posted
My Lyme specialist whom I have not been in touch with for a couple of years, told me in his practice middle aged men and women who can't seem to get back to normal, have low testosterone and should get supps - my GP started me on lotion because i was borderline low - i didn't see much of an improvement so went off
then the new younger GP who bought the retiring one's practice asked me why i had stopped and put me back on because i was borderline law again - it might be helping but not with the back and leg pain....
Posts: 277 | From NY | Registered: Jun 2005
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- dragon08,
[I misread at first. Editing to correct my reply.]
If you are uncomfortable taking testosterone, and if you need more balance with hormones, check out the various adaptogens in the Adrenal support thread and other self-care suggestions.
If it helps, though, when a body needs it, a therapeutic dose can certainly help - if it's well tolerated, of course.
-----------------
This author discusses the importance of addressing hormonal imbalance in chronic Lyme disease
Topic: NATURAL SLEEP & ADRENAL SUPPORT -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- For anyone using testosterone cream - do not cuddle with children where that skin touches their skin.
Kids can get testosterone poisoning and become very ill - even from frequent cuddles or hugs. Their little bodies cannot manage even a small transfer dose.
So, rather than putting cream or a patch on a forearm, you might consider a site under the shirt.
But also be mindful of cuddles with partner. They can absorb it and it can make their system go haywire. -
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AuntyLynn
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
Bio-identical hormones may help you to shed weight (especially the "spare tire" kind), gain muscle, and treat low libido.
They are known to help women with "brain fog," hot flashes, insomnia, and low libido.
As for warnings that one should not hug children while using topical bio-identicals ... I have read about them, shopped for them, and used them - and I have never seen any such warning.
I believe that Rogaine, prescribed for male-pattern baldness, carries a warning that female partners should not handle the product. To my knowledge, Rogaine contains androgens.
Posts: 1432 | From New Jersey | Registered: Jan 2012
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
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posted
- AuntyLynn,
The thread did not inquire about bio-identical hormones but about testosterone, as a Rx. That is often as a cream or patch.
I've not used this (nor has anyone with whom I've cuddled) but recall the various news articles over the years, usually when a child suffers from exposure.
BioIndenticals are often also a cream but ingredients are not the same, especially the source and strength.
I've not study BioIdentical Testosterone creams so I've not seen the same warning about that as with the Rx but, still, you'd not want to rub a dose on a child.
If an adult rubs this on their forearm and then cuddles up with a child to watch a movie, the kid is absorbing that into their little body.
Even a short goodnight hug, with a hand or arm that has had a medicine cream on it, can be transferred to a child (or partner) and then they absorb that for hours to come, too.
It's pretty easy to avoid with some forethought.
IMO, ANY medicine patch - the whole area around that patch - should not come into direct contact with others' skin when in familial relationships.
The medicine may migrate from under the patch out a ways. And it can stay on hands from handling the patch so hand-washing after application is important.
Just good to avoid such possibility of a "transfer dose."
As for if an area that was "patched" the previous day would still hold any degree of Rx, that could happen, especially if one had not showered since. Again, easy to avoid with some forethought.
Everyone needs hugs and it's great to wrestle and cuddle about as a family but it's just not so good to share medicines.
Pets also need to be kept in mind with the same precautions and if they get some gel on their coat, they may lick it off or transfer to another family member.
Care, too, about pillows, and textiles on a couch or bed. If the Rx is rubbed onto any textile and then other uses, it transfer could happen.
For safety's sake, for clothing that has absorbed the Rx, wash separately from other family members' clothing. -
[ 09-04-2012, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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Member # 12673
A little testosterone might be good for adults, but it can cause serious harm to children, federal health officials warned Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration said adults using prescription testosterone gel must be extra careful not to get any of it on children to avoid causing serious side effects.
These include enlargement of the genital organs, aggressive behavior, early aging of the bones, premature growth of pubic hair, and increased sexual drive.
Boys and girls are both at risk.
The agency ordered its strongest warning on the products' labels - a so-called black box.
The problems arise if adults do not wash their hands well.
Also, since testosterone gel is usually applied to the upper arms or shoulders, adults must cover up to keep kids from accidentally touching a spot that has the medicine on it. . . .
. . . Although current drug warnings recommend that people using the gels wash and cover up, some patients are apparently not heeding the advice.
The FDA said it received reports of eight cases since the beginning of December in which children were accidentally exposed to testosterone gels. The kids ranged in age from nine months to five years.
Only a small fraction of cases in which there is a problem with a drug are reported to the FDA, so there could be many more.
Health officials said in most cases the signs and symptoms went away once testosterone gel was identified as the cause of the problem and adults took the proper precautions.
But in some children, enlarged sex organs did not return to their appropriate size, and bone age remained somewhat higher than the child's chronological age.
One child underwent surgery because the link to testosterone gel was not recognized right away.
Health officials are recommending that adults who use testosterone gel wash their hands with warm soap and water after each use and cover their skin after the gel has dried.
PREGNANT WOMEN, and those who may become pregnant, should avoid any exposure, since it could lead to birth defects. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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AuntyLynn
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posted
OK - News to me.
However, having applied medication patches to others, I am aware that one should take precautionary measures with those.
On the other hand, this raises the issue of Bio-Identicals vs. Pharmaceutical hormones.
As anyone who is familiar with bio-identicals knows, the pharma products must be chemically "tweaked" in some way, in order for them to be patented by the U.S. Government. One cannot apply for a patent for something that occurs in nature.
This, many scientists say, is the reason why Premarin and other pharma "Hormone Replacement Therapy" drugs, that were prescribed for women for years, showed an alarming increase in heart attack, stroke and cancer among users, upon closer scientific examination.
Thus, a few years ago, many women decided to stop using pharmaceutical HRT. (And wisely so!)
People who use bio-identicals are advised to rotate the cream daily to various "thin skinned" body areas - inner arm, breasts, inner thighs, upper buttocks and the like. Common sense would indicate users wash their hands after applications. However, I am unaware of any precautionary advisories for adults who may use, or come into contact with, bio-identicals.
There are no warning labels accompanying Estriol products - testosterone may be another story.
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