Got Testosterone?

[Six Feet Under]

It's a simply fairly inexpensive test, so best to do it sooner then later. Good luck.

I know this is an old post I'm quoting, but I just got my insurance card in the mail the other day now that I have coverage through the PD.

Blood work done through Quest is free, so I'll call and schedule that soon.

[WillBrink]

An excellent new article by BrinkZone author Monica Mollica looking at the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on fat loss, metabolic syndrome, and other essential health related topics of TRT. A MUST read article for those interested in this topic.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) in Testosterone Deficient men – effects on fat loss, waist reduction and metabolic syndrome components

Testosterone deficiency in men, aka hypogonadism, is associated with increased total and abdominal fat mass, and reduced muscle mass, which negatively impacts body composition.[1, 2] This contributes to development of risk factors like insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and atherogenic dyslipidemia (a triad of increased blood levels of small, dense LDL particles and triglycerides, and decreased levels of HDL particles), which increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.[1, 3-16]

Previous studies have shown that testosterone replacement therapy ameliorates these risk factors in testosterone deficient (hypogonadal) men; it increases insulin sensitivity [17-20] and HDL (the “good” cholesterol)[9, 10, 20, 21], and reduces waist circumference [9, 20, 22], fasting blood glucose [9, 20] triglycerides (blood fats)[9], LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) [19, 22-24], and several inflammatory markers.[17, 25]

A 2011 meta-analysis concluded that testosterone replacement therapy improves metabolic control, as well as reduces abdominal obesity.[9] Many studies have shown that testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men increases muscle mass and reduces fat mass.[19, 26-32] Further, adding testosterone (50 mg/day for 1 year, administered as a transdermal gel) to a diet and exercise program results in greater therapeutic improvements of glycemic control and reverses the metabolic syndrome.[20]

Testosterone also has direct (non-obesity mediated) beneficial effects on many metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors [12, 33-37], and reduces death risk independently of body fat status.[38] In line with all these effects, low testosterone levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular complications [39], and all-cause and cardiovascular disease death [40-42]. Low testosterone may thus be a predictive marker for men at high risk of cardiovascular disease.[41] In a group of men aged 50-91 who were followed for 20 years, it was found that men whose total testosterone levels were in the lowest quartile (241 ng/dl or lower) were 40% more likely to die than those with higher levels, independent of age, adiposity, lifestyle or presence of cardiovascular risk factors.[38]

Thus, treatment of testosterone deficient men with testosterone has demonstrated considerable health benefits. Despite this, critics state that most of the studies on testosterone replacement therapy were too small. They also argue that the studies were of too short duration (most of them lasting 6-12 months), and that the long-term effects of testosterone on body composition are not known.

Two 5 year long studies were just published that addressed the duration and small study size shortcomings in previous research…

Cont:

http://www.brinkzone.com/mens-health...me-components/

[WillBrink]

I know this is an old post I'm quoting, but I just got my insurance card in the mail the other day now that I have coverage through the PD.

Blood work done through Quest is free, so I'll call and schedule that soon.

This is an ongoing thread, so all good.

[Rampy]

I get 300mg IM every 2 weeks of testosterone cypionate, for me it's extremely hard to wrap my mind around this & accept the fact I need the shot every 2 weeks and am dependent on it. Right now I'm 2.5 weeks late with the next one & not sure what I'll do. I can't do it myself as there is something about doing it in the thigh that I can't overcome & thus need somebody to stab me in the butt. It's a huge struggle for me to get the shot every 2 weeks.

[WillBrink]

I get 300mg IM every 2 weeks of testosterone cypionate, for me it's extremely hard to wrap my mind around this & accept the fact I need the shot every 2 weeks and am dependent on it. Right now I'm 2.5 weeks late with the next one & not sure what I'll do. I can't do it myself as there is something about doing it in the thigh that I can't overcome & thus need somebody to stab me in the butt. It's a huge struggle for me to get the shot every 2 weeks.

Read through this thread and this thread, for some potential help with those issues, such as using tiny needles more frequently and or other methods of delivering T, such as gels, etc. Take the time to read the threads (which contain a ton of intel on the issue), ask Qs if needed.

Good luck.

[Rampy]

Have read them thanks....I started out with the gel & then patch (s) and they did not bring my low T up enough to be therapeutic, thus went 200mg IM and then to 300mg every 2 weeks to achieve a therapeutic level. The smallest needle I can use is a 1 inch 20ga, everything else it's to slow as we have tried all viable options. My biggest problem is my inability to wrap my head around having to be dependent on the shot. I hate it, the feeling of weakness, vulnerability relying on a med and somebody to stick it n me. I've always been independent & now have to rely on not only somebody else but a drug....that is my major problem & as much as I want to accept what it is...

Read through this thread and this thread, for some potential help with those issues, such as using tiny needles more frequently and or other methods of delivering T, such as gels, etc. Take the time to read the threads (which contain a ton of intel on the issue), ask Qs if needed.

