Testosterone Replacement Therapy

I stay away from mail-order TRT places or overseas pharmacies because I don’t trust them and don’t want to get arrested for just taking care of my health needs. But I’m a big fan of HRT clinics because they take the time to listen to patients and tailor therapies to suit each individual situation. For instance, my endocrinologist won’t prescribe me any aromatase inhibitors to block conversion from testosterone to estrogen because the American Medical Association (AMA) says they aren’t necessary for TRT doses. He is even reluctant to order bloodwork to test for high estrogen levels! In every other way he’s a great doctor, but he is just set in his ways.

Secondly, I gained a lot of fat during the two years that I struggled to find the right treatment, including a year of no treatment at all hoping that my natural testosterone production would “magically” just start-up again. I’m back to “normal” levels after stating TRT, but I’m right in the middle of the normal “range”. That’s good. I feel good. But it’s not helping me shed all those pounds I gained while figuring this stuff out. So I want to temporarily increase my testosterone dosage and add an aromatase inhibitor for ten weeks while I really focus on cardio and get rid of the fat. It is both a health and a body-image thing. But my endocrinologist won’t hear of it, of course.

Knowing that I wanted to my healthcare decisions to be heard by someone who would take them seriously, I searched for doctors that specialized in progressive hormone replacement therapies and found Spectrum Services. They advertise on this site, but I’ve been using them long before that and can assure you that my opinion can’t be bought. In fact, I asked if they would like to advertise because I liked their services so much.

The doctors are very thorough and will order every bloodwork panel you can think of to determine what is the actual cause of your hormone imbalance, and design a custom-tailored treatment. Sometimes that means human growth hormone (HGH), sometimes testosterone replacement, sometimes just human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), sometimes thyroid hormones, sometimes a blend of different treatments that make up a holistic therapy.

The commonly accepted range of what constitutes “normal” testosterone levels in the medical field is ridiculous. Normal is the same for an 18-year-old as it is for a 74-year-old as far as the AMA and most doctors are concerned. Spectrum understands that a 30-year-old man who is at 300 ng/ml testosterone levels and is experiencing all of the symptoms of low testosterone isn’t in his “normal” range. Something is wrong. Their goal is to make you feel better, not tell you you’re “normal” despite the fact that you are the only one who knows how you feel and you know damn-well that what you’re experiencing isn’t “normal”.

Here’s how I got started with Spectrum:
I emailed one of their client reps and told him what I was going through. He scheduled an appointment for me to speak with one of their doctors, who had a long conversation with me about my symptoms and then asked me to fill out some forms detailing all of my physical stats, experiences, symptoms, medical history, etc… Based on that, he ordered a complete bloodwork panel, which I had done at a local lab for not much more than I’d have paid to go to the doctor, get the referral, then go to the same lab with health insurance.

After reviewing my bloodwork and symptoms they decided I was a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy. While they weren’t covered by my health insurance, I found that their in-house pharmacy prices were actually about the same as if I’d ordered through my local pharmacy and used my health insurance card. This is going to be different for everyone, depending on how good your insurance is. I feel mine was about average in terms of what they cover and what I pay.

My medication and all ancillaries arrived in the mail within two weeks and I was ready to start my self-administered treatment. I didn’t have to go into the doctor’s office to get a shot. I didn’t have to feel like a criminal for wanting to treat my symptoms differently than what the AMA recommends as a broad plan for everyone, whether you’re 30 or 99.

What I don’t like about Spectrum:
There are a few things I wish were different. First and foremost it would be good if the TRT were covered by my health insurance. Secondly, anti-aging clinics and hormone replacement clinics are currently legal if they follow certain regulations, but there is no guarantee that they will be five years from now. If that happens I won’t relish the task of taking my treatment and history elsewhere, but we’ll cross that bridge IF we get to it. The funny thing is nobody seems to have a problem with estrogen replacement or plastic surgery clinics. You all know my views on that double standard.

Due to regulations they ask that patients come see the doctor for a face to face consultation once every two years and they reimburse you up to $400 for your travels via credit on your program. But I don’t mind a short vacation to Florida every two years if it means affordable testosterone replacement from a clinic that “gets it”. If you live on the west coast it may be an issue, however.

If you’d like more info about Spectrum you can view their ad on this page. Again, I’d like to reiterate that my opinion can’t be bought. I have been using Spectrum for several months now and I approached them about advertising because I felt like a lot of the people who visit this site could benefit from their services. I need the site to pay for its hosting and domain renewal at least, and what better way than asking a company you like and trust to advertise?