Have any DCUM women been prescribed Testosterone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Agree with the suggestion to go to an endocrinologist (this is one of the PPs who is also on T). At her age, it may well be perimenopause starting, but I would want to r/o an adrenal issue or pituitary problem. The amount in the system varies according to your cycle, or it should at least a little bit, so it's important to be aware of where she was during her cycle when she was tested. That said, if her level is lower than it should have been during any point in the cycle, it's most likely something that can be corrected with a low dose of T.

They did thhe workup 15 days after her cycle in order to make sure that the numbers were stable. They looked at everything including thyroid, vitamin levels, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

PaigeKeller wrote:Testosterone is not FDA approved to be used for women, is it?

OP here. No its not. Its prescribed for various off label reasons such as sex drive or bone density issues. And as far as I know, there are no long term studies regarding its safety. I don't know why her doc prescribed it.

Sex drive a lot.
It's not approved but in small amounts it doesn't have the dreaded side effects.
There are tons of drugs that are prescribed off label including tons for children.

Testosterone is discussed in this article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/female-viagra-is-here-who-wants-it/2015/10/14/5ff6cb0a-50dd-11e5-933e-7d06c647a395_story.html

How old is your wife?

She's 43 and is in great health generally speaking. She's complained about low energy and poor memory for the better part of a year. Overall, she's very fit.

Jeez Louise. She needs a full workup plus testing for Lyme disease or even a sleep study. Not testosterone...which is associated with stroke or heart attack. Sure for some people those side effects are worth the risk but she needs to get checked out thoroughly first. I had brain fog and tiredness...turns out I have Restless Leg Syndrome. So glad my Dr didn't just give me Androgel.

This is ridiculous - but I know, everyone has Lyme disease and needs to go to the sleep lab because the doctors built it and someone has to pay for it...

Well I for one benefitted from my Dr actually listening to me and taking the time to find a diagnosis. Heart attack and stroke are known side effects of Testosterone...and it wouldn't have helped me at all. Or several of my friends who have had to have PiCC lines for Lyme disease. Or my other friends with MS...all of us just felt tired and forgetful.

[Anonymous]

^ Right, but OP's wife has had her T levels checked and they were found to be low. She could certainly have other issues, but given the results of her blood work, it's sensible to treat the low T and see if that helps.

Also, you have several friends who needed PICC lines for Lyme Disease? Are you part of a support group or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Right, but OP's wife has had her T levels checked and they were found to be low. She could certainly have other issues, but given the results of her blood work, it's sensible to treat the low T and see if that helps.

Also, you have several friends who needed PICC lines for Lyme Disease? Are you part of a support group or something?

Hormone levels fluctuate and since most MDs I know think "low T" is over diagnosed in MEN...And haven't you seen the ads on TV with class action lawsuits over T meds? It's no joke about the side effects.

I actually see an Endocrinologist for a seperate issue and he said that everyone reacts differently to different levels of hormone- receptors vary genetically. So there's no absolutes in terms of low/high.

And my Lyme friends are all horsey gals who live in Western Loudon, and my SIL from CT. No support group here, but I did insist on getting proper testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is actually a fishing post. OP wants his wife to maybe go on testosterone because OP feels she has a low sex drive.

At least that's the first thing that came to mind when I read this post.

Could be I'm biased because of my own personal marital issues.

OP here. We have sex twice a week and thats fine for me. Lots of bitter guys on DCUM but I'm not one of them.

If you're already having sex twice I week, I don't think she should be on testosterone. There are risks and side effects, and should never be prescribed in a "let's try this to see if your mood improves" way.

[Anonymous]

And, really, I think you can trust the judgment of anonymous posters on the Internet a lot more than a medical professional with "degrees" and "education." We all know those types are all just out to make a buck.

And don't get me started on vaccinations . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my late forties, my testosterone level was basically non-existent and my estrogen all over the place. I'm on bioidentical testosterone and occasional, small-dose estrogen. I've been on it for about a year. I have better energy, libido, and an improvement on menopausal brain fog. It can cause more hair growth (I have more downy hair on my lip and chin; have to wax more often) and genital changes...

All right, you can't just trail off with "genital changes..." when talking about taking testosterone!!! We talking like growing more hair or more like growing parts that aren't supposed to be there?!

Hello!! THIS ^^^^^^^^^ Need an update on your genital changes! Damn! Downy hair on your lip and chin??? I have more than that without taking T.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my late forties, my testosterone level was basically non-existent and my estrogen all over the place. I'm on bioidentical testosterone and occasional, small-dose estrogen. I've been on it for about a year. I have better energy, libido, and an improvement on menopausal brain fog. It can cause more hair growth (I have more downy hair on my lip and chin; have to wax more often) and genital changes...

