Mean peak total testosterone levels are dose-dependent, with a mean of 746, 866, and 913 ng/dL noted with 8, 10, and 12 pellets administered (not BMI adjusted).446 The duration of effect is similar, however, and is relatively independent of dosing. Administration of 750 mg of IM testosterone undecanoate at weeks 0, 4, and every 10 weeks thereafter maintained total testosterone levels between 300-1,000 ng/dL for 94% of men.438 No men experienced maximal values Adverse Effects. Given the half-life of approximately seven days, it is reasonable to obtain testosterone levels four weeks after starting therapy. Topical gels and liquids generally demonstrate less variability in absorption uptake when compared to other therapies.417 After application, steady state levels are achieved within hours, with testosterone levels returning to baseline within 4 days of discontinuation.418, 419 Patients on testosterone therapy should have serum testosterone levels checked every 6-12 months to ensure maintenance of target levels. In the uncommon circumstance where men have prior available off-therapy testosterone laboratory data considered reliable (early morning testing, appropriate assay), clinicians may consider titrating testosterone therapy dosing to return patients to their 'baseline' total testosterone level. In the event that patients do not experience symptomatic relief after reaching the specified target testosterone levels or remain testosterone deficient in the setting of symptom/sign improvement, testosterone therapy should be stopped. Testosterone ester is also partly hydrolyzed within the interstitium, with free testosterone entering the circulation directly. With administration using either route, the ester exits the depot via diffusion into the interstitium, from where it enters the lymphatics and subsequently reaches the circulation where it undergoes hydrolysis by intracellular esterases. A, Illustration of the progressive increase in lipophilicity of testosterone esters with increase in number of carbons in the side chain. Absorption kinetics are affected by the viscosity of the oily vehicle, concentration of the ester (the higher the concentration in the depot, the higher the driving diffusion force for release), the volume of the product, and the site of the injection (35, 38). Commonly used testosterone esters include testosterone enanthate (7 carbons side chain), cypionate (8 carbons), and undecanoate (11 carbons). These mixtures have not been recently studied, but in a 1974 study, 3 men with TD treated with 115.7 mg TE and 20 mg T propionate reported approximately 40 nmol/L (1154 ng/dl) increase of serum T over baseline 1 day post‐IM injection, suggesting combining these so‐called "short‐acting" T esters only worsens the PK profile and increases the initial undesired T peak.33, 43 Mean Cmin levels remained within the reference range (10.4–34.7 nmol/L, or 300–1000 ng/dl) at every time point measured throughout the study, and a peak‐to‐trough ratio was maintained around 2.6 to 2.8. Serum T levels peaked approximately 7 days after each injection, with a mean Cmax of 30.9 ± 11.9 nmol/L (890.6 ng/dl) after the third IM TU injection. Esterification of T at the 17β‐position with undecanoic acid results in a longer‐acting IM TTh option that increases treatment intervals compared with that of other T esters.33, 38 The efficacy and safety of 750 mg IM TU were evaluated in an open‐label, 84‐week, phase 3 clinical trial of 130 men with TD.39 Enrolled men received 750 mg TU in 3 ml of castor oil (250 mg/ml) by deep IM injections administered at baseline, week 4, and every 10 weeks thereafter through 9 injections. A study evaluated the relative efficacy of four different dosage regimens in 23 men with primary hypogonadism.36 The men received one of the four following regimens—100 mg weekly, 200 mg every 2 weeks, 300 mg every 3 weeks, or 400 mg every 4 weeks—and mean serum T concentrations were assessed once weekly during the initial 12‐week treatment period. Depending on the formulation and dosage, following IM injection of TE or TC, supraphysiologic levels occur within a week after administration, decreasing to sub‐therapeutic levels in between dosing intervals, resulting in large TT peak‐to‐trough ratios. During the subsequent year of follow-up, eight men from the placebo group and one man who had been on treatment were adjudicated to have had a definite myocardial infarction. At the end of the year-long treatment period, two men from the treatment arm had a definite myocardial infarction, and none were recorded in the placebo arm. Complex statistical analysis using a methodology known a stabilized inverse propensity treatment weighting was utilized to adjust for 50 potentially confounding variables. Two of the trials and one meta-analysis pointed to an increased risk of cardiovascular events,363, 364, 366 two revealed no cardiovascular risk,233, 367 and one was neutral with respect to risk.373 The Corona meta-analysis,372 which showed that there was no increased risk of cardiovascular events, was not officially reviewed but was taken into consideration in the final analysis. One trial with three years of follow-up showed near linear, time-dependent improvements in BMD.202 These findings are similar to other prospective, controlled data, which report an estimated 5% per year increase in BMD in men on testosterone therapy.309 Declining bone density may necessitate additional medical intervention, such as weight bearing exercise, calcium, vitamin D, or bisphosphonate medications. As with other symptoms, the duration of testosterone therapy likely has a significant impact on overall bone density benefits. Given the link between LTBF and morbidity and mortality in older men, evaluating bone density is an important step in the assessment of patients with testosterone deficiency. At the present time, there are insufficient data available to predict which men with ED are most likely to respond to testosterone therapy. A 2005 meta-analysis by Calof et al.190 pooled data from 19 RCTs to determine the number of all-cause prostate events in men who were on exogenous testosterone treatment compared to men who were on placebo. The Testim Registry in the United States followed PSA changes in men without prostate cancer who were on testosterone therapy. The most common adverse effect of AndroGel® 1.62% was increased PSA level (29). It should be noted that application sites for 1.62% gel only include the shoulders and upper arms, and not the abdomen. The recommended starting dose of AndroGel® 1.62% is 40.5 mg applied topically once daily in the morning. Esters are attached to the testosterone molecule by a process called hydrolysis. There is considerable variation in the half-life of unbound testosterone, ranging from 10 to 100 minutes. For us to understand this, we need to understand both pharmacokinetics, which is what the body does to the testosterone once administered, and pharmacodynamics, which is what the testosterone does in the body. In my professional opinion, gold standard TRT is daily subcutaneous injections of Testosterone Enanthate or Cypionate and HCG, this is something I discuss in detail in TRT Best Practice. Human chorionic gonadotropin, SERMs, estrogen antagonists and aromatase inhibitors stimulate the endogenous production of testosterone and improve symptoms of hypogonadism when the testis can respond. LH stimulates testosterone production by the Leydig cells in the testis and together with FSH stimulates spermatogenesis. Recreational users of SARMs can obtain these compounds without quality control via the internet; there is a risk that inappropriate off-label use could result in deleterious effects.110 Since the FDA warning in 2015, other studies have failed to demonstrate a risk of cardiovascular events in patients on testosterone therapy. Although the committee reviewing the evidence concluded that there was not enough data to definitively state that testosterone therapy posed a significant cardiovascular risk, the FDA nonetheless required testosterone product manufacturers to add information to the labeling about a possible increased risk of myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents in patients using testosterone therapy. One study reported comparative pharmacokinetics between IM testosterone enanthate (250 mg every 3 weeks) and IM testosterone undenaconate (1,000 mg every 9 weeks, a dosage that is only available outside the United States).440 Results demonstrated that IM testosterone enanthate achieved trough levels of 239 ng/dL compared to 470 ng/dL with IM testosterone undecanoate at the end of the 10-week cycle. If insufficient testosterone levels are achieved with one topical agent, including with dose adjustments, substitution with another topical agent is a viable treatment strategy.420 There is no utility in continuing testosterone therapy in men who achieve target testosterone levels without symptom improvement.