Somnidren GH is another one of those products that a reader asked us to review so we are obliging. Whether or not this is a growth hormone releasing supplement is a good question.
Whether or not this is a supplement that anyone in their right mind would take is even a better question.
We have delayed this review for months because it is hard to know what to say. There is almost no legitimate research available what is supposed to be the main ingredient in this product.
The easiest place to start is always with the ingredients. So let’s move down that slippery slope.
Somnidren GH Ingredients:
GH-XS (Somatropin Releasing Complex) 4195mg Proprietary Blend Of Butyrotropin™ (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) 4-Amino-3-Phenylbutyric Acid (Phenibut),
Mucuna Pruriens Extract (Standardized To 20% L-Dopa),
Choline Bitartrate,
DMAE Bitatrate,
L-Tyrosine,
L-Theanine,
Vitamin B-6 (As Pyridoxine HCL 1250%)
& PEA (Phenylethylamine HCL)
Somatostat-X (Somatostatin Inhibiting Complex) 996mg
Proprietary Blend Of Pantothenic Acid (As D-Calcium Pantothenate & Pantethine 1500%),
N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine,
L-Cysteine (As HCL Monohydrate),
Magnesium (As Glycinate, Orotate And Phosphate 6% Elemental) Vitamin E (As Mixed Tocopherols 167%) &
Zinc (As Zinc Citrate 23% Elemental)
You get past all of the sports nutrition marketing crap and you come up with only two hgh secretagogues, GABA and Mucuna Pruriens. The rest of it is just stuff with the exception of phenibut, which we will get to that in a moment.
You get an unknown amount of Gaba and Mucuna Pruriens, so you will have some growth hormone release. Any other benefit is supposed to come from the inclusion of the phenibut.
A good lead in to the phenibut discussion is this information reprinted by numerous sites that market Somnidren-GH:
Q: Who Should NOT use Somnidren-GH?
A: Somnidren-GH should NOT be used by anyone who suffers from sleep apnea, narcolepsy or any related sleep disorder, any mental illness including bipolar disorder, alcohol or drug dependency or by individuals who are currently taking prescription or over the counter medication including but not limited to opiates or opiate derivatives, sleep aids, other GABA supplements, MAO inhibitors, SSRI or any other anti-depressant, alcohol or recreational drugs.
The reason for that statement is the inclusion of the phenibut.
Phenibut’s claim to fame is some Russian research from the 1960’s and some underground culture buzz that it is a substitute for GHB.
Forget the counter culture buzz. Phenibut is not a GHB replacement.
The Russian research is primarily about the use of phenibut as a drug to treat anxiety and insomnia. The Russian research seems to show that there is some good evidence that it works as for those purposes and it is sold in Russia as a neuropsychotopic drug.
Somehow, beta-phenyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known as phenibut, fenibut, or phenybut, is being sold in the US as a dietary supplement. This is in spite of the fact that it does not seem to meet the standards set by the 1994 DSHEA ACT.
Still all the supplement manufacturing companies seem to be jumping on board with new products. Typical….
This is interesting in light of some of the things we do know about phenibut.
Phenibut users rapidly develop a tolerance to its effects, often in as little as 3 to 5 days. Also phenibut users often experience withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawl symptoms can be very unpleasant.
Sounds more like an addictive drug than a dietary supplement. The more “reputable” marketers suggest taking it for 2-3 days and then taking a week off.
One thing phenibut is not is an hgh secretagogue. There is no research to support that it stimulates growth hormone release.
The only reason the phenibut is in this product is it can help you relax and most people will get a better nights sleep. However, if better sleep is what you are looking for, try melatonin.
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone not an unapproved drug. Melatonin also has the extra benefit of being a very powerful antioxidant.
If you absolutely must try phenibut, we would suggest that you simply buy it as a separate ingredient. Try it all by itself at first to see what you think of the experience.
Next try mixing a small dose in with your regular hgh supplement. Use it periodically if that floats your boat.
We really can’t recommend that anybody buy this product and are torn about how to rate it. There is probably some hgh release so it should merit a rating but the whole formula thing is just too much. So for now it will receive an unrating while we think about it.
Somnidren Gh receives an hgh supplement rating of UN. ( unrated )
2 responses so far ↓
1 michael b // Feb 20, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Somatomax Would this be one of the better hgh products
2 hgh truths // Feb 20, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Somatomax would not be one of the better hgh releasers. It would get a review very similar to this one except there is more marketing material out there that can be dissected.