His and Her Health

I heard our body can become addicted to testosterone if we take it too long. Our body will stop producing its own testosterone after a while and we become dependent upon the testosterone we take. Is this true?

There does not appear to be a feedback loop in women for testosterone production. Thus, increasing the amount of T in your body does not appear to effect the bodys own production of T.<P>Thus, your concerns should be put to rest. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"><BR>ad·dic·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-dkshn)<BR>n. <P>Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance: a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction. <BR>An instance of this: a person with multiple chemical addictions. <P>The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something. <BR>An instance of this: had an addiction for fast cars. <BR></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Plus, I don't think any use of Testosterone would fit the definition of addiction.<P>I've read quite a few of the papers in the scientific literature, and thus, I can't cite where I read this. I'll see if I come up with it, and let you know when and if I do.<P>Cheers,<BR>Greg<P>[Added Later]<BR>I'm just thinking, I'm wondering if I'm thinking of DHEA rather than T, but I'm not sure. I've certainly not heard of any concerns from any of the experts about the loss of T production from using an external source to boost T levels. (Provided there is a control mechanism, which I'm not sure about, it obviously isn't working properly (or alternatly the production) if your T levels are extremely low in the first place. Thus it would be my opinion that concerns about somehow causing a problem with an already faulty control or production mechanism are probably not too big a deal.)<P>------------------<BR>My profile has my email address and website. Click on the icon at the top of this post that looks like a head with a question mark.<P>Also note, I am *not* a doctor, and this is not intended as medical advice - Please talk to your doctor about your concerns.<BR><p>[This message has been edited by distressed_12345 (edited 13 July 2003).]

Thank you for the information. I ask because I've heard of steroid addiction. It must be psychological addiction?<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by distressed_12345:<BR><B>There does not appear to be a feedback loop in women for testosterone production. Thus, increasing the amount of T in your body does not appear to effect the bodys own production of T.<P>Thus, your concerns should be put to rest. <P> Plus, I don't think any use of Testosterone would fit the definition of addiction.<P>I've read quite a few of the papers in the scientific literature, and thus, I can't cite where I read this. I'll see if I come up with it, and let you know when and if I do.<P>Cheers,<BR>Greg<P>[Added Later]<BR>I'm just thinking, I'm wondering if I'm thinking of DHEA rather than T, but I'm not sure. I've certainly not heard of any concerns from any of the experts about the loss of T production from using an external source to boost T levels. (Provided there is a control mechanism, which I'm not sure about, it obviously isn't working properly (or alternatly the production) if your T levels are extremely low in the first place. Thus it would be my opinion that concerns about somehow causing a problem with an already faulty control or production mechanism are probably not too big a deal.)<P></B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>

For the women on this board, who are using supplemental testosterone to treat a hormonal condition of low testosterone, it would be akin to saying a diabetic has "Insulin addiction" because they use insulin to treat diabetes. The goal is to get our testosterone levels within the normal female range. Even though women make only about 1/10 the testosterone men do, what little we do make is very important for our physical as well as sexual health.<P>On the other hand, the goal of people using testosterone/anabolic steriods for the purpose of bodybuilding or other athletic pursuits is to push their testosterone levels ABOVE normal levels. <P>In such cases, I do believe someone can become addicted to the super-human strength, muscle growth, libido effects that would result from above-normal testosterone levels. I'd guess it's mostly psychological, because people began to see themselves differently with their new strength, muscles, etc, and don't want to go back to what they were. Oftentimes much of the gains they acheive on steroids can disappear when they stop taking them, which encourages them to take again, often in higher doses, regardless of the risk. I think that's when they cross the line to addiction. <P>

sept...thanks. That makes more sense. I suppose the trick is to make sure our hormone levels don't get beyond what's normal range for us. It would be a good idea to get our own levels tested when we're healthy so we can compare in the future when something goes awry.

Just in response to steroids...<P>Dehydroepiandrosterone (forgive spelling I only have a moment to type) or DHEA is a Neuroadrenal, not going to help with muscle tone etc, directly anyway. The only effects I have read documented on DHEA is a positive correlation between protein (vs fatty) diet and DHEA levels in long evans hooded rats. <P>The group given the suppliment naturally "crave" or in this case, chose, a healthy diet over a high saturated fat one. <P>Testosterone and common "street roids" are very different from each other, nevermind DHEA, just wanted to respond to that for clarity. DHEA is only available without solid research as its considered a naturally occuring brain chemical and therefore in a loose category in terms of control (legally). More experimentation is needed in DHEA. Testosterone is very well documented and you can find loads of research on your own about it. <P>thanks,<BR>Tim

Thank you, Tim, for the info on DHEA. Research on the different forms of testosterone therapy is ongoing. I'm not sure how much is placebo-controlled, however. It's not as simple as low testosterone level = initiate testosterone therapy. One researcher bases the treatment on a "plethora" of blood tests, including FSH, LH, prolactin, DHEA-S, androstenedione, total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, estradiol, and SHBG. According to I. Goldstein, There are different patterns in different women. One is if you have low everything, treat with DHEA. However, other physicians aren't comfortable using DHEA as of yet. Another pattern is normal DHEA and androstenedione but abnormal testosterone levels, then treat with testosterone. A third pattern is normal DHEA and normal testosterone but low free testosterone. Usually these patients are on the pill or some type of estrogen replacement. The SHBG is way out of the normal range, and the treatment is to first get them off estrogen to normalize free testosterone.

Interesting...OK here's my question. I read testosterone supplementation in men can cause testicular shutdown where the body senses the excess testosterone in the body and decides to stop producing its own. It is reversible once supplementation is stopped but takes the body a month or so to start producing testosterone again. During that month, isn't it like withdrawal where your testosterone production is below what it normally is, and the urge is to start taking it again? Can this not happen in females too? The level above which a female is getting an excess amount of testosterone is presumably much lower than that level in a man.

WREN<P>I believe the control mechanisms are different between women and men for testosterone. (Again, I can't seem to find where I read this, but since I've got hundreds and hundreds of pages to read again to find it, it's not surprising.)<P>But, even if they are the same, we have a production or control problem, or possibly both. (i.e. Either the person doesn't make enough testosterone, and/or the control mechanism that regulates how much is made is not working properly.)<P>Given this, worrying about what the broken production or the control sytem is going to do when you replace the T doesn't seem to make much sense. Also, given that the control or production system isn't working properly, it's likely that the result of boosting T isn't going to be predictable. (i.e. It might do something similar to what you describe, or more likely IMHO, do little or nothing at all.)<P>For many, the effects of T are very subtle. You don't get a "rush" or any of the other things that might cause one to "crave" a drug. Thus, the psychological or physical issues that might drive an "addiction" simply are not present.<P>Finally, even if the above were a problem, going into consistent testosterone "excess" isn't exactly common. Given the treatment regime used by the experts, it’s really unlikely. All the experts I have knowledge of titrate your T levels individually. (i.e. They put you on T, and after an appropriate time, measure your T levels again. If they are too low, they boost your T dose, if too high, lower it and repeat the process. Once a reasonable stable T level is reached, they only test once or twice a year and ask the patient to watch for signs of androgen excess, such as acne, excessive hair growth, lowering of the voice etc.)<P>Given all these factors, I think the issues you raise should not concern those who are or are considering using T.<P>Best wishes,<BR>Greg<BR><P>------------------<BR>My profile has my email address and website. Click on the icon at the top of this post that looks like a head with a question mark.<P>Also note, I am *not* a doctor, and this is not intended as medical advice - Please talk to your doctor about your concerns.