What Are the Side Effects of Taking Testosterone?
Testosterone therapy is a safe and effective way to treat men and women with low testosterone. Like all drugs or medical procedures, testosterone replacement therapy has some potential side effects. If you are wondering whether testosterone therapy might be right for you, you need to understand all of the risks versus the benefits of testosterone replacement.
Is Testosterone Generally Regarded as Safe?
When properly prescribed, and taken with on-going medical supervision, testosterone therapy is generally regarded as safe. However, as with any prescription medication, there are some possible side-effects to testosterone therapy. However, the potential side effects of testosterone are rare. Testosterone therapy is generally regarded as a safe and effective way to treat men with low-T.
Most if not all of the possible side effects of testosterone replacement can be avoided by simply following your doctor’s advice.
Testosterone therapy is generally regarded as safe.
What Can Happen If You Take Too Much Testosterone?
You cannot technically “overdose” on testosterone, but misuse of testosterone can cause some very dangerous side effects, such as enlarged breasts, small testicles, infertility, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, liver disease, bone growth problems, addiction, and mental effects such as aggression and violence.
If you have used too much testosterone, stopping the medicine has been known to cause some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, such as depression, tiredness, irritability, loss of appetite, sleep problems, or decreased libido.
However, almost all of these problems occur when people are using testosterone illegally, without a proper prescription or a doctor’s care.
When using testosterone as it is prescribed, it is a safe and effective way to treat low testosterone.
What Are Some of the Common Side Effects of Testosterone Therapy?
As with any prescription medication testosterone has some potential for side effects. The most common side effect of testosterone injections is pain or swelling at the injection site. Some of the other most common side effects of testosterone for men and women include:
- Breast swelling
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Increased facial or body hair growth, male-pattern baldness;
- Increased or decreased interest in sex;
- Numbness or tingly feeling
Some side effects common specifically to women include:
- Acne
- Changes in menstrual periods
- Male-pattern hair growth (such as on the chin or chest)
- Hoarse or deepened voice
- Enlarged clitoris.
What Are Some of the Less Common Side Effects of Testosterone Therapy?
Some of the rare or uncommon symptoms of testosterone that have been reported by men and women include:
- Chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder
- Swelling in your ankles or feet, rapid weight gain
- Sudden cough, wheezing, rapid breathing, coughing up blood
- Pain, swelling, warmth, or redness in one or both legs
- Nausea or vomiting
- Changes in skin color
- Increased or ongoing erection of the penis
- Impotence, ejaculation problems, decreased amounts of semen, decrease in testicle size
- Painful or difficult urination
- Shortness of breath (even with mild exertion);
- Stomach pain, constipation, increased thirst or urination, muscle pain or weakness, joint pain, confusion, and feeling tired or restless
Like any drug, testosterone injections have some potential side effects.
How Can You Reduce the Risks of Side Effects From Testosterone?
When considering testosterone replacement, you must weigh the risks vs the benefits. All drugs have some “bad” along with the “good” and testosterone replacement is no exception. The many benefits of testosterone replacement, outweigh the possible risks.
The best way to reduce the risk of any side effects of testosterone therapy, is to work with experienced doctors. You want to get your testosterone therapy from doctors who specialize in hormone replacement therapies for men and women. At Nexel Medical, our doctors are trained professionals who know a lot about hormone management for age-related hormone imbalances.
Our doctors have years of experience in understanding how to prescribe hormone therapy for you individual needs. We will prescribe the right type and the precise dosage of testosterone to tackle your symptoms, while minimizing the risk of any side effects.
The side effects of testosterone can be reduced or eliminated by working with doctors skilled and experienced with testosterone replacement therapy.
Now that you understand a little more about the potential side effects of testosterone therapy, why not contact us today, and see if testosterone therapy is right for you?