Testogel. Should I combine it with ALC/ALA?

Therapeutic Efforts Pharmaceutical
#1

Hi everybody,

I am starting a 4 months treatment with Testosterone gel. In January my testosterone levels were: 2.8 (3.0 - 10) and in May 3.4 (3.0 - 10).

I have to get a bloodtest done every month during those 4 months to check how my prostate is doing and also my Testosterone levels. I´ll keep you updated.

Right now I have the following synthoms:

-E.D. (can reach an erection “manually” but cannot maintain it without that “manual” help.)
-Low Libido.
-Feel tired all the time (feeling like I need to sleep a lot).
-Cold feeling in my scrotum and top of penis.
-Low energy.

I thought that maybe, since I´ve read the following article: A Cure for Erectile Dysfunction: ALC/ALA
(Acetyl-L-Carnitine & Alpha Lipoic Acid Therapy) http://infowomanhrt.tripod.com/EDcureALC_ALA.html Maybe I could combine the Testosterone gel with the ALC/ALA therapy. The combination of ALC/ALA is supposed to be great to raise Testosterone levels. What do you think?

I also have L-arginine, Tribulus Terrestris, Taurine, vitamin c, folic acid and Creatine at home. Are these any good?

Thanks for your advice.

#2

Hi Cepo,

I’d lay off any supplements while you are taking the Testogel so that you can see if it actually works on its own, and so the blood test results you get will be 100% a result of Testogel use.

Perhaps once you see progress with TRT you could consider adding the other supplements, but your doctor would probably advise you not to take them if you are doing a trial of Testogel for the first 4 months.

Did you suggest taking hCG to keep you fertile while on TRT? You do realize you potentially will be shutting down your body’s own Testosterone and sperm production (sterility) if you stick with TRT with no hCG, right? (could happen within a month or two, do some research and talk to the doctor)

Also, I would request that your doctor monitor your DHT and Estradiol levels, since elevated Testosterone can lead to increased Estrogens… ie, potential gyno, etc… and DHT to see if TRT makes any difference (if your DHT was low before TRT).

Keep us posted as to your progress, thanks for the update.

#3

Hi Mew,

My doctor didn´t mention anything about sterility or HCG.

A few months ago (January) I got my DHT results and they were ok.

What makes my life so depressed is the fact of having this e.d., I haven´t thought about Sterility, but nowdays, that´s what worries me less.

I don´t know how TRT therapy can make me sterile forever. The only advise that I got from my doctor is to follow the Testosterone Gel therapy for 4 months and see the results after that.

I know cases like a guy that I contacted that was going to start a treatment with human growth hormone…so Imagine how desperate we all are to recover.

My doctor deals with E.D. cases and is very optimistic with the TRT treatment, I´m suprised that you mention Sterility, because he didn´t mention anything about that at all.

You think I should ask him about this sterility things? or only 4 months of TRT with Testosterone Gel won´t do me much harm?

Thanks for your advice.

#4

By the way, my estradiol levels are ok now, as well as everything else, except for total and free testosterone levels.

#5

Absolutely! You should ask about hCG if you are at all concerned about having a family down the road. If you absolutely don’t care to have children ever in your life, then go right ahead. But you never know, you may change your mind someday. The other thing to think about is that if/when your body shuts off its own T production (since it’s getting it from an external source), your testicles will atrophy. hCG prevents this atrophy and keeps your testes working by producing sperm.

So if he won’t give you hCG, or know how the correct dosages/protocols, you will either have to educate him via studies/research materials (show him protocols, if he’s open to it), or I would suggest banking your sperm before you start the TRT treatment (just to be safe in case you change your mind in the future and DO want kids).

Take a browse through the “Other Studies” section of this website, as there are some documents about treatments for secondary hypogonadism which will provide you with more info. You need to educate yourself before you start TRT so you know what you’re getting into!

Here is an article on Testosterone-induced fertility problems for men:
nytimes.com/2005/06/20/healt … yt&emc=rss

Really, there is no reason why he shouldn’t give you hCG+TRT to keep your fertility working, as opposed to just TRT. I would press him on this – after all, it’s your body and your life. Don’t make the same mistake you did by taking Finasteride and trusting everything you were told (safety-wise) – you need to do the research for yourself so you can question wether this will be a good or bad thing for you.

This is taken from the American Association of Endocrinologists guide to the treatment of Hypogonadism, regarding hCG:

aace.com/pub/pdf/guidelines/hypogonadism.pdf

PAGE 11
“For patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism wishing fertility, hCG with or without human menopausal gonadotropin (FSH) or pulsatile GnRH therapy and hCG with or without assisted reproduction are options”

PAGE 13
“Men with postpubertal acquired hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and who have previously had normal production of sperm can also generally initiate and maintain spermatogenesis with hCG treatment only.”

This I cannot answer with clarity, however I do recall reading somewhere that your body shuts off T production (and thus stops making sperm) within a few weeks to 1-2 months of being on TRT. But don’t quote me on that.

However, have a read through this:

drgreene.mediwire.com/main/Defau … eID=138197

"Although TRT is standard treatment for seconddary hypogonadism, it may not be an ideal approach, particularly when the condition causing suppression of the pituitary signals is temporary. The introduction of exogenous testosterone will suppress pituitary stimulation of the testes, but when the temporary condition or illness is no longer present and TRT is halted, it may take 4 or 5 months before pituitary stimulation returns to normal. Many patients will find such a lag time intolerable, and will want to remain on TRT, making testosterone supplementation an unnecessarily indefinite treatment. "

“Infertility is a universal side effect of TRT, and though it is generally reversible when TRT is discontinued, testosterone treatment is, for all practical purposes, often kept up indefinitely.”

… Also be sure to read the other side effects of TRT… and the fact you should monitor your Hematocrit and Estradiol levels (increased T may lead to extra Estradiol via aromatization), in addition to Total T/Free T and other hormones (LH, FSH etc). I hope you will be getting blood work bi-weekly/monthly on this trial if you decide to go through with it.

Finally, I’m curious why you are jumping on TRT right away. I would suggest you press your doc for trying Clomid or hCG on it’s own to try and restore the HTPA BEFORE jumping on a TRT trial, since those WON’T shut you down.

Best of luck.