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Permalink Reply by David F. on January 29, 2013 at 8:50am

Look up Rhodiola as a herbal supplement.  Link to  Rhodiola supplement.

It is a way to boost your system.  It is subtle and takes a week or two to build up.  The changes are minor but real for a friend of mine.

 

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Permalink Reply by Davis on January 29, 2013 at 11:07am

Due to a massive heart attack I suffered in 2000, my doctor wanted to get some answers to why I had the heart attack. One of the things he did was check my testosterone levels and found that they were well below normal (125). I don't remember what the free testosterone levels were. Even though I had no symptoms of low testosterone (low libido, erectile dysfunction, depression, lethargic, etc.), my physician strongly felt that my low levels of T were a contributing factor to the heart attack along with a couple of other things. Interestingly enough, my cholesterol levels were in a good range. This is a long story so I'll cut to the chase.

 

Thus, I've been on testosterone replacement therapy for almost 12 years. The application protocol was NOT injections but androgel. I retired not too long after my first treatments with androgel. My retirement insurance, however, wouldn't pay for the androgel since it was a "tier 1" drug, and the insurance company wanted me to use testaderm which is a patch. The problem with the patch is that over 50% of men have skin reactions that produce a boil-like sore on the place of application (NOT FUN). Another long story.

My doctor did more research to see what was available. He eventually prescribed a compounded testosterone cream through our local compounding pharmacy which worked very well for me. Incidentally, the compounded cream was way less expensive than the androgel and my copay was only $15 for a 90 day supply. Last year, however, my insurance company "decided" that it would no longer cover compounded drugs. I'm still working on getting that benefit restored, but to no avail. They want me to buy the regular pharmaceutical. You guess the reason for that...Now, I pay $140 for a 90 day supply. Even though I have to pay more out of pocket, the compounded cream is a better delivery system for me and there are NO side effects (skin irritation or loss of effect during the day).

 

OK, my signature "long-winded post" continues. I’ve written all of this to inform you that if you are needing testosterone replacement, make sure you do some thorough research and find a doctor who knows what she/he is doing. If you could listen in when my doctor calls the compounding pharmacy and witness his explanation and conversation with the lab tech on how and what to mix in the cream, you would realize that the man is NOT pulling a pill bottle off the shelf and giving you something that was prescribed for the general population . What is prescribed for you is customized for your particular body issues. A wonderful physician...very smart and knows pharmaceuticals in detail.

 

So who cares? Well, I do. The delivery system is excellent; libido is very good; no ball shrinkage; no skin irritation; my carido health is excellent (arteries are clear); and this old man has a smile on his face quite often (like this morning, for example).

 

Finally, remember that testosterone is more than a sex hormone. It is also a heart hormone. There are more receptors for testosterone in heart muscle than in any other place in the body, at least that is what my doctor told me. He made a believer out of me.

Davis

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