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Testosterone is the drug of the future

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Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#181
post #55

MD here. Just remember that women live longer than men. Although it'll never be proven that hormones are part of that provess, I think it's a good assumption. Many males as they get older become more lovable and more pleasent to be around because of natural hormone declines. There are a ton of health issues such as balding, coronary artery disease, prostate cancer, obstructive sleep apnea that are related to testoste…

>>Many males as they get older become more lovable and more pleasent to be around because of natural hormone declines. I resent that. I don't have low testosterone but I'd still say I was a loving father and husband and a generally good person. Being "manly" doesn't mean being a dick, quite the opposite.

I think you're overthinking what he's saying.

He's simply talking about the side effect of reduced testosterone -- I think he's just trying to say men simply mellow out more when he says "more lovable".

I can speak to this with first hand experience. I had testicular cancer for a _second_ time in my 30s and while I was waiting several weeks for a chance to see an endocrinologist about replacing the testosterone my body could no longer produce, I noticed a big change in how I saw things.

Traffic, which in my city is a big stressor, no longer bothered me. People would cut me off, and I'd be like "oh well" and move on. Totally unbothered. A lot of "irritants" were no longer nearly as irritating. Now that I'm on testosterone replacement therapy, not so much the case any more. Not saying that I'm more irritable, it's just that I'm not nearly as mellow as I was in those weeks my testosterone levels dipped very low.

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#182
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given the recent revelation by the New York attorney general's office [1], what confidence do you have that you are actually getting what is on the label? (I didn't down vote you.) [1] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/new-york-attorney-g...

Fairly confident, although I do believe there is snake oil on the same aisle. I've used brands Natrol and Nature's Bounty. I understand DHEA as a steroid hormone that is a precursor to testosterone. I consider the drug's banned status in athletic competition as a signal it might be effective. From Wiki: "DHEA is legal to sell in the United States as a dietary supplement. It is currently grandfathered in as an "Old Di…

While DHEA may indeed be effective, if 80% of the natural supplements that were tested did not contain what the label said, one might conclude that there is an 80% chance that a bottle labeled "DHEA" really doesn't contain DHEA.

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#183
post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in terms of timing you mean? I fasted for 14 hours and simply delayed/skipped breakfast, still eating 3 meals at around 2400 calories.

Can you link to any studies showing IF increased T levels substantially? I am genuinely curious. I have been considering doing IF (since I am half way there already) just for the longevity boosts and general body composition benefits.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/07/27/... (has also studies at the bottom)

and this is also an interesting experiment, where it actually drops with fasting:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/chapt...

But the hypothesis is that the body uses the testosterone more efficiently

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" I didn't get huge muscles or less body fat with more testosterone (huge myth that I thought would change for me)". For me I almost always drop 20lbs on T and am much leaner than I am off or on clomid. On clomid I generally gain weight. "- TRT is a problem if you keep going for too long, because your body just doesn't produce testosterone as it used to, because it expects it from the outside, so below 35 or rather b…

How did you test your fertility

You can get tests over the counter now: http://www.boots.com/en/Spermcheck-Male-Fertility-Test_13699...

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can only answer with my personal experience here: During the intermittent fasting time (age 25), where I went from from 6xx to 1024ng/dl, I didn't gain significant amount of muscle, although I was working out with heavy (free) weights, 3x per week.

What's the frequency of your fasting how long do you do it?

I did do it 6 days per week, although the 7th was naturally a fasting day because I went to bed later and got up later. So you could say almost every day. It gets very easy with time.

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#186
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can only answer with my personal experience here: During the intermittent fasting time (age 25), where I went from from 6xx to 1024ng/dl, I didn't gain significant amount of muscle, although I was working out with heavy (free) weights, 3x per week.

Did you also lose bodyfat at that time? Because it's hard to gain mass if you fast and are at a caloric deficit. That's what Leangains' bulking period is all about - eat 10-20% above maintenance so you do gain mass.

Definitely lost some body fat at the right places and even gained some mass, but not in crazy amounts.

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#187

I went through a major testosterone-related health scare when I was 31 (4 years ago). I was in the midst of launching a startup. Stressed out, financially strained, hardly sleeping, hardly exercising, drinking too much. I thought I was eating right but turns out I wasn't. I began feeling like an empty shell of my former self. And yes, it totally affected my sex drive. Went to doc and had blood work done. My test leve…

Studies have shown that creams are pretty terrible. Especially if you happen to have thyroid problems. They seem to work at first and then fade out for a lot of people. Shots just simply work and are cheaper.

I'm on TRT for life as a result of having testicular cancer twice.

There are pros and cons to the various types of testosterone you could take. I'm using Androgel.

From what I remember when researching my options in 2007 (things have possibly changed a lot since then):

Monthly shots -- the thing with shots is that your levels go up right after you get your shot and slowly taper off. It's possible that your moods are a little off at the beginning and then you mellow out again by the time you need your next shot. Your options are to have a doctor do it for you or self-administer. Having developed an aversion to needles after my first bout of cancer, I kinda ruled this out quickly, even though it probably is cheap and effective.

Pills - easy but apparently not very good for your liver long term

Gel/Cream -- you have to worry about keeping your hands clean and physical contact, but it maintains your levels consistently since you're putting it on daily. It's admittedly inconvenient but works for me.

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the frequency of your fasting how long do you do it?

I did do it 6 days per week, although the 7th was naturally a fasting day because I went to bed later and got up later. So you could say almost every day. It gets very easy with time.

6 days per week? How many meals are you skipping?

Re: Testosterone is the drug of the future

#189
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Studies[0] do support that eunuchs live longer than average men. You have also a study of the eunuchs of China's Emperor were living way longer than the men having the same lifestyle in the Forbidden City. I sadly can't find the study at the moment. [0]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch#Eunuchs_in_the_contempor...

I wonder if this could be attributed to STDs, jealous lovers, and other risks a sexual active person might be exposed to compared to a sexually inactive person.

Or it could simply be reduced stress.

After my second orchiectomy related to cancer, I had to wait several weeks before I could see an endocrinologist about testosterone replacement, so in that time my bioavailable testosterone basically declined to nearly nothing. At one point I became so mellow that stuff that would normally bother me just got ignored. In some ways, it was a kind of a bliss-- I even considered not having testosterone replacement therapy.

That was short lived, however. My endocrinologist told me that I needed testosterone to continue being healthy -- to maintain bone strength, etc., so I ended up doing the TRT.

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