TRT & HGH - Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Risks

[Hoodlum]

I'm the wrong side of 40 now, and picked up some non-trivial injuries which are taking months to fully heal. I've got hold of some HGH, which I was planning to use for a couple of months at 3IU/day for a couple of months to speed the injury healing.

I've been on TRT for around a decade now, running about 120mg/week, donate blood every 3 months. Last set of bloods were all pretty much perfect.

Reading up, I see some recent studies linking testosterone + HGH to noticeable LVH. What I cannot really figure out though is at what kind of doses of test + HGH that risk becomes significant? Nothing to worry about at my doses, or...?

Thanks for any info.

 

[tareload]

I'm the wrong side of 40 now, and picked up some non-trivial injuries which are taking months to fully heal. I've got hold of some HGH, which I was planning to use for a couple of months at 3IU/day for a couple of months to speed the injury healing.

I've been on TRT for around a decade now, running about 120mg/week, donate blood every 3 months. Last set of bloods were all pretty much perfect.

Reading up, I see some recent studies linking testosterone + HGH to noticeable LVH. What I cannot really figure out though is at what kind of doses of test + HGH that risk becomes significant? Nothing to worry about at my doses, or...?

Thanks for any info.

What's your baseline echocardiogram look like? First data point I would collect after 10 years on 120 mg/week. Blood work doesn't tell the whole story.

Then you have comparator after 6 months, 12 months, etc on revised protocol. The question you posed is not answerable based on the information provided.

 

[Hoodlum]

What's your baseline echocardiogram look like? First data point I would collect after 10 years on 120 mg/week. Blood work doesn't tell the whole story.

Then you have comparator after 6 months, 12 months, etc on revised protocol. The question you posed is not answerable based on the information provided.

I had a full health check a couple of years ago which included an ECG, and the consultant just said "totally normal". Can't find a copy of it to hand unfortunately.

Only planning on running the HGH for a couple of months, just wondered if the risk is quantifiable in any way.

 

[tareload]

I had a full health check a couple of years ago which included an ECG, and the consultant just said "totally normal". Can't find a copy of it to hand unfortunately.

Only planning on running the HGH for a couple of months, just wondered if the risk is quantifiable in any way.

An ECG is not an echocardiogram. Your concern was around LVH.

Couple of months at 3 IU/day you could certainly hand wave and say no biggie. But why not determine your heart status with echo right now? Simple to get.

 

[tareload]

The Difference between an Echocardiogram and Electrocardiogram (ECG Vs ECHO)

www.medanta.org

 

[Hoodlum]

An ECG is not an echocardiogram. Your concern was around LVH.

Couple of months at 3 IU/day you could certainly hand wave and say no biggie. But why not determine your heart status with echo right now? Simple to get.

Ah ok, that's my mistake then. I will get an echocardiogram as a baseline. Thanks

 

[BigTex]

Yes the ECHO will definitely pick that up. One more question.....do you do resistance training or long distance running? Both of those are know to cause LVH which is nothing more than an adaptation to exercise.

 

[Hoodlum]

Yes the ECHO will definitely pick that up. One more question.....do you do resistance training or long distance running? Both of those are know to cause LVH which is nothing more than an adaptation to exercise.

Yes, been lifting for many years, not so much of a runner.

I presume there's a threshold over which LVH becomes potentially problematic?

 

[Fortunate]

An ECG is not an echocardiogram. Your concern was around LVH.

Couple of months at 3 IU/day you could certainly hand wave and say no biggie. But why not determine your heart status with echo right now? Simple to get.

An ECG can reveal evidence of LVH, but I agree with @readalot - echo is the test of choice for that specific question.

 

[BigTex]

Yes, been lifting for many years, not so much of a runner.

I presume there's a threshold over which LVH becomes potentially problematic?

Not if it is an adaptation to exercise. If you are sedentary then it could be a problem.

 

[Hoodlum]

Not if it is an adaptation to exercise. If you are sedentary then it could be a problem.

Ok thanks, so I'm understanding "because I've lifted for years, if I have a little LVH it's not problematic. And there's no real way to know if a couple of months of HGH will cause it to increase, you just have to do it and check?"

 

[chrisczan]

Yes the ECHO will definitely pick that up. One more question.....do you do resistance training or long distance running? Both of those are know to cause LVH which is nothing more than an adaptation to exercise.

Yep, I had LVH long before any TRT. I’ve even heard it called “athlete’s heart”.

 

[BigTex]

Guys like you that do heavy deadlifts tend to get the athlete's heart!

 

[chrisczan]

Badge of honor! Better than a scar!

 

[BigTex]

I hear you!

 

[Hoodlum]

Got my echo results back:

Am I correct in assuming this is the relevant figure? If so, it shows mild LVH (which wouldn't be unexpected I guess given I've been lifting heavy weights for a long time).

Doc said everything totally normal overall, no causes for concern.