Humatrope Side Effects: What You Need to Know

Humatrope HGH injections are considered extremely safe when prescribed by a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) specialist for the treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), but that does not mean they are without the potential for side effects.

Kingsberg Medical provides information about common, less likely, serious, and long-term potential Humatrope side effects to help you understand the use of this medication.

Before starting HGH therapy, please discuss any medical conditions (current and prior), medications, over-the-counter preparations, and supplements and vitamins used with the HRT specialist.

Do not use Humatrope if any of the following situations apply:

• Active cancer
• Serious complications from open heart or abdominal surgery
• Life-threatening breathing problems
• Serious injuries involving many body systems
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Allergy to any ingredients in Humatrope HGH

You can avoid any long term side effects of Humatrope by contacting your doctor at once if you notice any of the changes listed on this page.

Most Common Humatrope Side Effects

Minor side effects from a medication such as Humatrope are often merely annoying and not dangerous or life-threatening. While the majority of people never notice any adverse effects at all from HGH therapy, the possibility of Humatrope injection side effects does exist. In most cases, the body is getting used to the increase in growth hormone levels and will adjust itself over a few weeks of treatment, and the side effects will go away on their own.

In some instances, the doctor may recommend lowering the dosage until the adverse symptoms subside, and then slowly increasing back to the prescribed amount. Do not do this on your own – the prescribing hormone specialist must supervise this process.

Injection site redness, itching, or other reactions are possible in the early stages of treatment. These reactions typically subside with practice administering the shots.

The most common Lilly Humatrope side effects that could occur include:

Body pain or aches	Bowel changes	Breast tenderness or pain
Changes in vaginal discharge	Congestion	Excess gas
Increased sweating	Nail discoloration	Rash
Sneezing	Stuffy nose	Swollen or tender neck glands
Throat soreness or dryness	Trouble swallowing	Vocal changes

The above Humatrope side effects rarely occur. The ones below have an even lower incidence of development:

Appetite changes	Depression	Discouragement
Irritability	Loss of interest	Mood changes
Sadness	Sleeplessness	Trouble focusing

Least Common Humatrope Side Effects

These next lists of Humatrope growth hormone side effects focus on the more serious aspect of adverse reactions. These occurrences are extremely rare and should be reported to the prescribing doctor as soon as possible.

The first chart below features the more common of these side effects of Humatrope injection that may signal a warning of a potentially dangerous reaction:

Abnormal changes in touch sensation	Anal bleeding, stool changes, or swelling	Bloating in the arms, face, feet, hands, or lower legs
Blood or discoloration in the urine	Cold or flu-like symptoms, runny nose, cough, sore throat	Cold feet or hands
Confusion	Constipation	Diarrhea
Dizziness	Dry, sore, or white patches in mouth, tongue, or throat	Fainting
Fast, irregular, or shallow breathing	Fever, chills, or shivering	Gastric or abdominal bloating or swelling
Headache	Heartbeat changes	Itching
Joint aches, pains, stiffness, or swelling	Lightheadedness	Loss of appetite
Muscle aches or cramps	Muscle pain or stiffness	Nausea or vomiting
Pain in abdomen or side	Pain radiating to back	Pain, redness, or swelling in arm or leg
Pressure in abdomen	Rapid weight gain	Skin: color change, hives, itching, numbness, “pins and needles,” rash, tingling
Thirst	Tightness in chest	Trouble sleeping
Unpleasant breath	Unusual fatigue or weakness	Unusual weight gain
Vomiting blood	Wrinkled skin	Yellowing of eyes or skin

The list below shows the less common and potentially warning Humatrope side effects:

Bone, joint, or skeletal pain, or swelling of the ankles	Burning, numbness, pain, or tingling in all but the smallest finger	Chest pains
Depression or severe mood changes	Dryness of hair and skin	Feeling cold
Hair loss	Hoarse or husky voice	Slow heartbeat

Get immediate help if you notice any of these severe symptoms often associated with overdose:

Cold sweats	Coma or seizures	Extreme changes in mood: anxiety, depression
Excessive sweating	Extreme weakness, fatigue	Fruit-like breath odor
Increased hands and feet size	Increased hunger or thirst	Nightmares
Noisy, rattling breathing	Severe pain in arms or legs	Shaking
Shortness of breath	Slurred or difficult speech	Skin: cool, pale, flushed, dry
Stop of menstrual cycle	Swelling of fingers or hands	Trouble breathing in rest state
Urinary: decreased or increased volume, pale or diluted	Vision: blurry or other changes

How to Avoid Humatrope Side Effects

It is important to report any abnormal changes or side effects of Humatrope growth hormone to your medical professional. That is the best way to avoid potential problems. The HRT specialist can then address the situation and make any necessary changes.

Also: follow all instructions for using Humatrope as prescribed.

Do not let the lists above frighten you away from treating adult growth hormone deficiency. This condition, if left untreated, can lead to serious health issues.

The biggest concerns about unreported Humatrope long-term side effects are:

• Acromegaly
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Diabetes
• Edema
• High cholesterol
• Hypoglycemia
• Joint pains

These are all reversible by the doctor lowering the dose of medication, and often go away on their own as the body adjusts to treatment.

Please contact Kingsberg Medical with any questions.

Brian Leeber