Growth Hormone
Tesamorelin
Egrifta
Boosts your own growth hormone specifically to target fat around the stomach. It does have a real medical approval — just for one narrow condition (fat gain linked to HIV treatment). Using it for general fat loss means going off-label, even under a private doctor's prescription.
analog that stimulates your own growth release — approved for reduction in a narrow indication.
How well studied
Tier Guide: A = Well studied, B = Some good studies, C = Early evidence & D = Barely studied
Backed by large human trials — we have solid data on how it works and what it does.
How it works
Nudges the pituitary into releasing growth hormone in a natural rhythm, which in turn tells the body to burn fat specifically around the stomach.
Binds growth-hormone-releasing-hormone on the pituitary, triggering natural pulsatile GH release, which drives breakdown.
Reported benefits
- Reduces visceral abdominal fat via natural GH pulse — 15-18% reduction in trials
- Modest improvement in triglycerides and body composition
Who it's typically used for
Timeline to results
Dosage
2mg subcutaneous, once daily — FDA label dose (for the approved indication only)
Side effects
- Joint pain (arthralgia)reported
- Injection site reactionsreported
- Peripheral oedemareported
- Muscle achesreported
Getting it in the UK
Still legal for a doctor to prescribe, but it hasn't been officially approved for this specific use. Uncommon, and comes down to a specialist's own judgement.
MHRA: the UK government body that checks a medicine is safe and actually works before doctors are allowed to prescribe it.
Content freshness
- Last reviewed
- 11 Aug 2026
- Regulatory status last checked
- 11 Aug 2026