Deeper look in to Test for mental health.

[buildingpaul]

As some of you know I have done a fair bit of research on Anabolic Steroids regarding potential health benefits from them. Halfwit and others have been fantastic in helping me with my research.

What I am trying to work out now on a TRT basis is this...... Low T causes depression and anxiety along with other troubles. Now to lift depression either serotonin or dopamine levels need to be raised, I cant seem to find any studies that show Test raises these levels so rather confused at how it can lift depression.

Nest thing I am stuck on..... Anxiety. Now an anxious person usually has high cortisol levels due to it being the stress hormone. Looking on the net it seems there are mixed views that Testosterone suppresses cortisol production thus the individual can cope better with stress and anxiety, yet other thoughts have said Test can raise cortisol?


Does anyone have any input for the above questions....Does Test raise serotonin or dopamine levels and does it lower cortisol levels or heighten them?

Any input would be great.

 

[Alpin]

Good thread

 

[halfwit]

As some of you know I have done a fair bit of research on Anabolic Steroids regarding potential health benefits from them. Halfwit and others have been fantastic in helping me with my research.

What I am trying to work out now on a TRT basis is this...... Low T causes depression and anxiety along with other troubles. Now to lift depression either serotonin or dopamine levels need to be raised, I cant seem to find any studies that show Test raises these levels so rather confused at how it can lift depression.

Nest thing I am stuck on..... Anxiety. Now an anxious person usually has high cortisol levels due to it being the stress hormone. Looking on the net it seems there are mixed views that Testosterone suppresses cortisol production thus the individual can cope better with stress and anxiety, yet other thoughts have said Test can raise cortisol?


Does anyone have any input for the above questions....Does Test raise serotonin or dopamine levels and does it lower cortisol levels or heighten them?

Any input would be great.

I see Zilla in here, so it will be interesting to see what he has to say, but the only study I have on this states essentially that high testosterone DOES impact surges of cortisol (under stress), but not baseline levels. Then it goes to state that this is not the case for everyone (ALWAYS back to Everyone's Different~).

An additional finding of the present study was that psychopathy was only related to the ratio score at high levels of testosterone. This may mean that at lower levels of testosterone, the effect of testosterone on the amygdala and its connectivity to cortical regions is minimal, and the ratio of testosterone to cortisol becomes less relevant to behavior. Low testosterone levels have previously been described as a protective factor against antisocial behavior (Farrington & Coid, 2003). In contrast, at higher levels, testosterone may have a pronounced effect on amygdala functioning and connectivity; without sufficient cortisol responding to counterbalance these effects and to promote withdrawal behavior and fearfulness, psychopathic traits may develop.

It is unclear why the ratio involving cortisol reactivity was significant whereas the ratio involving baseline cortisol levels was not – it is unknown whether this discrepancy is a result of measurement factors, or whether there is a neurobiological explanation. With regards to measurement, it has been suggested that the degree of cortisol reactivity to a stressor is a more robust indicator than baseline cortisol of how an individual responds to cues of threat or punishment; baseline cortisol may be a less reliable and valid indicator of stress reactivity, as it is influenced by a multitude of daily living factors that can impact cortisol levels (Loney, et al., 2006). Stress induced changes in cortisol may provide a more precise measure of the functioning of the HPA axis and may be less susceptible to the influence of confounding factors (O’Leary, et al., 2007). In the current study, the correlation between baseline cortisol and cortisol reactivity (AUC) was 0.47, suggesting that the two variables are clearly related, but that having high baseline cortisol levels does not directly translate into increased cortisol reactivity – other factors are involved in this process.

A possible neurobiological explanation is based on the idea that testosterone has more of an influence on cortisol reactivity than on baseline cortisol levels. In animals, castration and androgen replacement studies have found that androgens inhibit stress-stimulated cortisol release, but not baseline cortisol concentrations (Handa, et al., 1994; Papadopoulos & Wardlaw, 2000). Similarly, in humans, testosterone was found to decrease cortisol reactivity (as measured by area under the curve) to stress-stimulation, but not baseline cortisol levels (Rubinow, et al., 2005). Therefore, the association between testosterone and cortisol reactivity may be the most relevant indicator of how the HPA and HPG axes interact. As we see in the present study, not all individuals with high testosterone levels had a high testosterone to cortisol reactivity ratio, indicating that there are individual differences in the degree to which testosterone suppresses the cortisol response. Individuals with high testosterone levels in which testosterone suppresses cortisol reactivity to a greater extent, may have the most pronounced alterations in amygdala functioning. In these individuals, the amygdala may be tuned to the testosterone-driven reward-seeking and approach-related behavior (Daitzman & Zuckerman, 1980), and much less responsive to cues of fear or threat that are facilitated by the HPA axis (Schulkin, et al., 1998), which would predispose for psychopathic traits. Furthermore, the higher levels of testosterone may reduce the connectivity between the amygdala and *****ofrontal cortex, thus impairing decision-making and inhibitory mechanisms (discussed above).

Source

My .02c

 

[SicVic]

Ever Try any of the Nootropics or the Racetams???

 

[halfwit]

Ever Try any of the Nootropics or the Racetams???

I have. With inconclusive results.

Didn't feel any different, but not any worse. Leads me to believe that they're inert and depend on placebo.

 

[cybrsage]

I have tried nootropics as well with no changes. I expected something to happen.

 

[copaseet]

As someone who is bipolar and has suffered from clinical depression, I have taken many different SSRI. They left me numb, listless, impotent and fat, as they removed the guilt factor from many aspects in life, including eating bad food.

I can say testosterone has been the best anti-depressant I have ever taken, after a few years of cycling I will be on TRT shortly (finishing a cycle now). To date I havent had a depressive episode, i.e. the type that leaves you bed ridden and miserable.

I think the only reason it hasn't been marketed more heavily as an anti-depressant is because the profit margins are not as great.

 

[halfwit]

As someone who is bipolar and has suffered from clinical depression, I have taken many different SSRI. They left me numb, listless, impotent and fat, as they removed the guilt factor from many aspects in life, including eating bad food.

I can say testosterone has been the best anti-depressant I have ever taken, after a few years of cycling I will be on TRT shortly (finishing a cycle now). To date I havent had a depressive episode, i.e. the type that leaves you bed ridden and miserable.

I think the only reason it hasn't been marketed more heavily as an anti-depressant is because the profit margins are not as great.

Yahtzee! Give that man a prize!

SSRI's are WAY more profitable and they don't FIX anything. If one is lacking dopamine regulation or other issues; TRT most definitely can fix problems. I too was on all sorts of drugs while suffering from low T, of course not a single doc took the time to look outside the pharmaceutical rep offered goods to see that the solution was in a 10ml vial. D'oh!

 

[Atlaz]

What are your levels OP? Didn't TRT help you in the anxiety department?

The best ways to beat anxiety is to accept it and stop fighting it.

 

[3J]

its no cure...

im on 200mg test a week right now and i just went through a bout of depression.. first i showed signs of physical depression.. then the mental depression followed..

this happens to me a few times a year.. though i have noticed it at least reduce in occurance since i started trt

 

[Lenex]

what are the signs of phsical depression? i thought its a mental thing..

 

[halfwit]

what are the signs of phsical depression? i thought its a mental thing..

They're connected; for example if you don't give your body a needed break every so often, you will find that you're always tired, weak, achy, and start getting sick. As your physical condition withers, you become agitated, grumpy, and socially withdrawn.