BodyLogicMD & Questions

[Hoorahit]

Has anyone used a doctor in the BodyLogicMD network? I'm considering the one in Pittsburgh, but they are expensive. Also, do I need a prescription for Arimidex? Has anyone used the Life Extension Foundation's blood tests? I think I'm going to order the Male Hormone Panel.

Thanks

[sirupate]

I called BodyLogic here and talked to someone in their office. I concluded it was too expensive for me unless I could not find a doctor taking my insurance that would treat me. At the time I was seeing a endo. and was pretty frustrated with him. I ended up finding a urologist who seems pretty cool about TRT and am happy for now.

Yes, you need a prescription for Arimidex unless you buy from a reseach lab like AR-R or from an overseas pharmacy.

[Jake14]

I get BW from Life Extension. I can recommend them. I think you get a discount if you join. Initially, I got the Male Hormone Panel and other tests. Now, I just get what I need ( test, free test, Estradiol or whatever else I am interested in).

[Vettester]

They have a ton of $$ wrapped up in advertising, so somebody has to pay for it.

If you can accumulate 50 posts, PM me and I'll point you towards a clinic that can get you on track.

[HRTstudent]

I saw these guys advertised heavily when I was in search of a new doc... didn't even want to bite because they seemed very commercial and expensive.

Of course, I can say absolutely nothing about the care you may receive, but I did find a couple docs who know about male HRT and readily take my insurance.

[Hoorahit]

I saw these guys advertised heavily when I was in search of a new doc... didn't even want to bite because they seemed very commercial and expensive.

Of course, I can say absolutely nothing about the care you may receive, but I did find a couple docs who know about male HRT and readily take my insurance.

Anyone know any docs in the Pittsburgh region?

[sirupate]

Have no idea on your area...I'm several hours west of you...but look up urologists in your area and call a few to see if they treat male hypogonadism. Bet all of them do of course, but you may have to try a few to find one that you see eye to eye with.

[HRTstudent]

pittsburgh has a good medical school I believe so I would probably start there, finding docs who know about male TRT and are affiliated with the medical school.

[Hoorahit]

Thanks guys

[Vettester]

Or you could get with a clinic out of state that you don't have to 2nd guess whether they can treat your condition properly. Yes, it might be the extra cost of a 1 or 2 hour plane ticket, but that might be $$ miles $$ ahead by the time you have to go through 2 or 3 doctors who jerk you around, and/or screw you up with these 200mg/month protocols, no AI, no HCG, etc ...

[SD421]

Anyone have info on BodyLogicMD in Sacramento?

[GotNoBlueMilk]

I use BodyLogicMD for a few reasons:

1. The only other docs in my area that I could get a prescription from were idiots. I'm sure there was someone in my area that was good, but I never found that doc. My baseline total T was 440 (in my 50's). My problem was my E2 was 4! Obviously, I didn't want to take estrogen, I wanted higher T to convert to E2.
2. BodyLogic, unlike many clinics, does not fill prescriptions. They write a prescription and you tell them where you want to fill it. So you don't get bent over paying for your prescriptions, like a lot of clinics do.
3. And this is the biggest reason: My doc at BodyLogic doc is an HRT god! The things people here are trying to get their doc to do, my doc already does and had me do from the beginning. He also knows a ton more about how hormone levels impact so many other things. He is flexible but most importantly he shares my goals and philosophy on HRT. So he is a very good fit for me. And having a doc that matches up with your needs and goals is really important.

