No Magic in Testosterone Replacement Therapy

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I’m 51 years old. A once per month injection of testosterone changed my life. I had little sexual desire and weighed 195 pounds. Now I’m 168 pounds and my wife thinks I’m a porno star. My waist went from 36 to 31.5 and I’m stronger than I was at 25.

Kevin of SC 9:08AM March 21, 2013

I have been on testosterone replacement therapy for about 8 months and can tell you for a fact that it has been a godsend for me personally. I have dropped about 15 pounds and my complexion cleared up. I also wake up every morning with a raging hard-on, kind of like when I was 19. It's not a bad thing.
Like one of the other posters stated, DO NOT allow a regular doctor to treat you for low T. You need to do you own homework and find an enlightened endocrinologist, preferably someone who has an inquisitive mind and isn't afraid of continuing education on the subject of low T.
If you have low T there is a very good chance you have other conditions to go along with it, like high estrogen and a vitamin D deficiency. You may also have elevated glucose. I would highly recommend that any man over the age of 25 get their T levels checked during routine physicals. If you are anywhere near 300 have your doctor refer you to an endocrinologist. Do NOT allow them to play jack-of-all-trades and treat you with Androgel; have them refer you to a specialist.
Androgel will make you feel good for about three or four weeks, and then your body will crash when it stops producing natural testosterone and the replacement T converts to estrogen. You dick will go as limp as a wet noodle.

Bruce Barry of CA 12:01AM February 03, 2013

This is really superb and a bit astonishing....

robertpatrick of CA 5:01AM January 19, 2013

I found sometimes reasons for low T can be related to other things you are taking.
If you look at men in their 40's and 50's a lot of them are taking drugs for blood pressure and high cholesterol. My doctor had me taking Zocor even though my cholesterol was in the normal range and I was so fatigued that he tested my testosterone and it was low. I could not get doctor to admit there may be a connection. So I just stopped taking the Zocor to see if it made any difference.
And everything returned to normal. Although he still won't admit there is any connection. The way I feel was proof enough for me. I think sometimes the medical profession inadvertently causes many of our ailments. So I don't personally believe its all about aging.

Dave of OR 12:16AM September 13, 2012

What can a female do about lowL testosterone

Diane armstead of LA 3:01PM August 19, 2012

I think the key here is the "$47 Million Trial" being conducted after 35 years of study. Why validate the possibility of low T with a multi-million dollar study going on? Women have been dealing with the effects of hormone changes and the drug industry for years with great effort spent to keep the profits from their products safe. It is only logical that men could suffer from hormone changes that can effect their life dramatically. Twelve years and $47 million is a lot of time and money spent with little to no help for those men who could benefit from hormone therapy. While NISH and big pharma jockey for the $$$$$$$$$$ testosterone treatment will bring, it will be up to the aggressive, attentive physician to help those who need treatment now.

C.J. of DE 7:49PM July 17, 2012

Isn't it true that all males testosterone levels begin to drop a certain percent after about age 30? Obviously we all started out with different levels. So how can a man in his 40's, 50's, 60's etc have what is a normal level after the constant loss of testosterone for all these years. We are an experiment of one so even a male in his 50's with a level of 500 may be low as his young age level may have been 900. Does this make sense? My doctor said my level falls within the norm. The norm of who? I have all the symptoms of low t but she disagrees. Help!

Ted Samuels of KY 11:04AM July 10, 2012

Well, I have read several studies and what this artical indicates in the end paragraph doesnt seem factual. Personally, I exercised 4 times a week, ate extremely healthy and lived an active lifestyle when I was tested at almost 340 for a t level. However, I suffered fatigue and low motivation. I have been on the therapy for about 6 months and cannot say enough about how much better I feel. Its a life changer. I cant imagine the study coming back indicating anything different.

Wade of ID 5:02PM April 09, 2012

I agree that we need much more data from controlled clinical trials. However, we would not tell a 60 year-old man with a testosterone level of say 600, that this level is too high and should be reduced. So what is the harm in raising T level to those values in people who display symptoms possibly due to T deficiency even when they are still in the "normal range" of 300, and seeing how they respond? I would measure lean body mass and percent body fat as well as bone density. If those do not improve then therapy can be halted.
Yadon Arad MD

Yadon Arad of CA 2:47AM January 23, 2012

This story is only talking about men over age 65....what about men in their 40-50's?? And sexual disinterest isn't the only symptom - what about confusion, lack of confidence, inability to tackle normal tasks, sagging muscles, FATIGUE (not just "feeling tired")? There are others. Mid-sixties is the age when men ought to be slowing down and lower testosterone is normal for them, even healthy. But I think most of the men looking for testosterone replacement are younger, when lower levels interfere greatly with their quality of life. It's right to be aware and watchful of the negative effects of testosterone supplementation, but please don't make it sound like there is always a better way -- for some men, there isn't, and testosterone IS magic!

LisaDiane of NC 10:06AM October 10, 2011