What is Testosterone?

An example of Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. It is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid. It is related to libido, energy, immune function and protection from osteoporosis.

Reported Purpose & Perceived Effectiveness

Reasons and Perceived effectiveness
Perceived Effectiveness
Purpose # of patients # of patients with evaluations
Major
Moderate
Slight
None
Can’t tell
36 11 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_cant_tell
32 10 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_cant_tell
24 11 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
15 4 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_cant_tell
14 3 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight
12 7 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_cant_tell

See all 230 patients currently taking Testosterone

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Reported Dosages

Frequently reported dosages based on patients currently taking Testosterone. See all 91 dosages

  1 g daily 2 g daily 100 mg monthly 4 g daily 100 mg every other week 200 mg every other week 100 mg weekly 5 mg/24 hours daily 200 mg weekly 50 mg/5 g daily
  36 Number of Patients: 36 14 Number of Patients: 14 5 Number of Patients: 5 10 Number of Patients: 10 11 Number of Patients: 11 14 Number of Patients: 14 8 Number of Patients: 8 8 Number of Patients: 8 14 Number of Patients: 14 5 Number of Patients: 5  

Reported Stop Reasons

Why Patients Stopped Taking Testosterone (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason # Patients Percentage of patients
Other 16   Other: 30%
Did not seem to work 16   Did not seem to work: 30%
Doctor's advice 13   Doctor's advice: 24%
Side effects too severe 10   Side effects too severe: 19%
Expense 9   Expense: 17%
Change in health plan coverage 7   Change in health plan coverage: 13%
Personal research 5   Personal research: 9%
Course of treatment ended 4   Course of treatment ended: 7%
Not indicated 2   Not indicated: 4%

See all 54 patients who’ve stopped taking Testosterone

Currently Taking Testosterone

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more
0

Stopped Taking Testosterone

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of Testosterone

Always
48 57%
Usually
28 33%
Sometimes
7 8%
Never
1 1%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of Testosterone

Very
5 6%
Somewhat
16 19%
A little
31 37%
Not at all
32 38%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of Testosterone

$200+
2 4%
$100-199
0 0%
$50-99
4 8%
$25-49
15 28%
< $25
32 60%

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23 patient evaluations for Testosterone

Purposes: Fatigue and Hypogonadism (Started Nov 18, 2011)
Date Dosage Fatigue Perceived effectiveness Hypogonadism Perceived effectiveness Side Effects Adherence Burden
Nov 01, 2012 200 mg Monthly Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Major Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Major SevereSevereSevereSevereSevere AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways Not at allNot at allNot at allNot at allNot at all
May 01, 2012 200 mg Monthly Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Led_efficacy_4Major Led_efficacy_2Led_efficacy_2Led_defaultLed_defaultSlight NoneNoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways SomewhatSomewhatSomewhatSomewhatSomewhat
Date
Nov 01, 2012
Advice & Tips
Get regular "T" levels done at least every 2 months
Cost
$25-49 monthly
Date
May 01, 2012
Advice & Tips
It sure helps with the HIV medication tiredness
Cost
$25-49 monthly
  • Icon_thumb_off 0 helpful marks
  • tigger13039
    Sex: M
    Data Quality: 3 stars
    MS: 17 yrs
    Type: Primary Progressive
    Sensation: Severe
    Overall: Moderate
    Cognition: severe
    Vision: moderate
    Speech: moderate
    Swallowing: moderate
    Upper limb: moderate
    Walking: moderate
  • 27298-thumb
  • See tigger13039's full Testosterone history
Purposes: Fatigue, MS (Multiple Sclerosis), Low Testosterone, and Excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence) (Started Jun 10, 2011)
Date Dosage Fatigue Perceived effectiveness MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Perceived effectiveness Low Testosterone Perceived effectiveness Excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence) Perceived effectiveness Side Effects Adherence Burden
Jul 05, 2012 200 mg Every Other Week Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_default Led_efficacy_1Led_defaultLed_defaultLed_default Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_default Led_efficacy_2Led_efficacy_2Led_defaultLed_default NoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways SomewhatSomewhatSomewhatSomewhat
  • Icon_thumb_off 0 helpful marks
Purpose: Lichen Sclerosus (Started Feb 11, 2012)
Date Dosage Perceived effectiveness Side Effects Adherence Burden
May 23, 2012 2 g Daily Led_efficacy_2Led_efficacy_2Led_defaultLed_defaultSlight NoneNoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways A littleA littleA littleA littleA little
Apr 18, 2012 2 g Daily Led_efficacy_1Led_defaultLed_defaultLed_defaultNone NoneNoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways A littleA littleA littleA littleA little
Apr 03, 2012 2 g Daily Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_defaultModerate NoneNoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways A littleA littleA littleA littleA little
Mar 29, 2012 2 g Daily Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_efficacy_3Led_defaultModerate NoneNoneNoneNoneNone AlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlwaysAlways Not at allNot at allNot at allNot at allNot at all
  • Icon_thumb_off 0 helpful marks
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What is testosterone?

