Dad is weak; Can T help?

My dad is in his eighties and (thankfully) is in generally good health. However, he has gotten progressively weaker in recent years. His legs are really skinny now, and he has very little muscle around his hips. He now has great difficulty walking. He falls and stumbles a lot, and recently has moved from a cane to a walker. I suspect he’ll shortly be in a wheelchair if the decline is not reversed.

In addition to all of this, he is tired all the time. Without a nap during the day, he is a complete wreck by late afternoon. He is often depressed. Over the past decade, he’s lost a lot of body hair, gotten a pot belly, and might even have developed enlarged breasts. I haven’t asked him about his sex life, but I surmise from things he’s said that it’s not good. I mentioned Viagra to him once, but he replied that “It takes more than that at my age.”

Now for the purpose of the thread. I asked my dad to get his hormones checked. Here the results:

Total Testosterone: 392 ng/dl
Free Testosterone: 40.7 pg/ml
Percent Free Test: 1.04

LH (leutinizing hormone): 3.1 mIU/ml
Prolactin: 12.3 ng/ml

He just saw an endocrinologist, who has ordered more tests. I spoke with the endo and he seemed very hesitant to prescribe hormone replacement for my father, assuming no illness or diagnosable condition was found.

Compared to most people, Dad has moderately low T and very low free T. I can’t help but think that it’s contributing to his problems. To avoid the wheelchair, my dad needs to work out and build muscle, but he can’t do much given his low energy level.

Do any of you have any experience with hormone treatments, or do you have elderly fathers who have? How have they dealt with it?

How is his diet? Stay on him making sure he eats well. No food means no energy and the older people get they tend to quit eating much maybe that has to do with the declining hormones? His levels look pretty good for his age.

We have to remember we get old not only because our testosterone declines, just about everything declines and its a normal part of life.

If he decides to juice up though be sure to post all about his results!

His test levels are pretty good for his age. I would let the doctors decide which route is best but imo testosterone may not be as beneficial to him due to his age. I would think it wouldn’t be good for his heart among other things, especially at that age range.

Hi bro, please see my post of today on this at - RickM - RickM’s pics. Whether it’s still useful at your dad’s age, I don’t know — he’s got a few years on me. As for me, I’m on HRT and reckon it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Incidentally, I don’t agree that low hormone levels are OK because we’re getting or are old. That’s crap. PM me if you want more details.

MM,

Has your dad ever been checked for MS or MD? Normally we would lose a little muscle mass as we age, but not like you are describing, that type of atrophy is usually caused by some type of disease process. The trick is figuring out which one.

Talk to your dad’s physician and request testing and also request a script for Physical Therapy. PT can address the weakness as well as the stamina (endurance)

You didn’t say if your dad is currently taking any medications and or supplements. If he is, take everything to the doctor with you. Sometimes the meds can counter act each other and cause issues.

I think taking hormones could end up doing more harm then good. I would review his diet and make any adjustments necessary to make it as healthy as possible. You know, low saturated fat, not too much red meat, lots of fruits and vegetables, etc. Also make sure he is getting plenty of liquids. Then if he is feeling better look into exercise programs for elderly who can’t get around too much. I don’t know why, but as my parents aged, all of those diet issues deteriorated for them. They also drank just a little bit too much alcohol.

Taking an afternoon nap at his age is perfectly normal and I wouldn’t do anything to change that.

You may want to have a thyroid function test done as well TSH, T3, T4. I worked with the elderly for years and a vitamin b12 booster shot works wonders. My grandmother who died at 91 had one every month. Now you got to consider she was a smoker most of her life and drank to much soda.

My grandfather however is 96 years old and was very physically active tell age 94. He had b12 booster shots as well. However the last few years have been hard on him since my grandmother died.

Perhaps the doctor would agree to a b12 booster shot.

You might want to be aware that there are some camps who treat such elderly issues metabolically with T3, essentially is off-mainstream concepts of thyroid issues.

I am no expert but his prolactin levels appear high? That may be a huge contributor. Keep us updated and I hope your pops gets what he needs to get healthy again.

To repeat some things others have said:

- Those testosterone levels look normal for his age
- Has he had a full physical exam recently? Does sound like he might have something specifically wrong with him
- Is he eating enough calories? You say he has a pot belly, so probably yes, but some older people just don’t take in enough energy from lack of appetite. Does he eat enough protein, also? I’ve seen elderly folks who eat a diet worse than typical in impoverished third-world countries
- Sleeping through the night is very hard for most older people, so naps during the day are expected for normal functioning
- What is his attitude toward exercise? Does he try to walk each day, but he says he’s just too exhausted, or is he not interested? Many studies show that even into the 80s and 90s, people can benefit tremendously from regular exercise and can significantly improve their cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Improvement is slower than in younger people, and you have to be more careful to avoid injuries, but exercise still works typically, unless a major health problem is ongoing

MM: Sorry to hear this. I agree with what everyone is saying about the T levels though. Is your dad diabetic, any heart problems, is he taking nitrates? Alcohol, smoker? If you can just get him walking or into some water aerobics, low impact cardio would probably increase his energy level. It’s just getting them to do it, or try it.

My dad is also in his 80s, and possibly headed for a wheel chair. He’s been a heavy smoker all his life, three packs a day unfiltered Camels since I can remember. Ironically his lungs are in better health than mine. However being very active all his life the “Chair” really scares him. The idea of it can really mess with them psychologically.

Get him to start taking resveratrol. I’ve heard a ton of anecdotal evidence on how it has given older people new found energy levels.

Also get him to take at least 5000iu of Vitamin D a day(it is thought that the body uses approx. 4000iu a day). That works great for overall health(particularly immune system health) as well as depression.

Older people, including men and women progressively lose bone mass as they age. Their bones don’t store enough calcium which causes them to deteriorate over time. That is why they break bones so easily. Once they fracture a major bone, it’s pretty much over for them. They can break a hip just standing awkwardly. HGH and testosterone would help. The real enemy is the bone loss, but the testosterone can definitely be an issue.

That’s why I’m trying to get Dad in the pool. Want to work those legs and get his heart rate up without the pounding of the treadmill.

Clubber, calcium sups help at all or is this just something we have to accept with age?

As much as 85% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is crucial to increasing bone density.