THE REAL STORY ABOUT HCG AND POSSIBLE CRIMINAL FRAUD IN IT’S USE.

INDICATIONS----HCG is officially indicated by the FDA in the treatment of fertility problems in women and for safely promoting the production of testosterone in adolescent males. There is no formal approval of HCG in any form in the treatment of obesity.

People on HCG diets sometimes may worry about HCG side effects. For those of you who are unfamiliar with HCG; HCG is actually an acronym which means Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. The latter hormone is naturally produced within the body of a woman when she becomes pregnant, and this particular hormone becomes present in urine. In fact, over-the-counter pregnancy tests check for this hormone to indicate if a woman is with child or not. HCG is also a hormone that becomes present in the body when an individual develops some medical conditions like some types of uterine and female cancers, and testing for the hormone gives physician an indication as to whether or not the patient has developed a condition which requires further treatment. Finally, HCG is used as a diet aid and this has drawn considerable attention to the possible HCG side effects that may exist. The use of HCG for weight reduction has not been approved of by the Food and Drug Administration and its use is considered “off-label,” or not officially approved, even though it is in widespread use as a diet aid.

To repeat: HCG is presently relied upon as a medication for fertility and it is also used to safely promote the production of testosterone in adolescent males. This hormone is further used for weight loss endeavors with considerable success as part of a comprehensive weight control program. In the early 1950s, Dr. Simeons, a physician from the United Kingdom, revealed that injections and oral supplements of the HCG hormone assisted dieters in managing a super low calorie diet and that those HCG injections proved to work excellently as an appetite suppressant. Experts asserted that an individual could easily maintain a diet consisting of as little as 500 calories daily without experiencing tremendous hunger. The current attitude is that any diet under 800 calories daily is potentially dangerous. This office only goes down to 800 calories and we get the same results as far as FAT LOSS is concerned. A lot of the “weight” lost is muscle tissue on 500 calories, not a healthy situation. At 500 calories a day a patient runs the risk of losing a lot of vitally needed body protein and severe illness or death.

The side effects of HCG use are uncommon. The HCG side effects that a patient will have to keep an eye out for include the onset of headaches, irritability, restlessness, slight water retention, tenderness of breast tissue, swelling of the injection site if given by that route, and depression. There are some rare, severe side effects as well which include the development of ovarian hyperstimulation in females. The latter condition requires immediate medical treatment and is accompanied by the following symptoms: tremendous pain in the region of the pelvis, the swelling of feet, legs, and hands, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, a diminishing of urination, and weight gain. I know of no deaths from using HCG, but any substance taken into the body COULD cause a fatal reaction. If a user of HCG products notes any side effects it is recommended that he or she cease using the products immediately and that he or she seek out the assistance of a physician.

In 1977 Doctors Greenway and Bray (Western Journal of Medicine 127:461-63) did a study involving patients on HCG and placebo and compared the two. There was no difference in the results. Other researchers have claimed that HCG takes off no more weight than placebo, but I have noticed that there seems to be a better tolerance of a low calorie diet with the HCG versus the inactive preparation. I have used HCG off and on for the past 44 years and have never had any reaction resulting from its use. That doesn’t mean that they might occur, but it is extremely uncommon.

There are some fraudulent forms of “HCG” being used by some non-medical “clinics.” HCG is a prescription only medicine. There are some legitimate HCG’s in dropper-administered form, but they are ALL restricted to use by physicians ONLY! Non-physicians are peddling what amounts to water, since the concentration of their “HCG” is about a trillion times smaller than the effective prescription strength drops. This is called Homeopathic medicine, which is equivalent to treating a headache by throwing two aspirins into a swimming pool and then drinking an ounce of the water. I call it a fake “remedy” that is harmless, but also a scam perpetrated by hucksters who probably don’t have the patient’s welfare at heart. The FDA just cracked down on these fakes and they may soon be off the market. If a physician prescribes it and a pharmacist fills it, it is considered a legitimate and legal medicine. However, it will have the patient’s name and the pharmacy name on the package. If it isn’t a real prescription, it isn’t real HCG and you are being cheated and scammed.

The injections work, but unfortunately you have no way of knowing whether the shot really does contain HCG. Federal law says that a physician may only order these injections from the wholesale houses for a specific patient. If you don’t use injections from your own personal bottle that the clinic has ordered, then you could be getting a fake injection. Ask to see the vial that the injection came from. It should have your name on it and be from a licensed pharmacy. If not, run don’t walk, away from those people. An injection of saline, instead of HCG, is a bad bargain and criminal fraud.

HCG drops or lozenges (troches) from a legitimate pharmaceutical company are valid sources of this medicine, work as well as the shots and avoid the need for injections, but again, if you don’t receive your dropper bottle or your lozenge package with your name on it, from a legitimate pharmacy, then you are getting fakes. We place an order when we see you and you get the drops or troches within two business days from the pharmacist. Let the buyer beware!

J.T. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H.