Short answer: The Genotropin label sets a weekly dose by body weight for children, divided into 6 or 7 injections under the skin: 0.16 to 0.24 mg/kg/week for growth hormone deficiency, 0.24 for Prader-Willi, 0.33 for Turner, up to 0.47 for idiopathic short stature and up to 0.48 for SGA. Adults start at about 0.2 mg/day, or not more than 0.04 mg/kg/week.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Genotropin is approved for: Genotropin is approved for children with growth failure from growth hormone deficiency, Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, being born small for gestational age without catch-up growth by age 2, or idiopathic short stature (height SDS of -2.25 or below with open growth plates). It is also approved to replace growth hormone in adults with growth hormone deficiency that began in adulthood or childhood (section 1).
Source
GENOTROPIN (somatropin) for injection, for subcutaneous use, prescribing information. Pfizer. DailyMed, version published August 6, 2026. DailyMed setid ffebf88b-d257-4542-9808-74d9b7167765
The weekly dose is divided into 6 or 7 subcutaneous injections. Genotropin must not be injected into a vein (section 2).
It may be injected in the thigh, buttocks or abdomen, rotating the site daily to help prevent fat loss under the skin. It is used only if clear and colorless (section 2.3).
The label says therapy should be supervised by a physician experienced in diagnosing and managing these growth conditions, and patients and caregivers are trained in proper use (sections 2 and 17).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Condition | Dose on the label |
|---|---|
| Pediatric growth hormone deficiency (GHD) | 0.16 to 0.24 mg/kg body weight/week |
| Prader-Willi syndrome | 0.24 mg/kg body weight/week |
| Turner syndrome | 0.33 mg/kg body weight/week |
| Idiopathic short stature | Up to 0.47 mg/kg body weight/week |
| Small for gestational age | Up to 0.48 mg/kg body weight/week |
| Adult GHD, non-weight based | Start approximately 0.2 mg/day (range, 0.15–0.30 mg/day); increase every 1–2 months by approximately 0.1–0.2 mg/day |
| Adult GHD, weight based | Start not more than 0.04 mg/kg/week; may increase to not more than 0.08 mg/kg/week at 4–8 week intervals |
In children, the dose and schedule are individualized based on growth response. Response tends to decrease over time, but a failure to grow faster, especially in the first year, calls for checking adherence and other causes such as hypothyroidism, undernutrition, advanced bone age or antibodies.
Treatment for short stature is stopped when the growth plates (epiphyses) are fused.
Small for gestational age: the label cites literature suggesting larger starting doses (e.g., 0.48 mg/kg/week) in very short (height SDS <–3) or older or pubertal children, with gradual reduction toward 0.24 mg/kg/week if strong catch-up growth occurs, and a lower start (e.g., 0.24 mg/kg/week) in younger children (about <4 years) with height SDS between -2 and -3.
Adult non-weight-based dosing is adjusted by clinical response and IGF-I levels, and lowered for side effects or IGF-I above the age- and gender-specific normal range. Maintenance doses vary considerably between people and between men and women.
Older adults may start lower with smaller increases, since they are more prone to side effects. Obese people are more likely to have side effects on the weight-based regimen. Estrogen-replete women may need higher doses than men, and oral estrogen may increase dose needs.
People treated for growth hormone deficiency as children whose growth plates have closed are re-evaluated before continuing at the lower adult dose.
If somatropin-induced intracranial hypertension is diagnosed, treatment can be restarted at a lower dose once the signs have resolved.
The doses of insulin or other diabetes drugs may need adjusting when somatropin is started.
The Genotropin label gives no missed-dose instruction. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist what to do if a dose is missed.
In Dose Track you set up Genotropin as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.