Comparison
Tesamorelin vs HGH
Ask the body to release its own growth hormone, or supply it from outside. The choice decides how much say the body's own feedback still has.
Somatropin is growth hormone itself. Tesamorelin is a GHRH analogue that asks the pituitary to release its own, which means the release remains subject to the feedback that normally limits it.
This is the central argument for analogues and secretagogues generally. A pulse the body still shapes, instead of a level imposed on it. Whether that turns into a difference anyone experiences has not been established.
Both hold approvals, for different things. Neither is approved for growth hormone support in healthy adults, and an approval for one indication tells you nothing about a different use of the same drug.
| Attribute | Tesamorelin | HGH (Somatropin) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | GHRH analogue | Growth hormone itself |
| Evidence level | Approved elsewhere | Approved |
| Mechanism | Prompts the pituitary to release | Supplies the hormone directly |
| Subject to feedback | Yes | No |
| Dosed in | Milligrams | International units |
| Dosing frequency | Once daily | Once daily |
Things worth knowing
- The units differ, and this is the pairing where it matters most. HGH is dosed in IU, tesamorelin in milligrams, and there is no general conversion between them. Carry a protocol across without re-reading the unit and you have made a serious error.
- Supplying growth hormone from outside suppresses the body's own production. Prompting release does not, at least not in the same way. That is the argument for analogues at its strongest.
- Both are approved products, dispensed and supervised in the form that was assessed. A research-labelled vial is outside that entirely, whatever is in it.
Full profile
Tesamorelin
A GHRH analogue approved by the FDA for reducing excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The only compound in this category with completed phase 3 trials.
Full profile
HGH (Somatropin)
An approved medicine for people with a growth hormone deficiency. Used without that diagnosis it is a controlled substance in the United States, and the anti-ageing claims it is sold on were retracted by their own author.
Related
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice.