Testosterone Side Effects For Men

What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication

Keep testosterone enanthate injection in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light, excess heat and moisture . Do not refrigerate or freeze.

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

Testosterone Side Effects In Men

by kingsmen | Jul 19, 2022 | mens clinic |

Did you know that not all side effects are bad? In some cases, they can even be beneficial. For example, the side effects of testosterone in men can be positive and offer a number of benefits. According to studies, increased testosterone levels will have benefits such as increased lean muscle mass and strength, fat loss, suppression of body fat storage, improved bone density, and many more. However, there are also some negative side effects that come with this hormone. As with any other medication or supplement you take on a daily basis, its important to understand the potential downsides before jumping right into it. The good news is that most of them are quite easy to manage. Heres what you need to know about the side effects of testosterone in men

What Are The Side Effects of Testosterone?The positive side effects of testosterone in men can be extremely beneficial. Its been shown that testosterone can help build muscle mass and strength, leading to improved athletic performance and higher energy levels. It can also help with increased libido, better sexual performance, and overall sense of well-being. On the other hand, there are also some negative side effects that come with this hormone. Some of them include increased risk of heart disease and blood clots, increased risk of prostate cancer, hair loss, and risk of aggression and mood swings. The good news is that most of them are quite easy to manage.

Highs And Lows Of Testosterone Dosing

Creams, gels, buccal tablets, nasal spray , underarm solution , and patches are all easy to self-administer, but they have to be done daily.

You also run the risk of accidentally exposing women and children to contact with excessive amounts of testosterone.

Injections can last longer and dont present the contact problems these other methods do. However, irritation can occur at the injection site. You have to go to a healthcare provider or learn to inject yourself.

Some of the negative side effects of TRT are due to the highs and lows of testosterone dosage with conventional administration methods.

With testosterone injections in particular, testosterone levels can start off very high and then become very low before the next injection occurs. This can result in a rollercoaster-like series of changes in mood, sexual activity, and energy levels.

These high peaks of testosterone exposure can lead to testosterone being broken down and converted into estradiol, an estrogen. This excess estrogen can potentially lead to breast growth and tenderness.

Other side effects of TRT may include:

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Difficulty Achieving And Maintaining An Erection

Testosterone aids in achieving and maintaining an erection. It tells brain receptors to produce nitric oxide, which is a molecule that helps trigger a series of chemical reactions necessary for an erection to occur.

When testosterone levels are too low, you may have difficulty achieving an erection before sex or having spontaneous erections, such as during sleep.

However, research is inconclusive on whether testosterone replacement therapy can successfully treat erectile dysfunction. In a 2016 review of studies that looked at the benefit of testosterone in men with erection difficulties, showed no improvement with testosterone treatment.

Other health conditions can often cause erectile difficulties. These include:

When Should You Consider Testosterone Treatment For Ed

If youve had trouble having erections for three months, talk to your doctor. He or she will ask about all your symptoms and give you a physical exam. Symptoms of low testosterone can include less of a sex drive, loss of body hair, breast growth, needing to shave less often, a drop in muscle size and strength, and bones that break more easily.

If you have some of these symptoms, your doctor may have you get a blood test to measure your testosterone levels. The blood test should be done more than once. It is best to do it in the morning when testosterone levels are highest.

If the tests show that you have low testosterone levels, your doctor should look for possible causes. For example, the low levels might be caused by a problem in the pituitary glands.

If no other cause is found, you can try testosterone treatment.

This report is for you to use when talking with your health-care provider. It is not a substitute for medical advice and treatment. Use of this report is at your own risk.

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How Testosterone Can Be Taken

Testosterone can be taken in the form of injection, topical cream, tab under the tongue, or can be improved by increasing natural production with medications such as HCG. Testosterone cypionate is given by injection into the buttock or thigh muscle as directed by your doctor, usually once to twice weekly. Do not inject this medication into a vein . Your dosage is based on your medical condition, testosterone blood levels, and response to therapy.

When You Need Testosterone Treatmentand When You Dont

Most men have problems with erections from time to time. But some men have erectile dysfunction, or ED. This is when it is difficult to get or keep an erection thats firm enough for sexual intercourse.

