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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nat A. on May 1, 2002, at 10:19:35
Hi there, first of all you should know I am a 34 year old woman. I have been on Effexor for almost a year now and had good results. Many side effects that have mostly gotten better.. could not sleep more than an hour or two at a time for months, gained almost 30 pounds.. that has not gone away yet but less depressed about it.. very tired ... and then low libedo... I finally got fed up and asked for a testosterone level to be done by my doc ( who if i may say, is so uneducated ) and it came back below the normal range the first month and then almost not even detectable on the next test... She has offered me a testosterone cream to apply daily and says I will be on it for life. My questions are... Is this common? I was also told that the symptoms for depression and low testosterone are almost the same.. could it just be the low testosterone? I have not started taking the cream as it has to be special ordered and sent from out of state to a special pharmacy about an hour from my house.. the closest one that sells it. Weird! If anyone has any ideas on this or experience I would be greatful to hear what you have to say!! Thanks so much!! Nat
Posted by katekite on May 1, 2002, at 13:05:31
In reply to Low Testosterone Effexor Help!!!, posted by Nat A. on May 1, 2002, at 10:19:35
I don't know the answer. But if you have a hormonal issue you should definitely see a specialist if you can. Options are:
Your regular gynecologist would likely know more about testosterone than either your regular doctor or a psychiatrist. If you haven't had a yearly exam in 6 months or so that would be an option that would most likely be paid for by insurance.
An endocrinologist would be the ultimate expert here, and should know answers to questions such as what the reasons for low testosterone are, whether the low testosterone itself or the cause of it could produce insomnia and depression, whether a topical cream is really going to help, etc.
Since endocrinologists are uncommon, if you aren't in a big town, an internal medicine specialist would be the next best thing.
Can I ask: how did you decide to ask for a testosterone level? Did you have other levels like thyroid and estrogen checked as well or is there a reason you thought of testosterone?
Thanks,
kate
Posted by Nat A. on May 1, 2002, at 21:07:01
In reply to Re: Low Testosterone Effexor Help!!!, posted by katekite on May 1, 2002, at 13:05:31
Hi Kate!
Thanks for the imput.. i feel like the blind leading the blind with my "doctor". I asked for the test when over the past almost year that I have been on effexor my sex drive which has slowed down a bunch over the past few years took a complete nose dive. My doc said that this was one of the drugs that should not cause that or weight gain.. lol. Right then I should have known she was full of it! I did some reading on the "signs" of low testosterone and they seemed very similar to what I was originally treated for. This is the first med I have ever been on for GAD & Depression. This is by my family doc who is giving my the rx for the testost cream. I know she does not know squat about it cause she will only have the nurses talk to me about the results and left it up to me to decide if I wanted it and to use them as my info base. The nurse told me she was who the docs use when this topic comes up. I always knew the nurses were the ones to go to. As far as the test.. I know they did a thyroid test don't know about the estrogen. I assumed they would do the whole work up but since my doc seems lacking in that area.. who knows. I do need to go and have my obgyn visit. I will probably ask them about it. All of my "problems" did start when I had my first child and got alot worse when I had my second. I always thought my hormones just got out of wack with them.. maybe I was right after all!! Time will tell. Thanks for the info and the imput! I do need it and appreciate it!!
Nat
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