IGF-1 came back very elevated. I'm panicking. How concerned should I be?

[Vince Carter]

Pituitary tumors are diagnosed thru an MRI. Fact. Maybe that's one way it's done. More than one way usually exists to do something. If that's what you and your medical provider want to do and believe to be necessary then that's all the validation you need. Just know we don't see anything like that here, it's an MRI and that's my stance on it.

 

[eyeheartny]

I just got my MRI report. They only used a 1.5T magnet (vs the higher resolution 3T magnet), but there was no large/apparent tumor of any kind and the pituitary and sella appear normal. So either I have a microadenoma small enough that it couldn't be resolved on a 1.5T magnet, or there's no pituitary tumor.

The mystery continues to deepen.

 

[MarkM]

You have two good reports; the oral glucose tolerance test and the MRI with the 1.5T magnet. Both negative. So you're right, still a mystery so something to keep an eye on.

I have recently read that a severe thyroid dysfunction of severe insulin resistance can raise the IGF-1 levels.

 

[eyeheartny]

You have two good reports; the oral glucose tolerance test and the MRI with the 1.5T magnet. Both negative. So you're right, still a mystery so something to keep an eye on.

I have recently read that a severe thyroid dysfunction of severe insulin resistance can raise the IGF-1 levels.

Interesting, Mark. I don't have insulin resistance, as my OGTT blood sugar curve looked good. My thyroid looks pitch-perfect as well, so not that either.

Time​	Level​
0 Minutes​	95 mg/dL​
30 Minutes​	163 mg/dL​
1 Hour​	137 mg/dL​
2 Hour​	87 mg/dL​

There are case reports of people with tiny tumors only resolvable on 3T magnets, normal GH levels, and elevated IGF-1. So that's still possible.

 

[MarkM]

There are case reports of people with tiny tumors only resolvable on 3T magnets, normal GH levels, and elevated IGF-1. So that's still possible.

You might be in that group of people you are referring to.

 

[easternpromise]

Interesting, Mark. I don't have insulin resistance, as my OGTT blood sugar curve looked good. My thyroid looks pitch-perfect as well, so not that either.

Time​	Level​
0 Minutes​	95 mg/dL​
30 Minutes​	163 mg/dL​
1 Hour​	137 mg/dL​
2 Hour​	87 mg/dL​

There are case reports of people with tiny tumors only resolvable on 3T magnets, normal GH levels, and elevated IGF-1. So that's still possible.

Did you ever figure anything out?

 

[Will Brink]

Thanks for the reply and reassurance. Definitely didn't add a zero. It's a 50,000 IU dose taken once a week. The trade name is Ergocal. What stood out to you about that dose of D2? Same concerns if it's weekly vs daily?

A big dose like that is used to get levels up and then a maitanance dose used, usually 5k IU daily. How many shots have you had? What's your 25OHD levels now? Due to prior cancer, I can understand the concern sure, but not defacto a bad thing per se per articles linked to my site. IGF-1 gets a bad rap, but per usual, it's an issue of balance and low IGF-1 associated with higher rates of CVD.

 

[eyeheartny]

Did you ever figure anything out?

Thanks for asking. To my great reluctance, I did an experiment where I came off my testosterone for a month to see how my IGF-1 level responded. It came down by about 40-45%, to just above the normal range. My doctor wanted to do some additional GH testing which I haven't yet done, since I had to have a sinus surgery related to a nasal mass that was discovered during the pituitary MRI to rule out a macroadenoma. 2018 was a fun year for my medical insurer-- lots of bills.

I'm currently wrestling with some other issues-- poor sleep and weight gain-- and trying to nail those down before I dive too much more into the GH stuff. I also changed my TRT shots back to SubQ from shallow IM to see how I do with that different injection protocol.

 

[eyeheartny]

A big dose like that is used to get levels up and then a maitanance dose used, usually 5k IU daily. How many shots have you had? What's your 25OHD levels now? Due to prior cancer, I can understand the concern sure, but not defacto a bad thing per se per articles linked to my site. IGF-1 gets a bad rap, but per usual, it's an issue of balance and low IGF-1 associated with higher rates of CVD.

The big dose wasn't shots, it was an oral dose of D2 @ 50k IU. Anyhow, I'm not as concerned about the IGF-1 elevation being due to acromegaly. I came off my T temporarily (miserable!) and my IGF-1 lowered substantially, so it seems like it's elevated secondary to my TRT. Currently working on tweaking/tuning my TRT protocol and fixing my messed up sleep, so that's a high priority over the IGF-1 stuff.