If you have ED, you may think that testosterone treatment will help. Testosterone is a male sex hormone. After age 50, mens levels of testosterone slowly go down and ED becomes more common. But unless you have other symptoms of low testosterone, you should think twice about the treatment. Heres why:

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How Is Low Testosterone Treated

Testosterone deficiency can be treated by:

• Intramuscular injections, given anywhere from two to 10 weeks apart
• Testosterone gel applied to the skin or inside the nose
• Mucoadhesive material applied above the teeth twice a day
• Long-acting subcutaneous pellet
• Testosterone stick

Each of these options provides adequate levels of hormone replacement however, they all have different advantages and disadvantages. Talk to your doctor to see which approach is right for you.

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What If I Decide To Discontinue Testosterone Treatment

If you wish to discontinue testosterone therapy, we will help you do it safely. It is important to avoid abrupt discontinuation. In such cases, it may take time for your body to begin producing adequate testosterone again, and withdrawal reactions may occur. To prevent withdrawal reactions, your doctor may reduce your dose gradually and use other medications to stimulate your natural production. Consult your doctor for more details, and report any withdrawal reactions immediately.

What Are The Benefits Of Masculinizing Hormone Therapy

Masculinizing hormone therapy can improve your overall well-being by helping to align your physical body with your gender.

Depending on your treatment goals, masculinizing hormone therapy can:

• Allow you to experience gender congruence, a feeling of comfort in your gendered body.
• Improve your psychological well-being and mental health.
• Increase your sexual satisfaction.

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Understand The Potential Risks And Consider Alternatives Before Boosting Your Hormones Indefinitely

Millions of American men use a prescription testosterone injection or gel as forms of testosterone replacement therapy to restore normal levels of the manly hormone. The ongoing pharmaceutical marketing blitz promises that low T treatment can make men feel more alert, energetic, mentally sharp, and sexually functional. However, legitimate safety concerns linger. For example, some older men on testosterone replacement therapy could face higher cardiac risks.

“Because of the marketing, men have been flooded with information about the potential benefit of fixing low testosterone, but not with the potential costs,” says Dr. Carl Pallais, an endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Men should be much more mindful of the possible long-term complications.”

How Do I Store And/or Throw Out Testosterone Transdermal Patch

• Store at room temperature. Do not freeze.
• Store in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom.
• Store in pouch until ready for use.
• Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets.
• Throw away unused or expired drugs. Do not flush down a toilet or pour down a drain unless you are told to do so. Check with your pharmacist if you have questions about the best way to throw out drugs. There may be drug take-back programs in your area.

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What Are Warnings And Precautions For Testosterone

Warnings

Serious pulmonary oil microembolism reactions, involving urge to cough, dyspnea, throat tightening, chest pain, dizziness, and syncope reactions and episodes of anaphylaxis reported during or immediately after administration of testosterone undecanoate injection may occur after the first dose

Observe patients for 30 minutes in a healthcare setting to provide immediate medical treatment in event of serious POME reactions or anaphylaxis

Because of the risks of serious POME reactions and anaphylaxis, testosterone undecanoate is available through a restricted program under evaluation and mitigation strategy called the Aveed REMS Program

This medication contains testosterone. Do not take Aveed, Depo-Testosterone, Delatestryl, or Testopel if you are allergic to testosterone or any ingredients.

Keep out of reach of children. In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to this hormone or formulation components
• Cancer of breast or known or suspected carcinoma of the prostate in men
• Severe cardiac, hepatic, or renal disease
• Women: Pregnancy or prospect of pregnancy

Effects of Drug Abuse

Short-Term Effects

Gynecomastia.

Cardiovascular Risks

Edema

Healthy males with delayed puberty

• Monitor bone maturation by assessing bone age of wrist and hand every 6 months
• May accelerate bone maturation, compromising final adult height

Pregnancy and Lactation

How Do I Find Out If I Have Low Testosterone

The only accurate way to detect the condition is to have your doctor measure the amount of testosterone in your blood. Because testosterone levels fluctuate throughout the day, several measurements will need to be taken to detect a deficiency. Doctors prefer, if possible, to test levels early in the morning, when testosterone levels are highest.

Note: Testosterone should only be used by men who have clinical signs and symptoms AND medically documented low testosterone levels.

