1. < Men's Health

Age 66 on Androgel, sex drive way too low

Posted by bruce0712 @bruce0712, Feb 14, 2019

Androgel is being treated as a controlled substance ala ambien and hydrocodone etc, which for me makes me miserable. I live too far away from any place to get injections every few weeks, so the VA, fortunately, provides me with Androgel. I do have to make the trip once every 6 months to have blood levels checked maybe more so because I am 66. The Androgel gets me to just above the LOW end of the range for men, but alas, as much as I love women, my sex drive sucks and due to that, I am unhappy. With the VA, they also only ship via UPS and they require my signature, no drop offs allowed meaning I don't know when to expect delivery and I have missed a few deliveries and end up going without, though that had not happened for 8 months. Also, they will NOT allow any multiple month's worth of deliveries. Anyways, are there any suggestions to get my sex drive UP? Androgel, due to my age I know they are cautious but otherwise my health is good and I exercise.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Men's Health Support Group.

rkleinsmith | @rkleinsmith | Feb 15, 2019

About 20 years ago I had my testosterone levels checked and my levels were nearly off the chart... on the low end. I was seeing a doctor who put be on a compounded gel. Eventually he decided to put me on injectable testosterone which I have been on for years. The vials and needles are shipped to me and the injection process takes place 2 x week. Easy Peasy!!!

REPLY
bruce0712 | @bruce0712 | Feb 16, 2019

This may sound crazy but needles and vials scare me....I would guess I would screw that up as I also have essential tremors, holding things in my hands is.....well..... shaky.

REPLY
rkleinsmith | @rkleinsmith | Feb 17, 2019

The needles are very fine gauged and you rarely feel them. It took me a few times to get the knack of filling the syringe, sterilizing skin and injecting. It is now 2nd nature. I was instructed to inject .3 ml 2 times weekly but I believe you can do this 1 time per week. The idea is to smooth out the level of testosterone in the blood instead of a peak and then valley. If you are concerned about the tremors, consider seeking out a close friend who would be comfortable doing this for you.

REPLY
bradmm | @bradmm | Apr 18, 2019

I'm 65 and a few years ago my PCP offered BioTE which are pellets inserted under the skin.
https://www.biotemedical.com/gclid=Cj0KCQjwwODlBRDuARIsAMy_28UGQHitbyWhtoRLKdqURuXwjVAfNEMxdZTqYaLiSeCUCJxorU_PMUoaAmD7EALw_wcB
I never noticed any difference in the way I felt but numbers went from low 300's to over 1500. My wife also got the pellets and responded very nicely! 🙂 Unfortunately, her periods started again because the dose was probably too high. End result, her stopping the treatment meant that her libido died again so it was kind of pointless for me to continue.

REPLY
bruce0712 | @bruce0712 | Aug 24, 2020

Using Androgel because of VERY low T levels, been using it for years. I have had doctors prior to being cared for by the Veteran's Admin who initially Rx'd the gel for me, plus my regular Dr at the California VA, later the Dr at the Phoenix VA, and later (after a thorough review by an endocrinologist) my regular VA doctor in Las vegas, all approving my continuing to use the Androgel. Now I have moved to Daytona Beach. My new VA doctor insists that I no longer use the Androgel because of risk of heart attack or stroke....neither of which I have ever had before. Granted....it took me a month to move across the country and I was eating poorly during that month, so my cholesterol read borderline, as he said, as well my triglycerides read borderline high. But normally I eat a LOW carb diet, now that I am moved in, back on that later this week, I stick with it religiously once I get that going. But I read it is a conflict of "if you use Androgel at old age, it will cause heart attacks and strokes" versus "if you suffer from very low T at an older age, you will suffer from heart issues and osteoporosis, being frail, old man look....where at present, at age 68 everyone says I look 50. I want to keep that rather youthful look and glow about me. This new doctor is smart...he had a lot of good sense yet he is 86 years old. Seemed well versed but it looks like he will refuse to allow me to continue using Androgel. Is this how it goes? One doctor says NO but more would say yes? A matter of finding a doctor with a different opinion? Should I wean myself off from using Androgel? And if I do that, will I start to fall apart? Is this doctor right in saying no?

