The “normal” level of testosterone in adult males ranges from 300 up to 1,000……..that is a very wide range and for good reason. Some men simply require a higher testosterone level than other men to keep their symptoms under control……low sex drive, poor energy level, declining muscle mass, inability to achieve and or maintain an erection, etc….
The first step in our process is to identify the symptoms involved and then run a comprehensive lab panel to assess the testosterone level, estrogen, sex hormone binding protein, prostate specific antigen (PSA), kidney and liver function, among other lab values. Once the lab values are back, patients sit down with either Dr. Manning or Dr. Adams for a consultation. Our objective is to treat the symptoms involved and not simply a lab value.
We have had The Men’s Clinic since 2010 so we have treated a lot of men and have seen thousands and thousands of lab values. Successfully managing a man’s testosterone level is both an art and a science……..it requires an experienced physician who is willing to look at more than simply the testosterone level. The interplay between testosterone, sex hormone binding protein, and estrogen are very important considerations.
The realization than a man can have a “technically” normal testosterone level but still be very symptomatic is critical…….some men simply need a higher testosterone level than others hence the wide range of a “normal” testosterone level in men. As a general rule, we are trying to achieve a 700-800 testosterone level in our patients because that is where we have seen most symptomatic men favorably respond……..we do not run any of our patients above the top end of a “normal” testosterone level.
I tell every patient that I see to never take anything that is not helping them…….including testosterone. Testosterone replacement is a very effective therapy in most patients, but not all……..that is why our approach is to start with a trial period of testosterone replacement.
If the patient is symptomatic and no contraindication to testosterone replacement is found on their initial lab panel, we start our patients on a month’s trial of testosterone replacement (one IM injection per week) and then follow back up with them in one month. No one is signed up for membership into our clinic until we know that they have responded favorably to the testosterone trial period……..if they have responded favorably and they wish to continue, they become a member of the clinic and receive all of the benefits that membership entails.
Effective testosterone replacement requires an experienced physician who considers much more than simply a testosterone level……..you will find that at The Men’s Clinic.
-Dr. Manning 2022
