What Is AndroGel Used For?
AndroGel® (
testosterone gel) is a prescription testosterone replacement medication. It is approved for treating low testosterone in men.
There are several different causes of low testosterone in men. Testosterone is produced when the testes are stimulated by certain hormone signals from glands in the brain. Low testosterone can occur if the testes are damaged, absent, or otherwise incapable of producing enough testosterone, or if the brainstem cannot produce enough hormone signals to stimulate testosterone production in the testicles. Although there may be a clear, identifiable cause (such as chemotherapy damage or surgical removal of the testicles), sometimes there is no clear reason for the low testosterone levels.
AndroGel can treat either type of low testosterone levels (whether the problem lies in the testes or the brain), because it does not rely on either the testes or the brain to increase testosterone levels.
Common symptoms of low testosterone include:
- Low sex drive (libido)
- Problems with erectile function
- Decreased bone strength
- Fatigue and low energy
- Decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass
- Depression.
Of course, a man could have all of these symptoms and still have normal testosterone levels (as most of these symptoms are relatively common). The only real way to diagnose low testosterone is by actually measuring testosterone levels in the blood.
