Endocrine
Growth hormone
Somatropin — A daily injection that replaces growth hormone in children and adults who are deficient in it.
Education and reference only. This is a plain-language class overview — it deliberately contains no doses. Always check the current Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC), the BNF and your local formulary before prescribing or administering any medicine.
Quick answer
What is Growth hormone?
Growth hormone (somatropin) is a daily injection that replaces the body's own growth hormone. In children it treats growth-hormone deficiency and certain conditions causing short stature; in adults it treats proven growth-hormone deficiency.
- How it works: Growth hormone, made by the pituitary gland, drives growth in childhood and helps regulate muscle, fat, bone and metabolism throughout life — largely by stimulating the liver and tissues to produce a messenger called IGF-1.
- In practice: In practice growth hormone (somatropin) is a manufactured version of the body's own growth hormone, given by daily injection under the skin and supervised by specialist endocrine services.
What it is
Growth hormone (somatropin) is a daily injection that replaces the body's own growth hormone. In children it treats growth-hormone deficiency and certain conditions causing short stature; in adults it treats proven growth-hormone deficiency.
How it works
Growth hormone, made by the pituitary gland, drives growth in childhood and helps regulate muscle, fat, bone and metabolism throughout life — largely by stimulating the liver and tissues to produce a messenger called IGF-1. When the body cannot make enough, replacing it restores these effects: better growth in children and improved body composition and wellbeing in deficient adults. Its effect on fluid and metabolism explains its main side effects.
In practice
In practice growth hormone (somatropin) is a manufactured version of the body's own growth hormone, given by daily injection under the skin and supervised by specialist endocrine services. In children it is used for growth-hormone deficiency and for several specific conditions that cause short stature (such as Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, chronic kidney disease and being born small for gestational age), where it improves growth and final height. In adults it is used for proven growth-hormone deficiency, where it can improve body composition, energy, and quality of life. The practical themes are about careful selection and monitoring. The diagnosis is confirmed with specialist tests before starting, and treatment is monitored with growth charts in children and with a blood marker (IGF-1) plus clinical response in adults, adjusting the dose to keep within target and avoid over-treatment. Common effects relate to fluid retention — swelling, joint and muscle aches, carpal tunnel symptoms — and it can raise blood sugar and affect thyroid function, so these are watched. It is avoided in active cancer and in certain acute critical illnesses, and used cautiously in specific situations. It is a long-term replacement therapy, part of broader endocrine care.
Examples
Practical use
How to take it & use it well
- Give the injection once daily under the skin, usually in the evening, exactly as you have been shown, as it replaces growth hormone that your body is lacking.
- Rotate the injection site each time, using areas such as the tummy or thigh, to spare the skin and avoid lumps from injecting the same spot.
- Keep taking it steadily and attend your monitoring appointments, as the dose is carefully adjusted to your response rather than fixed from the start.
- Store and handle the medicine as advised, as it needs care to stay effective, and follow the instructions for your particular device.
- Tell your team about swelling, tingling or pain in the hands, or aching joints and muscles, as these fluid-related effects can mean the dose needs adjusting.
- Keep up your blood tests, as they check a marker called IGF-1 in adults along with your blood sugar and thyroid, so the dose stays right for you.
Common uses
- Growth-hormone deficiency (children and adults)
- Short stature in Turner, Prader-Willi, chronic kidney disease, small-for-gestational-age
- Specialist-supervised replacement therapy
Monitoring
- Growth (height/charts) in children; IGF-1 level and symptoms in adults
- Blood sugar and thyroid function
- Fluid-retention effects (swelling, joint pain, carpal tunnel)
Weighing it up
Advantages & disadvantages
Advantages
- In children with growth-hormone deficiency and certain other conditions, it improves growth and final height.
- In adults with proven deficiency, it can improve body composition, energy and quality of life.
- It replaces a hormone the body is genuinely lacking, so it corrects a real deficiency rather than masking symptoms.
- The dose is tailored to your response, using growth in children and a blood marker plus how you feel in adults.
- It is supervised by specialist endocrine services, so treatment is carefully selected and monitored.
Disadvantages
- It is a daily injection under the skin rather than a tablet, which takes some getting used to.
- Fluid-related effects are common, including swelling, aching joints and muscles, and carpal tunnel symptoms in the hands.
- It can raise blood sugar and affect thyroid function, so these need watching with blood tests.
- It is avoided in active cancer and certain serious acute illnesses, and used cautiously in some situations.
- It needs the diagnosis confirmed by specialist testing first, and ongoing monitoring to avoid over-treatment.
Key safety principles
What to watch for
- Started only after the deficiency is confirmed by specialist testing; the dose is adjusted to response (growth in children; IGF-1 and symptoms in adults) to avoid over-treatment.
- Fluid-related effects are common — swelling, joint/muscle aches and carpal tunnel symptoms; it can raise blood sugar and affect thyroid function, which are monitored.
- Avoided in active cancer and certain acute critical illnesses; used cautiously in specific situations — report new symptoms to your team.
Key interactions
What to avoid or check alongside
- It can raise blood sugar, so it matters especially in people with or at risk of diabetes, whose treatment may need adjusting and whose sugar is monitored.
- It can affect thyroid function, so thyroid blood tests are watched and thyroid replacement may need adjusting if you take it.
- It interacts with steroid treatment, as the balance between the two can change, so tell your team if your steroid dose alters.
- It is avoided in active cancer and certain acute critical illnesses, so your full health picture is reviewed before and during treatment.
- Tell your team about all your medicines and any new symptoms, as the dose is fine-tuned to your response and other treatments can influence it.
Patient & carer advice
- Give the injection once daily as shown, usually in the evening, rotating the injection sites
- Tell your team about swelling, tingling or pain in the hands, or joint aches, as the dose may need adjusting
- Keep up your monitoring appointments and blood tests so the dose stays right for you
Use with
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Answers
Growth hormone: frequently asked questions
What is growth hormone treatment for?
It is a manufactured version of the body's own growth hormone, given by daily injection to replace what is lacking. In children it is used for growth-hormone deficiency and several conditions causing short stature, where it improves growth and final height. In adults it is used for proven deficiency, where it can improve body composition, energy and quality of life.
Why is it given as a daily injection?
Growth hormone cannot be taken as a tablet, as it would be broken down in the gut, so it is given by injection under the skin. It is usually given once a day, often in the evening, using a simple device you will be shown how to use. Rotating the injection site each time helps protect your skin.
What side effects should I look out for?
The most common effects come from the body holding on to fluid, including swelling, aching joints and muscles, and carpal tunnel symptoms such as tingling or pain in the hands. It can also raise blood sugar and affect the thyroid. Tell your team about these, as they often settle when the dose is adjusted.
Why do I need blood tests and regular reviews?
The diagnosis is confirmed by specialist testing before starting, and the dose is then adjusted to your response to avoid giving too much. In children this is tracked with growth charts, and in adults with a blood marker called IGF-1 alongside how you feel. Blood sugar and thyroid are also watched, so regular reviews keep the dose right.
Is there anyone who should not take it?
It is avoided in active cancer and in certain serious acute illnesses, and it is used cautiously in some specific situations. This is why it is always supervised by specialist endocrine services, who check your full health picture before and during treatment. Tell your team about any new symptoms or diagnoses so they can keep treatment safe.
Authoritative sources
Always verify against the source
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