Rx vs. XXX

By Tony Dokoupil Newsweek Web Exclusive
May 20, 2009 Updated: 12:39 p.m. ET May 20, 2009

Porn or prescriptions? It hardly sounds likes a typical fork in the road. But it's the choice that middle-aged American men males apparently may face if they suffer from symptoms of low testosterone—as around five million men do, a figure that seems to be growing along with male girths, diabetes and the aging boomer generation. Click here to read the rest of the article...

Note from Andrea: This medicine is available by prescription only. I checked out two "online pharmacies" for pricing, one listed a 30 day supply as $138, and the other $264! That's a huge disparity in price. For women testosterone replacement is quite cheap (a three month supply for me is less than $50), but of course women do not need nearly as much testosterone as men. If male testosterone replacement is something you or your loved one is considering, it might be worth checking into the price comparison (and insurance coverage) of compounded testosterone replacement vs. commercially prepared products. Since testosterone itself cannot be patented, the drug companies are making big bucks by patenting the delivery method, and that may be largely what you are paying for. The advantage of compounded cream is that the dosage can be tailored to the individual need, just like women have widely varying levels of hormone deficiencies, so do men.