Anyone doing Testosterone/Hormone Therapy or considered doing it? Would like to hear your experience or insight. Please only comment if you are informed on the subject. PM’s also welcomed.
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bump...

With all the middle age guys on this site, nobody has done Testosterone Therapy before? :-)
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I don't believe in messing around with nature.

From the mayo web site:
Potential benefits
* Improve muscle mass and strength
* Increase bone mineral density
* Thicken body hair and skin
* Improve sexual desire
* Boost energy
* Decrease irritability and depression
* Improve cognitive function

Potential risks
* Cause skin reactions
* Cause fluid retention
* Cause baldness
* Cause or aggravate sleep apnea
* Stimulate noncancerous growth of the prostate and cause or worsen urinary symptoms
* Stimulate growth of prostate cancer that's already present
* Enlarge breasts
* Stimulate growth of breast cancer that's already present
* Cause testicle shrinkage
* Limit sperm production
* Stimulate excess blood production
* Cause acne

Bald, with acne, small balls and big boobs is no way to go through life, son.
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I wouldn't condone taking steriods or HGH for someone under 30 or with normal Testosterone level, but what about when you're in you 40's with Testosterone that are 1/4 of what they should be?

How many of those side effects do we hear with every perscription commercial on TV? The side effects sounds worse the condition they are treating.

Stallone has been taking Steroids and HGH for almost 25 years and he looks real good for someone over 60 years old. Still has his hair, lol...
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I haven't taken any but my dad has been taking testosterone shots for years. I know it has helped his stamina and muscle mass.
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Care to provide more detail?
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I really don't know much more other than he started taking the shots when he was about 60 or so. He just turned 83 last week and is still going strong. Before he started taking them he was getting a bit of a belly and losing some muscle. He also didn't have as much energy.

I think he gets a shot either once a week or every other week. I will ask him to give me some more details.
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If Stallone juiced alot when he was younger, he probably can't produce it on his own anymore and needs the shots just to get to normal levels. Not sure if this is the case with him, but I know it is for guys like Canseco and others
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I looked into the facts a couple years ago, and decided the risks and side effects far outweighed the benefits. I would only consider it if I was having severe problems where the benefits might outweigh the side effects.
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My nephew is currently on testosterone therapy (almost 17, hadn't had a hint of puberty).

I also have known quite a few people from my athletic and lifting days who did their own forms of "therapy" and have studied the subject on my own back in the days when I was studying bioengineering.

Not exactly the hormone replacement therapy experience you're looking for, but feel free to PM me.

As a disclaimer, I am not a doctor or user, and I no longer am in the bioengineering field.
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HRT can be a great thing when done properly. Often doctors give too much or too little and often use crappy test. More often than not oral, which is trash.
Not enough research has been done with HRT done in the proper levels. Also I would like to see more research done with HGH.

Women have been using HRT for years to keep them in good health for years.

Most of those side effects are from high dosage levels, which are very rare in most cases. There are more side effects and potential health risks from having low testosterone.

Most doctors and medical professionals are anti male hormone. There is little or no research done regarding testosterone usage. It is considered more of a taboo thing in the medical field.
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Could not possibly agree more.
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Stallone juiced way before he hit 30. I would think HGH in the last 10 years.
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Part of my making this a thread is to open this discussion and perhaps show this as a viable treatment.

This is doctor monitored treatment that is a far cry from spot injection in the locker room at Golds, and it's not fake Test from a Pharmacy in Mexico. The clinics are not trying to make anyone Dorian Yates, and they do not cater to athletes. They bring your Test levels back to the high median value for your age group. According to them, your natural Test does not stop as your body is still within a normal range and you are already low, or you wouldn't be in treatment to start with.

Bloodwork test is around $300 and monthly Test injections run about $200-300. If you would like to know more, PM me. The place I am talking to (one of my best friends works there) is where Stallone and several other celebrities go there. No office visits are required and all drugs are mailed to you. I am still on the fence, but my friend has dropped about 10% in body fat in like a 2 months and has neve felt better at 39 years young.
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Maybe I missed the explanation earlier in the thread, but if they mail it how is it monitored? Does your regular doctor make sure all is good?
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Well, most primary doctors are at odds with this treatment. Just like most are at odds with our cigar use. The HRT is monitored via blood tests. Normally, one test a year is sufficient as they administer these drugs for a living and know what typical elevations will be based on the program they give you. That being said, you are always welcome to have additional tests done throughout the year.

Keep in mind that none of this is covered by insurance, but I may be able to sneak in the blood test for Test values with my physical, but my primary doctor is an arse.
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Moses, your insurance won't cover any of the prescription costs even if you are diagnosed with low test (male menopause)?
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I was getting depo-testosterone shots last year because my testosterone was very low. I'm supposed to still be taking the shots but I stopped. My vitamin D was very low, and there were a number of other things going on, especially joint pain.
It seemed to help a little.
Turns out all the joint problems and muscle pain that I'd suffered for years were a direct result of diet pop. I've since stopped drinking anything with aspartame in it, and my joints are slowly healing to the point where I'm nearly normal.
I'm going to have blood work done this summer, then have it done again this winter, compare the two and see where I'm at.
The reason for that is because I've always, since I was a kid, suffered from seasonal depression. It may just be a natural cycling that can be addressed easily, or it may have all been because of the aspartame.
When I get it all figured out I'll be thrilled. It's been a 2 year long process so far.
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I should also mention that the testosterone I was taking runs 50 bucks for 10mg, which is 10 months worth.
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On a related note, is there any value to the DHEA supplements?

This is supposed to be a natural precursor hormone, meaning it will help your body boost production of testosterone. It's not an anabolic steroid, so the affects are different, but when used as a nutritional supplement it is supposed to help get your hormone levels up to where they would normally occur naturally.
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