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Men
Andropause (male menopause)
Andropause is the result of low testosterone throughout your body and is a natural part of male aging due to a decline in testicular function. This begins around the age of 40 where testosterone declines by about 1% per year.
Symptoms of andropause include; decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, decreased energy and strength, increase in body fat, loss of muscle mass, prostate enlargement, osteoporosis, depression, inability to concentrate, reduced mental agility and loss of enthusiasm.
For men suffering with these changes there is solutions to effectively treat these symptoms.
Depression in Older Men
According to a cross-sectional study based in Western Australia, low levels of the sex hormone, testosterone has been shown to put older men at a significant risk of depression.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia completed a study of 3987 elderly men aged 71-89 years to track their levels of testosterone and the prevalence of depression.
Results found that levels of testosterone are inversely related to depression in elderly men. Men with the lowest levels of testosterone were three times more likely to suffer depression than those with the highest levels. These results were found independent of a man’s health which is important because poor health is known to increase the risk of depression.
The paper titled “Low Free Testosterone Concentration as a Potentially Treatable Cause of Depressive Symptoms in Older Men” was published in the US journal Archives of General Psychiatry. Lead author Professor Osvaldo Almeida documents the study.
Professor Almeida states that “this is the most compelling case we have for the link yet”.
As a result of this trial, it has been suggested that testosterone replacement therapy be used in depressed older patients with hypogonadism (low testosterone) in an effort to improve their mood and decrease depression.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
ED is a sexual dysfunction characterised by the inability to develop or maintain an erection.
Causes
There are many different possible causes for this condition outlined below:
- Neurogenic Disorders (spinal cord and brain injuries, nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.)
- Hormonal Disorders (pituitary gland tumor; low level of the hormone testosterone).
- Arterial Disorders (peripheral vascular disease, hypertension; reduced blood flow to the penis).
- Cavernosal Disorders (Peyronie's disease)
- Nonphysical causes: Mental disorders (clinical depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, personality disorders or traits.), psychological problems, negative feelings.
- Surgery (radiation therapy, surgery of the colon, prostate, bladder, or rectum may damage the nerves and blood vessels involved in erection. Prostate and bladder cancer surgery often require removing tissue and nerves surrounding a tumor, which increases the risk for impotence.)
- Ageing.
- Lifestyle: alcohol and drugs, obesity, cigarette smoking
Treatment
Depending on the cause of the problem, there are many possible treatment options. For non physical causes psycological help such as councelling may be the answer. It may also be as simple as a lifestyle change if obesity and drugs are the problem.
If the cause is hormone or age related bio-identical hormone replacement therapy may be the appropriate form of treatment. Low levels of testosterone are often related to ED so increasing will be effective.
Osteoperosis
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle, leading to a higher risk of fractures (breaks or cracks) than in normal bone.
The level of testosterone in males decreases naturally as a man ages. This loss of sex hormone eventually can result in accelerated bone loss, leading to osteoporosis. According to recent studies, for men with low levels of testosterone (hypogonadism), testosterone replacement therapy increases bone density (Eur J Endocrinol. 1998 Jan;138(1):51-8).
Growth hormone increases bone density in patients with adult growth hormone deficiency. Since growth hormone secretion decreases with ageing, its use has theoretical merit in the treatment of osteoporosis (J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999 Jul;84(7):2373-8).
Administration of growth hormone to growth hormone deficient adult males activates bone turnover, which suggests that it would have a beneficial effect on bone mass in these patients (Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1993 Oct;39(4):409-15).
Women
Pre menopause
Pre menopause is defined as the time leading up to menopause. Your body stops making as much estrogen which can result in you experiencing many of the typical symptoms of menopause. This process can begin for many women from the mid thirties but there is no way of determining this exact age.
Menopausal
This typically occurs between the ages of 45-55 and is officially defined as the cessation of menses for a year resulting in decreasing ovarian function.
Menopause symptoms may include; hot flushes, vaginal dryness, low libido, weight gain, irritability, sleep problems, urinary tract infections, dry skin and fuzzy thinking.
If you are experiencing these menopause symptoms it may be recommended that you consult your doctor or call us for your nearest qualified doctor.
Post menopausal
After menopause, in addition to the low levels of estrogen, women loose two thirds of their remaining progesterone and within six months falls to a barely functioning level.
Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
BHRT involves replacing the levels of estrogen and progesterone to relieve the symptoms of menopausal women.
Children
Many commercially available medications are often designed for adults and are unsuitable for young children. In order to increase compliance and therapeutic benefits, compounded medications are required.
Flavoured medications
It can be extremely difficult to administer medication to young children and to achieve compliance. To assist parents with this problem a vast variety of different flavours are available to mask the taste of the medication.
Customised medication dosages and administration
Rather than be restricted to doses often designed for adults, the strength of each dose can be tailored to the infant to minimize any side effects. This custom dosage medication is not only available in tablets but also flavoured mixtures, suspensions, chews and suppositories to make administering these medications easier for the parents.
Elderly
Drug combination
Some problems are best treated with a combination of drugs. In order to avoid multiple dosing we can combine the needed concentrations of the required medications in one single easy to use product.
Chronic pain
Many patients experiencing chronic pain cannot tolerate certain dose of medication due to gastrointestinal side effects. ACP can provide preparations of many medications through other dose forms to help avoid these side effects. Compounded medications are also often used for pain management in hospice care.
Customised dosage forms
Medicines are often only available in tablets or capsules. Many elderly that have trouble swallowing may need a liquid, suppository, troche, lollipop, transdermal preparation or another dosage form.
Flavoured medications
Many elderly patients are non-compliant because their medications are bitter, but become compliant when their medication is flavoured to their liking. Compounding pharmacists can mask unpleasant tasting medications by adding a variety of flavours.
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