Should I have testosterone treatment?

Very glad it helps Derek.

One thing I should have said was that the insidious mental effects of HT dropped off quite sharply [for me] as soon as the Z was out of my system, so well before the return of any testosterone things improved. I can only deduce from this that the drug itself does have some side effects.

Jules

This is just a personal opinion ...

I'd wait till at least 5  years post HT before considering testosterone, partly because it needs at least that period of time before you can start to breath a bit easier on the possibility that you might have dealt with the PC. You would not want to stimulate the cancer if there's still some hanging around. Taking testosterone now might also suppress your own ability to produce the stuff. Continuing on the personal note, although testosterone is returning for me I'll be knocking on the door for some testosterone supplement at 10 years post HT when I'm 85 because I think it has significant QoL values.

For now, I'd suggest that if possible you work on improving your physical fitness. If you haven't been big on this in the past, don't try too much at first and build up slowly with some daily walks and simple stationary exercises. Exercise will burn off some of that fat, re-build your lost muscle mass, improve your bone strength and even eliminate the hot flushes. At 8 months post HT I have no significant hot flushes though the man boobs are going to take some work and I don't expect them to completely go away. Medical intervention shouldn't be required. You haven't given any information on your general level of health, body weight etc, so maybe this doesn't apply to you but post HT your body is inevitably down on where it was before your treatment. The good news is that it's possible to do something about it.

Have you had tests to see if your testosterone is returning naturally?

Jules

Edited by member 16 Nov 2023 at 07:55  | Reason: Not specified

Even with your proviso I think that general statement is slightly deceptive and could be depressing for those with HT ahead of them. I'm less than a year past the end of HT and more than happy with where I stand. Hot flushes gone, testosterone returning, puppy fat retreating and all the difficulties with muscle strength and fatigue out the window. So yes, technically I'm not quite back to normal but all the really unpleasant stuff has gone with a theoretical year and a bit to go.

I suppose this varies a lot but I'm 76 so I suspect that if you're otherwise in good health the recovery period is less than you might fear.

One of the reasons I didn't take Zoladex for 3 years was that I took the advice about recovery literally and the idea of spending a significant proportion of the rest of my life in a semi-Z zone was not appealing. Given the reality, I might even have considered taking the Z for 3 years if I'd known the rate of recovery, though possibly not 😄

Jules

Edited by member 16 Nov 2023 at 21:48  | Reason: Not specified

Many thanks for your considered replies. My PSA and testosterone levels are monitored every six months and have been virtually zero for almost four years - in fact, more or less from when I began ADT in preparation for radiotherapy. Given my hesitation about starting testosterone replacement therapy, I think I will probably delay taking it up for a while longer and see what happens in the meantime. Although I could definitely benefit from losing some weight, I am reasonably fit, playing tennis a couple of times a week. I'm sure that if I increased my level of activity and cut down on food (and wine!) it would help. But, to be honest, I don't find dieting that easy.