Sylvester Stallone has finally fessed up to what some of us have known for quite a while, in that he has been using HGH and testosterone to prepare for his physically demanding roles of Rocky and Rambo. Rather than his use his private label supplements that he sells to his fans to prepare for these roles, Stallone has credited a combination of prescription testosterone and HGH with adding 41-pounds to his 61-year old frame.
So right there we have a great example of the horrible side effects of these performance-enhancing drugs; HGH and testosterone have allowed the 61-year-old Stallone to make more of these movies. This is clearly the biggest and most dangerous public health risk posed by these PEDs.
Sly is a little late to the party since even those slowest on the uptake knew the actor was on the juice since he got busted in Australia carrying almost 50 vials of HGH last year. It’s funny how back then Stallone wrote to the court, “I made a terrible mistake,” and expressed his “deepest remorse” as he apologized.
Now he’s making public proclamations that everyone over 40 should consider using these drugs because they “increase your quality of life.”
If Stallone wants to use these drugs to look good so that he can do movies, and can find a physician willing to make the diagnosis, that’s his prerogative. After all, nobody wants to see a fat, paunchy, pasty senior citizen play an action hero. But you should know that the federal government has a very dim view of those who prescribe or promote HGH for anti-aging, age management or any other of the euphemisms that are used to justify HGH use outside of an extremely narrow definition.
This admission is noteworthy – and the public should pay attention – because Stallone’s use of these drugs serves to illustrate exactly how guys get to look the way Stallone looks. It’s not creatine or whey protein or androstendione that allow guys to put on, and add, pounds of muscle without adding fat. And it doesn’t matter if you’re 21, 41 or 61 years old.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Matt
This kind of story really diminishes my faith in the medical profession. Athletes and action stars alike seem to have no problem obtaining performance enhancers from licensed doctors. The doctors know the serious health repercussions but still they prescribe them. I have a childhood friend who was prescribed HGH because his growth was stunted from an organ transplant, it truly is a miracle drug but this gross abuse is disgusting to say the least. Sly and the doctors who have helped him should be ashamed.
2 - Dr Dreadful
Apart from the possible marketing scam, I'm not sure what the big deal is here. Stallone is an actor, not an athlete. He's not getting any kind of unfair competitive advantage by taking these hormones.
It's his body. If he wants to bugger it up with chemicals, let him.
3 - sal m
the point is the marketing scam...i agree with the good doctor that sly's not getting any unfair advantage from the sauce. i just think it stinks that he's not happy with just making a fortune from his movies, but he has to scam people into buying his supplements as well.
4 - Simon Scowl
Right, because there's no competition in the movie business. Do you really think the new Rocky movie would have made as much money if Stallone had weenie-arms and a beer gut? Do you think anybody would go see the new Rambo flick if he was played by Joe Don Baker?
5 - ClaudeD
I agree completely about the scam-ish nature of his pushing supplements that he himself finds don't do what he says they do.
You didn't say so, but a reader might get the impression that any and all HGH or testosterone prescribed for seniors is illicit. There are reputable doctors that prescribe testosterone and (much more seldom) HGH to older patients whose natural hormone levels have dropped due to age or illness. It is a direct counter to the depression (usually mild) and lethargy that can result from reduced testosterone levels in men. I think it makes more sense than Prozac for a funk caused by a reduced level of testosterone. Having said that, it is prescribed in low doses, the levels are tested regularly, and the intent is definitely not to create freakazoids that look completely age-inappropriate.
6 - sal m
i make mention that there is a very specific, legal use for hgh and provide a link to another item that i've written that discusses just how narrow this criteria is.
when you consider how much research is being done with regard to finding other uses for hgh, i'm of the opinion that hgh therapy is/will be a viable option for all adults in the very near future.
7 - Dr Dreadful
Right, because there's no competition in the movie business. Do you really think the new Rocky movie would have made as much money if Stallone had weenie-arms and a beer gut? Do you think anybody would go see the new Rambo flick if he was played by Joe Don Baker?
I'm not claiming that Hollywood is fair. (Miss Congeniality wouldn't have been a hit with Rachel Dratch as the lead, either.) However, sports are supposed to be.
8 - sal m
no doubt, dreadful...sly's body was prominently displayed in the lead up to rocky precisely because they knew people would want to see how good he could look. that's part of the hype.
9 - Jarod S
So What? He told us what we already knew. I've followed his diet/fitness book to get back in shape and most everything he suggests showed the desired results. Honestly, if I were a 61-yr-old with a physically demanding lifestyle, I'd consider HGH and give life one good, final swift kick in the butt. I tried andro and norandro products when they were available over the counter: I can't remember another time when I ever felt better. I wish they were still legal.
10 - Wayne
I'm glad Sly is finally telling it like it is.
Yes! He's right, and I back him 100%.
11 - Simon Scowl
"I'm not claiming that Hollywood is fair."
No, you're claiming Stallone isn't getting an unfair competitive advantage from HGH. Which he clearly is.
12 - Dr Dreadful
Who exactly is he competing with, Simon?
The Rocky and Rambo franchises are Stallone brands. They require Stallone to appear in them as a musclebound hero.
You could argue that it's undignified for him to keep these two tired old series going, but an unfair advantage? Don't see it.
13 - Lloyd Shaw
I believe the only flaw is in everyones perception of what Stallone has done wrong.
(a) Everyones hormonal profile drops after 35 , that is a scientific fact we must live with. No amount of hard-core training and top of the line supplements will stop the downward slid , but can delay it.
(b) If we are going to ask our bodies to operate at a higher level for longer periods with sometimes no retiring age , people are going to find hormone replacement an option. Anyone who thinks this will not soon be the norm is living in the dark ages and need a reality check.
