HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

low testosterone

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 2/3/2012 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
Michael got his levels today and his testosterone is low. Not horrible but still low at 236 normal range they tell us is 348-1197. he has an appt on the 20th to discuss options but thought I would ask what you guys with low T are doing and how it is working. What side effects may be and what he can expect from treatment.

Thanks for the input
Susan

By the way, undetectable PSA (Woo hoo!)
Posted 2/4/2012 9:18 AM (GMT 0)
Here's Susan's signature from another post:

Husband 39 at diagnosis 12/2010.
No symptoms, PSA 18 in 10/2010
one month antibiotic then PSA 12.6 in 11/2010
biopsy end of 11/2010 Gleason 6
[b]Da Vinci prostatectomy 2/2/2011[/b]
Taking 20 mg levitra daily June 2011.
1st post-op PSA less than .05
3 and 6 month post surgery PSA = undetectable
staging: pT2aNo, Gleason6

-----------------------------------------

Susan - Testosterone can feed/fuel/cause PSA numbers to rise. So taking meds for it is something to think serious about. Waiting another year to be certain hubby's PSA is at .01 is something to consider.  

 

Posted 2/4/2012 1:07 PM (GMT 0)
Susan,

First of all, what time of day did they draw blood to test this?  My Uro. says to draw only in the morning because T levels are highest then and always drop off during the day.  If he did the blood draw at any other time then first thing in the morning I would retest.

My T level is about the same as your husbands and I am 46 years old.  I don't feel bad or suffer any appearent symptoms of low T level, so I am doing nothing about it.

If he doesn't suffer any appearent symptoms why would you even treat it.

Chris

 

Posted 2/4/2012 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
They drew his blood around 9:00 AM, so seems that was the right timing. He doesn't seem to think there is much difference but I can tell that he is just not right. His libido is not as high as it used to be, he has put on some weight, he is falling asleep for a nap when he used to never nap and would get less sleep, and he is a bit more grouchy than he used to be. When I say used to be, I mean a year ago, before treatment. He isn't bad, and it isn't anything that he would recognize on a daily basis other than, "maybe I am just getting older" He is 40, he should feel "GREAT" not just blah or ok.

I don't know what we will decide about treatment, but I am glad that we know the level is low, and I can turn here to get some input. Pros or cons, anything to give me information (being the info junkie that I am!!!)
Posted 2/4/2012 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
Susan,

I don't know what Michael's exercise routine is like. But, if he is not doing cardio/resistance training, he might consider that. Just going through the surgery can result in getting out of shape and losing some muscle mass. That can prompt fatigue and feeling blah, especially when dealing with ongoing SEs. Low T compounds things .. sort of a vicious cycle. Getting myself back in shape and working out (cardio+resistance) was transformative to me when it came to my mood, energy attitude, and even libido. (FYI: My T level was 26 the last time I checked. I have almost forgot what it feels like to have normal T .. hoping to feel that again someday soon. :-)  ) Good luck to Michael.

Posted 2/4/2012 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
I understand that weight loss, exercise and building muscle can cause an increae in T naturally. This is the route that I am taking. I am building up my T after 12 months of ADT3. It has taken me 6 months to get to 215, but it slowing continues to rise.
Posted 2/4/2012 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I am confused...I thought testosterone use was an absolute no-no after being diagnosed with prostate cancer...I was told by my uro that T fuels cancer growth and I need to totally avoid it!!!???
Posted 2/5/2012 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
Icecat - same story I got. My GP thinks my T is low, my uro says that with my increasing post surgery & RT PSA rise, my T needs to be low.

HT is lurking out there about a month off for me.

T does feed PCa. If your surgery was completely a success, and there is no PCa left, adding T is fine. But how do you know? (You don't - you add T, if PSA goes up, you know you made a big mistake. Big.)

Posted 2/5/2012 5:09 AM (GMT 0)
From what I understand, a natural rise of T to a reasonable level while your PCa may be in remission is OK. However, supplimenting to rapidly increase T is playing with fire.
Posted 2/5/2012 8:36 AM (GMT 0)
My PSA has been <.01 for 3½ years... So I started using T Gel to get my T levels up. I'm now back to having my PSA checked every six months..

My surgeon said that had my PSA's story been different he wouldn't write the script for the Gel.

Posted 2/5/2012 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I sure don't want to add T to the equation then find out that I made a BIG mistake.....the first time around with cancer is enough. Maybe some of the alternative rehabilitative tools, like taking L-Argenine could be a real help in achieving my goals. What do you think?
Posted 2/5/2012 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
There is a big debate going on right now with use of T in low T prostate cancer patients. Up until 4 years ago this was definately a no, no, but in specially selected candidates most uros and endocrinologists are starting to use it due to some of Morgantheler's work which is the saturation theory of T in prostate cancer. Basically he says that prostate cancer cells are maximally stimulated at very low levels and that adding more to a prostate cancer patient with low T wont make any difference. Now we're talkiing about men with low grade gleason cancers like 6 or 7 who had surgery and have had 0 psas for at least 1-3 years, and have low T, less than 340, and symptoms of depression, low libidio and bone loss. Hormone therapy, which drops the T level very low is still used for men with advanced prostate cancer, spread to muscles and bones. The 64,000 dollar question is could taking T cause a man to have a recurrence, even if hes had 0 psas for say 3 or 4 years. Nobody really knows this there are no long term studies about this. The longest term study is now being done at Sloan Kettering in NYC where they have given prostate ca survivors with stable 0 psas for 1-3 years and gleason 6 or 7 scores T replacement. After 3 years now none of these men have had rising psas. SO the data looks good. Im on the fence about this myself. My T level is 193, im depressed, i have low libido, and i have the beginning of osteoporosis. I've had 0 psas for 3 1/2 years now, gleason 6. I took one shot of T and it did make me feel much better. After that i worried about the recurrence issue and didnt take anymore. I think i will wait another 6 months to make psa is still 0 and then try androgel......................
Posted 2/6/2012 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Susan,

Best practice over the years said, no, to TRT. Times have since changed to reflect a more liberal approach based on patient history and a little more knowledge. Paul (my hubby) has been on TRT since 2006, just months after being treated for a low Gleason, organ confined PCA. He was highly symptomatic from previous testicular cancer treatment and needed to be treated for hypogonadism. Gels worked but for a short time and he did use them for as long as he could. All tumor markers are negative. Possible s/e from TRT include; elevated hemoglobin and elevated estradiol. Both are easily managed. Other than watching out for those two things, he has no problems using shots. I've come to understand that best practice often means treatment is taylored to individual patient outcomes.

Swim

Posted 2/6/2012 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for all the info. Will be interesting to see which side of this issue his URO falls on.
Posted 2/6/2012 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
I am 60, and it has been 5 years since my surgery and my pathology was Gleason 6, negative margins, and I have had <.04 PSAs since my surgery. 

Since my surgery, I have almost zero libdo and low energy levels.  I use to work out with weights constantly before my surgery, now, I just don't have the energy or desires anymore. about three years I got a testosterone test and it came back at 320 which my uro said was fine for my age of 57 at the time and that my low libdo was just in my head, he was dead set agianst prescribing T for  PCa patients.  My question is,,has anyone tried the over the counter T enhancers like  "Ageless Male", etc, and do these really work? 

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply