How Do Growth Hormone Analogs Work?

Growth hormone analogs are a class of drugs used to treat growth failure or growth hormone deficiency in children and adults and to increase height in children with disorders such as Noonan syndrome (a genetic disorder that prevents normal development in various parts of the body), Turner syndrome (a rare genetic disorder exclusively found in girls), Prader-Willi syndrome (a rare genetic disorder that results in physical, mental, and behavioral problems), and idiopathic short stature (extreme short stature that does not have a diagnostic explanation).

They are also used in adults to treat short bowel syndrome (a complex disease that occurs because of the physical loss or the loss of function of a portion of the small and/or large intestine) or prevent severe weight loss related to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Somatropin (a recombinant growth hormone) is a protein manufactured to be identical to the naturally occurring human growth hormone. Human growth hormone is a peptide hormone synthesized and secreted by the somatotropic cells of the anterior pituitary gland (a pea-sized endocrine gland at the base of the brain), plays an essential role in growth regulation (stimulates tissue growth and linear growth) during childhood and other basal metabolic functions, muscle and fat mass regulation, blood glucose level regulation, and lipid regulation in both children and adults.

Growth hormone analogs are administered intramuscularly (into a muscle) or subcutaneously (under the skin). 

Growth hormone analogs bind to the growth hormone receptor and induce intracellular signaling to up-regulate insulin-like growth factor I, which causes growth in bones and muscle tissues.

Growth hormone analogs are used in conditions such as:

• Growth hormone deficiency
• Short bowel syndrome
• HIV-associated wasting or cachexia

Some of the common side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Tiredness/weakness
• Muscle pain
• Arthralgia (pain in joints)
• Paresthesia (an abnormal sensation, typically tingling or pricking caused by pressure on or damage to peripheral nerves)
• Flu-like symptoms
• Acne
• Dyspepsia (a persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen)

Other rare side effects include:

• Dizziness 
• Fatigue 
• Pyrexia (fever)
• Peripheral edema (swelling of lower legs or hands)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Increased sweating 
• Weight gain
• Elevated alkaline phosphatase levels (a liver enzyme)
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible side effects, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure these drugs do not cause any harm when you take them along with other medicines. Never stop taking your medication and never change your dose or frequency without consulting your doctor.

Generic and brand names of growth hormone analogs include:

• Genotropin
• Genotropin miniquick
• Genotropin pen 12
• Humatrope
• Increlex
• Ionapegsomatropin
• lonapegsomatropin-tcgd
• Mecasermin
• Norditropin flexPro
• Nutropin
• Nutropin AQ NuSpin 10
• Nutropin AQ NuSpin 20
• Nutropin AQ NuSpin 5
• Nutropin AQ pen 10
• Nutropin AQ pen 20
• Omnitrope
• Saizen
• Serostim
• Skytrofa
• Sogroya
• Somapacitan
• Somapacitan-beco
• Somatrogon (pending FDA approval)
• Somatropin
• Zomacton
• Zorbtive