Testosterone therapy

November 1, 2015

An Alternative to Testosterone Replacement Therapy

There are so many advertisements for low testosterone treatment with hormone therapy that it is almost impossible watch a football game on Sunday without hearing a soothing voice tell you how you can get rid of the normal signs of the male aging process by going to a so-called low T clinic.

You may be wondering why they are telling all men in and around their middle ages to get to one of these low T clinics instead of making an appointment with their primary care physician. There is a very good reason. The medical community is not convinced that testosterone therapy does anything for the majority of men who are taking the hormone. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved testosterone therapy in the early 1970s to treat a medical condition known as hypogonadism. This is a very rare disease that involves an extremely low production of testosterone. Continue reading

October 10, 2015

Risks Involved in Testosterone Replacement Therapy

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent article in the Herald-Review features a question and answer series between readers and a doctor who works with the media outlet. The main question asked in the latest issue involved the risks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The reader who asks the question is a 62-year-old man who is currently receiving testosterone replacement injections on a weekly basis.

The man said he has blood tests performed more than twice a year and, each time, all of his blood work comes back normal. He said he has no noticeable side effects from the testosterone hormone injections, but his temper is much shorter than it has ever been before. He said his doctor told him he is on Arimidex to lower his estrogen levels, and that testosterone injections are not harmful to him in terms of dangerous side effects. This reader said he wants another opinion, because he is fearful that TRT may cause a stroke. Continue reading

October 7, 2015

Endocrinologists’ Association Responds to FDA Testosterone Theory

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article from Medscape Multispecialty, the American Associate of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has just issued a position statement on the use testosterone replacement therapy. This is in direct response to United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning about how testosterone replacement therapy can have serious cardiovascular effects on patients.

AACE is agreement with FDA that more safety and efficacy trials are needed with respect to hormone replacement therapy. The association also has concerns with how studies in the past have been performed. Specifically, they are concerned that studies have not been sufficiently randomized and controlled to accurately determine causality between testosterone replacement therapy use and increased risks for cardiovascular disease. Continue reading

July 31, 2015

Testosterone Injections Shown Not to Help with Sexual Dysfunction

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

For years, testosterone replacement therapy has been marketed as the ultimate treatment for aging men who are experiencing weight gain, loss of muscle tone, fatigue, mild depression, erectile dysfunction (ED), and a reduced libido. In other words, they are marketing so-called Low-T treatments for men who are getting older. The problem is that these claims are not based on any scientific studies, and many in the medical community do not believe there is much benefit for patients who take the drug.

According to a recent news article from the Huffington Post, a four-month study found testosterone replacement therapy does not help with the alleged sexual side effects of having a lower than average testosterone level. Continue reading

July 22, 2015

Low T Study: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Doesn’t Fix Ejaculation Problems

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The number of men taking hormone replacement therapy has gone up by over 400 percent in the past 10 years. The main reason for this is not because more men have developed the relatively rare medical condition known as hypogonadism (the only FDA approved reason for testosterone hormone), but because the drug companies have spent a lot of money marketing the hormone regimen for men who are experiencing the normal signs of male aging.

These signs of normal male aging include loss of libido, weight gain, tiredness, muscle fatigue and mild depression, among others. The makers of testosterone replacement therapy drugs and the owners and operators so called “T clinics” are using testosterone for the off-label use of allegedly treating these “symptoms” of the normal male aging process. Continue reading

June 26, 2015

Testosterone Levels Vary Throughout the Day with Hormone Patch

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Testosterone replacement therapy is clearly a big money maker for the various pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the hormone. It has gotten to the point where you cannot watch a football game or NASCAR race without seeing more than one commercial for testosterone replacement hormone.

Testosterone replacement therapy hormone comes in a variety of forms, including injections, transdermal patches, gels, skin creams, sublingual films, and pills. They are heavily marketed to men who are experiencing the symptoms of normal male aging, including reduced libido, weight gain, loss of muscle tone, fatigue, and mild depression.

While the companies that make testosterone replacement therapy hormone say taking replacement hormone is essentially a quick fix for all of these symptoms or characteristics, many doctors are not so sure. The medical community is not sure what it means to have low testosterone and what is normal for aging men. They also do not know if there is any benefit to raising one’s testosterone level though taking hormone therapy, unless the patient’s levels are so low as to qualify for the rare disease of hypogonadism. Continue reading

June 21, 2015

Study: High Testosterone Linked to Diabetes, Prostate Enlargement

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Hoards of testosterone products have been heavily marketed to men in recent years, promising increased vigor, stamina and health. Drug manufacturers marketed these to males who reportedly suffered from “Low-T,” or an inadequate level of the hormone.

We are now learning the reality is not only are these drugs ineffective for that purpose, they may actually cause a substantial amount of harm.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara and published in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences indicates these drugs are linked to a markedly increased risk of diabetes and prostate enlargement.

June 14, 2015

Report: Testosterone Replacement Injections More Dangerous Than Gels and Patches

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

With the huge marketing effort to get every aging male on testosterone replacement therapy hormones, despite them generally not being medical necessary or even proven to be effective, it should come as no surprise the hormone come in a variety of different forms. Drug companies are aiming to make it more convenient for patients.

Testosterone replacement hormone comes in pills, skin creams, skin gels, transdermal patches, sublingual (under tongue) films, similar to breath freshening strips, and injections. While all forms of testosterone replacement hormone have been linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, according to a recent news article from Medscape Multispecialty, injectable testosterone has been shown to cause a higher risk of cardiovascular problems than other forms of the hormone, such as patches and gels.
Continue reading

May 15, 2015

Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Hypogonadism

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

This time of year, there are a lot of sports to choose from on television. With the NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing, NASCAR racing and a still new Major League Baseball season underway, many are heading to sports bars, which have enough screens to watch them all at once.

With all of these sports on television, it is almost impossible not to be subjected to a near constant barrage of commercials for testosterone replacement therapy drugs. These commercials tell men who are getting older and losing hair, gaining weight, feeling tired, suffering from mild depression and losing muscle tone (signs of normal male aging) their issues are really symptoms of having a low testosterone count. They can treat this “condition” by taking testosterone hormones, according to drug companies.

They have created a pretty compelling advertising campaign. What middle-aged man does not want to feel 20 years younger?

As it turns out, United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved testosterone replacement therapy drugs to treat aging, but rather a very rare medical condition known as hypogonadism. Patients who suffer from hypogonadism have under-functioning glands and do not promote enough of the hormone.
Continue reading

April 2, 2015

Testosterone Ads as Propaganda for Fake Disease

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In the last decade, marketing of testosterone replacement drugs has increased to astounding proportions. At this same time, sales of testosterone replacement therapy drugs have risen over 400 percent. These numbers certainly imply a causal relationship. What has not been demonstrated is any increase in the frequency of a very rare medical condition known as hypogonadism, which is the FDA approved reason for doctors to administer testosterone to patients.

The author of a recent article in Forbes believes these increased sales and marketing efforts is a result of a practice by the drug companies he called “disease-mongering.” The author looks how the slew of commercials during the news or live sporting events tells us testosterone hormone can help with a low libido, increase energy levels to where they were during our youth, and show healthy middle-aged men in the commercials. This trend, he says should be banned outright by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Essentially, drug companies and their respective marketing departments are trying to convince men that they go through what is equivalent to female menopause, and taking testosterone replacement drugs can help alleviate the symptoms.
Continue reading