Testosterone and Mood

[BallSak]

Here is an excerpt from an article about the effects of anabolic steroids that I thought us TRT'ers can relate to. Although, it is old news to a lot of us.

I found the entire article to be quite interesting and would be a good read for anyone looking into TRT or cycling to get a pretty well rounded idea of the effects of exogenous testosterone.

http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/index...870&StartRow=1



"The violent mood swings and increased aggression associated with testosterone are thought to explain why men are more aggressive than women. Even so, the 'roid rage theory poses several problems. For example, studies show that how a person reacts to increased androgens depends on existing personality factoteroids. Research shows that if anything, men with higher natural levels of testosterone tend to be calmer than others. The angriest men are those with the lowest testosterone levels.

Other recent studies show that men with low testosterone levels tend to be depressed, confirming that testosterone interacts with brain neurotransmitters that control mood. Testosterone may also protect the brain from the onset of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. Men low in testosterone have a greater tendency to develop Alzheimer's.

Another common observation concerning anabolic steroids is that athletes who use the drugs tend to show lower bodyfat levels than their nonuser counterparts. Steroids are known to decrease subcutaneous fat stores, which would increase apparent muscularity and vascularity.

Lower testosterone levels in men promote increased deposition of fat in the abdominal area, and some studies show that taking anabolic steroids selectively decreases abdominal fat. That's important because deep-lying abdominal, or visceral, fat is linked to the onset of cardiovascular disease and diabetes."

[Terax]

I'm a really laid back guy but there were mood changes when I started taking 200 mg of Test a week . I could truly tell a difference in how my mood improved. I felt really good for the most part. It's gonna sound odd, but it was kinda like being bi-polar (I'm not, wife is). The good was really good. As for the other side of that coin, I won't say I was more aggressive, but I was definitely... far less tolerant of things. Normal life bullshit I was used to dealing with would really piss me off while on cycle. I went back to 'normal' when i went off cycle.

[roxer]

Yeah, I used to be a real jerk with a loud mouth when my levels were in the 200s. Now that I am around 800+ (currently tested at 1002ng/dl), I am really laid back. I also heal quicker and my bone density is stronger. One thing that did change was I HATE loud mouthed folks and listening to people fighting or trying to verbally fight with me. Total turn off. Go figure I would be the exact opposite of what I was.

[BallSak]

Another part that I like:

"Despite the cardiovascular dangers associated with steroid use, you rarely hear about bodybuilders and other steroid-using athletes dropping dead from heart attacks or strokes. The reason is that most bodybuilders don't have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease: They usually don't smoke, aren't obese and don't have high blood pressure. The aerobic exercise they do also offers protective effects, as do many of the commonly used food supplements, such as antioxidants."