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Testosterone Converts To Estrogen And Then Feeds Back To The Brain To Reduce Testosterone Production

Gynecomastia is an unusual side effect associated with testosterone replacement therapy that has been traditionally treated with surgery, radiation, or discontinuation of testosterone supplementation. We report here our experience with two cases of gynecomastia in men undergoing TRT who were successfully treated with the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole.

Another potential side effect of testosterone therapy is testicular shrinkage. This happens when your body sees that you have enough testosterone due to testosterone therapy and begins to make less which causes the testicles to get smaller. This can easily be treated with HCG or clomid because these medications increase your natural production. HCG and clomiphene stimulate your body to produce more testosterone.

No adverse effect was identified after treatment. We conclude that hCG injection may be considered as a treatment for PADAM

A Good Trt Professional Will Keep You From Experiencing The Side Effects Of Too Much Testosterone

Too much testosterone can have side effects, certainly. But if a desire for increased libido, energy levels, decreased body fat, and overall improved quality of life have prompted you to look into Testosterone Replacement Therapy, its important to note that TRT that is done right the way Testosterone Centers of Texas does it for meis focused on reducing or even eliminating the chances of those side effects and effectively treating them should they arise. TCT helped me find the perfect level of testosterone, and I know they can do the same for you.

Tom Steele

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Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

In similar fashion to the potential increased risk of prostate cancer, it has long been postulated that TRT results in increased prostate volume and worsening due to benign prostate hyperplasia . Current literature has thus far been heterogeneous, yet tends to demonstrate that TRT does not worsen LUTS and may actually improve symptoms in some cohorts.

One randomized controlled trial of 46 men evaluated the effects of intramuscular T administration on LUTS in men with known BPH . A significant decrease in International Prostate Symptom Score scores compared with baseline was observed in the group of 23 men who received TRT , however no difference was observed in the control group . Additionally, compared with baseline, the TRT group was found to have significantly improved maximum urine flow rates and voided volumes whereas no differences were observed in the control group.

A prospective study of 120 men with TD receiving TRT observed that men who experienced improvement in symptoms had significantly higher baseline American Urological Association Symptom Index scores than those who experienced no change or interval worsening in symptoms . Overall, 55 men reported a less than three-point change in AUASI relative to either worsening or improvement of LUTS 38 men had improvement in AUASI of three or more points, while 27 men had worsening of AUASI of three or more points. Nine men initiated a new medication for treatment of LUTS during the course of the study.

Influence Of Testosterone On Red Blood Cell Count

Testosterone leads to an increase in hemoglobin by as much as 5-7% through its effect on the production of erythropoietin, which can dramatically improve symptoms of anemia in men.

Studies looking at the occurrence of polycythemia as a negative side-effect in men on testosterone therapy are rare. Despite this, polycythemia is an accepted side-effect of TRT. While testosterone exerts a positive effect in men with baseline anemia, it can lead to polycythemia in over 20% of men treated on TRT. Polycythemia may lead to an increased incidence of vascular events, including stroke, myocardial infarction and deep vein thrombosis with possible pulmonary embolus. While these complications are all possible with polycythemia, their theoretical occurrence has not been demonstrated to occur in men on TRT.

Because of this risk of polycythemia, men undergoing TRT should not only have their complete blood count monitored during their therapy, but should also have a baseline CBC drawn before testosterone therapy is initiated. While on testosterone therapy, if the hematocrit rises greater than 54%, testosterone therapy should be held until the HCT normalizes. If it is restarted after normalization, it should be performed so at a lower dose with continued careful monitoring.

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What Are Side Effects Associated With Using Testosterone

Side effects of testosterone include:

• Excessive frequency and duration of erection
• Enlarged breasts in men
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What Are The Alternatives

On top of doctor-prescribed medication, there are “pills, boosters, herbal supplements,” Arginmax, TESTRO-X, BioXGenic and Cellucor available without a prescription and are even less regulated, to the point where it can’t even be determined if they contain testosterone at all. “We don’t know if it works or fake. There are so many advertisements, there are so many supplements, but who is regulating the supplements? Nobody,” said Akturk, who recently published a study suggesting that “adrenal supplements” marketed as testosterone available at any local pharmacy or health store may contain unsafe ingredients.

Men hoping to increase their testosterone naturally are in luck. Low-T also strongly negatively correlates with obesity . Although the relationship is unclear, studies have shown that diet and exercise raise testosterone levels as much as artificial injections.

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