Most people associate mood swings with hormonal fluctuations in women, but men also deal with sudden changes in mood that hormones cause. This is irritable male syndrome.
Irritable male syndrome is a condition that affects men with low testosterone levels and can create relationship issues as well as other health concerns. Learn more about mood swings in men and how to treat them.
What Is Irritable Male Syndrome?
Irritable male syndrome, also called andropause or male menopause, is the term that describes severe mood swings in men between 40 to 60 years of age. Hormonal imbalances cause these mood swings. Most men suffering from irritable male syndrome have low testosterone levels and high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. High estrogen levels can also cause irritable male syndrome.
Age can cause hormonal imbalance, but other factors, including weight gain, can influence this. Fat cells produce estrogen, lowering testosterone levels. Certain medications can also cause an imbalance.
Some of the symptoms of irritable male syndrome include:
- Anger
- Impatience
- Hostility
- Tension
- Anxiety
- Withdrawn behavior
- Depression
- Irritability
- Nervousness
- Lethargy
Some men act out while others withdraw, increasing their risk of developing depression.
Irritable Male Syndrome Test
The best way to diagnose this condition is a blood test. The irritable male syndrome test is a regular blood test that checks cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and other markers. We can order the lab to check for testosterone if we suspect you may have low levels of it.
The level of testosterone present in your blood will tell us what your hormonal situation is as well as what may be causing the imbalance.
When we get the results, we will compare them against the average rate for men of your age. In some instances, your testosterone levels may be within the average, but you may still experience symptoms of low levels. If that is the case, you could benefit from therapies that offer an increase in testosterone levels.
Treating Irritable Male Syndrome
Treating your low levels of testosterone is the way to get relief from the symptoms of this condition. At our clinic, we offer pellet therapy and human growth hormone therapy (HGH) to help balance your hormone levels.
Pellet Therapy
Our pellet hormone replacement therapy involves placing a pellet the size of a grain of rice under your skin. The hormones the pellets provide are identical to the ones your body makes.
The pellets will dissolve slowly depending on your blood flow, allowing you to get the right doses of testosterone for your body. If there is an increase in blood flow, as during exercise, the body will deliver more of the hormones.
To ensure you always receive the dosing that can help with mood swings in men, we will take various factors into account, including the levels of other hormones you have.
Pellets usually last between three to six months, but your own metabolic rates, as well as stress levels and exercise frequency, can impact the timeframe.
What to Expect During Pellet Therapy
To prepare for the pellet therapy insertion, stop taking blood-thinning medications like NSAIDs, aspirin, and ibuprofen for at least a week before the procedure. We will perform a comprehensive blood test before deciding if this is the right treatment option.
On the day of your appointment, we will clean and numb the area where we will insert the pellet. We will make a small incision and insert the pellet. The entire procedure can take as little as 15 minutes.
You can expect to start feeling some results about two weeks after the appointment, but most men get the full results after about six months.
Human Growth Hormone Therapy
Human growth hormone therapy uses HGH, a natural protein responsible for growth. Synthetic HGH tells cells that cause growth to activate. This helps reduce the fat cells that create more estrogen and lower your testosterone levels while at the same time increasing muscle and bone growth for added testosterone.
HGH therapy can also help you increase your energy level, improve sexual performance, and improve your mood.
At our clinic, we offer Restore Low-Level HGH Therapy. We use the insulin tolerance test to diagnose if there is a deficiency in HGH and then shape a treatment plan to suit your health, activity level, and more.
What to Expect During Human Growth Hormone Therapy
During your consultation, we will look at your test results, your symptoms, and your overall health levels to decide whether HGH therapy is the best option. To calculate the right dosage, we will use your weight, height, age, as well as activity level. Men over 65 will usually begin with a lower dose than a man in his 40s or 50s.
There are no special preparations for HGH therapy. At the appointment, we will show you how to give yourself the injections every day so that you can get the results you want. We recommend men continue treatment for six to nine months.
Get Relief from Irritable Male Syndrome
You don’t have to live with mood swings or all of the other effects of low testosterone. By turning to hormone replacement therapies, you can get relief from symptoms in a safe and effective manner.
At Oklahoma Men’s Clinic in Oklahoma City, OK, we will perform an irritable male syndrome test to see if your testosterone levels are low. With those results, we can decide whether pellet therapy or our Restore Low-Level HGH Therapy is the best choice. Schedule your appointment with our experts today.