Testosterone Replacement Therapy And Optimization

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a treatment for men meant to supplement low testosterone levels that occur during aging or are the result of a health condition. TRT can be highly effective via injections that your doctor customizes for your individual needs.

Testosterone injections help men achieve optimal benefits while minimizing side effects. Gels, creams, and pellets are also options for testosterone therapy.

Hypogonadism is a chronic condition for most men. Some suffer short-term Low T resulting from infection or physical or emotional stress. Treating the infection heals the physical damage or alleviates the emotional stress, and proper testosterone levels return. Men who have been experiencing symptoms for months are considered chronic and need ongoing treatment.

The symptoms return when you discontinue therapy. This is similar to diabetics needing insulin or patients who take medication for thyroid issues.

If you stop TRT, your body returns to its baseline performance level over the course of a few months. It is important to note that you can stop the therapy under the supervision of a health care professional, tapering down the dose to minimize side effects.

Because Low T is a chronic condition, most insurance carriers pay for TRT. Call the Men's T Clinic staff to verify your insurance coverage before your consultation or to discuss self-pay rates. If you do not have insurance, weekly injection therapy costs $395 per month and includes four office visits, injections, and any related lab work. Payment options may be available.

Yes. Testosterone is a steroid, but not all steroids are testosterone. Several other naturally occurring steroids are present in the body, including cortisol and estrogen. The term “steroid” refers to a common chemical structure.

Men's T Clinic® is not an anabolic steroid clinic. Men who use anabolic steroids (those seen in bodybuilding competitions) have extremely high levels of testosterone and do not qualify for therapy.

How quickly TRT works depends on what therapy is best for you. Injections are the easiest to manage and adjust so you get the correct dose. It is more difficult to determine absorption rates with creams and gels.

Regardless of the therapy that best fits you, a number of factors determine how quickly you notice a difference with treatment: How severe is your condition? Do you have other medical factors that could contribute to challenges in therapy? What is your body fat percentage?

Testosterone is lipophilic, meaning it is absorbed through fat tissue in the body. Increased body fat could slow absorption. Most patients see improvement by week four of therapy; some get nearly immediate results. If you don't experience an improvement by week 12, your doctor reconsiders the diagnosis and explores alternatives.

Injection administration makes it easier to determine the amount of testosterone your body receives, and it is much simpler to modify the dose. Injections allow you to achieve optimal levels of testosterone to maximize outcomes while minimizing side effects. The costs to insurance companies and the chances of secondary exposure to other household members can be higher with the gels and creams.

Your doctor discusses all of the options with you at your initial consultation. If you are currently using a gel or cream and want more information from the men's health care specialists at Men’s T Clinic®, please call or schedule a consultation online.

Pellet therapy can be an effective treatment plan for Low T once your doctor determines your specific optimal dosage. The easiest way to find the optimal dose is to use injection therapy first. Once the pellets are implanted under the skin, it is more difficult to modify the treatment to manage side effects.

Insurance plans may not cover pellet therapy. You can discuss all of the TRT options at your initial consultation.

The goal of treatment is to find a steady state testosterone level to minimize the peaks and valleys of treatment. Patients on extended intervals between injections often experience higher than optimal levels early on after injection (the peak) and a drop in therapy benefits before their next injection (the valley). The half life of testosterone cypionate is seven to eight days, meaning half of the dose is present in your body one week after injection.

Some patients are able to maintain levels on a 10- to 14-day cycle, but the vast majority of men achieve better results on a weekly basis. Saturday appointments are available upon request.

Testosterone therapy is safest when your doctor or someone from his highly trained team administer the appropriate doses at proper intervals. This ensures the effective management of potential side effects. It may take a while to determine the most effective dose.

Even though TRT is generally safe, failure to effectively monitor therapy could cause you harm, so it's best to go to the clinic for injections. Your doctor can adjust your dosage to compensate for a disruption in therapy should you anticipate being out of town for an extended period of time.

Once your doctor establishes the appropriate dosage for you, some of the benefits of TRT you may experience include:

• Increased lean muscle mass
• Decreased belly fat
• Increased energy
• Increased libido
• Positive mood and ambition
• Increased metabolism
• Increased bone mineral density
• Thickened body hair and skin
• Improved cognitive function
• Improved sexual function

TRT may have side effects, which is why it is important to seek treatment under the experts at Men’s T Clinic®. General side effects may include:

• Increased acne
• Increased estrogen levels
• Mild fluid retention
• Stimulation of prostate tissue with possible urination like decreased stream and frequency
• Breast enlargement
• Worsening of sleep apnea
• Decreased sperm count and testicular size
• Increased red blood cell count

Many of these symptoms are easily treatable with medication, usually in the form of a generic estrogen blocker.The doctor and his team discuss the benefits and side effects and answer all of your questions at your initial office consultation. Call or set up an appointment online to discuss what might work best for you.
* Men who are having difficulty conceiving children or who have prostate cancer should not seek testosterone therapy.