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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
Hi Everyone,
I tested really low for Testosterone, so my MD has written a prescription for me. He said that in addition to restoring the hormone to normal levels for someone my age, it might also help with depression by giving me motivation and energy.I was wondering if anyone else had experience with any kind of hormone therapy and how it mixed with anti-depressants and related medication.
Thanks to all,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Jimmyboy on December 28, 2006, at 15:39:44
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
I don't think you have to worry about interactions with antidepressants. I saw a CFS doctor and he prescribed T cream knowing I was taking an AD. I couldn't tell that it made much differance, but mine wasn't all that low to begin with, if yours is really low , I think it might help alot.
Good luck
JB
Posted by Declan on December 28, 2006, at 16:27:48
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Jimmyboy on December 28, 2006, at 15:39:44
My testosterone was low and supplementation made a difference, not so much to my mood per se, but perhaps to a feeling of resilience.
I take the slow release oral bioidentical stuff.
The troches produced spikes in the levels, and the creams are less easily absorbed for testosterone than for DHEA.
The implants are invasive and the patches produce skin irritation in warm weather.
Posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 17:04:30
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Jimmyboy on December 28, 2006, at 15:39:44
Hi Jimmyboy,
My MD said the levels were "pretty low" then gave me the numbers.He said normal range was 10 to 55 (in whatever units)
My average level was 9. His approach will be to get me somewhere near the middle of the normal range gradually.
Thanks for the input and the shot in the arm! (no pun intended)
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 17:09:51
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Declan on December 28, 2006, at 16:27:48
Hi Declan,
Thanks for the input. I'll be doing the cream. The only other option he told me about was the bi-weekly injection. Is that what you mean by "troches"?Anyway, he ruled out the injection because of the spikes - and also convenience in my case, because it's a bit of a drive to his office.
The cream appears to be a little taxing. Every morning you have to smear the stuff on your chest, then wait until it dries before you can even put on a shirt. In the meantime, no one is allowed to touch you in that area either.
I told the MD that the threat of being touched was extremely low (g).
Take care,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 17:45:55
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Declan, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 17:09:51
Sorry I'm female but your last post made me laugh. I used bioidentical hormones cream myself from a compounding pharmacy during menopause. Love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 17:48:55
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
I took Proviron (mesterolone) tablets for a while and I was taking antidepressants and benzos at the time. There's no reason to think there would be an interaction.
Posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 17:54:11
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Reggie BoStar, posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 17:45:55
Well, I'm male (as you know) and taking a natural progesterone cream now for it's GABAergic calming effects. It's easy to obtain online.
Q
Posted by Declan on December 28, 2006, at 18:04:31
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Declan, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 17:09:51
Troches (pronounced in the French way) are little soft rubbery thingos that you put next to your cheek and allow to dissolve slowly, normally twice a day.
Posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 20:03:52
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Phillipa, posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 17:54:11
Quintal that's what the compounding pharmacy told me too. What would estrogen cream do for me not you? So you think some progesterone cream might help the anxiety? over the counter from the health food store? Love Phillipa
Posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 22:07:20
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 20:03:52
Estrogen would be more likely to give you a feeling of energy and vitality. HRT helps many mood problems but there are risks as I'm sure you're aware. They seem to be small for natural progesterone taken alone though. Yes, high dose natural progesterone cream may be beneficial for anxiety and sleep, but I've read that synthetic progestins often cause anxiety.
Your local health food store may sell natural progesterone cream in the US, if not you can buy it easily online from places like this: http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com/product.php?id=21&gclid=CNXt-fDltokCFSGQEAodH3TJMA
Q
Posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 22:09:53
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Phillipa, posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 22:07:20
Quintal I couldn't take the synthetics nearly lost my mind. Maybe I did and that's what's the matter. Love Jan
Posted by Quintal on December 28, 2006, at 23:08:23
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression? » Quintal, posted by Phillipa on December 28, 2006, at 22:09:53
>Quintal I couldn't take the synthetics nearly lost my mind. Maybe I did and that's what's the matter. Love Jan
So it's true about the synthetics? Did you react differently to the natural progesterone and did you get worse after stoping it?
I think I should add that progesterone is gender neutral just in case someone is thinking otherwise - I am not a transexual undergoing hormone therapy, although I've known some who have. Progesterone allegedly protects the prostate as it does the uterus in the female - the two are analagous apparently.
Q
Posted by Jimmyboy on December 29, 2006, at 9:47:03
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
Just out of curiosity, what dosgae of testosterone did they reccommend for you?
