Short answer: The Humatrope label sets a weekly dose by body weight for children, split into equal doses 6 or 7 days a week: 0.18 to 0.3 mg/kg/week for growth hormone deficiency, up to 0.375 for Turner syndrome, up to 0.37 for idiopathic short stature, 0.35 for SHOX deficiency and up to 0.47 for SGA. Adults inject daily, starting near 0.2 mg/day or at 0.006 mg/kg daily.
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 Humatrope is approved for: Humatrope is approved for children with growth failure from growth hormone deficiency, short stature with Turner syndrome, idiopathic short stature (height SDS below -2.25), short stature or growth failure in SHOX deficiency, or being born small for gestational age without catch-up growth by age 2 to 4. It is also approved to replace growth hormone in adults with growth hormone deficiency (section 1).
Source
HUMATROPE (somatropin) for injection, for subcutaneous use, prescribing information. Eli Lilly. DailyMed, version published September 2, 2026. DailyMed setid a774e1ae-3997-49ee-8b0e-99a2b315d409
Humatrope is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) in the back of the upper arm, abdomen, buttock or thigh, rotating sites regularly to avoid fat loss. It is left at room temperature for 10 minutes before the injection (section 2.1).
Each cartridge is mixed with the diluent syringe that comes with it and used only with its matching HumatroPen. It is not shaken, and the solution should be clear. A mixed cartridge keeps up to 28 days in the refrigerator (section 2.4).
Children: the weekly dose is divided into equal doses given 6 or 7 days a week. Adults: the prescribed dose is given daily (sections 2.2 and 2.3).
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 GH deficiency | 0.18 mg/kg/week to 0.3 mg/kg/week (0.026 to 0.043 mg/kg/day) |
| Turner syndrome | Up to 0.375 mg/kg/week (up to .054 mg/kg/day) |
| Idiopathic short stature | Up to 0.37 mg/kg/week (up to 0.053 mg/kg/day) |
| SHOX deficiency | 0.35 mg/kg/week (0.05 mg/kg/day) |
| Small for gestational age (SGA) | Up to 0.47 mg/kg/week (up to 0.067 mg/kg/day) |
| Adult GHD, non-weight based | Start approximately 0.2 mg/day (range, 0.15 mg/day to 0.3 mg/day); increase every 1-2 months by approximately 0.1 mg/day to 0.2 mg/day |
| Adult GHD, weight based | Start 0.006 mg/kg daily; increase to a maximum of 0.0125 mg/kg daily |
| Cartridge | Somatropin Concentration |
|---|---|
| 6 mg | 2.08 mg/mL |
| 12 mg | 4.17 mg/mL |
| 24 mg | 8.33 mg/mL |
In children, the dose is individualized based on growth response. If growth does not speed up, especially in the first year, the label calls for checking adherence and other causes such as hypothyroidism, undernutrition, advanced bone age or antibodies to growth hormone.
Small for gestational age: a larger starting dose (up to 0.067 mg/kg/day) may be considered in very short (height SDS below -3) or older pubertal children, with a gradual reduction if strong catch-up growth occurs. Children under 4 with height SDS between -2 and -3 may start at 0.033 mg/kg/day.
Humatrope for growth is stopped once the growth plates (epiphyses) have fused.
Adult dosing is adjusted by clinical response, side effects and age- and gender-adjusted IGF-1 levels. Maintenance doses vary a lot between people and between men and women. The weight-based regimen is not recommended for obese patients.
Older adults may start lower with smaller increases. Women and people taking oral estrogen may need higher doses. People treated as children whose growth plates have closed are re-evaluated before continuing as adults.
A mixed cartridge is not left at room temperature more than 30 minutes a day, is not frozen, and is kept away from light.
If somatropin-induced intracranial hypertension is diagnosed, Humatrope can be restarted at a lower dose once the signs have resolved.
The Humatrope label gives no missed-dose instruction. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist what to do if a dose is missed.
More on this: missed a dose of Humatrope.
In Dose Track you set up Humatrope 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.