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Testosterone Treatments for Men

Testosterone is a hormone that helps you maintain bone density, muscle mass, proper fat distribution, sex drive and sperm production. Testosterone levels can decline due to age or disease. Testosterone therapy can help restore your testosterone levels to the normal range for your age. Testosterone is administered through a shot, gel or buccal (cheek) delivery. It cannot be taken orally because of the high risk of liver damage.

  1. Testosterone Shots

    • Testosterone shots are given in your doctor's office every two to four weeks. You may not be able to take testosterone if you are taking Coumadin, steroids, insulin or other diabetes medication. Testosterone injections may cause numbness, tingling, pain at the injection site, breast swelling, anxiety, depression or headache. These additional side effects may occur: rapid weight gain, bone pain, memory problems, muscle twitching, nausea, stomach pain, jaundice and loss of appetite. Testosterone therapy is not recommended if you have male breast cancer or any other type of cancer. You may not be able to take testosterone if you have kidney disease, liver disease or heart disease.

    Testosterone Gel

    • AndroGel is a testosterone gel that should be applied to your skin after your morning shower. Empty the contents of the gel packet into your hand and spread it over the clean, dry skin of your abdomen, upper arms or shoulders. Wash your hands well with soap and water after applying. Allow the gel to dry before dressing. Avoid swimming or showering for six hours after applying AndroGel. The testosterone in AndroGel can be passed through skin contact with the treated area, so avoid skin to skin contact with women and children. Testosterone can be harmful to them, especially pregnant women and unborn babies. You should not use testosterone gel if you have prostate cancer. Possible side effects include liver disease, prostate disease and breast cancer.

    Buccal Testosterone

    • Striant is a buccal system of delivering testosterone. Buccal means the medication is absorbed through your cheek or gum. You should not chew or swallow Striant. Press a Striant tablet against your gum and leave it in place. You need to replace the tablet every 12 hours and apply the new tablet to the opposite side of your mouth. If your Striant tablet falls off within eight hours, replace it with a new one and resume your next regularly scheduled dose. If the tablet falls off between eight and 12 hours after you applied it, replace it with a new one and skip your next regularly scheduled dose. Striant may cause irritation of the mouth and gums, headache and a bitter taste in your mouth. Striant has the same risks associated with other forms of testosterone therapy like increased risk of cancer and liver disease.

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