Good luck.

[WillBrink]

Have read them thanks....I started out with the gel & then patch (s) and they did not bring my low T up enough to be therapeutic, thus went 200mg IM and then to 300mg every 2 weeks to achieve a therapeutic level. The smallest needle I can use is a 1 inch 20ga, everything else it's to slow as we have tried all viable options.

If you read the threads closely, you'd see that's not the case. You can use 25g easily and even 30g (insulin needles) with a little knowledge on that, and 300mg every 2 weeks will be a sub optimal dosing schedule. If you feel below 20g is too slow (not clear what that means exactly) and you don't mind getting jabbed by that harpoon for the rest of your days (expect scar tissue to form BTW), that's up to you really.

My biggest problem is my inability to wrap my head around having to be dependent on the shot. I hate it, the feeling of weakness, vulnerability relying on a med and somebody to stick it n me. I've always been independent & now have to rely on not only somebody else but a drug....that is my major problem & as much as I want to accept what it is...

I don't know your medical reason for being in TRT, but for most, TRT is a lifetime commitment. Stop brushing your teeth, cavities happen and so forth. Just one more thing to incorporate into a schedule, and done. You learn to give your own shot, one less thing to be dependent on another person for.

Remember, you don't have to do anything in this life but die. I'd say the benefits of the TRT far outweigh the negatives overall, but it's still voluntary on your part.

[Rampy]

If you read the threads closely, you'd see that's not the case. You can use 25g easily and even 30g (insulin needles) with a little knowledge on that, and 300mg every 2 weeks will be a sub optimal dosing schedule. If you feel below 20g is too slow (not clear what that means exactly) and you don't mind getting jabbed by that harpoon for the rest of your days (expect scar tissue to form BTW), that's up to you really.

I've tried the 25g needle & the different Doc's, RN's and the pharmacist's I've talked to about it all advise against it, when I use a smaller needle it increases the injection time, causes more pain and actually have more T pushed out the IM site vs using a larger gauge needle and for whatever reason I bleed more. It's a mental thing for me doing it in the thigh, have been trying to quite hard to over come that & really do not understand why it's so hard for me...When I go to 3 weeks between shots my levels drop to low as the 3rd week is when I really taper down bad....but the 2nd week it's not as my last test was at 499.73 (Male = 241-827 ng/dL) 3 Oct & the blood was taken in the morning prior to the injection.

I don't know your medical reason for being in TRT, but for most, TRT is a lifetime commitment. Stop brushing your teeth, cavities happen and so forth. Just one more thing to incorporate into a schedule, and done. You learn to give your own shot, one less thing to be dependent on another person for.

Remember, you don't have to do anything in this life but die. I'd say the benefits of the TRT far outweigh the negatives overall, but it's still voluntary on your part.

Per my Doc she thinks it's due to 20 years in the military, then working fire/ems and all the stresses, abuse and bad habits that puts on the body. I'm with ya about one more thing to put into the scheduled and want to, it's just playing hell with wrapping my head around it & having to depend on the shot.

[WillBrink]

I've tried the 25g needle & the different Doc's, RN's and the pharmacist's I've talked to about it all advise against it, when I use a smaller needle it increases the injection time, causes more pain and actually have more T pushed out the IM site vs using a larger gauge needle and for whatever reason I bleed more. It's a mental thing for me doing it in the thigh, have been trying to quite hard to over come that & really do not understand why it's so hard for me...When I go to 3 weeks between shots my levels drop to low as the 3rd week is when I really taper down bad....but the 2nd week it's not as my last test was at 499.73 (Male = 241-827 ng/dL) 3 Oct & the blood was taken in the morning prior to the injection.



Per my Doc she thinks it's due to 20 years in the military, then working fire/ems and all the stresses, abuse and bad habits that puts on the body. I'm with ya about one more thing to put into the scheduled and want to, it's just playing hell with wrapping my head around it & having to depend on the shot.

If you feel it's working for you, and you're getting the the objective and subjective effects you wanted, then drive on.

[Averageman]

The biggest issue I seem to be having with this is getting a MD to listen. It would seem the two I have seen both are insistent on not prescribing T as a therapy. It makes no issue that now after a 1 1/2 year treatment for thyroid (Hashimoto's) and high Cholesterol, they refuse to address the T.
I have had a weight loss of 36 pounds after 6 months of strict dieting gotten my cholesterol well under control with levels of Triglycerides of 115, HDL at 51 and LDL at 121.
It would seem they wont consider the T therapy but are pushing me toward a sleep study and antidepressants, both of which I reject outright. I wonder why they refuse to address my mid 200 range T levels at age 52 as a cause of my lethargy and blah mood?
To say I'm a bit pissed that they wont even consider anything but sleep apnea or depression, is an understatement.