View All Anabolic Steroids » Androgel Buy Androgel Androgel Profile Androgel Side Effects

Androgel

Androgel is a popular transdermal testosterone cream that is primarily used to treat low testosterone conditions. Androgel is not a commonly used testosterone for the purpose of performance enhancement. Some individuals will use it in order to maintain testosterone levels during a cycle that is not built around the testosterone hormone. However, in a direct performance enhancing capacity, this testosterone compound is rather inefficient. The reason for lacking performance popularity surrounds this steroid's absorption rate. As we will shortly see, it is rather low. This, among other things, makes Androgel primarily a therapeutic based testosterone compound, and it is decently effective.

Androgel 101:

Androgel is an FDA approved transdermal testosterone medication brought to the market place by Unimed Pharmaceuticals in 2000. Containing 1% testosterone by weight, Androgel is commonly available in 2.5mg and 5mg packets. The 2.5mg packet will provide 25mg of testosterone and the 5mg packet 50mg of testosterone. However, the bioavailability of Androgel is rather low, only 10% of the applied dose will be absorbed in a usable way by the body.

Testosterone levels begin to increase approximately 30 minutes after Androgel is administered, and they will remain elevated for approximately 24 hours. This tells us the compound must be applied on a regular basis if stable levels of the hormone are to be achieved. For the best results, Androgel will need to be applied once a day.

Androgel is one of the leading combatants in the U.S. against low testosterone. It is far from the most efficient means of treatment, but offers treatment in a simple to use fashion. The user will simply rub the gel on his abdomen, upper arms or shoulders and let it absorb.

The Benefits of Androgel:

The benefits of Anadrogel are rather simple; if you suffer from low testosterone, you apply Androgel and now you don't. It doesn't get much simpler than that. Low testosterone is a condition that affects millions of men in the U.S. alone and is a condition that can have a severely negative impact on your life. Low testosterone is not directly life-threatening; however, if left ignored it can lead to numerous far more serious conditions or at least promote them due to an open door effect.

There are numerous symptoms of low testosterone, you may not suffer from them all, initially most don't, but the symptoms will pile up if the condition is ignored. Thankfully, Androgel can reverse each and every symptom. This is, of course, assuming the symptoms are related to a low testosterone condition. The symptoms of low testosterone include:

• Erectile Dysfunction
• Decreased or Loss of Libido

· Increased Body Fat (as well as difficulty losing body fat despite diet and exercise)

· Decreased Muscle Mass (as well as difficulty building muscle mass despite diet and exercise)

· Decreased Strength (as well as difficulty increasing strength despite diet and exercise)

• Loss of Energy
• Lethargy
• Decreased Mental Clarity (focus)
• Depression
• Irritability
• Weakened Immune System
• Decreased Rate of Muscular Recovery
• Insomnia

With the use of Androgel, the above symptoms can not only be improved but easily eliminated. As lethargy is one of the most common symptoms, some men will simply live with the condition, and their quality of life will suffer. If this sounds familiar, you should know low testosterone can be a gateway to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and many other far more serious conditions.

The Side Effects of Androgel:

The side effects of Androgel are identical to all testosterone based medications with a noteworthy exception. As a transdermal medication, some men may experience skin irritations at the applied site. As for the other possible side effects of Androgel, like all testosterone compounds, it can lead to estrogenic effects due to its ability to aromatize. Aromatization refers to a conversion of testosterone to estrogen promoting conditions such as gynecomastia and excess water retention. The estrogenic side effects of Androgel can be combated through the use of Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERM's) or Aromatase Inhibitors (AI's). AI's are by far the most effective; however, they have a tendency to increase cholesterol levels. The testosterone hormone can also have a negative impact on cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels. This can, however, be easily controlled in most cases by a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Androgel also carries with it possible androgenic related side effects, primarily acne and hair loss, but prostate enlargement is possible. This is all possible due to the testosterone hormone's ability to reduce to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) through the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. Some men may find the use of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors to be useful to combat such effects; however, it's not always necessary. Acne will normally only occur in those who are already sensitive to the condition. Keeping the skin clean is enough protection for most men. Hair loss is also largely dependent on genetics, and is only possible in men predisposed to male pattern baldness. They were going to lose their hair anyway, but the use of Androgel may speed it up. If you are predisposed and concerned about your hairline, a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor such as Finasteride is recommended. Then there's prostate enlargement By far it is the most serious side effect of Androgel but also rare. It is rarely a concern for those with a healthy prostate, but if it does occur for any reason this is where the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor will prove to be invaluable as it is an androgen suppressor, and the androgen DHT is what's causing the problem.

A few important notes on the side effects of Androgel:

· Those who use Androgel should ensure their female partners do not come in contact with the gel at the applied area, especially the first 12 hours after administration. The following 12 hours appears to be less of a concern. Women who come into contact will run the risk of virilization symptoms. Your hands should always be washed thoroughly after applying the testosterone due to contacting others throughout your day.

· Women should not use Androgel. Women, like men, can suffer from low testosterone, but this is rarely a preferred form of therapy. Transdermal creams can be used to treat a low testosterone condition in women, but in most cases such creams need to be compounded specifically to meet her needs. Many women also find subcutaneous implant pellets to be a very good option.

· When it comes to low testosterone in men and treating it with Androgel, side effects of an estrogenic and androgenic nature are extremely rare. When using this compound, you are merely replacing the testosterone your body is now lacking. You are not providing more testosterone than the body is accustomed to. It is when we reach performance level doses of testosterone that side effects start to become a true risk, and with Androgel, you'd more or less need to bathe in it for performance level results.

· As a final note, Androgel will suppress your natural testosterone production. This is not, however, a concern when using Androgel. When using this transdermal testosterone, your body isn't producing enough testosterone to begin with. For those that use the gel who do not suffer from low testosterone, perhaps to combat low levels when using other anabolic steroids to enhance performance, testosterone production will begin again once use is discontinued.