skye

Almost 60. For the past few years, my ass has been draggin. Yeah, I still rode to work most days, but ended every day exhausted. Forget cross-training. I used to freakin' live at a gym, now a grocery bag looked heavy. Got fat and saggy and what is a libido anyway?

6 months after beginning testosterone replacement therapy, total turnaround. more energy, less fat, more muscle, 'scuze me ma'am, can I lift that car for you?

I'm at low prostate cancer and heart disease risk, so it's totally safe for me, YMMV. But just in case some of my peers feel the same way...get your T level checked. Boosting it may be what you need.

TiHabanero

Very interesting. I have been fighting fatigue for years, this last year being the worst. I can't do anything that will harm the heart as it is no good as it is. Will need to talk to the doc about this. Thanks for the tip.

VegasTriker

When I saw the large number of adverts that were on TV for a while I asked an fellow rider who happens to be a cardiologist MD what he thought about it. This article pretty well sums up what he had to say https://www.drugwatch.com/testosterone/side-effects/. He also said that once a patient started on it he should figure it was going to be long-term since one side effect is to shrink the testicles and suppress your own testosterone production.

There is no doubt that there is a place for this therapy for someone who produces no natural testosterone because of genetic defects or accidents but it doesn't appear to be the holy grail for reversing the effects of aging.

TimothyH

@VegasTriker makes a good point about aging. Nothing is going to prevent aging. Accepting aging with grace is not something our society encourages.

My libido has gotten me into more trouble than I care to remember. I look forward to the day when it calms down.


-Tim-

McBTC

Especially if you have a lack of a thirst for power!

Leisesturm

87% of the 50 year old cast offs that are sleeping all day while their wives are busting their butts keeping the lights on need their T supplemented. 87%. Scads of men are wasting money on Viagra which addresses a specific symptom, only to succumb early to conditions that would never have arisen had they presented a 'normal' blood profile. Accepting aging with grace my #%@#! When you are "let go" at 45 you'd better have both guns firing, because it can get UGLY if you don't. A good friend of mine killed himself at age 50 because his wife started an affair after he had been unemployed for 2 years. So, go ahead, rationalize the 'natural' slowdown of things. That will serve you in good stead when you watch everything you have worked for taken away bit by bit but, sadly, you are still decades away from dying... naturally. Props to the o.p. for being brave enough to bring this topic up. I've got his back.

Leisesturm

I'm just asking... why would you ask a cardiologist for an opinion about something that a urologist or endocrinologist has made a specialty? Why would you consider their opinion the last word? I don't own a television, thank God, but I am sometimes in situations where one is running and it would be impolite to flee. I see a number of adverts for pharmaceutical products. When the litany of side effects is done, my reaction is often... why on earth would anyone take this stuff?! People are taking Botox for a variety of things these days and one very immediate side effect is DEATH. So lets get a grip, because in all the decades that men have been supplementing Testosterone, not one of them has died suddenly. I don't know any man who expects that Testosterone is going to "reverse the effects of aging". Men are getting Prostate Caner in droves and dying from heart attacks and strokes and if Testosterone was any causative I'm not sure anyone could definitively say, because the number of men taking 'T' is minuscule. Maybe more should! You get a heart attack or stroke from sitting around and men with adequate 'T' levels are less likely to be as sedentary as men without. If testosterone caused Prostate Cancer then most men wouldn't make it out of their teens because a mans testosterone production and levels will never be higher than during and just after puberty.

texaspandj

Plus 1.
Isn't there a natural way to increase testosterone?

Spoonrobot 

I'm going to assume this is not heavy satire. You do realize that if 87% of a population exhibits a characteristic, that's the "normal" profile, right?

Testosterone therapy is such a good scam, I'll show myself out.

TimothyH

I hope you can calm down some.

My wife left me for another man when I was 44. I know what it feels like.

I'm now 53. I had a girlfriend for about two years but am very happy living a single, sex free life. Lack of drama is very peaceful and "All guns firing" is not a requirement for a happy life.

I volunteer at a hospice and one thing I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt is that people die the way they lived. Angry people are angry about dying. Bitter people are bitter about dying. Those who are at peace in life are at peace when they die. I have seen it many times.

I hope you can relax because some day you will not only have to accept aging but accept the fact that you are dying.

PAX

-Tim-

SloButWide 

Eat well.
Sleep well.
Lift heavy things.

If any of those factors were suppressing your T level, it will improve. If you have a low setpoint, either from genetics, environment, or age, it may not.

Link.
Take the "double" with a grain of salt.

OldTryGuy

IMO, the first thing to do is to have a COMPLETE BLOOD WORK-UP done. The description given by the OP was identical to mine and my decline was caused by a parathyroid tumor. It also turns out that I had a goiter on my right thyroid lobe so the lobe was removed along with the parathyroid tumor and THAT NIGHT after the surgery my life got better. Strength returned along with endurance and the guys I rode with were wishing I had not had the surgery.

NOW TO TESTOSTERONE THERAPY......

I have been getting Cypionate (testosterone) injections bi-weekly since January after I was declared PCa or Prostate Cancer free following my 12/10/2015 final treatment. The REASON I am getting the shots is that after being diagnosed with PCa in March 2015 I had a bilateral orchiectomy or CASTRATION to eliminate 90/95% of testosterone production as per the explanation in the linked article regarding T feeding the cancer. It was the natural way of eliminating testosterone instead of using drugs that have some lousy side effects. ADT or Androgen Deprivation Therapy is the drug/chemical method that most men opt for since they do not want to have their "manhood" taken from them.