JB
Posted by jimmygold70 on December 29, 2006, at 10:24:28
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
It certainly might help in case your bioavailble testosterone is really low. Total T means little - you could have low total T but normal B/V T. I had normal B/V T but low for my age, so experimented with it. Did nothing to my mood but gave me much acne. But again, mine was not absolutely low!
J
> Hi Everyone,
> I tested really low for Testosterone, so my MD has written a prescription for me. He said that in addition to restoring the hormone to normal levels for someone my age, it might also help with depression by giving me motivation and energy.
>
> I was wondering if anyone else had experience with any kind of hormone therapy and how it mixed with anti-depressants and related medication.
>
> Thanks to all,
> Reggie BoStar
Posted by bulldog2 on December 29, 2006, at 10:36:02
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by jimmygold70 on December 29, 2006, at 10:24:28
This is my feeling about hormone replacement. If your symtoms of depression starting occurring after menopause or andropause HRT might help. If you've suffered from depression your whole life, than low testosterone is probably not the cause. I had my testosterone elevated to over 600 by lowering estradiol )too high and only noticed some increased libido and a more pissed of mood.It did nothing for my depression.
I tried human growth hormone for several months and it does have some mood elevating properties.
Posted by Phillipa on December 29, 2006, at 18:51:16
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by bulldog2 on December 29, 2006, at 10:36:02
Good point. As I'm not sure as a female peri-menopause covers a lot of years. And mine is traceable to the thyroid. That's when I fell apart. But that was during that period too. So confusing to me. Love Phillipa
Posted by Darwin on December 30, 2006, at 13:59:42
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
I've read many reports from people practicing testosterone supplementation. It seems those using patches, creams, and pills rarely achieved long term success. Those injecting testosterone seem to be very happy with the results. However, they usually inject once a week rather than once every two weeks to reduce the spikes and dips.
Darwin
Posted by Reggie BoStar on January 1, 2007, at 10:03:52
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Darwin on December 30, 2006, at 13:59:42
Hi Darwin,
Thanks for that input. My MD talked about injections every two weeks and cautioned against the spikes, so it's good to know there's a weekly option.I'll be doing the cream. My levels are so low that it just has to help, albeit maybe not as much as the injections would. If my response is flat, I'll suggest the weekly version of the shots.
So you've given me another option to explore. That's good, and thanks again for that.
Have a good new year, Darwin,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by ryanz on January 2, 2007, at 18:33:00
In reply to Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by Reggie BoStar on December 28, 2006, at 15:31:35
> Hi Everyone,
> I tested really low for Testosterone, so my MD >has written a prescription for me. He said that >in addition to restoring the hormone to normal >levels for someone my age, it might also help >with depression by giving me motivation and >energy.Something I'd like to point out is that it's important to test testosterone levels in the morning, as the levels fall drastically throughout the day and test result values are based on studies with early morning blood draw. Really, you'd want to have blood drawn right at 8:00AM, assuming you usually are up by 7:00AM. Ideally, you'd also want to test levels of "free" testosterone at the same time, which can be done either with blood or saliva. It's levels of free testosterone that are most important.
The problem with supplementing with testosterone is that it can cause your own body's production to decline further and make the root problem worse.
Poor nutrition and health status can lead to low testosterone levels in middle aged and sometimes younger men. A simple deficiency in zinc is a common culprit. And sometimes extra zinc beyond the RDA can boost testosterone levels above baseline over a period of months. Hopefully you are eating a healthy diet, exercising, and taking at least a standard multi-vitamin, because a lower testosterone level in someone who is not yet middle aged (you don't mention your age) can be a reflection of general vitality and health, and supplementing with exogenous testosterone may be the wrong answer to the problem.
Posted by Reggie BoStar on January 3, 2007, at 19:50:12
In reply to Re: Testosterone to help with depression?, posted by ryanz on January 2, 2007, at 18:33:00
Hi ryanz,
Yes, my tests were all done in the early AM, actually before 8:00. There were 3 tests in all, scheduled two weeks apart. My results were off the low end of the scale for someone my age on all 3 tests.As far as all those other considerations go, I've been under close scrutiny for health reasons for a long time. Many nutritional factors were checked in connection with bipolar depression, migraines, and a number of other concerns. My MD is excellent and I trust him implicitly; he would not be prescribing the Testosterone if he didn't think it was really necessary based on all the issues you've raised and a few psychological ones as well.
BTW I'm 56 years old. My MD said the normal range for the level is 10-55 in whatever units. I averaged around 9. He wants to get me at least to a level somewhat higher than the low end of the normal range, but not to the median just yet. He's taking it slow in case there are any problems.
Hope this gives a more comprehensive description of my diagnosis and treatment.
Take care,
Reggie BoStar
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