Hormonal
Testosterone treatment significantly reduces depressive symptoms in men compared to placebo, with efficacy dependent on dosage and baseline symptom homogeneity.
If you are a man experiencing depressive symptoms, testosterone therapy may offer a clinically relevant reduction in symptoms, particularly if your symptoms are consistent (low variability) and you are prescribed a higher dosage (over 500mg/week). This benefit appears regardless of whether you are clinically hypogonadal. Consult a physician to evaluate if this adjunct therapy is appropriate for your specific symptom profile.
Random-effects meta-analysis of 27 RCTs including 1890 men suggested that testosterone treatment is associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms compared with placebo (Hedges g, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.10-0.32)... Meta-regression models suggested significant interactions for testosterone treatment with dosage and symptom variability at baseline.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 27 RCTs with 1890 participants provides high statistical power, though risk of bias was noted in individual studies.
Source
Association of Testosterone Treatment With Alleviation of Depressive Symptoms in Men
Andreas Walther et al. · JAMA Psychiatry · 2018
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.2734
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