Posted by ant-rock on October 19, 2002, at 16:25:53
In reply to Re: testosterone was a viable treatment, posted by jrbecker on October 18, 2002, at 11:41:47
> I was able to get an edocrinologist to prescribe me Androgel last year since I had a low-moderate T level. It ended up having a fairly good effect on my mood, completely vanquishing all of my atypical symptoms, and making me more focused and calm. And talk about getting in shape, it starts to change your physique almost immediately and really motivates you. You feel more full of energy, more confident. Yes, it really was that effective (and no, this is not an infomercial). As for T as a depression treatment, I have to say that it was mild to moderately effective, so I think that it makes a great candidate as an augmentation therapy for anyone with a lot of fatigue probs or high stress problems (T helps attenuate cortisol levels).
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> T gets a bad rap. In fairly low dosages it can be a great treatment, especially for depressed men. T abuse on the other hand (or taking T when you already have high endogenous levels) will also give you a depressed mood and a lot of agression to boot.
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> Personally, the reason I stopped taking it was because I feel like I'm fairly motivated without it these days and my psychopharmacological treatment is going fairly well by itself.
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> Doctors are loosening up these days about prescribing it. It used to be only for geriatric men, but many endos (not all) are now prescribing it to the larger population. It definitely wouldn't hurt to get checked out. Be honest in the consulation. Tell the doc you suffer from depression, anxiety, fatigue probs, etc, and ask him/her if you can get a blood test to see if your T count is somewhat low and if this might be a viable therapy option. Read the book the "Testosterone Syndrome" by Eugene Shipman to delve into the subject more.
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> Bottom line is that it's not a cure-all (as a lot of the hype out there will tell you), but it can be quite effective.
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> PS - T treatment can induce mania, so for you BPs out there, be cautious.Hi jrbecker,
Would you mind telling me what dose and how often you used the Androgel.
I have been trying this myself recently, but there isn't much info out there regarding it's use for depression.
Thank you for any info you can provide,Anthony
poster:ant-rock
thread:109458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021019/msgs/124281.html