REPLY
2 replies
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Aug 24, 2020
In reply to @bruce0712 "Using Androgel because of VERY low T levels, been using it for years. I have had..." + (show)
@bruce0712

Using Androgel because of VERY low T levels, been using it for years. I have had doctors prior to being cared for by the Veteran's Admin who initially Rx'd the gel for me, plus my regular Dr at the California VA, later the Dr at the Phoenix VA, and later (after a thorough review by an endocrinologist) my regular VA doctor in Las vegas, all approving my continuing to use the Androgel. Now I have moved to Daytona Beach. My new VA doctor insists that I no longer use the Androgel because of risk of heart attack or stroke....neither of which I have ever had before. Granted....it took me a month to move across the country and I was eating poorly during that month, so my cholesterol read borderline, as he said, as well my triglycerides read borderline high. But normally I eat a LOW carb diet, now that I am moved in, back on that later this week, I stick with it religiously once I get that going. But I read it is a conflict of "if you use Androgel at old age, it will cause heart attacks and strokes" versus "if you suffer from very low T at an older age, you will suffer from heart issues and osteoporosis, being frail, old man look....where at present, at age 68 everyone says I look 50. I want to keep that rather youthful look and glow about me. This new doctor is smart...he had a lot of good sense yet he is 86 years old. Seemed well versed but it looks like he will refuse to allow me to continue using Androgel. Is this how it goes? One doctor says NO but more would say yes? A matter of finding a doctor with a different opinion? Should I wean myself off from using Androgel? And if I do that, will I start to fall apart? Is this doctor right in saying no?

Jump to this post

Hi @bruce0712, you'll notice that I moved your recent post to your earlier discussion thread on the topic of AndroGel (testosterone gel). I did this so you can reconnect with @rkleinsmith @bradmm and others.

This review might help answer some of your questions (or may just be overwhelming), if you like to read research.
Healthcare Inspection - Testosterone Replacement Therapy Initiation and Follow-Up Evaluation in VA Male Patients: https://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-15-03215-154.pdf

I certainly would recommend that you ask your great questions to your new physician. If I have to wean off AndroGel, what are the consequences? Will I fall apart? How might I continue to use it and be mindful of my heart health?

Does that sound like a good first step?

REPLY
bradmm | @bradmm | Aug 24, 2020
In reply to @bruce0712 "Using Androgel because of VERY low T levels, been using it for years. I have had..." + (show)
@bruce0712

Using Androgel because of VERY low T levels, been using it for years. I have had doctors prior to being cared for by the Veteran's Admin who initially Rx'd the gel for me, plus my regular Dr at the California VA, later the Dr at the Phoenix VA, and later (after a thorough review by an endocrinologist) my regular VA doctor in Las vegas, all approving my continuing to use the Androgel. Now I have moved to Daytona Beach. My new VA doctor insists that I no longer use the Androgel because of risk of heart attack or stroke....neither of which I have ever had before. Granted....it took me a month to move across the country and I was eating poorly during that month, so my cholesterol read borderline, as he said, as well my triglycerides read borderline high. But normally I eat a LOW carb diet, now that I am moved in, back on that later this week, I stick with it religiously once I get that going. But I read it is a conflict of "if you use Androgel at old age, it will cause heart attacks and strokes" versus "if you suffer from very low T at an older age, you will suffer from heart issues and osteoporosis, being frail, old man look....where at present, at age 68 everyone says I look 50. I want to keep that rather youthful look and glow about me. This new doctor is smart...he had a lot of good sense yet he is 86 years old. Seemed well versed but it looks like he will refuse to allow me to continue using Androgel. Is this how it goes? One doctor says NO but more would say yes? A matter of finding a doctor with a different opinion? Should I wean myself off from using Androgel? And if I do that, will I start to fall apart? Is this doctor right in saying no?

Jump to this post

I can add that my urologist told me 2-3 (?) years ago that he's been so some educational event and he learned that older men shouldn't (don't remember why) do HRT with testosterone. For the reasons explained above, I just dropped it. I'm 66 and I still left weights, just built an outdoor lifting platform. I'm not as strong as I used to be due to natural losses but that doesn't mean I quit trying. There's a group on FB for guys over who still lift and there's some amazing guys over 60 that look pretty darn impressive. If you want me to share that site with you, let me know. Bottom line, I believe that diet and exercise can do a lot for you without T.
REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.