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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are about to have to make a decision for our 11.5 yo son whose blood work shows that he's just beginning early puberty. He does not have growth hormone deficiency and if you look at his growth chart he is projected 5'5-5'6 which decent given familiy history but there are a few ethnicities (incl ours) that have shortened puberty timelines than the u.s. avg (the growth plates fuse faster) so realistically he is likely to be more like 5'4 or under. I myself (female) was projected to be around 5'2-5'3 for most of my growth chart and ended up just under 5'0 so there's a strong likelihood for this to play out.

For those saying hgh injections are only for medical purposes that's not strictly true. The FDA has approved their use for healthy males projected to be under 5'4 (and females under 4'10 I believe) but insurance companies have not gotten on board with paying for this. I'm not saying it should be pathologized but that's what the FDA decided. Obviously someone who does not have hgh deficiency is not going to get as many inches out of it as someone who has the deficiency, and it also really has to be started just as puberty is beginning to get max effect. So given that plus the cost (we anticipate having to pay 50-75k out of pocket over 3-4 years) whether it's worth it or not is incredibly subjective. But I think most people would agree that plus or minus 2-3 inches when you're projected to be 5'4 or under has a different value than when you're projected to be 6'4--at least in this country b/c it's so ethnically diverse. If you live in a country where the avg male height is 5'4 it would be perceived differently.

Another option we are considering is a medication called Letrozole which is not growth hormone but just allows the growth plates to stay open longer--giving the body more time to reach hit's full genetic height potential. The pros are that it's inexpensive (around $40/mo) and that it's just a daily pill instead of an injection. The cons are that it doesn't work as reliably as growth hormone injections (only works about half the time). It also can't be used for girls, just boys--but it's something to consider.

Just wanted to put this out there since I'm trying to organize my own thoughts around this and for anyone else who sees this whose facing a similar scenario. [/quote]

As a breast cancer patient on aromatase inhibitors (of which letrozole is one) to prevent recurrence, using them for this purpose sounds mental to me and I would have serious questions about the long term ramifications. [b]The research seems mixed[/b]. I know medications can be used for widely disparate things due to weird mechanisms of action--desmopressin, for example, is an approved treatment for both bedwetting and mild hemophilia. But the safety profile doesn't seem settled, for something that isn't guaranteed to even work and which is addressing a non-dangerous condition.[/quote]

I'd love to know what research you're referring to. We have a call with the endocrinologist and this would be helpful.[/quote]

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