Growth hormone medicine - Omnitrope or Zomacton

[Anonymous]

Hello,
Could anyone provide any feedback on which medication is better as far as growth hormone for teen boy-Omnitrope or Zomacton?

The insurance company denied all appeals for the growth hormone medication for my son (15.5 years old; 5 ft 3 in) and we are having to pay out of pocket. The pharmacy my doctor recommended has these two options. (The manufacturer provides as substantial discount.) I of course will ask my son's doctor for his opinion but just wondering if anyone out there has experience with either.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I don't have experience with those two in particular but my understanding is there is little to no difference in efficacy between the different brands. Good luck! I'm sorry insurance denied you. Did your son fail the stim test? If so, why are they still denying coverage? What insurance company do you have?

[Anonymous]

They are all the same basically but the delivery methods are different. I would just go with the cheapest option. For us it was the one that we had to mix ourselves, not the pen.

[Anonymous]

No feedback as we are in the start of our journey but there is a phenomenal facebook group for GHD parents and it's a wealth of information with lots of kind people offering to speak in the DMs to help guide you

[Anonymous]

OP, a 15.5 year old boy at 5'3" is going to be in the 10%-25% percentile range, which is within normal range. Are those numbers accurate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, a 15.5 year old boy at 5'3" is going to be in the 10%-25% percentile range, which is within normal range. Are those numbers accurate?

Not the OP, but....

Growth hormone disorder means your child isn't producing enough growth hormone. It doesn't mean they have to be in the third percentile of height. My son has it and until age 12 or so, was 80th-90th percentile in height. Then suddenly stopped growing. He did a stim test, and yes indeed, he doesn't make enough growth hormone. If untreated, he would have ended up around 5'5 or 5'6 probably -- which is where plenty of non-GHD people end up and that's normal, but he "should" end up closer to 6 feet tall given his mid-parental height and where he was on the curve his entire life.

Giving him the growth hormone he lacked is not just to grow the extra inches, but it is important for other facets of health as well, including heart health.

Most kids with growth hormone disorder are extremely short, but not all. Just because OP's kid is 10th-25th percentile does not mean he doesn't have it. I assume he's done the stim test and been officially diagnosed with it. That's really the only way to tell.

[Anonymous]

I have a son with GHD. It is likely that the OP's son is not truly growth hormone deficient (and did not take/fail the stim test); rather, he is just on the shorter side, and they would like to give him the extra benefit of another inch or so.

If they can afford it and are willing to accept the low risk of certain side effects, then they can choose whichever medication is best suited... most affordable or easiest delivery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, a 15.5 year old boy at 5'3" is going to be in the 10%-25% percentile range, which is within normal range. Are those numbers accurate?

Not the OP, but....

Growth hormone disorder means your child isn't producing enough growth hormone. It doesn't mean they have to be in the third percentile of height. My son has it and until age 12 or so, was 80th-90th percentile in height. Then suddenly stopped growing. He did a stim test, and yes indeed, he doesn't make enough growth hormone. If untreated, he would have ended up around 5'5 or 5'6 probably -- which is where plenty of non-GHD people end up and that's normal, but he "should" end up closer to 6 feet tall given his mid-parental height and where he was on the curve his entire life.

Giving him the growth hormone he lacked is not just to grow the extra inches, but it is important for other facets of health as well, including heart health.

Most kids with growth hormone disorder are extremely short, but not all. Just because OP's kid is 10th-25th percentile does not mean he doesn't have it. I assume he's done the stim test and been officially diagnosed with it. That's really the only way to tell.

OP, did his growth hormone stim test demonstrate deficiency?

[Anonymous]

To tag onto the last comment - OP, whether he was diagnosed GHD or not, I hope you have gotten a doctor to tell you what Tanner Phase he is in. If he's in 3 or 4, there is a medication that keeps the growth plates open longer. Also you really can't give GH to kids whose growth plates are closed; it's dangerous. At 15.5 he could be at that point now if he's far along in puberty.

[Anonymous]

My son passed the Growth hormone test. His bone age is behind his age. His doctor had put him on the medication to slow things down. He is now off that medication.
We have met regularly with his endocrinologist and the endocrinologist's recommendation is for him to try the growth hormones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son passed the Growth hormone test. His bone age is behind his age. His doctor had put him on the medication to slow things down. He is now off that medication.
We have met regularly with his endocrinologist and the endocrinologist's recommendation is for him to try the growth hormones.

OP, how tall are you and your husband? Giving supplemental growth hormone when your kid is not deficient usually only results in an extra inch or so of growth beyond their predicted height based on genetics. Is that worth the cost and risks?

[Anonymous]

I am 5'7" and my husband is 5'8". Based on our height, my son should be 5'10". Please know that I do not need my son to be 5'10". I don't know if people understand but this is mentally hard on him however dumb and immature that sounds. People asking him why he is so small, saying he doesn't eat, making fun of him...all of that adds up So...am I doing this because I need to have a tall son...no, not at all. I am telling him it doesn't matter and all the positive stuff but I cannot control what he hears from family, friends, bullies, etc. People do not stop to think what other people feel when they say stuff...and I'm sure I'm guilty of it too with things I have not gone through.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t 15.5 a little too late to start growth hormone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t 15.5 a little too late to start growth hormone?

It depends on bone age. My son (not OP) is also 15.5 but his bone age is just 14, so he has some serious time to grow still. Other boys can be done growing at 15.5.

OP, why did he go off the anastrozole (assuming that's what he was put on to slow the bone age advancement)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 5'7" and my husband is 5'8". Based on our height, my son should be 5'10". Please know that I do not need my son to be 5'10". I don't know if people understand but this is mentally hard on him however dumb and immature that sounds. People asking him why he is so small, saying he doesn't eat, making fun of him...all of that adds up So...am I doing this because I need to have a tall son...no, not at all. I am telling him it doesn't matter and all the positive stuff but I cannot control what he hears from family, friends, bullies, etc. People do not stop to think what other people feel when they say stuff...and I'm sure I'm guilty of it too with things I have not gone through.

is that correct?