But there was a down side and some of these patients reported some side effects.

Again, at this point in HGH research, little was known concerning dosages, or appropriate circumstances in which HGH should be prescribed. Many of the patients in this case were young and healthy to begin with, having youthful high levels of HGH as part of their normal physiology. To receive further high doses on top of that was almost certainly the reason those side effects manifested themselves.

Again, to emphasize the point, these dosages were administered when data on HGH was being worked out largely by trial and error. Since then, much data in this area has been amassed, and study after study since have turned up results indicating that with proper dosages and schedules, administered to the appropriate individuals, side effects have been virtually reduced to zero.

One study in particular that underscored this point was a study conducted by Maxine Papadakis and colleagues at the University of California in San Francisco. In that study, the same doses of HGH used by Dr. Rudman in his initial study were administered. Similar side effects ensued, including joint pain and swelling. When the dose was reduced by approximately 50%, the side effects abated sharply or ceased altogether within two weeks of the dose being reduced - but the benefits were maintained.

It would not be an understatement to say that with current knowledge concerning HGH and dosage, side effects should now - except for rare instances - be a thing of the past.