IGFBP-3 — do I really need to pull it every time?
16 posts
Running GH secretagogues and pulling IGF-1 quarterly. IGFBP-3 adds ~$25 each time. Is it adding real information or can I skip it?
4 Replies
45 posts
Honestly for most people pulling IGF-1 quarterly, IGFBP-3 is redundant. The IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio is mostly informative at cycle start and at any point you see unexpected side effects (edema, CTS, joint pain) to check if free IGF-1 is running ahead of the binding protein.
Pull it at cycle start + once at midpoint + if you feel weird. Otherwise skip.
73 posts
Agreed. Baseline + one midpoint check is plenty.
- BPC-157 · 500 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
- GHK-Cu · 2 mg · nightly topical · topical
16 posts
50 posts
eh i'm not totally sold on that logic. if you're already spending money on quarterly IGF-1 pulls then another $25 for IGFBP-3 isn't really breaking the bank, and you actually get a complete picture of whats going on instead of half the data. yeah the ratio matters more at the start but your binding capacity can shift depending on what else you're stacking, liver stress, all that stuff. sides can creep up slowly too so waiting until something feels "weird" is kinda reactive. i pull both every time and haven't regretted it once.