Men's Health Community

Hey jb !!!

I am 61 yo I began topical "T" gel for my extremely low "T" level of 18 !!! Normal levels are between 300 to 1,200. Using the gel for 6 months, my "T" level only went up to 325---VERY disappointing & the gel is extremely costly !!! I am a retired pharmacist, so I insisted that my doc prescribe the injectable IM "T" to me. He agreed & I began giving myself a weekly injection of "T" (every Thursday). Well, within 2 to 3 months, I feel EXTREMELY energized. My sense of well-being has shot thru the roof !!! I now WANT to get out & exercise 5 days a week (I ride 40 to 50 miles per day, 5 days a week). I have been on the IM "T" injections for about 6 months now & I've lost 75 lbs !!! I no longer take a cholesterol lowering med, & I no longer take high blood pressure meds (I was on 4 BP meds). Also, I no longer need my antidepressant med that I took for 8 years.
Your doctor is lying to you---plain & simple. You CAN be taught how to give yourself IM "T". IM "T" is NOT given to raise fertility !!! Do a search on low testosterone---IM "T" is the cheapest way to get "T" hormone replacement therapy for us old guys !!!

PLEASE do yourself a favor & tell your doc you want the IM injections---if he won't prescribe them, go to an Endocrinologist (specialist in male & female hormones) & he/she can help you.

Good luck & may God bless you.
Believe me---it's given my life back !!! I am a totally new man, with a zest for life & I feel GREAT !!!

By the way, my "T" level is now 950 !!! What is your level ???

Hey, Sweet Tim!

You seem to be having the benefits I was hoping to get from the patch, so I'm pursuing the IM route with my doc. My "total testosterone" is now at 360, normal being 240-950, and my guess is that he'll say there's no point changing the route, since "T" is "T" so long as it's absorbed, which is clearly the case for me -- my total T was 242 before I started on the patch.

As a pharmacist, you may be aware of studies showing greater clinical benefits from IM T versus topical forms, and if so I'd welcome a reference or two. I've read that vitamin B12 is poorly absorbed when given orally, for example.

I also hope the experts monitoring this discussion will offer insights.

Hey Mr, J. Russo:

Yes, your previous original "T" level of 242 was under the recommended level of 300 ro 1,200 (these are the normal ranges used by MY lab---& if you look it up on the internet, 300 to 1,200 is the usual range). I don't know where your lab got their ranges. It's common knowledge in hormone replacement circles, that if a man has LOW "T" levels & suffers from low energy, obesity, low sex drive, impotence, depression, osteoporosis, & just feeling unmotivated & uninterested in life & normal activities, that when they are administered "T" hormone replacement therapy, they won't feel the benefits of increased "T" levels unless they are in the upper level "T" levels. In other words, if you had a "T": level of only 242, you wouldn't feel a zest for life & increased sex life unless your "T" levels were around 700 to 800 !!! Merely raising your "T" level to a low of 360 wouldn't make you feel better mentally & physically. After all, 360 is only a bit above the low of 242 (according to your lab's values) (acccording to MY labs values of 300 to 1,200, 360 would still be extremely low !!!). In fact, my original "T" level was only 18 !!! With the topical "T" get use for 6 months, my "T" level only went up to 325---very close to yours---& I STILL felt horrible.

Of course, Vit. B12 isn't absorbed very well when it's taken orally. It's metabolized by the liver & the body doesn't receive much benefit at all. The only way Vit B12 can be absorbed in large amounts is by giving it through IM injections, or by doing what I do---by taking SUBLINGUAL Vit B 12 (you let a B12 tablet dissolve under your tongue). There are many blood vessels under the tongue that will absorb the Vit B 12 directly into your blood stream---exactly if you were to have Vit B12 injected IM, thereby bypassing the liver's circulation.

It's common knowledge that you CAN take "T" tablets orally (ask your doc), BUT they cause damage to your liver. So, the only way to effectively administer "T" is by topical application (using creams, gels, or patches with "T" in them), or by IM injections. IM injections are by far the most inexpensive & most effective way to administer "T". Your doctor seems to be content in just raising your "T" level to just SLIGHTLY above the bare minimum---but do YOU feel better ??? Then his use of "T" therapy is NOT working. In order for it to be REALLY working, you SHOULD feel much better physically & mentally---you need HIGHER "T" levels in order to have a better zest for life. Perhaps your doc (If he REFUSES to prescribe the injections) can increase your dose of your patch, or prescribe you the gel or cream, which you have to apply daily, BUT you CAN apply more until your "T" levels reach levels that make you feel like a "MAN" again.
Your doc does NOT seem really to be up on the most current methods of "T" hormone replacement therapy for men. It's not all that uncommon. Most docs who are not trained well think that is they simply raise their patient's "T" levels to the bare mimimum, that they will feel better---but that is NIOT the current belief in "T" replacement therapy specialists. If your doc tells you that he will NOT prescribe you higher topical "T" odses & won't prescribe you IM "T", then you MUST tell him/her that you want him'her to refer you to an Endocrinologist (hormone specialist), who specializes in male "T" hormone replacement therapy. Your doctor shouldn't mind doing so, as he doesn't seem to have a good grasp of how to treat your low "T" levels.

I hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Bit I would HIGHLY recomend going to a specialist who knows EXACTLY how to treat your low "T" levels. You own doc seems fearful in prescribing higher "T" doses or "T" injections, most likely because he doesn;t have much experience---but WHY should YOU suffer because of your doctor's inexperience & ignorance ???

SweeTim

Thanks, SweeTim, for your candid and informed response. In fairness to my urologist, I've yet to ask him to let me try IM "T" so it's premature to judge how he'll react. As you say, another option is to increase the patch dose, e.g., applying two patches in lieu of the one I'm now using. However, after a year on the patch, I'm getting skin reactions requiring a topical steroid to relieve the itch. I'll see how he reacts to my request for the IM form, and if he declines, I'll find an endocrinologist. Thanks again for your help.