I ran across this article. We have had a few guys here who may have this issue.
http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/apm/article/viewFile/29392/24147
yes, I have been MIA, sorry
[I was researching adrenal cancer in female ferrets when I came across the above. In that case, excess estrogens cause aplastic anaemia.]
I’ve also seen evidence of opioids hypogonadism. I didn’t save the article though as my paper wasn’t specific about the numerous causes.
Several other chronic conditions and medical treatments are to blame as well. I’d be interested in seeing whether chronic pain could be linked to hypogonadism as well.
Just for fun I looked and found several linking opioids but I’d be inclined to think that untreated chronic pain could also lead to low T levels, possibly through the stress response. I had severe pain for 10 years straight but because it was in my back I never got anything but heavy anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants.
I have a hunch that contributed to mine, along with many other foul ups from traditional doctors shoving medications at me for 3 years…pain killers, anti biotics, muscle relaxers, psych meds, sleep meds, in addition to tons of infections, trauma with surgeries, dealing with chronic pain, etc. Scary thing is my insurance 6 months ago started denying all the medical care including HRT that got me back to good health, and approved only Vicadin and Xanax as the answer in place of HRT and supplements. Our medical care systems are whacked.
Yes, they can cause hypogonadism, that has been known for a long time.
But also remember that this is reversible once you stop them. So you don’t necessarily need TRT to deal with it if it is temporary. You’ll just end up with the additional problem of TRT-induced hypogonadism once you come off the opioids.
In some cases there may be other options for chronic pain that don’t cause hypogonadism. NSAIDs might help some, also gabapentin/pregabalin, low dose amitriptyline, etc. Of the opioids, tramadol appears to cause less hypogonadism (if any) than the others, although tramadol may cause sexual problems via other mechanisms (e.g., serotonergic).
Yes, I’m sure chronic pain can also cause hypogonadism along with a slew of other negative effects on the body. Some chronic inflammatory conditions such as RA cause hypogonadism by themselves. So if the pain is related to an inflammatory condition, you should definitely first address the inflammation.
I got clean off all medications yet my hormones continued to drop…this was many years ago, so I got on HRT and its been a miracle for me. I did not want to do it lifetime, but its better than being totally fatigued with cognitive dysfunction and chronically ill.
I was careful and did not jump on anything fast, which it seems some folks are these days. I continued to get labs for over a year, while doing the lifestyle changes, diet, sleep, etc to try to improve my condition otherwise. It was a last resort.
[quote]bluecollarjock wrote:
I got clean off all medications yet my hormones continued to drop…[/quote]
I wonder if a Clomid restart would perhaps have helped you. If it works for steroid-induced hypogonadism, it might very well work for opioid-induced hypogonadism too.
I’ve made the comment several times regarding narcotic pain meds wrecking havoc on the hormonal system, most notably from percoset and oxycontin. Now especially those who take it for chronic pain may need to talk to your doctor and have levels checked. As for codeine and vicodin may have a lesser effect but this is my opinion on these 2 types of pain meds. Now narcotics as a whole have an impact on your hormones, any concerns, talk to your doctor like I said earlier.
I did 3 years straight on and off Vicadin, Percocet and Oxy…in addition to massive doses of anti biotics, muscle relaxers, digestive narcotics like Levsinex and Lomotil, sleep and anxiety meds…it was a 3 year run of medical issues and doctors shoving awful medications chasing symptoms…destroyed my health big time. Got on HRT and slowly turned things around in addition to nutritional IVs and a good integrative doctor using supplementation to rebuild my immune and digestive system.
I am assuming 4-5 years on HRT is way too late to try any kind of restart?
I went cold turkey on GH 6 months ago and it was pure hell. Insurance was covering it then all sudden with zero medical reasoning cut it off due to cost and my gosh it caused chaos in my body. Thank God T is cheap and I do not have to deal with coming off of it.