Is HGH a Steroid

Human growth hormone or HGH can help you build lean muscle and burn fat, but it is not a steroid.

HGH is used to treat people with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). In such patients, particularly adult patients with GHD, one of the effects of growth hormone injections is that they help increase lean muscle mass.

HGH therapy often gets confused with the use of “anabolic steroids”. The reason for the confusion is mainly because HGH does have “anabolic effects.” But, in medical terms, “anabolic” simply means any chemical compound that stimulates muscle tissue growth. Since HGH plays a vital role in muscle growth and strength, it can technically be referred to as an “anabolic hormone.” But that does not make it an “anabolic steroid.” A steroid is a specific type of hormone with a structure, chemical properties, and mechanisms of action that are entirely different than those of HGH.

What Are Steroids

Steroids are chemicals that produce certain types of effects on the tissues and organs of your body. Some are naturally produced by your body. Others are manufactured to be used as prescription medications. Of the latter type, there are two kinds made for pharmaceutical purposes: corticosteroids and anabolic steroids.

Prescription corticosteroids are designed to act like the naturally occurring hormone cortisol. They reduce inflammation and are prescribed to enhance healing and treat any number of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic (manmade) versions of testosterone. Naturally occurring testosterone is considered a steroid hormone. Technically speaking, on a chemical level, prescription testosterone, such as DEPO-testosterone, is an anabolic steroid. Steroids get something of a bad reputation because they are often abused by bodybuilders, weightlifters, and other pro athletes.

HGH, on the other hand, belongs to an entirely different class of hormones than testosterone.

Is HGH Considered a Steroid?

While it shares some of the effects of steroids, HGH is NOT considered a steroid. HGH belongs to a completely different class of hormones known as “peptide” hormones.

HGH is not considered a steroid for several reasons. First, HGH and steroids are molecularly different. HGH is a protein hormone composed of amino acids, unlike steroids, which are lipid-based molecules. Secondly, their mechanisms of action are different; HGH acts by stimulating growth factors like insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which triggers growth in tissues. Steroids directly mimic testosterone and work through androgen receptors. Finally, HGH has a much broader role than the steroids. HGH affects overall body growth and repair, as well as other biological processes such as metabolism, while steroids primarily focus on muscle and strength.

The following chart illustrates the key differences between HGH and steroids.

Key Differences Between Steroids and HGH

What is HGH?

If HGH is not considered a steroid, what is it then? HGH is a peptide hormone made by the pituitary gland. Like most pituitary hormones, it is mainly responsible for regulating growth and cellular reproduction. But HGH does a lot more than just influence body size. HGH plays a vital role in growth, cell repair, and metabolism in adults. HGH is largely responsible for:

• Bone growth and cartilage growth (during childhood and adolescence).
• Increases in muscle mass by increasing amino acid uptake and stimulating protein synthesis.
• Fat metabolism, by helping to break down fats, HGH promotes lean body mass and a reduction of body fat.

Other biological effects of HGH include it’s positive impact on sexual health, cognition and mood. It also can help regulate blood sugar level reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

As important as HGH is, your growth hormone levels do decline with age. This can lead to growth hormone deficiency. HGH deficiency in adults is treated with HGH replacement therapy.

Dangers of Steroids Vs the Safety of HGH Therapy

Steroid abuse in sports is increasingly common. There is little comparison between the health risks of steroid abuse and the legitimate use of therapeutic HGH.

Steroids can have some serious adverse effects and major risks, especially when they are used illegally without proper medical supervision. Anabolic steroids have administration risks as well as many long-term health risks.

