external signal. Personally my BG has stayed in check with the help of 4mg/week of retatrutide.

 

[riggspersonal]

but also been told going low is a complete waste since (at least I've been told) you start to see the actual benefits at 4 IU minimum.

I think you misunderstood this. Staying at <4iu indefinitely is most likely a waste for anything beyond slightly enhanced recovery and potentially better sleep (anti-aging / longevity / biohacker dosings). For effects on body composition, you do need to titrate up to 4iu at least. That doesn't mean you try to get there as quickly as possible though.

 

[Az_1]

You titrated up wayyyyyyyy too fast. For reference, I'm currently taking 3iu bolus before bed. I took 2iu for 30 days prior. Zero side effects other than water retention, which was expected and I wouldn't really consider it to be a negative side.

I'll stay at 3iu until week 9 (~60 days from start) before bumping to 4iu IF everything else checks out. It's important to me to get IGF-1 levels and z scores at each dosage to understand thresholds as I want to stay under 3-3.5 zscore / 1.5x top end of my IGF-1 reference range to mitigate acromegaly risk.

I also wouldn't add things like berberine unless needed. Better to have a clean read on your BG management free of external signal. Personally my BG has stayed in check with the help of 4mg/week of retatrutide.

My BG was good before I added Berberine so I know I don't need it, but still just to keep it even more optimal I take it every few days at 500mg.

I am on 5mg Reta weekly so I assume that helps a lot.

 

[Az_1]

I think you misunderstood this. Staying at <4iu indefinitely is most likely a waste for anything beyond slightly enhanced recovery and potentially better sleep (anti-aging / longevity / biohacker dosings). For effects on body composition, you do need to titrate up to 4iu at least. That doesn't mean you try to get there as quickly as possible though.

Oh I see. I did misunderstood it. If my BG is good though, and the sides I am getting aren't messing with me in any serious way, should I still reduce my dose?

 

[johnjay06]

I think you misunderstood this. Staying at <4iu indefinitely is most likely a waste for anything beyond slightly enhanced recovery and potentially better sleep (anti-aging / longevity / biohacker dosings). For effects on body composition, you do need to titrate up to 4iu at least. That doesn't mean you try to get there as quickly as possible though.

This is NOT true. 3ius for me has me looking the best I’ve ever looked. Lean with striations everywhere, and looking full as hell. For muscle building, yeah 8-10 ius but for body recomping, you don’t need over 4 ius

 

[babyformulaskull]

Just my luck lol, I am like a side effect magnet. Even with Reta I got all the sides. Currently on HGH and experiencing frequent urination, tingly hands/feet, increased acne, night sweats to the point my blankets are damp, and despite being a massive deficit from Reta I have rapid weight gain from what I assume is water retention.

Taking 6 IU a day, titrated up pretty fast, did 1-3 IU for a week, then 4-5 IU for a week, now doing 6 IU daily.

Been monitoring my blood glucose and it's fine (4.1-4.8 nmol/L). Despite it being fine I am taking 500mg of berberine a day too. Should I be worrying or just push through the sides?

thankful i saw this thread because i was planning on starting at 5iu first week

 

[Mfras]

I got to 4iu in a month with no sides that lasted more than a day (woke up with a dead arm one time, had two days of tight sneakers but no pitting edema or carpal tunnel stuff). Everybody is so different! Currently holding at 6.6 until I get a new z-score, which I’ll have to do again when my cut ends and more food comes back in.

 

[riggspersonal]

This is NOT true. 3ius for me has me looking the best I’ve ever looked. Lean with striations everywhere, and looking full as hell. For muscle building, yeah 8-10 ius but for body recomping, you don’t need over 4 ius

Fair point. I was making a bit of a blanket statement based on general anecdotes, but you're righ, individual response varies wildly. Ultimately, it comes down to your actual IGF-1 levels and Z-score rather than just the dose. 2iu for one person can yield completely different bloodwork than 2iu for another. Two people taking 2iu of the same pharmaceutical-grade GH can have vastly different serum IGF-1 readings based on age, liver health, and insulin sensitivity. Measuring the outcome (IGF-1 Z-score) is generally considered the correct way to titrate, rather than sticking to a fixed "IU" number.