Low Testosterone can be diagnosed if you have 3 or more of the following symptoms:
When men age, testosterone production normally declines which causes them to lose their ability to have sex without ED medications, experience aging of their body losing muscle and gaining belly fat, developing diseases of aging including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, joint damage and autoimmune diseases. Testosterone keeps us young and healthy when we are under 40, and as it declines we must replace it if we want to stay healthy.
There are two places that pellets are placed in men: upper outer hip and love handles.
It takes about 2-4 weeks to get the full effect. Pellets must be re-inserted every 5-7 months to prevent symptoms from re-occurring.
Once prostate cancer has been diagnosed, the cancer cells in the prostate are completely different from the benign prostate cells that were there before, so it is recommended that men refrain from replacing testosterone if there is prostate cancer present. However, if a man has had prostate cancer that is completely removed surgically, and no longer has any prostate cancer cells, we feel that it is then a choice to be made by the patient and his doctor. If cancer is metastasized, we don’t advise replacement of testosterone, in any form.
Bio-Identical Pellets are the pure hormone, testosterone, that is dissolved and absorbed directly from the pellet to the blood stream. Bio-Identical Pellets are not immediately converted to the byproducts (Estrone/DHT), which can cause prostate swelling, hair loss, belly fat and a requirement for more and more testosterone. Pellets do not have that issue. Other forms of testosterone are delivered in a form that causes blood levels to rise and fall drastically between dosing. Pellet dosing is performed 2-3 times per year.
Bio-Identical pellets will usually shrink the prostate. There are exceptions to this rule, but this is our experience.
Yes, they will to some extent. Testicles shrink normally with age, as they provide less and less testosterone. As the pellets take over the supply of testosterone, testicles are not producing as much as usual, so they get smaller. This is not a permanent change, and there are medical methods to stimulate the testicular size, but it is cosmetic and not necessary to be healthy.
That depends on how obese you are at the beginning of treatment as well as how much you exercise, your diet, and how often you workout with weights. Without testosterone replacement this transformation would not be possible even with the perfect diet and exercise.
No. You will use up the testosterone more quickly because your liver is activated to metabolize testosterone with the same enzymes that metabolize alcohol and drugs. Marijuana increases prolactin, the hormone that increases breast size in men and women. Prolactin not only decreases your testosterone level but decreases your sex drive, ejaculatory function and sexual stamina. It is expected that if you take testosterone, and use alcohol and marijuana in excess that you decrease your use of both drugs.
Yes, in most cases it will. It also increases insulin sensitivity which will decrease triglycerides and stabilize blood glucose. It will improve the overall status of your diabetes. In men who have had many years of diabetes—especially without good control—the vessels in the pelvis are damaged and cannot dilate anymore to get enough blood to the penis for an erection. In these cases the only medication that consistently works are injections into the penis at the time of intercourse.
In general that is usually what happens, however the physiology behind it is not clear. Pellets tend to improve the joint function and cartilage thickness and muscle tone necessary to relieve the pain from damage to the joints from years of sports. It also replaces the testosterone that decreases because of head injuries in contact sports.
Yes. It often can replace the need for antidepressants which decrease the libido.
Testosterone is made of cholesterol. When you take cholesterol-lowering drugs, you decrease the primary ingredient that testosterone is made of.
Testosterone fixes the real problem—lack of testosterone that decreases libido and sexual response. Viagra does not fix the sexual desire issues. Viagra is only treating the symptom of ED not the other symptoms of low testosterone, and it has many side effects.
No, we do not cater to these requests.
This is a concern for men who take testosterone, because the addition of testosterone can increase the red blood count in anyone. If there is an underlying condition that also elevates the blood count then it is prudent to diagnose and treat that condition early on in the treatment with testosterone. The reason it is important is that elevated concentrations of red blood cells cause sludging of the blood and could cause clots to form, so it is important that this is diagnosed and treated prior to, or early in the replacement. Evaluation of elevated hematocrit determines whether you have Hemachromatosis, a benign elevation of red blood cells, and a Jak 2 genetic defect which has other far-reaching consequences with or without testosterone replacement. We can also determine whether your situation requires a specialist such as a hematologist/oncologist.
No, however if you have a history of DVT or Pulmonary Embulas, you are not eligible to receive testosterone therapy.
No. There is no reason for you to try a method that will not bring you back to health completely before you come in to get pellets.
Maybe. Most men find that they do not. However, if there is vascular compromise from arteriosclerosis or diabetes, then it is still possible that ED medicine in one form or another may be needed. Often we find that a patient’s blood pressure medicine is contributing to the problem and we advise our patients to switch to the blood pressure medication that is least likely to cause ED. In any case, if ED meds are needed, they are generally used at a lower dose.