20 Sep How Long Before Low Testosterone Therapy starts working?

Understanding that there is no hard fast rule here, most patients feel significant improvement in symptoms within 4-6 weeks of starting treatment for Low T. It is common for symptoms like low sex drive and difficulty maintaining sleep to respond sooner. On the other hand, factors like obesity, chronic illness, or medications can make one’s response slower or more subtle at first. It has been our experience that, failure to respond to treatment (when the person is committed to staying consistent with appointments and recommendations) is very rare.

Especially with injections, response to therapy has nothing to do with “waiting for your testosterone levels to come up”. If properly managed, your levels can be normalized with the first dose, in just a few days.  The lag in symptomatic response represents the time it takes for your body to achieve balance. Making numbers look better is one thing, carefully balancing hormonal shifts and the potential side effects is where the art of medicine becomes crucial.

Below you will find some references to what the studies say on the subject, but ultimately we have found the following to be true:

•     For men symptoms of Low T and confirmed low testosterone levels, treatment works.
•     Treatment typically begins to work some time before the 3rd week but response becomes more noticeable after the first month
•     Symptoms of decreased sex drive can be expected to improve first
•     Most men on Testosterone Treatments report improved mood by the 6th week of therapy

What Does the Medical Literature Say?

In the study titled  “Timetable of effects of testosterone administration to hypogonadal men on variables of sex and mood” (Jockenhovel, Minnemann, et al, The Aging Male, December 2009: 12 (4): 113-118), 40 men with testosterone levels definitively established as low were evaluated for timing of response to therapy. Specifically, the researchers wanted to know how long it took for men to experience improvement in total numbers of erections and ejaculations, indicators of improved libido such as sexual thoughts and fantasies, and perceived sexual interest/desire and satisfaction with their sex lives.

Additionally, several psychosocial parameters were measured looking for changes such as levels of agitation, aggression, depression, listlessness (avoidance of activity), sociability, and activation. Activation, by the way, is defined by Britannica Online Encyclopedia as the “stimulation of the cerebral cortex into a state of general wakefulness, or attention”. Essentially, you can think of activation as concentration and alertness in this context.

It is important to note that this study only evaluated patients at three-week intervals so any symptomatic change occurring before that point could not be documented.  For the psychosocial effects assessed by the study; anxiety levels, aggression, and sociability all showed significant response at three weeks after the start of therapy.

The scoring for all three of these parameters continued to improve over the next 9 weeks, all plateauing around week 12. When considering aggression it is worth noting that when a man’s testosterone level is normal, he is usually appropriately aggressive. A total lack of aggression is most often a social liability and can sometimes lead to missed opportunities, especially in the workplace.

On the other hand, “roid rage” that is frequently associated with anabolic steroid abuse (and the supraphysiologic levels that ensue) occurs in the setting of extremely elevated levels of testosterone. This is not something seen when Testosterone Treatments is managed responsibly and safely. The goal should always be to improve symptoms while improving testosterone levels from deficient levels to normal ones.
Effects on Psychosocial Parameters

Depression and listlessness both decreased substantially by week 6 and remained fairly steady thereafter. For agitation and activation, both of these measurements showed sharp improvements at 9 weeks and stayed relatively stable thereafter.
Effects on Sexual Function

This study evaluated sexual function by tracking the number of spontaneous erections, total erections, and ejaculations reported by men. Other aspects that were quantified were frequency of sexual thoughts/fantasy, intensity of sexual desire, and overall satisfaction with sex life.

For the three measurements of sexual function, men reported positive changes for all at their 3-week evaluation. The number of spontaneous and total erections, as well as the number of ejaculations, increased to stable levels between weeks 12 to 21.

Sexual thoughts and fantasy rose considerably by week three and remained at levels approximately double initial scores thereafter. Sexual desire followed a similar track, reaching a plateau around the 9th week.

Finally, satisfaction with sex life rose sharply by 3rd week and continued on a dramatic rise through week-30 when the study concluded.
Conclusions

As the study says, “Treatment of hypogonadal men (men with Low T) with testosterone is rewarding, for the patients as well as the physician. The patient experiences, to his satisfaction, profound changes in his physical appearance and his mental make-up. The attending physician observes the changes the patient undergoes and rarely fails to be fascinated by the multitude of functions testosterone appears to have in [the] process of masculinization in the broadest sense.” The take home points are these.

The researchers behind this journal article looked only at sexual functioning and mood. There is often much more that is negatively impacted by Low T.  If you have questions or comments please take the time to contact us, we would be happy to sit down with you and discuss how testosterone replacement therapy can improve your quality of life.