Bruce Shipkowski of the Associated Press reported that the mysterious “human growth hormone steroid” may soon be added to the New Jersey prescription monitoring program. The big question is “what exactly is “human growth hormone steroid”? Is it some interesting new hybrid between “human growth hormone” and “anabolic-androgenic steroids”?
The answer is that there is no such thing as a “human growth hormone steroid”. The imaginary drug hybrid is a creation of the Associated Press that represents their ignorance of performance-enhancing drugs. In reality, HGH and anabolic-androgenic steroids differ significantly in structure and function. The only commonality lies in the fact that they are used by bodybuilders and athletes for performance-enhancing purposes. It is a mistake to refer to all performance-enhancing or muscle-building drugs as “steroids”.
Even though the Associated Press article discussed anabolic steroids throughout the article, the New Jersey legislation actually involved human growth hormone and the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program.
The New Jersey program monitors “controlled dangerous substances”. Pharmacists are currently not required to report HGH prescriptions since HGH is not on the federal Controlled Substances list. New legislation is intended to change the reporting requirement for HGH.
The New Jersey Assembly is scheduled to vote on a bill this week that would require pharmacists to prepare monthly reports itemizing the number of prescriptions filled for human growth hormone (hGH).
About Millard Baker