testonterone treatment

avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
With all the macho men on here I doubt I'll get an answer but just on the chance there is a senior citizen out there, has any one ever gone through it? 2 weeks ago I had some routine blood work done and I asked my doc to have them check my testosterone because I'm not a young man any more and it had never been checked.

Well the results came back that I was on the low side of normal and he gave me the option of getting treatment or not. Treatment would be an injection once every 3 weeks or daily application of a lotion. I read that 70% of men opt for the injections because the lotions are too messy. My daughter works in a doctors office and gives these injections quite frequently and she says that her patients do experience a major increase in energy.

I think most of us think that the treatment also increases sexual prowess. I told one of my favorites about it yesterday and she said that I didn't need it but wanted to experience the results. I think I could definitely use a boost in energy even if it does not increase my sexual prowess.

I am curious about side effects and results if anybody has any.

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avatar for Caprisun69
Caprisun69
10 years ago
what is testonterone??? is that for ebola???
avatar for Mate27
Mate27
10 years ago
U should try clomid first before doing any treatments. It stimulates the pituitary to send the signals to your testes to make more testosterone. I believe it is a safer alternative to treatments, yet unknown for men as clomid is usually use for women to get pregnant. Now men are using it to increase sperm production and testosterone.

Even though I'm not a senior, my friends and I have gone to different doctors and its been common to have this prescribed to increase testosterone and sperm to increase odds of pregnancy. Think about it as an option even though I doubt you're in the market for a child.
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
10 years ago
Meta72 - not a good idea for me.
"The bottom line is that Clomid has been used extensively by several off label and even non-legal users and all have found it to be reasonably well-tolerated with low side effects for short term use. NOTE: Clomid does not always work. For reasons not really understood, Clomid will have a negligible effect with some patients.

CAUTION: Many men now want to use Clomid long term. Talk to your doctor, but I think this is unwise for a variety of reasons that I go into detail about in my link on Your Risks with Long Term Clomid Usage. Below I give a quick summary, though, of the issues involved:

1) Vision. A surprisingly common side effect of Clomid is blurred vision. Is this drug doing some kind of subtle long term damage within the eye that we do not understand yet? We just don't know. However, cases of spontaneous retinal thrombosis (clotting), spasms and detachment have been reported. This is such a potentially major long term issue that I have created a page called Clomid and the Risk to Your Long Term Vision. on the subject.
etc."
avatar for Mate27
Mate27
10 years ago
True. Definitely only a short term solution yet I think your best long term solution will be acceptance. All treatment plans have some sort of serious side effect, so pick your poison. Thanks for the insight.
avatar for gawker
gawker
10 years ago
I, too, test on the low side of normal when tested for testosterone. However there are several different kinds of tests and results vary. I've read research which indicates increased cardiac problems with testosterone injections and another that showed decreased cardiac problems. I've discussed it with my cardiologist and he says not yet. Even though I have difficulty ejaculating, my old friend Viagra puts lead in the pencil and my libido is fine.
On the other hand I'm always looking for improvement and am still considering testosterone replacement therapy of some sort. Sometimes my dick gets hard and other times it gets HARD, where my ATF will ask if I had a steel Rod implanted.
I'd be interested in what you end up doing if anything and the results.
avatar for SlickSpic
SlickSpic
10 years ago
Only thing I know bout TRTis that it ain't allowed anymore in the UFC.

@Shadow-You thinking bout getting back into the fight game? If so, can I be your cut man?
avatar for bubba267
bubba267
10 years ago
My doc is not a fan, when T is in the lower normal range. He says too many potential negative side effects, especially when there aren't many symptoms right now. Good luck and keep us posted if you go for it.
avatar for jackslash
jackslash
10 years ago
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
avatar for sailmd
sailmd
10 years ago
Shadow- If you are in the low normal range it is not going to give you any benifit. It does not help erection function- but we have the Viagras of the world to help with that if need arises. It can improve your sex drive if its is lacking- but no one on this forum suffers from that. It does not help stamina during the act. Now it does have some non sexual effects such as raising blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol as well as fertilizing any prostate cancer that may be starting- and remember 1 out of every two of us will;l have prostate cancer by age 78. Overall the bad effects outweigh any good unless you are body builder or have true very l;ow testosterone with symptoms. I am just not prescribing it very often.

