Testosterone, Anxiety, and Depression

Anxiety is a major health issue which impacts male health at a psychological as well as a physiological
level. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a medical condition which is characterized by apprehension,
subconscious hyperactivity, physical tension, and hyper awareness.
Symptoms of subconscious hyperactivity include elevated pulse, flushing, dizziness, dry mouth,
clammy palms, heart palpitations, and sweating. hysical tension includes sighing, muscle aches, and
restlessness. !yper awareness includes morning exhaustion, issues with sleep, insomnia, focus issues,
irritability, distractability, edginess, and hypervigilence. Apprehension includes the whole bound of
things which prevent us from being ourselves, including an intense worry about what other people
thin", unfounded fear in one#s daily life, and excessive worrying about the welfare of oneself or others.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety expresses itself in many different ways, but it can be described most succinctly as an
overwhelming sense of worry or anxiety that gets in the way of living one#s life as he or she wishes it to
be. Anxiety can be absolutely debilitating, and there is powerful evidence that $estosterone Deficiency
contributes to worry and anxiety.
What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety?
%ow&$ has been associated with a number of different issues that are related to Anxiety and
Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 'oth research and field study have shown that men with %ow
$estosterone are more li"ely to experience the following symptoms(
)ood Swings
*ervousness
+rritability
Anxiety
Depression
+nhibited Sense of ,ell&'eing
How Are Anxiety and Low-T Related?
-esearchers and clinicians have long been aware of these symptoms, and they have been established in
the medical record since at least ./01. +n a ./01 study, researchers discovered the following(
Around .23 of )en with %ow&$ experience issues with worrying
0 out of .4 experienced fear
5 of men with !ypogonadism were easily excitable
617 struggled with uneasiness and dread
0 out of 6 were irritable
/ out of .4 experienced high levels of nervousness
$hese numbers are much higher than normal, and researchers found that by treating these patients with
'io&+dentical $estosterone, it was possible to alleviate their anxiety and improve their 8uality of life. +n
many cases, the symptoms completely disappeared9
Women Need Testosterone Too
Did you "now that women also have a distinct need for $estosterone: ,omen produce significantly
less of the hormone than men, but it still plays an important role in their health and wellness. $here is
even strong evidence that ;eminine %ow&$ contributes to heightened anxiety in female patients.
$here is evidence that, for women with %ow&$ that suffer from anxiety, two months of $estosterone
$reatment was enough to mitigate the effects of anxiety for many patients, bringing them closer to a
baseline psychological profile. <stradiol was effective at reducing anxiety on its own, but, when
combined with $estosterone, the results improved dramatically.
How Does Testosterone Affect Anxiety?
$here are a lot of anxiety studies that simply can#t be performed on humans, but animal research helps
fill the gap in our "nowledge. According to research conducted on lab rats, $estosterone interacts with
the hippocampus in a positive way. %ab rats without $estosterone had trouble learning and experienced
high levels of anxiety, but similar lab rats treated with 3&Alpha&diol, D!$, or $estosterone experienced
enhanced learning and mitigated anxiety.
Another similar study produced similar results, and there is broadening evidence that strongly supports
the notion that $estosterone and other Androgens interact with the !ippocampus in a manner which
reduces anxiety.
=n the other hand, there is evidence that $estosterone primarily impacts subconscious fear, which is, of
course, related to expressed fear and anxiety, but not directly. %ow&$ atients that were treated with
$estosterone were shown to be less liable to experience unconscious fear in a surprise situation than
their control counterparts.
Testosterone Deficiency and Depression
%ow&$ is also associated with increased incidence of depression and moodiness. Depression is defined
clinically by the expression of symptoms. Symptoms of Depression include(
-educed %ibido and Desire
+ssues with +ndecisiveness, ;ocus, and >ontrolled $hought
;eelings of Guilt and ,orthlessness
;atigue
+rritability or -educed -esponse to Stimulus
<xcessive Sleep, +nsomnia, Suppressed !unger, or ,eight %oss
$houghts of Suicide or Death
$estosterone Deficiency sometimes leads both to mild feelings of depression, as well as an increased
incidence of clinically diagnosed depression.
Low-T ncreases the Li!elihood of "xperiencin# Depression
=f course, depression can occur on its own, but $estosterone Deficiency is a contributing factor for
many patients. Also, the younger a man is when he experiences %ow&$, the more li"ely he is to
experience symptoms of depression. %ow&$ atients treated with $estosterone atches, ills, or
+njections were alleviated of depression, but the administration of $estosterone had no effect on
patients with normal $estosterone %evels.
Depression is $omplicated
Depression is a complex disorder which is the end result of a multitude of factors which weigh down
the individual, including, but not limited to stress, diet, alcohol use, smo"ing, obesity, and mental
illness, all of which ma"e the %ow&$ individual more li"ely to experience depression.
+t is not completely clear which %ow&$ patients benefit most with regard to psychological health when
it comes to %ow&$ $reatment, but there is clinical evidence that $estosterone +njections have a
significant and perceptible effect on mood, when ta"en for six wee"s.
mpact of DH"A on %ood
+n addition to $estosterone, D!<A also has a positive impact on mood. +n addition to being the
precursor hormone which is eventually converted into $estosterone and <strogen ?depending on sex@,
the hormone also has a controlling influence on levels of GA'A in the brain, and has the ability to
control and uplift mood as a direct result. $here is also evidence that the presence of D!<A in the brain
suppresses the activity of regnenolone, a hormone associated with depression and anxiety.
D!<A supplementation was found to have a positive effect on both sychological and hysical well&
being in both sexes. A07 of women experienced improvement, whereas 1B7 of men experienced
improvement. <nhanced well&being in this context is defined as improved capacity to handle stress,
increased relaxation, uplifted mood, sounder sleep, and increased energy.
f &o' Are "xperiencin# Depression and Anxiety as &o' (row )lder, &o' %ay *enefit from
Testosterone Therapy+
As you can see, $estosterone and D!<A are not only hormones which promote sexual health, they also
play an important role in sustaining psychological health in both sexes. +f you are growing older and
experiencing increased issues related to anxiety, as well as other symptoms which are inhibiting your
8uality of life, you may be suffering from Andropause, and $estosterone $herapy may be able to
improve your 8uality of life as well as your health9