I must have monthly blood work to track the production of red blood cells as referenced in the link along with PSA, testosterone and additional levels checked. This will be a life long process for myself along with a very healthy diet and continued exercise. I have improved in my biking but by no means have I become a 20yo or THE HULK. Testosterone replacement has a place in some men's lives but it can be abused as so many beneficial things can be.

Jaxjag

I did it a couple years and quit. I started because my GP said I had low T. I didn't care for the side effects. Depression, low and no ejaculate, and others. I am almost 65 and have not had and never had a libido problem. If you have low T and its not bothering you, leave it alone imho.

McBTC

If you're rich and in fairly good shape and have a young wife and want a few more kids in your middle/late 60s, go for it--

jon c. 

I don't think I like the sound of that.

VegasTriker

I knew when I replied to this thread that it was going to go downhill fast. As to why I asked my question to a cardiologist - he's a personal friend and a well regarded doctor in my community. We cycle together and I'd rather ask a medical question of him than post on a cycling site and ask for an opinion. If I want an opinion on bike mechanics I don't ask him but would come here and ask.

Please note that heart attacks, especially among older men are one side effect of boosting your testosterone so he does have a role in this area. The adverts I was quoting were exactly like the testimony given by the OP which I hope was given in jest. The T replacement ads disappeared when the ads by lawyers appeared about suing the doctors and drug suppliers over the side affects. This therapy has it place for those who genuinely need it but it is not the fountain of youth as those ads often depicted.

If you are part of the over 50 group you need to get at peace with the idea that the end of live is closer than the beginning. When they do autopsies on older men, almost all of them have prostate cancer if they are old enough but it's not the cause of death for most of them.

DaveQ24

Something else to look at is ferritin - even though "normal" per most labs is around 15 to over 400 nanograms per ml (varies a little based on the exact method the lab uses), anything under 50 is too low for anyone who is active or athletic, and endurance athletes should be at least 100.

Ferritin and hemoglobin are related but you can have normal Hemaglobin levels while still being very ferritin deficient - at least for a while.

Low ferritin symptoms are basically the same as low hemoglobin - weak, dizzy, shortness of breath on exertion etc. Another sign is "restless legs" at night - I had that per a neurologist and took pramapexole for a few years with only limited success.

When my ferritin, which had been below 30 for years, fell below 10 and was flagged on a lab report, I investigated it and learned that low ferritin is widely ignored by most doctors. I started upping my iron supplement but also switched to chelates and actual ferritin supplementation and got it up to 57 in 2 months.

The "restless legs" disappeared entirely in about 2 weeks.

YMMV as they say, all I know is it works for me - I have to watch both my hemaglobin and ferritin to manage my anemia, something even the prior hematologist failed me on - current one watches it all carefully and draws blood every other month religiously per my request.

gif4445

I'm 59 and debating if I should start the T therapy. I had a blood test done over a year ago that had my overall T at 200 ng/dl and free T around 10. .Didn't have any real symptoms then, besides intermittent fatigue. Recently, there have been additional symptoms and a retest had the T at the same level. My Dr. is suggesting shots or cream, but I'm still not convinced it's the right thing to do. I'd love to have more energy and get the weight down that has been very difficult to lose, but I'm not sure if it is worth the risk. "Is it normal aging or not" is the ultimate question IMO. I pretty sure no one can answer that question. So my question for the OP and anyone who has had supplemental T: What were your T levels at before you started?

Moe Zhoost

I dunno. I joined AA (Agers Anonymous) a number of years ago and it's worked wonders for me. They showed me that first step is to accept that it is an addiction that exerts considerable power over us. Deep reflection on how this power affected my life has given me new strength to avoid the debilitating affects of this addiction.

Wildwood 

I was on bi-monthly T injections for about year because of fatigue, etc. I gave it up because the idea of a life-long drug that wasn't needed to keep me alive seemed wrong. Then more evidence about problems with long term use became more widely known and I was glad to have stopped.

If a lowT person is 10-15 pounds overweight, lose that weight and much of the lethargy/issues will be gone. Now i just need to work harder on keeping it off.

Low T in older men is not a medical issue, more of a personal/athletic issue, which for some is hugely important (even given risks).

AlexCyclistRoch

OK, one question: how much does this stuff ACTUALLY cost (and I don't mean whatever your artificial co-pay might be)?

berner

Italian and French, especially from rural environments, are known to have unusually long lives. We should all do what they do.

1989Pre 

I suffered from adrenal fatigue or "burnout" some years back, and I learned at that time to never supplement directly with adrenal hormones, but promote restoration and then detoxification naturally and gradually by using specific, naturally-occuring biotics "herbs", pure food and a complete lifestyle change.
Certain herbs, like panax ginseng and cordyceps, allow the body to gently achieve a normal endocrine balance. Ginseng, specifically, increases testoserone.

jppe

You just gotta love the 50+ forum and how we quickly grab onto aging stuff!! We sound like my grandparents and their counterparts sitting around on the porch talking about their aches and pains. Gosh........I'm now one of them!!!

I have a number of potentially health related issues as we all do, but my Doc says cycling is doing more for me than anything else and loves the results. So I think I'll just keep pedaling until I can't ride anymore.......

John E

Eat right, exercise right (the latter is why we are in this forum, right?), do right, and cultivate strong bonds in your family and circle of friends. No secrets or mysteries here.