IronMantis
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2015
- Messages
- 6
Hey I'm new here; I asking about the possibility of using prescription testosterone as an alternative to psychiatric medication for depression.
I was recently diagnosed with mild depression after months of losing focus at work, motivation for my personal goals, becoming more withdrawn from friends, family, GF, waning sex drive, increased apathy for issues I really should have been paying attention to, etc. I went to the doctor and the first thing she did was test my testosterone and TSH. It came back in the upper 400s for testosterone (forgot what my TSH value was). She said the normal range is 300ng - 800ng and that the average for guys my age is ~600ng, but that while I was below average, she thought it wasn't low enough to warrant a testosterone prescription. She suspected my condition was psychological and referred me to a psychiatrist. I had kinda been hoping for a prescription of testosterone, but I didn't want to seem like I was fishing for it so I agreed to see the psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist diagnosed me with a mild form of depression and asked if I was open to medication. I said yes, but that I really didn't want to do anti-depressants; I was worried that they would dull my personality, further lower my sex drive and make me complacent. I wanted something that would boost my focus, motivation, confidence and so forth. She prescribed me a 1/day Adderall XR 20 mg, and while it instantly did boost my focus, confidence, motivation, drive and so forth, it has been causing some uncomfortable intestinal distress that I could do without. I also just noticed that it has really been suppressing my appetite. I'm already pretty thin, and I don't want to risk getting skinnier or risk malnourishing myself, so I don't know if I want to stay on it for long.
I have heard of testosterone being prescribed to treat depression in men. Now that I've been formally diagnosed with it, do you think there's a possibility that my doctor might be more open to prescribing it than she was before? Do you think there's a way I can suggest it without seeming like I'm fishing for it (maybe by expressing a fear of psych drugs or whatnot)?
I was recently diagnosed with mild depression after months of losing focus at work, motivation for my personal goals, becoming more withdrawn from friends, family, GF, waning sex drive, increased apathy for issues I really should have been paying attention to, etc. I went to the doctor and the first thing she did was test my testosterone and TSH. It came back in the upper 400s for testosterone (forgot what my TSH value was). She said the normal range is 300ng - 800ng and that the average for guys my age is ~600ng, but that while I was below average, she thought it wasn't low enough to warrant a testosterone prescription. She suspected my condition was psychological and referred me to a psychiatrist. I had kinda been hoping for a prescription of testosterone, but I didn't want to seem like I was fishing for it so I agreed to see the psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist diagnosed me with a mild form of depression and asked if I was open to medication. I said yes, but that I really didn't want to do anti-depressants; I was worried that they would dull my personality, further lower my sex drive and make me complacent. I wanted something that would boost my focus, motivation, confidence and so forth. She prescribed me a 1/day Adderall XR 20 mg, and while it instantly did boost my focus, confidence, motivation, drive and so forth, it has been causing some uncomfortable intestinal distress that I could do without. I also just noticed that it has really been suppressing my appetite. I'm already pretty thin, and I don't want to risk getting skinnier or risk malnourishing myself, so I don't know if I want to stay on it for long.
I have heard of testosterone being prescribed to treat depression in men. Now that I've been formally diagnosed with it, do you think there's a possibility that my doctor might be more open to prescribing it than she was before? Do you think there's a way I can suggest it without seeming like I'm fishing for it (maybe by expressing a fear of psych drugs or whatnot)?
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