Bodybuilders and athletes use anabolic steroids to build muscles and improve athletic performance. Misuse of anabolic steroids, especially over a long period of time, has been linked to many health problems, including:

• Acne
• Stunted growth in teens/failure to reach adult height
• High blood pressure and other cardiac complications.
• Changes in cholesterol and other metabolic health complications
• Heart disease, increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases
• Increased insulin resistance and intense hunger
• Kidney damage
• Dramatic increases in aggressive behavior

Complications From Abuse Can Also Cause:

• Baldness
• Excessive sweating
• Breast growth
• Low sperm count/infertility
• Shrinking of the testicles

In Women Medical Consequences May Include:

• Menstrual irregularities
• Growth of body and facial hair
• Male-pattern baldness
• Voice deepening

The Benefits of HGH Therapy for Growth Hormone-Deficient Adults

For adults with growth hormone deficiency HGH acts like a metabolic hormone. The effects of treatment with HGH can be life-changing. The benefits of returning your HGH to a healthy level include:

• Increased strength and energy
• Increased lean muscle
• Weight loss, reduction of body fat resulting in improved body image
• Positive effects on bone density
• Increased ability to perform intensive exercise
• Improved libido and sexual performance.
• Better sleep.
• Improved mood.
• Improved cognition.

In almost all of our HGH therapy patients the benefits of HGH far outweigh any adverse side effects. Major side effects usually only occur with abuse of HGH or growth hormone doping.

The Difference Between HGH Therapy and Steroid Use

It is very important to draw a distinction between the legitimate medical uses of HGH and the abuse of anabolic steroids practiced by bodybuilders and athletes. To be sure there is also some abuse of growth hormone in those communities. Still, it is quite unfortunate that lawful HGH therapies are often confused with the negative image of steroids. The negative press about steroid abuse can stop people who can be helped by the effects of growth hormone replacement therapy from obtaining its many life-changing benefits.

Genuinely prescribed growth hormone therapy is a safe and effective product that is nothing like the illegal use or abuse of anabolic steroids. One is an unlawful and dangerous practice with significant health hazards. The other is a doctor-supervised, legally prescribed treatment for a medical problem.

HGH therapy is prescribed to treat adults who have been diagnosed with “age-related” or “adult-onset” growth hormone deficiency. The major symptoms and various consequences of growth hormone deficiency in adults include:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Low libido and other sexual performance issues
• Decreased semen production/infertility
• Weight gain, particularly belly fat
• Loss of muscle mass, inability to build muscle, even while exercising
• Anxiety, depression, and mood swings
• Difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and other cognitive difficulties

HGH therapy is designed to safely and effectively increase your HGH levels to treat all of these symptoms of HGH decline.

By contrast, steroid abuse, or “doping,” is the illegal use of anabolic steroids to try to increase muscle mass or athletic performance. However, the most important distinction between authentic hormone replacement therapy and taking steroids is that HGH therapy is a medically supervised treatment that helps you improve your quality of life. Steroids are most often used illegally and at dangerously high doses, with no medical supervision whatsoever, or worse yet, doled out by unscrupulous “doctors” who care little about your health or safety.

How to Legally Buy HGH in the US

You must have a doctor’s prescription to legally buy HGH in the US. In order to get a legal prescription for HGH injections you must first have lab tests to determine if you have lower than normal HGH levels. We can take you through both diagnostic testing and the prescription process.

Getting a prescription from Kingsberg Medical is not hard. In fact, it only takes a few steps.

• Step 1 – Fill out our online medical history form – Once you fill out this form, it will be evaluated by our healthcare counselors, and if they feel you meet the initial prescribing criteria, you will be contacted to move on to the next steps.
• Step 2 – Intake visit –If your online medical history form indicates that you are a good candidate for HGH therapy, the next step is to have a visit with one of our healthcare professionals. Depending on your geographic area this could be an in-person or telemedicine visit.
• Step 3 – Laboratory hormone testing – Once you have completed your initial consult with a healthcare professional, you will need to have your growth hormone levels in your blood tested.
• Step 4 – You will obtain a prescription for a program of HGH injections – If the results of your laboratory tests show that your HGH levels are low, we will prescribe a dosage of growth hormone injections to suit your needs and lifestyle. You will then be directed to our Products Page to fill your prescription and buy your HGH online.
• Step 5 – Your HGH will be delivered to you – Your HGH and all of your injection supplies will be delivered right to your door.

Now that you understand the differences between HGH and steroids, why not contact us today and learn more about the safety and efficacy of hormone replacement therapy?