POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: mitch777 on October 09, 2012, 04:59:15 pm
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hi,
i began androgel 5 gms. daily about a year ago for my severe fatigue (not wasting, although i am 5'10" 130 lbs which is my normal average weight .. and height, ha!)
free testosterone levels have remained in the 250-350 range.
no improvement on the fatigue front.
ID doc suggested that i try 10 gms. daily but now is thinking about sending me to an endrochronologist at Yale that specializes in hiv patients AND is talking about the shots. :P
i have read about the ups and downs with the shots as well as the shrinking balls :'(
(not a fan)
just was curious if anyone here has had significant success with the shots to improve the fatigue factor after failing results from the gel.
thanks loads! (pun intended)
mitch
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Hi Mitch . I think its great your doctor is sending you to a specialist , a specialist may be able to shed some daylight on your fatigue issues .
I have struggled with the same problems , but since everyone's body has their own reasons for the what we deal with and how we respond to treatment that might be were the similarity's end in our cases .
Androgel or testosterone shots didn't improve my fatigue issues and eventually caused me to have chronic prostate issues and bladder infections that came with longterm prostate issues . After getting off the hormones my levels quickly rebounded to about where yours are , and that's about normal for a man my age .
My endocrinologist absolutely refuses to use testosterone replacement in the absence of low testosterone labs for fatigue issues . She insist that the risk is too great because of my high cholesterol and triglycerides . She tells me my risk of heart attack or stroke is much higher for my age group if I were to use hormone replacement .
I'm not trying to scare you or imply our cases or outcomes would be the same but it is my opinion that hormone replacement for men has its advantages when needed , but should be considered with a critical eye before you choose to go that route . If you need the gel to stabilize your levels that's one thing but to go to the injections hoping to get relief for fatigue , I would definitely ask a lot of questions at my doctors visit before I went that route .
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Might be interesting if you ask some of these docs about Ritalin or Focalin. Obviously these have specific uses addressing attention deficit and what not. I suffered fatigue or lethargy a while after going off SSRI's, which I was on a couple of years. No doctor wanted to give me testosterone.
Went on Focalin a while back and wow it does provide an energy boost. Since it is somehow some sort of speed, right?
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thanks and yikes jg,
a little confused when you said "your levels rebounded AFTER stopping hormone therapy".
??
i would have thought that the levels would have dropped.
i am 53 and thought the normal range was quite a bit higher.
i also have cholestrol issues and had to stop Lipitor after about 10 years because it caused pretty bad muscle aches and weakness in my legs.
my ID doc said all statins have this side effect with some patients so now i only take red yeast rice and CoQ10.
muscle aches are gone, weakness remains, and cholestrol levels are still too high.
i didn't know testosterone was a factor in cholestrol levels.
lots to think about.
mitch
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thanks mecch,
more med questions to add to the mix.
getting older with hiv is SO much fun!
...better than the alternative.
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thanks and yikes jg,
a little confused when you said "your levels rebounded AFTER stopping hormone therapy".
??
I didn't know testosterone was a factor in cholestrol levels.
lots to think about.
mitch
What I meant was after I stopped the Androgel it took a month or two but my testosterone levels came back to normal on their own . Testosterone replacement treatment can have an adverse effect on triglycerides and cholesterol , so it can be a factor when deciding if its the right therapy for you .
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thanks for the clarification jg.
i would hope a good doc from yale will guide me to the best treatment route for all of my issues.
(i am pretty good with what i eat but will not reveal what's for dinner tonight out of sheer embarrassment!)
thanks sweetie.