Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

Hey there folks, my name is James and I run the Ageless Men's Health clinic in Atlanta. We have locations in several metro areas (NYC, Austin, LA to name a few). I'm looking to have frank discussions and dispel some of the myths associated with TRT. I'm an RN with years of experience in Endocrine function and Testosterone therapy. I just wanted to put myself out as a resource for those of you considering looking into the treatment.

James Davey, RN
Clinical Director, Ageless Men's Health ATL
404-841-9445
agelessmenshealth.com

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

I would like your opinion if you would like to share.

I am 36 years old and have been taking weekly injections of 180mg / week for nearly 2 yrs. I feel great and love the results. I have talked to another place here in my town that is new and they incorporate HCG in with the test along with more frequent vists to do lab work. My dr does my lab work on a normal basis but he hasn't suggested adding anything else to my test. Is it unhealthy to run test @ 180mg non-stop? I do not plan on having children so that is no concern to me nor do I plan on stopping the trt. What are your thoughts on my situation? Thanks in advance!

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

To the OP and poster #2: While I agree there should be discussion allowed vis-a-vis TRT and what have you, the rules of this forum explicitly say "No", so I'd suggest you take the questions to other forums for an answer or take it to PM's if necessary.

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

Icanrace,

As long as you are having your labs drawn regularly (I recommend about once every 3-6 months) and the Dr. is monitoring your Test/PSA/HGB/ and Estradiol levels, you should be fine. The hCG *is* a helpful adjunct therapy, though. It's used to preserve your own natural Testosterone production in case you ever decide to come of the T. If you don't care about your fertility and plan to stay on the T therapy for the foreseeable future, though, the only reason I would consider the hCG is if you notice testicular shrinkage or diminishing seminal fluid (both potential, reversible complications of prolonged TRT).

I can tell you that we at Ageless Men's Health rarely run doses that high for that long, because our target level is ~700-800. At 36, I'd be interested if your levels weren't up towards 1000 at that high of a dose.

How often does your doc draw labs?

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

The only rule I see regards Illegal substances. I am in NO WAY advocating illegal usage of Testosterone or other anabolic substances. I'm encouraging medical discussion of an actual disease. Can you point me to anything regarding this?

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

he does labs once a year! Just had them done in december and the only thing out of whack was my red blood cell count. Is that something to be concerned about? They were a little elevated...

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

TRT discussions are not allowed here.

They are, however, encouraged on the forums in my sig.

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

Absolutely. It's impossible to track your fluctuating levels with once a year labs. Your HGB and Hematocrit are important measures of how thick your blood is. High H&H levels can lead to clotting disorders and strokes (Highly highly unlikely, so don't panic), so they should be monitored frequently. The same is true of your Estradiol level. I recommend that you at least check out the clinic that specialized in TRT. I won't deny that PCPs are experts. They absolutely are, but they have such a huge picture to look at. TRT clinics (the once staffed by actual Medical Professionals) only have this one small piece to look at, and we're leading the science on it these days.

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

thanks for the repsonses. I appreciate the info. Anything else I need, I will PM you. Hell, I would even call you on the phone if you would talk to me. Thanks again, much appreciated. I won't post in here again due to the rules I guess. Pretty sad we can't openly talk about legal medication, lol.

 

Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Ask a Nurse

I still haven't seen any rule stating such, so I'm going to continue until a mod directly tells me otherwise. =)