Baseball, HGH, Pituitary Adenomas, BS and Self-Delusion

HGH is considered by some to be the most abused drug in baseball. HGH can not be detected by a urine test. Some forms of testosterone may also be hard to detect. Using HGH and small amounts of testosterone is one way to cheat, break the rules, set a bad example, contribute to youth abuse of drugs (with resulting deleterious health effects), and to enhance performance.

Reports are that recovery is enhanced, muscle bulk is increased, lean body mass is increased, more energy is noted – all of which lead to better work outs and in the short time improved performance without a substance detectable in standard urine tests. In adults the use of HGH can also lead to Acromegaly or overgrowth of bone. Blood tests are available which detect HGH and synthetic analogues. These might be in use in baseball by next year, but don’t hold your breath.

As far as pituitary tumors go, one of the most common is a pituitary adenoma. Bromocriptine is used to help block the over production of hormones including Growth Hormone or in some cases Prolactin.

One should not take pride in saying that some doctor gave a prescription to you as a professional athlete and it is then a valid drug for you to take. And emphasizing you could have taken more but you exercised restraint. The institution from where it was prescribed and dispensed is under investigation. There have been no medical exemptions issued for HGH use by professional baseball team members. But everyone should remember this has not been a one player or 10 player or 50 player problem. It has been considered pervasive and needs an effort to be ended.

I don’t suggest looking at poor studies or studies limited to 70-80 year old men and draw conclusions from that as to whether or not it is effective in 25-45 year old ball players. That is not a valid comparison and the studies were not set up to test what is under discussion.