Testosterone replacement can affect sex drive, osteoporosis
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 67-year-old male in fair to good health (more good than fair, really). In a recent column, you mentioned that a good testosterone level for a man taking a replacement would be between 500-600 ng/dl.
In November 2016, I was tested for my testosterone level. At the time, I was (and still am) suffering from a low sex drive and erectile dysfunction. My level was 290 ng/dl. The reference range my primary care doctor bases his judgment on has an acceptable range from 193-950 ng/dl; hence he said my level was “low normal.”
When looking at the symptoms of low testosterone, I noted that I have at least four symptoms: low sex drive, ED (for which I have already been treated with a prosthetic implant), loss of body hair (especially my legs) and, most notably, osteoporosis (for which I take alendronate sodium, 70 mg weekly). I was diagnosed in November.
I also am being treated for depression and anxiety disorder, and have been since 2001. I don’t know if this is related to my testosterone level.