All right, you can't just trail off with "genital changes..." when talking about taking testosterone!!! We talking like growing more hair or more like growing parts that aren't supposed to be there?!

Hello!! THIS ^^^^^^^^^ Need an update on your genital changes! Damn! Downy hair on your lip and chin??? I have more than that without taking T.

ok, ok ... a certain part of the anatomy tends to get a little larger. I'm not too bothered by it because mine was really small and hard to find to begin with ... The T dose has now been decreased slightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my late forties, my testosterone level was basically non-existent and my estrogen all over the place. I'm on bioidentical testosterone and occasional, small-dose estrogen. I've been on it for about a year. I have better energy, libido, and an improvement on menopausal brain fog. It can cause more hair growth (I have more downy hair on my lip and chin; have to wax more often) and genital changes...

All right, you can't just trail off with "genital changes..." when talking about taking testosterone!!! We talking like growing more hair or more like growing parts that aren't supposed to be there?!

Hello!! THIS ^^^^^^^^^ Need an update on your genital changes! Damn! Downy hair on your lip and chin??? I have more than that without taking T.

ok, ok ... a certain part of the anatomy tends to get a little larger. I'm not too bothered by it because mine was really small and hard to find to begin with ... The T dose has now been decreased slightly.

Did it change sensitivity any?

[Anonymous]

Up to a certain point, an enlarged clitoris sounds more like a feature than a bug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Right, but OP's wife has had her T levels checked and they were found to be low. She could certainly have other issues, but given the results of her blood work, it's sensible to treat the low T and see if that helps.

Also, you have several friends who needed PICC lines for Lyme Disease? Are you part of a support group or something?

Hormone levels fluctuate and since most MDs I know think "low T" is over diagnosed in MEN...And haven't you seen the ads on TV with class action lawsuits over T meds? It's no joke about the side effects.

I actually see an Endocrinologist for a seperate issue and he said that everyone reacts differently to different levels of hormone- receptors vary genetically. So there's no absolutes in terms of low/high.

And my Lyme friends are all horsey gals who live in Western Loudon, and my SIL from CT. No support group here, but I did insist on getting proper testing.

Just about any medical condition is over-diagnosed (Lyme being one of the worst), but it doesn't mean there aren't some legit cases. You have to weigh the benefits vs the risk of pretty much any treatment for whatever condition you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Right, but OP's wife has had her T levels checked and they were found to be low. She could certainly have other issues, but given the results of her blood work, it's sensible to treat the low T and see if that helps.

Also, you have several friends who needed PICC lines for Lyme Disease? Are you part of a support group or something?

Hormone levels fluctuate and since most MDs I know think "low T" is over diagnosed in MEN...And haven't you seen the ads on TV with class action lawsuits over T meds? It's no joke about the side effects.

I actually see an Endocrinologist for a seperate issue and he said that everyone reacts differently to different levels of hormone- receptors vary genetically. So there's no absolutes in terms of low/high.

And my Lyme friends are all horsey gals who live in Western Loudon, and my SIL from CT. No support group here, but I did insist on getting proper testing.

Just about any medical condition is over-diagnosed (Lyme being one of the worst), but it doesn't mean there aren't some legit cases. You have to weigh the benefits vs the risk of pretty much any treatment for whatever condition you have.

I said the exact same thing up thread...but for me to take a drug as risky as T then I would need to have ruled everything else possible out.

And Lyme testing actually has a very high false negative rate so statistically speaking it's probably underdiagnosed.

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/diagnosis/

[Anonymous]

^ I'd take my chances with T before I'd try any of the stuff that site is advocating, personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ I'd take my chances with T before I'd try any of the stuff that site is advocating, personally.

Ok clearly you are a drug rep for T medication. Heart attack and stroke are known side effects of Testosterone supplementation. They cause fluid retention and increased cardiovascular preload.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ I'd take my chances with T before I'd try any of the stuff that site is advocating, personally.

Ok clearly you are a drug rep for T medication. Heart attack and stroke are known side effects of Testosterone supplementation. They cause fluid retention and increased cardiovascular preload.

Not a drug rep or at all affiliated with selling or marketing any kind of meds. Yes, there are risks to supplementing with testosterone and anyone who uses it must be monitored. And, for those folks, I'd suggest going to someone who hasn't been in trouble for falsifying research data--which is also good advice for people who think they have Lyme (take a closer look at the Medical Director of that BS Lyme Disease site).