HGH is also distributed through the Internet, often at a high cost and in some cases without physician supervision, according to the researchers. Various forms of HGH -- ranging from pills to sprays to injectables -- are sold to consumers at a cost of $200 to $1,000 per month. One Web site alone was estimated by the Federal Trade Commission to have generated more than $70 million in sales of pills and sprays purported to contain HGH or to stimulate its production. "Millions of dollars in profits are made off of useless pills and sprays like these," Perls said. "Pills with HGH are destroyed in the stomach, and because the molecule is too large to enter the blood stream via sublingual and nasal sprays, such products have absolutely no biological effect. You might as well be paying hundreds of dollars for sand and water."