Melissa owns Kidney Nutrition Specialists, a nutrition practice dedicated to helping individuals living with chronic kidney disease, and is the Foundation Dietitian for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois where she focuses on disease prevention, health education, and nutrition consultation.
This essential nutrient is crucial for red blood cell production, a healthy nervous system, and DNA synthesis
Common side effects that you may experience include tenderness at the injection site, upset stomach and lethargy
(3) Kannt A, et al
Designed solely for parenteral use (drug administration by intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection) following the addition of drugs

this off-label use is not backed by the same level of controlled human trial evidence as the lipodystrophy indication Known risks and side effects: Injection site reactions, including erythema, pruritus, pain, and bruising at the injection site Arthralgia (joint pain) and peripheral edema (fluid retention), recognized class effects of GH-axis stimulation Increases in blood glucose and reduced insulin sensitivity, with clinical trials showing a higher rate of elevated HbA1c and new-onset hyperglycemia versus placebo Formation of anti-tesamorelin antibodies, reported in a substantial proportion of treated patients, with unclear long-term clinical significance Contraindicated in people with active malignancy, pituitary or hypothalamic disruption, or pregnancy, per FDA labeling Evidence snapshot: The strongest evidence is a set of Phase 3 human randomized controlled trials that supported FDA approval of tesamorelin for reducing visceral abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy (approved 2010), plus a separate placebo-controlled human RCT (Baker et al., 2012, Archives of Neurology) showing improved executive function in older adults
