*** Disclaimer: I tend to write long messages. First part is background info. Last part finally gets to my questions. ***
Hello. I am not an athlete. Not a bodybuilder. I was always a short, frail, skinny kid - who grew up into a fat, weak adult. Now middle-aged and dealing with all sorts of health problems. I am tempted to blame certain things on heredity, but honestly, I should have taken better care of myself - not that I have not tried over the years.
Atkins diet. Vegetable juice diets. P90X - which gave me really skinny legs. I take thyroid and blood pressure medication. My resting heart rate has always been very high - even when I was young. Paid a bunch of money to doctors. Tried physical therapy, yoga, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.
Quite familiar with the gym, but never really lost fat or gained muscle - just was really tired and sore all the time. I had spine surgery last year and still deal with chronic pain in my hamstring - apparently due to pinched nerves that are still damaged.
It has been about a year now since I saw (for lack of a better term) an anti-aging doctor. Had blood drawn and he said I had low testosterone. At first I took test, then later added sermorelin. I had a strange reaction to the sermorelin where I would get really hot and sweaty. Doc said it was a reaction to one of the peptides. Not dangerous, just inconvenient. I just finished one month of Norditropin.
Once my test levels were better, I felt better than I had in years. After just one month of norditropin, I actually had some muscle growth in my arms and shoulders. Doc said I would not notice a change that soon, but I swear I know what it is. Never been able to build muscle otherwise. (Just still have this fat gut, but that is another issue).
The clinic is an hour away - tough to get there with my work schedule. Although I would love to continue with my current treatment, it is expensive. Especially the norditropin - very, very expensive. He will not give me a written script that I can take elsewhere. Have to get refills through the clinic.
From what I have read, if I can get a script in hand, I can:
- Order online (although most online pharmacies are untrustworthy).
- If I order online from Canada, even with a script, it is illegal to ship to the US.
- If I order online from Mexico, I have to have a script from a Mexican doctor AND a US script… but can only use the meds if I live there. Still illegal to ship to the US.
Please correct me if I am wrong about any of the above. Even if I can order online with a valid script, and not have to worry about breaking the law, I cannot seem to figure out how to find a doctor willing to give me a script. Even with a valid blood test, these mens health clinics want their markup. Understandable, I guess. Medicine or not, it is also a business.
Is there any way I can save money on my current regimen while remaining legal? Any online doc that is legitimate? Any US-based online pharmacies that carry what I use for a reasonable cost?
Thank you - best of luck in your health and fitness goals.