(c) What our attention should be on is did Sly ABUSE prescription HRT drugs for a movie part. Note: Proper HRT should only take you T-level to 35 max , 9< being low enought to ensure a prescription. I would say Sly was not on Doctors orders and was upping the level over 100+ to get that kind of size for his age.
Putting himself and others at risk by promoting abuse is not ethical. And puts HRT under a dark cloud.
14 - sal m
lloyd:
good points...i agree with you.
there's no question that we're headed towards a time when hgh therapy will be more widely accessible. in the us the fda has approved myriad studies to investigate hgh use for a wide-range of uses.
you make a great point that if sly was receiving the normal clinical therapy doses he certainly wouldn't have put on 40 pounds.
15 - Chris Bancells
Does this whole thing smack of mid-life crisis to anyone else? It might as well be a sports car. What better way to relive the glory days of your youth than to buy some HGH and make sequels? If HGH does become more accessible over time, I don't think Sly is going to be the only one going this route. Just wait for the ultra-competitive softball or flag football leagues to break out. You think soccer moms are bad?
16 - nicole
Sly's use of hormones to look good for his movie is no more unethical than the hours of plastic surgery that actors use to maintain their image.
17 - sal m
incorrect! sly sells a line of nutritional supplements and has promoted these products as if they were/are responsible for developing his physique. this is not only unethical and hypocritical, but dishonest as well.
this is the equivalent of a celebrity who has undergone extensive cosmetic facial surgery endorsing a facial creme and makeup, saying these products help her look her best.
just because it happens in other areas doesn't make what sly did less unethical, and because some people accept this lack if ethics and honesty doesn't mean that everyone does/has to.
18 - myownmind
He's using what's availble to him to create an edge in a competetive world. If he obtained them with a legitimate prescription and broke no laws, then what's wrong with that?? Again.... I'm not endorsing illegal use of this stuff...but it sounds like he just wanted to do his JOB better so he could sell more tickets and hell, I liked the movie. Bravo Sly!!!
19 - Johnny E
Where is it stated that Stallone uses instone supplements to prepare for a movie role like Rocky or the new Rambo?
Is Harrison Ford driving a Lancia or is George Clooney only drinking Nespresso Coffee? Oh please! The marketing target groups are adults..
People that are that dumb should buy those products and imagine that they are those celebrities.
20 - sal m
Sly pimps his new supplement line in an article he wrote for muscle and fitness magazine.
Here's an excerpt from Sly:
"In my view, it makes no difference if you're an advanced fitness buff, or a beginner, reaching your goals is going to take more than empty promises. No one should ever follow the fitness advice, or buy health-related products, from anyone who can't prove to me, they've stuck to a healthy diet long enough, to get lean, or have, otherwise, exercised with the intensity and dedication it takes to create a better body ...
That's Why I Decided to Build a Health and Fitness Company That Would Speak to People Like You and Me.
You'll soon see that I'm not much different than you; we both want to build the best body we can, and enjoy health and vitality. Recently, I've put together a series of easy-to-use, educational DVD's that will show you where I'm coming from and how to stop wasting valuable time and money on fad diets, ineffective exercise routines, and over-hyped supplements, as well as get you on the fast track to a lean, muscular body."
21 - Dianna Trent
HGH and steroids are NOT the same thing. Sly uses and endorses vits & supplements, healthy eating, etc. If others want to do what he does, fine. The results are amazing! Just look at him even at 61! WOW!! But let's not forget that SLY DOES WORK OUT!! He doesn't just sit around and let vits & supplements, etc. do all the work. It's obvious that he WORKS at looking as good as he looks! He apologized for bringing HGH into Australia because he didn't know it was illegal THERE. Otherwise, what would he have to apologize for?!? DUH!!
22 - sal m
you're joking, right? a 61-year old guy doesn't put on 40 pounds of muscle as a result of using vitamins and supplements and from working out. furthermore, he used testosterone and hgh, and test is a steroid. if sly was using clinically prescribed doses of either hgh or test he wouldn't have put on that much weight.
23 - Bateman2k8
I agree that not admitting to taking growth hormone is not appropriate considering his line of supplements, HOWEVER, just because he uses them now to get a 60 year old frame ready for a big movie, doesnt mean he used them 20 years ago. I do not like how people take one thing and use to it attack everything else. Not all celebrities will use hormones, many millions of normal people who work out in gyms will not be using hormaones, yet get good results. It is down to diet and exercise and sometimes good genes that a good body is made, hormones etc will simply add to this. It seems like everyone has taken this point and used it to disprove diet and exercise do anything and that everyone who is big, must use steroids etc.
I just wish people would think about things in context and at a larger scale.
24 - sal m
when looking at the past 35+ years it clearly is keeping things in context to assume that great physical performances and physiques were aided/created by steroids and human growth hormone.
when a guy like stallone abuses these substances to prepare for a movie at 60-years old all bets are off as far as giving a guy the benfit of the doubt. keep in mind that the goal of hgh/testosterone therapy is NOT to put 40 pounds of muscle on senior citizens or people with abnormally low hgh/test levels, but to bring their levels back to normal.
hollywood has always abused drugs and cosmetic surgery - and will continue to do so - in the efforts to look young/stay young and work more.
25 - {E}
hollywood has always abused drugs and cosmetic surgery - and will continue to do so - in the efforts to look young/stay young and work more.
Thank you, and regardless people..... you have to be realistic; No matter what's being said or how much some lames envy Sly. The millions that are pouring into his account are gonna keep coming (HGH or no HGH). Do what you Do Sly.