Quote:
Originally Posted by kellyma1973
Hi there. Curious whether low testosterone can be caused be chronic neuropathic pain like CRPS? I'm 40 years old, I have low T but insurance doesn't cover androgel/testim. I have pretty good insurance too. Frustrated.
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My understanding is that intractable pain
can cause low testosterone. Many medications—opioids in particular, but others as well—can also cause low T. For these and other effects of intractable pain, see:
Hormone Treatments in Chronic and Intractable Pain—An Emerging Practice
Hormone Replacements and Treatments in Chronic Pain: Update 2010
Testosterone Replacement in Chronic Pain Patients
...and other similar articles by Dr. Tennant
Have you contacted your insurance carrier and asked if there are any that they do/will cover? Many companies don't cover (e.g.) Androgel, but may cover another such as Fortesta, or injections. Topicals can also be made by a compounding pharmacy for much less than some name-brands. From the articles above, many precursors of testosterone (pregnenolone, DHEA, etc.) can be gotten OTC, but I'd have a doctor on-board to help with testing, dosing, & monitoring.
Doc