Testosterone is a key hormone in the male (and also female) body. It is the hormone responsible for secondary sex characteristics and is commonly directly related to libido (sex drive), overall performance and strength of erections
It is estimated that it affects 13 million men, but this number is likely low, as MANY men never get screened. The male body loses approximately 1-3% of its testosterone every year, after the age of 30. So, by the age of 55, it is VERY likely that you are low on testosterone.
A simple in office lab draw can determine if you have low testosterone. Results are usually ready the following day.
Depending on the lab, 350 ng/DL – 1100 ng/DL. However, since this number will diminish over time, a 65 year old male with a testosterone of 400 ng/DL might still be considered low, as they were likely >500 ng/DL a few years prior.
The most common benefits are:
There are several options available, and you and your Prestige Physician can determine which suits you best. There are some topical creams/gels available, but the results are traditionally less than satisfactory so we do not usually utilize them. Our two main methods are intramuscular injections and subcutaneous pellet therapy.
With injection therapy, you should notice results in 24-48 hours.
With pellet therapy, you should notice results in a week to 10 days.
We pride ourselves on charging significantly less than the competition by being an extremely efficient, completely digital office. For testosterone injection therapy, we charge $80 per month (and $40 for labs every 3-6 months, depending on age), and for pellet therapy we charge $550 every 3-4 months (depending on how long they last in your body). Injections are given weekly and the pellets are given every 3-6 months, depending on your bodies metabolic patterns.
Your initial appointment will consist of a consult with a physician or possibly a physicians assistant or nurse practitioner, and usually takes about 10 minutes + a lab draw, ~5 minutes. Subsequent visits for injections usually take less than 6 minutes (arrival to departure), and pellets take about 15 minutes (arrival to departure). If labs are being drawn, add ~5 minutes or so to the visit.
Your testosterone and PSA will be drawn before therapy, to determine your baseline levels.
Upon initiation of injection therapy, we will likely draw testosterone labs a few days after the first shot, and then again after about 3 weeks of therapy to determine if you are in the appropriate range. After that, we usually draw both testosterone and PSA every 3 months.
Upon initiation of pellet therapy, we will draw testosterone labs 3 months after placement to determine when you would benefit from the next pellet placement.
In addition to the above mentioned labs, we will frequently check your estradiol levels (some testosterone can get converted to estrogen), and a hemoglobin and hematocrit to ensure that the viscosity of your blood does not increase, as this is a rare but possible side effect.
The most commonly seen side effects are increased size of the prostate (which can cause difficulty urinating), increased red blood cells (which can increase the viscosity/thickness of your blood) and possibly breast pain or enlargement, as some testosterone might get converted to estrogen. Luckily, these side effects are usually easy to manage with other medications to negate their effects. Testosterone supplementation also down regulates your bodies sperm production, so you should not take it if you are trying to impregnate.
Patients with prostate cancer, unexplained elevation of PSA (prostate specific antigen), polycythemia/erytrhocytosis (thickened blood), a history of negative effects after using testosterone, patient with severe heart failure and patients with severe lower urinary tract symptoms associated with enlarged prostate should refrain from testosterone replacement therapy.