Witches cauldrons’ brewing potions, ghouls & goblins haunting sidewalks, bewitching parties galore in the twilight zone...we thought it is time to scare the hell out of testosterone self-diagnosing, and dosing, DIY wizards keeping with the spirit.
If we had to put a piece of candy in a bowl for every testosterone self medication misadventure that comes our way, the bowl would have to be replaced by a barrel now. Here is a typical horror story shared verbatim we see at Science&Humans:
“I have been using anabolic steroids for several years now and have been experiencing severe side effects lately. I am looking to get a blood test requisition for a few parameters I am looking to get tested for. I am concerned for my health and am looking to minimize the harm I am putting on my body. Is the requisition something you could offer?”
This theme is consistent across age groups. Younger men report steroid or testosterone use for gains at the gym. But eventually their natural testosterone production stops, suffer from infertility, and they become dependent on external testosterone for life.
Older men with valid low-T symptoms can't get the help or testing they need and they eventually get tired of suffering and take matters into their own hands.
Both scenarios are bad and potentially dangerous.
Testosterone self-diagnosis & dosing abuse - Devil's in the details
The story starts with one experiencing symptoms of low-T, typically followed by a visit to the GP. Unfortunately, 99% General Practitioners in Canada cannot prescribe blood tests to diagnose Low T or treat testosterone deficits since they are not trained in hormone therapy.
Testosterone being a controlled substance, GPs risk cancellation of license by giving testosterone treatments they are not trained for.
Next step for such a person, read up on TRT therapy, buy testosterone injections and self-administer without any medical supervision. Most take this route since visits to private men's health clinics are EXPENSIVE.
Science&Humans - online mens clinic Canada was exclusively crafted as an online medical solutions provider after a thorough root cause analysis of this problem - Addressing the issues of affordability, inclusivity and competent medical care. Quality healthcare administered discreetly with privacy first approach from diagnosis to delivery of meds in the privacy of your home while easy on your pocket.
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Take our online test and check if you are eligible for our hormone therapyThis allows our medical team to analyse your blood test and confirm if you’ve qualified for treatment |
The dark arts of self-diagnosing & dosing testosterone ill-effects
Testosterone injections bought off the internet are mostly fake or potentially dangerous, suspect quality control and cannot hold anyone accountable for spurious goods.
Since there is no initial blood work done, there is no benchmark and basic threshold set, one is totally in the dark about ideal dosage and most likely will use higher doses.
The problem is made worse since there is no follow up blood work, or awareness of potential side effects. From male pattern balding to shrinking of testes a range of side effects needs to be made aware of, monitored and appropriate intervention counseled.
High dose of testosterone could potentially ruin liver, kidney and prostate function.
High dose of testosterone can increase hemoglobin levels and cause blood to thicken and put the patients at risk for blood clots, stroke and death.
Excess testosterone can also lead to gynecomastia or development of male breasts, due to a process called aromatase. Testosterone will be converted to estradiol or estrogen which leads to male breast development which is embarrassing as well. Clinically monitored testosterone dosing prevents such mishaps.
Male pattern baldness due to increased DHT(Dihydro Testosterone) production, Prostate cancer can happen on high PSA levels(Prostate Specific Antigen) are other side effects that need managing.
Considering Covid vaccines are also prone to side effects of blood clots, self administering testosterone dosage without medical supervision can lead to fatal consequences.
Not knowing how to inject also leads to soreness and other forms of injury. As it is, testosterone injections cause scar tissue and plenty of pain.
Fine tuning dosage and frequency of testosterone, determining suitability of TRT is best left to a trained clinician in treating testosterone deficits.
A big part of TRT especially the quarterly follow up care includes monitoring progress, managing side effects and dose adjustments. In the absence of repeated blood work or follow up consultations, DIY testosterone warriors are shooting in the dark and the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin.
Science&Humans focus is to make steady progress until testosterone levels are optimized, but not at the risk of patient’s safety.
How about low dosing of testosterone?
Low dosing is not commonly observed because patients who are self administering start off on high doses and keep going higher very very quickly. This is so since they start feeling great very very quickly on high doses (high libido/lots of energy/muscle gains/increased confidence). They tend to abuse the doses in hopes that the "high" of testosterone may be permanent and consistent.
Testosterone levels plateau after reaching a certain level. No amount of external boosting will increase levels. On the other hand it will harm. Shrinking of the testes is another issue to consider. Excessive testosterone can lead to testicular atrophy. Clinical supervision counters this side-effect effectively.
What about testosterone abuse using creams?
Testosterone Creams typically cannot be bought off the internet. But even the patients with a valid prescription for the topical cream do tend to over apply or use an extra dose on days that they are feeling excessively tired and need an extra boost.
In that case, they run out of their supply on hand sooner, but to discourage that from happening, Science&Humans does not ship early refills so one is out of medication for some time if overdosing.
Those who buy testosterone on the internet without medical supervision are looking for the most testosterone bang for the buck hence testosterone injections are the most abused than creams.
Any sort of self administration be it via cream or testosterone injections is highly discouraged keeping the health and wellbeing of the patient.
Testosterone self diagnosis & dosing is tricky and best left un-attempted.
Self administration of controlled substances like testosterone is an absolute no-go and illegal in Canada. With Science&Humans, patients now have an option to get their blood work done and go under the care of a clinician, trained in TRT with unmatched pricing in all of Canada.
Hope this blog has spooked enough not to get into DIY mode - self diagnosing low testosterone or self medicating or upping testosterone doses. Nightmares await down the lane and it's going to get very tricky to climb out of this DIY witch’s cauldron. Do not turn your life into a DIY horror story.
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