Low Testosterone & Anxiety
Question:
reg. your low testosterone with anxiety i do very much agree with you but from another side women also can have a low testosterne level in which would also cause the same symptoms and also would throw the menstral cycle off. this is one concern alot of women have that suffer from panic and anxiety i have had panic attacks for 14 yrs and have experimented on myself i have found an inj. of b12 is helpful but low test. level was not found but i do believe it is one of the culprets of this illness . please keep me up to date on your findings
Response:
reg. your low testosterone with anxiety etc…
I have not found anything definite on a possible link between low testosterone and GAD so far and I’ve followed quite a few links. Over the weekend it occurred to me to see if my original source can provide some additional information on other good sources. Meanwhile, one very nice lady suggested that I take Evening Primrose Oil (epo) for the GLA that it contains. I ignored that advice for a couple of months. Got desperate enough to try it and it has definitely helped. It may be helping on two levels: short and long term. Short term: within an hour of taking the first one I felt great and it lasted for several hours. Now I take two 500mg capsules with each meal. I still need a sedative (trazodone) at bedtime and occassionally during the day but I am definitely doing better. Long term, well, supposedly epo also has an indirect effect on the production of male or female hormones. As I’ve been very slowly but very definitely improving (GAD is the problem) I’ve been starting to have a problem with acne. That *can* be an indication of the body increasing the amount of testosterone it’s producing. (oh, I’m over 50 years old, by the way.) It could also be a hundred other things instead of testosterone but it is an interesting effect when combined with other changes that I’d rather not go into right now. But, bottom line is that epo really may be increasing my testosterone level. And, since the GAD is lessening some it does give me hope that raising the test level may someday eliminate the GAD. None of this information is solid at this point – just interesting. The only thing I know for sure is that with epo I’m better. Not cured. But better. If only 1% of us are helped with epo its worth spreading some information. [note: I've benefited from the placebo effect with other things but it's only been for a few hours; a day at most. epo has been helping for several weeks now. I'm pretty sure it's not a placebo effect that I'm experiencing.]
Response:
Could this low testorsterone level & post- hysterectomized women (ovaries removed) have them same effect? I take hormones but no testosterone replacement which some women do after a hysterectomy.
Absolutely. There is growing evidence that some women need to also have their tesosterone levels boosted a bit once they reach menopause. Again, DHEA seems to be a safe and effective way to do this. (See post to Jim.) Regards, Jen
Response:
Could this low testorsterone level & post- hysterectomized women (ovaries removed) have them same effect? I take hormones but no testosterone replacement which some women do after a hysterectomy. Since that time I have suffered greatly w/ anxiety and the likes, wondering if this added to my hormone replacement therapy could help? If anyone can respond to this, it would be greatly appreciated! Also, can people on Zoloft for anxiety get worse before they get better? I feel worse now after taking Zoloft for about 5 1/2 wks than I did a couple wks ago! Everyone says give it time, how much time? Would appreciate any input. Thanks. SG
Response:
I came across the following information about the effects of low testosterone on a man. Many of the supposed symptoms fit me including a major problem with anxiety that is currently mostly controlled with Trazodone, Xanax and a supplement. Does anyone have any experience with low testosterone and debilitating anxiety? He could mean little itty bitty anxiety and not what people in this group experience. I’ll probably pursue this angle with a blood test but I’d still appreciate any input from the group.
In regards to low testosterone levels, you may want to try the supplement DHEA. It is a tertirary (sp?) percursor to testosterone in the body. The daily suggested dose for men around age 40 is 100 mgs. BUT, it really depends on your age because levels go down with age. So, the older you are the more you can take. (You should have your salivary levels measured prior to taking the supplement and then about 90 days after taking it.) As far as I can tell from all the literature I have read, DHEA is safe and effective for raising testosterone levels in both men and women. Women, of course, should take a much smaller dose. Around 25 mgs per day at the age of 40 or so. If you would like to know more about this supplement, there is a publication put out each year for the bodybuilding community that review recent studies of a great variety of supplements. They use clinical studies done at universities and are not afraid to say if something is "trash". The publication is called "Sports Supplement Review". It’s a bit pricey at $29.95, but it has tons of information. Hope this helps. Jen
Response:
I came across the following information about the effects of low testosterone on a man. Many of the supposed symptoms fit me including a major problem with anxiety that is currently mostly controlled with Trazodone, Xanax and a supplement. Does anyone have any experience with low testosterone and debilitating anxiety? He could mean little itty bitty anxiety and not what people in this group experience. I’ll probably pursue this angle with a blood test but I’d still appreciate any input from the group. Here’s the post: As a doctor who first learned about testosterone replacement therapy in 1991and began treating patients with androgen deficiency in 1994 I would like to add my ‘two cents’ worth. Receptors for the hormone testosterone are widely distributed around the body – eg in the brain, muscles and bones. Its functions are therefore wide-ranging, including also metabolism of cholesterol, glucose and the production of red blood cells. Low testosterone (T) levels cause both physical and psychological symptoms, including low mood, anxiety, nervousness, poor memory and concentration, insomnia, loss of muscle tone, osteoporosis (thinning of bone) a ‘paunch’, inappropriate sweating (often at night), hot flushes (flashes), raised cholesterol levels, lack of drive/motivation, low libido, daytime tiredness or fatigue, dry skin, and (very definitely), poor erections. This is not a complete list, but certainly contains the more common features. Symptoms occur at different T levels in different men – I often see men with various combinations of these symptoms who respond well to T-replacement therapy (TRT) whose lab results might be considered low-normal or borderline. Again, for those who have not visited, there is some further information at my website, address below. I will be attending a conference in December at which the main guest speaker is Prof Handelsmann, one of the world’s leading experts in testosterone replacement. Perhaps I could post some of the latest news and views about that to the group, or add it to my website after the event. BTW, the correct name of the author of "The New Male Sexuality" is Bernie Zilbergeld PhD. Recommended reading. — Dr Ian C Booth MBBCh Medi Clinics Men’s Health http://www.mediclinics.co.nz
