I think everyone has done a good job of answering your questions, but I’d like to address some of the hidden premises behind those questions because I believe they are responsible for the current sorry state of men’s health care.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m on your side and I applaud your desire to understand what’s going on. But I think there is some really messed up shit here that hasn’t been addressed completely.
First off, don’t confuse philosophy with medicine. Low testosterone is a medical condition, not a philosophical question. It’s forgivable for someone from the general population to make that mistake. It is criminal when doctors do it. Any time a doctor tells you that low testosterone is “part of the natural aging process” you automatically know you’re dealing with an idiot.
Dying is part of the natural process of having clogged coronary arteries but no one has a problem with doing the unnatural thing of replacing them with veins from your leg. It is pure hypocrisy to avoid treating low testosterone simply because it is “natural.” Fuck natural.
As KNB has said, low testosterone is a medical condition that leads to problems like cardiovascular disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression and diabetes to name a few. Any time you’re weighing the “risks” of TRT, don’t forget you’re weighing them against early death. It is ok to ask what are the risks of TRT as long as you also ask what are the risks of not taking TRT. We know for a fact that the problems associated with low T can kill you. Weigh that against the purely imaginary problems of taking physiological doses of testosterone.
The so called association between testosterone and prostate cancer is based on one ridiculously flawed study that has been discredited many times. Researchers now believe it is estrogen, not testosterone, that is the problem in prostate cancer.
Another real problem is raised by brentf13. Let me make this perfectly clear… TESTOSTERONE IS NOT A DRUG.
Testosterone is a hormone. You’ve been “on it” your whole life. You’re basically asking what are the health risks of being 20 years old. It’s sort of a ridiculous question. Unfortunately, societal attitudes make it a perfectly understandable question.
No one has ever died from a testosterone overdose. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anyone anywhere who has ever had a health problem directly attributable to taking testosterone.
As for long term effects, check out this picture of Serge Nubret at age 65.
Serge has been a pro bodybuilder for more than 30 years. He doesn’t talk about it (very understandably) but it is reasonable to assume he has been on gear since the 70’s. Put that picture in your “long term effects” file.
Absolutely not. I’m not trying to blow smoke up your ass and say it has been. What I’m saying is that you’re assuming there must be problems.
My point is that there is no EVIDENCE to suggest anything other than it is healthy. Furthermore, there isn’t even a theoretical model to suggest it is unhealthy.
Your skepticism is natural. It is normal. It is common. It’s even healthy to a certain extent. After all, it brought you here. Unfortunately, it is based on hysteria.
If you really want to get an idea of how messed up societal attitudes are towards testosterone simply look at the fact that the number one steroid in use today is estrogen. Tons of it are produced and consumed every year. Literally tons. No one blinks an eye. Yet its male counterpart, testosterone, is a Schedule II Controlled Substance and your doctor can be sent to jail for giving it to you.
If that ain’t fucked up, I don’t know what is.
Ok, I’m done ranting. I hope I haven’t put you off. You’re in the right place, asking the right questions and your heart is obviously in the right place. It’s all good.
Now do yourself a favor and go get your blood tested.
