PUMP UP THE VOLUME
NYC power brokers are fighting flab and aging by injecting synthetic human growth hormone. But is it a miracle cure or a dangerous drug?
FIVE years ago, Cass Almendral, a 56-year-old New Yorker who runs a consulting business, started injecting himself with synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) — and drastically changed his aging body.
“I had issues with arthritis — I could hardly walk at one point,” says Almendral, who’s treated by Brian Mehling, a New York- and New Jerseybased orthopedic surgeon who also specializes in regenerative medicine. “With hormones, [the problems] just started to disappear. My hair got thicker, and my skin got smoother.”
But the biggest benefit is a boost of energy, he says, which gives him an edge in the dog-eat-dog world of New York executives.
“Imagine if you could have the experience and the wealth of a 50-year-old and the energy of a 20-year-old,” Almendral says. “Instead of winding [my business] down and trying to maintain, I’m growing [it] again.”
Most people know HGH as a drug that some pro athletes inject to improve their game and bounce back from injuries, even when the substance is banned, as it has been from Major League Baseball since 2005. But over the past decade, New York’s movers and shakers have been turning to daily HGH injections to supposedly roll back the clock on aging, increase muscle mass and bone density
and reduce fat.
Lionel Bissoon, a physician who specializes in anti-aging and prescribes HGH to New York’s elite out of his Central Park West office, says he first noticed an uptick in demand for the treatment after the 2008 recession, and it’s been on the rise ever since. “[It went] into high gear,” he says. “Before, there was a small amount of people doing it, but then people started worrying about their jobs.”
Bissoon starts with an hour-anda-half consult appointment, which costs $650. If he believes a patient may be growthhormone deficient, he orders a stimulation test in which the pituitary gland is prompted to release HGH. The test costs $2,000 in-office. He accepts insurance and estimates that 30 percent of plans cover some of the costs. If the test shows HGH deficiency, only then will he prescribe injections. “I’m not a drug dealer,” he says. Daily at-home injections range from about $600 to $2,000 a month, depending on how much is needed and the quality of the HGH, which varies by manufacturer. Although there are certain sprays and pills available without a prescription, they are not believed to be effective.
But some in the medical community say that many patients are being prescribed HGH as a lifestyle drug, not for a legitimate medical need. “The population that’s looking for it is very upwardly mobile, people who want to burn the candle at both ends and have no detriment from that,” says Jason Baker, an assistant professor of medicine and attending endocrinologist at NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “If there’s a true deficiency in growth hormone, people can benefit from [taking HGH] . . . But true deficiency is rare, about 1 in 100,000.”
Celeb fans of HGH — including Sylvester Stallone, Oliver Stone and tech titan Peter Thiel, who told Bloomberg TV in 2014 that he’s injecting HGH in an attempt to live to 120 — have lent cachet to the pricey treatment.
“If it was cheap, I doubt it would be as sexy,” Baker says. He adds that while the jury’s still out on whether HGH can yield benefits, the risks are very real.
“Ultimately, [users] may be trading benefits now for consequences later in life,” says Baker. “We need more restrictions because people just don’t understand the risks.”
If people with normal growthhormone levels add more into their systems, experts say, they risk developing diabetes, joint problems, carpal tunnel, acceleration of certain cancers, injection site reactions and, possibly, cardiovascular problems. Baker cautions that there may be even more potential side effects that haven’t been discovered.
But men using HGH are enthusiastic about the benefits.
“When I went to see Dr. Bissoon [six years ago], I was worn down — I was having panic attacks, I wasn’t sleeping well. I was putting the work in, and the quality of my work wasn’t as sharp as I needed it to be,” says Frank, 41,
“Ultimately, [users] may be trading benefits now for consequences later.” — Jason Baker, NewYorkPresbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
who declined to share his last name for professional reasons. The co-founder of a tech company in NYC, he says startup culture left him burnt out. He hadn’t heard of HGH before meeting with Bissoon but says he was openminded about hormone-replacement therapy once his tests revealed he was HGH deficient. Frank says he’s less tired, less run-down and more capable at work. Others see the changes, too. “My wife was like, ‘Are you getting a six-pack again?’ And a lot of my friends I hadn’t seen for a while were like, ‘You look happy.’ ” HGH, he says, “returns you to this natural state of what your body’s supposed to do, which is push through things.” Alfonso, a 37-year-old real-estate agent who teaches fitness classes on the side, recently started using HGH in hopes that it will help him compete in two cutthroat industries. “If I’m leading a [fitness] group, I have to look good,” he says. “If you’re a trainer, you better look like a trainer.” The same pressure applies in real estate, he says. “It’s all the way you look, and that’s why I invest in myself.”