Hi I have been poz since 1992, I am in a wasting syndrome and I would like to be placed on serostim as I have seen a few guys who have benefited from it. how can I get my doc to let me try this? I meet all the criteria but I know its expensive. are there any other generic forms of this drug as to make the cost less? thanks

I am assuming that a- you are a man, b- that you have lost more than 5% of your normal weight, and c- that you are on HAART.

Serostim is way expensive and full of side effects. Joint pains, high blood sugar, potential irreversible diabetes, and carpal tunnel syndrome are among the main side effects for some patients. You need daily injections and it costs $4000 a month, so many insurance companies make your life miserable trying to get it paid. Also, a lot of the body cell mass gain is intracellular water retention that you lose quickly when you get off the drug. I do have to say, however, nothing works better than Serostim to reduce fat mass caused by lipodystrophy. Too bad the FDA declined its approval for that use but I understand they did so to protect us against hyperglycemia and diabetes.

I would ask your doctor about 20 mg of Oxandrin a day or 400 mg of nandrolone every two weeks, both used with daily testosterone gels like Testim or Androgel (anabolics lower your own testosterone, so you have to supplement it). Oxandrin (oxandrolone) is oral and some people may experience increased liver enzymes, although I would say that drug is pretty safe at the dose used in HIV (20 mg a day for men). Nandrolone is highly effective and has no effect on liver function, but it is an injectable and you can only get it through special compounding pharmacies. Many doctors are not familiar with compounding pharmacies, so they think the product is not available anymore. Nandrolone only costs $40 a month ($10 per 200 mg) compared to $1200 a month for Oxandrin and $4000 a month for Serostim. Testim and Androgel are 1% testosterone gels that cost $1000 a month. Compounding pharmacies can make similar gels for $40 a month. So, wasting treatments can be economical if you chose the right medicine and the right outlet.

I would read more about wasting treatments in our website medibolics.com or in our book, Built to Survive (available at amazon.com).

Let me know if you need any additional information since these treatments are only part of the comprehensive approach to treating wasting. Nutrition and exercise are really the main factors that ensure success in gaining lean body mass while keeping fat gains to a minimum.

Nelson