Things I really liked based on my experiend:
1. Initial consultation was in depth and very informative. My doc actually spent a lot of time educating me about HRT, not just telling me what I needed to do. He also told me what to look for, why he was giving me the amounts he was giving me, and what he would changed in the future based on different symptoms.
2. He started me with self injection subque from day one, 2x\week. How many docs don't even prescribe 2x\week? Of course, if I was jamming a needle into my muscle I might not want to do it 2x/week.
3. At each visit, he hands me a copy of my labs and goes over them in detail and what they mean, and any concerns the values may raise for my health.
4. Future visits and labs were half the price of the initial consultation and labs. This makes things more palatible in the wallet.
5. On first visit doc taught me about an AI and symptoms to look for. He did not write a prescription but did tell me to call him if I had any symptoms. I had symptoms about two weeks later and I called him. He spent 20 minutes on the phone telling me how to administer an AI, what to do and not do, cautioned me on taking too much and what to look for if I did. Then he called in a prescription. One hour after I called him I had AI in hand. He never billed me for this phone consultation. He has not billed me for acouple other phone consultations either.
6. My doc goes off how I feel more than where my labs are. This is super important. He uses lab results, but each consulation starts with about 15 minutes of how I have been feeling, any issues, etc. And he adjusts based on that, not just labs.

The down sides to BodyLogicMD based on my experience:
1. No insurance coverage. They will submit the forms for you (this is new), but they don't gaurantee coverage. My insurer will not cover because my T was 440, nowhere near low. They don't care about where my E2 was because I'm not a woman. So for me the lack of insurance coverage is not an issue.
3. The national office sucks when trying to get setup as a patient and get going the first time. I had all kinds of problems. When I had my wife go see my doc, I had all kinds of issues getting her onboard. The process is ungodly slow and error prone on their end. Once I got through this initial onboarding, everthing did go smoothly.
4. They probably are on the pricier side. The labs I get are about 40% more than if I got them myself w/o using BodyLogic and used an online site. I can't say about the fee. Keep in mind that that price you see is for the first visit. Future visits and labs are about half that price. So it isn't as bad as it looks because you are not paying that price every six months.
5. You are dealing with a national chain that trains its docs on HRT. But this does not mean all docs they employ are created equal. A good doc in my area does not mean a good doc in your area. Of course, your doc could be better.

The thing that is most important is finding a doc that knows HRT well, and shares your goals and philosophies. It does no good to have a doc that wants to keep you a mid-range when you feel so much better when at the top quartile. Or the oposite.

In summary, I am extremely happy with my doc and "ok" with BodyLogicMD. If I could find a good doc for less money, I would go there. But I feel I have found a gold mine with my doc, and want to stick with him. I can't say how other docs at other BodyLogicMD locations are.

[SD421]

Thanks for the detailed response bluemilk.

[kelkel]

Really informative post GNBM!

Op, check the finding a doc sticky and see if any of the search engines help you out as well.

[Hackamaniac]

GotNoBlueMilk- Nice post! Are all of them like that?? I talked to a body logic in St. louis and I thought they said I had to use there pharmacy. Also thought they said could only use there labs.

[GotNoBlueMilk]

You are going to be stuck using their labs, probably. I can't say about their pharmacy though. I only have delt with one location so I can't say anything about the other locations. I know my doc with BodyLogicMD said he would write a presciption to be filled in any pharmacy in the US. His license is only valid in the US, so he can't write a prescription for a pharmacy outside of the US.

I also don't know what kind of agreement BodyLogicMD has with its doctors. If the doctors are independent, then they can pretty must do as they please with prescriptions. My personal opinion on any clinic that requires you to purchase meds from them is to find another clinic/doc.

[HRTstudent]

Great write up there.

Sounds like it is definitely worth it if you can afford it. Money aside, everything you said about the actual physician treating you sounded like exactly what we all want in our physicians.

Unfortunately, like you said they are a chain and consistency is probably not going to be as good as McDonalds!

[namvet]

the bodylogic in king of pussia pa.,ripped me off for $1200

[GotNoBlueMilk]

namet: can you provide details on this. Not that I doubt you had a bad experience, but what was the source and cause of that bad experience.

[kelkel]

the bodylogic in king of pussia pa.,ripped me off for $1200

Details please. It would help open the eyes of the membership here...

[HRTstudent]

Details please. It would help open the eyes of the membership here...

Couldn't agree more!

When I was left high and dry by my doctor I scoured the web for reviews on doctors in my region. Real reviews like on this forum can and do save people from the misery and feelings of abandonment by the medical community!