VIDEO: Optimal Testosterone Replacement for Men

Host: So testosterone replacement — injection, gel form, pill form — what would be the best type?

Dr. Stengler: The two main forms we use with patients are, number one, a transdermal gel — a topical testosterone cream or gel applied to the skin in the morning that absorbs through the skin and gets into the bloodstream. That's a common way to increase testosterone levels; it works well and is quite cost-effective. You have to be careful you don't contaminate other family members with it — once you've applied the cream, for a couple of hours, if you're touching their skin it could transfer into the other person, which could be a problem, especially if you have young kids. The other main form is the injection, normally done once a week or every two weeks at the longest — a good option too, especially if you have young children. Most patients choose the transdermal gel form, and a lot of conventional doctors are starting to recommend that form as well.

Host: So you can't take it through pill or sublingual? Is that just not the most effective way?

Dr. Stengler: No one really uses the pill form anymore, because it can be too hard on the liver. When you do it in the injection or gel form, it's not hard for the liver to metabolize. Sublingual can be used — that's where we have tablets that dissolve under the tongue — but we typically don't use that form because it doesn't last very long in the body; a sublingual tablet stays in your bloodstream about two to three hours, whereas the transdermal gel lasts pretty much throughout the day, and an injection lasts at least a week.

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