HGH side effects range from the minor joint pain and some fluid retention to the more serious high blood pressure and abnormal bone and cartilage growth. Most medicinal use of HGH focuses on short-term correction of a hormonal imbalance. General growth hormone side effects from this type of use tend to be fluid retention, joint pain, a reversible insulin resistance, and some joint swelling.
HGH for anti-aging or "plastic surgery in a bottle" use leads to more long-term complications such as high blood pressure, more serious fluid retention, chronic joint pain and swelling, and some facial bone growth. Long-term abuse, as seen in athletic use, can lead to more pronounced, and sometimes deadly, side effects such as irregular heart rhythms, increased risk of diabetes, joint and facial deformities, and a shut down of the pituitary glands.
HGH side effects can be reduced by limiting the length of time the hormone is used. Lowering the dosage of human growth hormone can also reduce the number and severity of these reactions. Human growth hormone is a drug. The introduction of any foreign substance, even if your body produces some naturally, will trigger reactions by the body. These reactions cause the effects that we see with any drug. HGH side effects also come from the extra growth hormone in the body along with what is already produced by the pituitary glands.