Low Testosterone:

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Testosterone is vital to a man's overall function. It is responsible for muscle mass and strength, bone density, libido, energy, motivation and an overall better mood. Testosterone is used to treat men with hypogonadism or low testosterone levels. Testosterone is often called "T" or "TRT" therapy. When testosterone is used from outside the body to treat low T, it's referred to as exogenous testosterone. Exogenous testosterone increases your body's natural testosterone levels to reach hormone optimization. 

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Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

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The administration of bio-identical testosterone for treating low testosterone and hormone optimization in men includes multiple routes, such as oral, buccal or troche (pronounced trow-kee). Low testosterone can also be treated using intranasal testosterone products, topical products, including gels, pump actuation, or even patches. Additionally, one treatment for low T gaining traction is testosterone pellets.

 

However, the most widely used treatment for low T is testosterone with both Intramuscular (IM) and Subcutaneous (SQ) injectables. The most widely used and recommended route is testosterone cypionate using the SQ route as this is more anabolic. Injections are with a small insulin size needle and are fairly painless. This can be injected once or twice weekly for the most desired positive effects. Twice a weak eliminates some of the peak and trough effects some men experience with TRT.

 

Optimal Testosterone Levels

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Getting men up to optimal testosterone levels–on the higher end of most laboratory reference ranges–will ameliorate many negative symptoms of having low T. This number is different for most men. The sweet spot, so to speak, is often between 700 ng/dL to 1000 ng/dL or closer to 1100-1200 ng/dL. This is when most men feel the beneficial effects of using TRT. These positive effects take time, however. Most men start to feel better at the 2-3 months mark. Then, they start to feel long-term beneficial effects at 6-12 months. The slow reversal of the negative symptoms of low T starts to dwindle. The positive effects of optimal testosterone levels start to take hold:

 

• Lifts brain fog

• Increases muscle mass, strength, and endurance

• Increases libido and sexual performance

• Decreases cholesterol and blood pressure

• Improves bone health

• Increases red blood cells (RBCs) number and efficiency

• Improves skin and hair growth

• Reduces certain signs of aging