Additional reading
If you're interested in reading more about idiopathic short stature, or the psychological effects of being "different," you may find some of the following books helpful.
Dorothy Briggs. Your Child's Self-Esteem. NY: Doubleday, 1975. Available in paperback and at public libraries. For parents interested in finding ways to help their children feel good about themselves.
Selma Fraiberg. The Magic Years. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1959. Available in paperback and at public libraries. A classic book on "understanding and handling the problems of early childhood." Although it does not deal with short stature specifically, it is useful in gaining understanding of how young children think, and may help you deal with the problems a young child with a growth disorder can have.
Human Growth Foundation (HGF). Series of booklets designed for
parents on the following topics: Short & OK: A Guide for Parents of
Short Children; Patterns of Growth; Growth Hormone Deficiency; Growth Hormone Treatment: What to Expect; Turner Syndrome;
Achondroplasia; Intrauterine Growth Retardation.
These titles are available from HGF by writing to 997 Glen Cove
Avenue, Glen Head, NY 11545, or by calling 1-800-451-6434.
Kate Phifer. Growing Up Small: A Handbook for Short People. Middlebury, VT: Paul Eriksson, 1979. Available in hardback. Addresses how parents and others can help children understand, cope with, take advantage of, and maybe even cure short stature.
Kate Phifer. Tall and Small: A Book About Height. NY: Walker and Company, 1987. Available in hardback. A book about normal growth and puberty and variations from the normal pattern of development. Aimed at the middle- and high-school audience; contains tips for handling school and peer problems related to height.
Shel Silverstein. The Missing Piece. NY: Harper and Row, Publishers,
1976.
Available in paperback and at public libraries. This children's book
(for all ages) is about a wheel that's missing a piece and how it learns
to feel good about itself even though (or because) it is different from
other wheels.
Peter Spier. People. NY: Doubleday Publishing, 1980.
Available in paperback and at public libraries. This book for 4- to 8-year-olds
helps them learn about differences and similarities among people.
James Tanner. Fetus Into Man: Physical Growth from Conception to Maturity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978. Available in hardback. A brief and understandable account of human physical growth; highly recommended for the interested parent.
James Tanner and Gordon Taylor. Growth. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life
Publishers, 1980.
Available in hardback; may be available in public libraries. One volume
in the Time-Life Science Library; very readable.
The above list was taken from Growing Children. (Click here for a downloadable copy of Growing Children.) Genentech is not responsible for, and does not necessarily endorse, the opinions or products presented in these publications.
WHO IS NUTROPIN FOR?
Nutropin® [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] and Nutropin AQ® [somatropin (rDNA origin) injection] are human growth hormone, available by prescription only.
Doctors prescribe Nutropin for children and teenagers with growth failure who:
- do not make enough growth hormone on their own
- have chronic renal insufficiency—a slow loss of kidney function—and have not had a transplant
- have Turner syndrome
- are not likely to grow to their potential adult height, as determined by a doctor, and whose bones are still able to grow
Doctors prescribe Nutropin for adults who:
- have growth hormone deficiency that started either in childhood or as an adult due to brain surgery, radiation therapy, trauma, or diseases of the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus.
Your doctor will test to see if growth hormone is right for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Nutropin and your safety:
Please read this important safety information carefully. Then, if you have any questions, talk with your doctor.
Nutropin is NOT for:
- children and teenagers whose bones have finished growing
- patients who have certain types of eye disease caused by diabetes
- patients who have active cancer or any brain tumors
- patients who are critically ill after open heart surgery or abdominal (stomach) surgery, are severely hurt, or have severe breathing problems
- children and teenagers who have Prader-Willi syndrome and are very overweight or have trouble breathing
If any of these apply, talk to your doctor before you start taking Nutropin.
If you are about to start taking Nutropin, or are already taking it, be sure to tell the doctor who prescribed it:
- about ALL of the medications you are taking, including supplements
- if you have or develop a brain tumor
- if you are given any new medication—especially cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone, triamcinolone, or betamethasone
- if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant
- about ANY other condition or illness you have or develop
What are the possible side effects of Nutropin?
You may experience discomfort, soreness, or redness where Nutropin is injected.
Contact your doctor immediately if you experience:
- ongoing injection site discomfort
- curvature of the spine (scoliosis)
- joint pain
- puffy hands and/or feet (caused by fluid retention)
- changes in vision, a bad headache, or nausea with or without vomiting
- hip or knee pain
- a need to limp when you walk
- pain in wrist (carpel tunnel)
- allergic reaction
Be sure to inject Nutropin at a different recommended place on your body each time. Your doctor or nurse should supervise the first injection and provide training and instruction.
Your doctor is your primary source of information about your treatment.
Please see the full Prescribing Information, also available from your pharmacy.