Testosterone is a naturally occurring sex hormone that is produced in a man’s testicles. Small amounts of testosterone are also produced in a woman’s ovaries and adrenal system.

Testosterone injection is used in men and boys to treat conditions caused by a lack of this hormone, such as delayed puberty, impotence, or other hormonal imbalances. Testosterone injection is also used in women to treat breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

Testosterone injection may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.


Precautions

You should not receive this medication if you have:

  • prostate cancer;
  • male breast cancer;
  • if you are pregnant; or
  • if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a hormone treatment.

Before receiving testosterone injection, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

  • benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH);
  • any type of cancer;
  • high cholesterol;
  • a bleeding or blood clotting disorder;
  • liver or kidney disease; or
  • heart disease, coronary artery disease (hardened arteries), congestive heart failure, or a history of heart attack.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use testosterone injection.

FDA pregnancy category X. This medication can cause birth defects. Do not receive testosterone injection if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are receiving this medication.

It is not known whether testosterone injection passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not receive this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Follow your doctor’s instructions about any restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while you are using testosterone injection.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have received too much of this medicine.

An overdose of testosterone injection is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms.

Call your doctor if you miss an appointment for your testosterone injection.

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Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

  • swelling, rapid weight gain;
  • increased or ongoing erection of the penis;
  • bone pain, increased thirst, memory problems, restless feeling, confusion, nausea, loss of appetite, increased urination, weakness, muscle twitching; or
  • nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Women receiving testosterone injection may develop male characteristics, which could be irreversible if testosterone treatment is continued. Call your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of these signs of excess testosterone:

  • acne;
  • changes in your menstrual periods;
  • male-pattern hair growth (such as on the chin or chest);
  • male pattern baldness;
  • enlarged clitoris; or
  • increase or decrease in sex drive.

Less serious side effects may include:

  • breast swelling in men;
  • headache, anxiety, depressed mood;
  • numbness or tingly feeling; or
  • pain or swelling where the medicine was injected.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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Interactions

Before receiving testosterone injection, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

  • the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin);
  • insulin or diabetes medication you take by mouth such as glimepiride (Amaryl, Duetact, Avandaryl), glipizide (Glucotrol), glyburide (Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase), metformin (Actoplus Met, Avandamet, Fortamet, Glucophage Janumet), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others; or
  • steroid medicine such as methylprednisolone (Depo-Medrol, Medrol, Solu-Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone, others), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with testosterone injection. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Other Names

Andro LA 200, Andro-Cyp 100, Andro-Cyp 200, AndroGel, AndroGel 1.25 g/actuation, AndroGel 2.5 g/packet, AndroGel 5 g/packet, Androderm, Delatest, Delatestryl, Depandro 100, Depo-Testosterone, Depotest, Duratest, Durathate 200, Everone, FIRST-Testosterone, FIRST-Testosterone MC, Histerone, Meditest, Striant, Testamone-100, Testim, Testim 5 g/packet, Testoderm, Testolin, Testopel, Testosterone Cypionate, Testosterone Enanthate, Virilon IM, testosterone, AndroGel Pump 1.25 g/actuation, Testopel Pellets, Testro, Testro AQ, and Testro-L.A.

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Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04

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