Testosterone Supplementation in Hypogonadal Men on 5-ARI Therapy

J Curtis Nickel; Culley C Carson

doi:10.1002/smrj.27

Testosterone Supplementation in Hypogonadal Men on 5-ARI Therapy

Sex Med Rev. 2014 Apr;2(2):75-78. doi: 10.1002/smrj.27. Epub 2015 Oct 19.

Authors

J Curtis Nickel¹, Culley C Carson²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Kingston General Hospital, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
² Department of Urology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: culley_carson@med.unc.edu.

PMID: 27784592
DOI: 10.1002/smrj.27

Abstract

Introduction: Hypogonadism and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) often coexist in the aging man. Treatment of these conditions would seem to be inconsistent as BPH is treated often with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) that have impact on the active form of testosterone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), while the treatment of hypogonadism is aimed at raising testosterone to alleviate the symptoms of hypogonadism. Few studies, however, have addressed the combined use of these 5-ARI medications with exogenous testosterone supplementation.

Aim: This review will examine available literature for testosterone supplementation in men taking 5-ARIs.

Methods: This review examines the data available to study this combination.

Results: Current data appear to support the safety and efficacy of combined treatment.

Conclusions: The combination for testosterone and 5-ARIs appears to be safe and efficacious, but the paucity of large long-term studies are needed to further clarify the concomitant use of testosterone and 5-ARIs in the aging male. Nickel JC and Carson CC. Testosterone supplementation in hypogonadal men on 5- ARI therapy. Sex Med Rev 2014;2:75-78.

Keywords: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Dutasteride; Finasteride; Hypogonadism; Testosterone.

Publication types

Review