The symptoms of fatigue, low energy, depression, and a lessened sex drive could all be a sign that you are suffering from low testosterone levels. After the age of 50, many guys experience lower than what would be considered normal levels of testosterone in men.

Normal levels of testosterone in men can be found even in guys under the age of thirty. At around the age of thirty, however, testosterone production levels begin to decline, which may result in some of the symptoms of andropause (otherwise known as male menopause).

Sometimes, levels of testosterone in the male body can drop by as much as 2% every year after the age of thirty.

Last year nearly 600,000 men age 45 and older used some form of prescription testosterone to raise the level of the sex hormone in their bodies back to the normal levels of testosterone in men, and the number is rising every year.

One way to get testosterone production back up to healthy levels is the utilization of oral testosterone. Modified and unmodified oral testosterone preparations are available, although elevations in liver function tests and abnormalities at liver scan and biopsy are relatively common in patients receiving oral testosterone.

Despite this, many guys wishing to return to the normal testosterone levels in men continue to use oral testosterone, as these methods constitute roughly one-third of the testosterone prescriptions filled in the United States.

Unmodified testosterone is rapidly absorbed by the liver, making satisfactory serum concentrations difficult to achieve. Modified 17-alpha alkyltestosterones, such as methyltestosterone or fluoxymesterone, also require relatively large doses that must be taken several times a day.

Another treatment that can help bring up testosterone levels in men is the use of testosterone pellets. Testosterone pellets are prescribed by a doctor, and they are implanted by the doctor under the skin via a small incision. Their effects can last for three to four months and can sometimes last for as long as six months.

Testosterone pellets are always monitored by the prescribing doctor, in order to ensure their proper administration and to monitor any side effects.

Some forms of testosterone pellets include Testopel and Organen. Previously, the former brand of testosterone pellet was could be purchased only in Europe, but it has since been FDA approved and can now be prescribed by doctors in the United States.

There can be harmful side effects when using medicines to regain normal testosterone levels in men. These side effects are possible to all testosterone treatments, including oral testosterone and testosterone pellets.

They may include abnormal hair growth, acne, anxiety, blood clotting disorders, decreased sperm count, depression, enlarged breasts in men, fluid retention and swelling, frequent and prolonged erections, headache, increased cholesterol levels, increased or decreased sex drive, inflammation and pain at the pellet site, liver disorders, male pattern baldness, nausea, prickling or tingling sensation, and the yellowing of skin and eyes.

Many men who are aging are now trying to regain the normal testosterone levels in men they had during their youth. There are various ways of achieving this other than the use of oral testosterone and testosterone pellets.

For more information on these other testosterone replacement therapies visit us now.