PM if more info if specific history
avatar for sailmd
sailmd
10 years ago
Shadow- If you are in the low normal range it is not going to give you any benifit. It does not help erection function- but we have the Viagras of the world to help with that if need arises. It can improve your sex drive if its is lacking- but no one on this forum suffers from that. It does not help stamina during the act. Now it does have some non sexual effects such as raising blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol as well as fertilizing any prostate cancer that may be starting- and remember 1 out of every two of us will;l have prostate cancer by age 78. Overall the bad effects outweigh any good unless you are body builder or have true very l;ow testosterone with symptoms. I am just not prescribing it very often.

PM if more info if specific history
avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
10 years ago
I’ve watched various reports w.r.t. hormone therapy either for men or women - some patients and some docs swear by it and even may consider it a fountain of youth; but it seems there is not consensus and the potential side-effects may be serious.

I’d say if one was way below normal, and there may not even be consensus on what “normal” is; then it may be worth the risk if the low-T seriously affects their daily life.

Many of us whom are not in our 70s often suffer from low energy and drive due to several factors (stress; not enough sleep; poor diet; no exercise).

I try to hit the gym about 3x/wk and def notice a difference mentally and physically when I am working out and eating well (where eating well means eating super-foods high in nutrients not just eating less).

I think if one exercise regularly and eats healthy regularly; they’ll have much more energy and it may even naturally increase their T.
avatar for SlickSpic
SlickSpic
10 years ago
@Shadow-Although not on the level of TRT, you might get some benefits from Codyceps mushrooms and Tribulis Terrestis(herb). Both are available in pill form and I've found that they gave me a little extra energy when I use to spar often. TT is an herb from Bulgaria. Both are legal. You won't get the boost that you would from steroids but it's something.
avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
10 years ago
Just b/c something is an herb or “natural” does not mean it can’t have side-effects.

I was taking some supposedly natural multivitamins a while back and they made my liver enzymes elevated above the normal range (I discontinued the multivitamins and my levels came back down to normal).
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
10 years ago
I've also heard that injections of B12 can increase energy but can't substantiate that on the web.
avatar for SlickSpic
SlickSpic
10 years ago
@PC-Very true. I was speaking from my own experience and how my body is.
avatar for Otto22
Otto22
10 years ago
I began receiving testosterone shots about 4 months ago. Would have taken them a long while ago but I had prostate cancer 4 years ago and my urologist thought I should wait until I had undetectable PSAs for 3 years. Get the shots every two weeks and I do think I have increased energy and improved mood. Never had any problems with libido or ED but think the shots may help me get better muscle tone as well. Considered the rub-on gels but they cost $390 per month and are not covered by medicare. Shots are covered and my out of pocket is about $4 per shot. Good luck, Shadow! PM me it you have additional questions.
avatar for Ironcat
Ironcat
10 years ago
Shadow, I have been using the androgel1.62% for the past 5 years and swear by it. I also exercise 5 days a week (lifting and cardio) as part of my job (Personal Trainer) at age 62. I hold a PhD in Human Physiology, so I researched this before I committed. My doctor monitors my PSA, cholesterol, liver enzymes, etc. every 6 months and so far no problems. I never have to get up and piss in the middle of the night so I know that I don't suffer from even benign prostate issues (which is a potential side effect). On the plus side I have lost body fat, added lean muscle (benched 350 at a body weight of 205), definitely see a boost in my sex drive, etc. YMMV but this is what I have experienced. There are people who are termed "non-responders" in any treatment so I do not claim that your experience would be the same as mine, but I am definitely a responder.
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
10 years ago
Ironcat - Thanks for your input. Unfortunately I do suffer from BPH and take Flomax for it. I also have chronic bronchitis(COPD) and only have 45% of normal lung capacity for which I take inhalers. I don't want to make either ailment worse by the use of any testosterone treatment. My libido is just fine and Viagra is doing it's job. So I think I'll just forget the idea.
avatar for rockstar666
rockstar666
10 years ago
I use Fortesta gell. The good part is you'll have more erections, especially at night, and you'll perform better in general. The bad news is it's a little expensive ($200 for 3 months), can cause acne and there's lots of warnings about stroke dangers. I've used it a few years and overall I think the plusses outweigh the minuses. At least until I have a stroke!
avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
10 years ago
When I lived in Dallas; I used to listen to a good radio show about health and nutrition called “Healthy by Nature”.

The radio host is a well-respected nutritionist and focuses on natural therapies – and the host always interviews well-known doctors whom are experts in their field.

The link below is an MP3 audio of a past radio show where she interviewed a doctor whom is an expert in the area of testosterone and wrote a book on the subject.

The MP3 audio is about an hour long – you can listen to it if you wish and see if it’s something that you find interesting and can learn a bit from:

http://www.hbnarchive.com/2014/012514.mp…
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