11
Advantages Disadvantages
Relatively inexpensive, if
self-administered; flexibility
of dosing
Requires IM injection; peaks and valleys in serum
T concentrations that may be associated with
fluctuations in symptoms
Provides flexibility of
dosing, ease of application,
good skin tolerability;
less erythrocytosis than
injectable T
Potential of transfer to a female partner or child
by direct skin-to-skin contact; T concentrations
may be variable from application to application;
skin irritation in a small proportion of treated
men; moderately high dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
concentrations (of unknown significance)
Provides, good skin
tolerability
Potential of transfer to a female partner or child by
direct skin-to-skin contact; T concentrations may
be variable from application to application; skin
irritation in a small proportion of treated men;
moderately high DHT concentrations (of unknown
significance)
Ease of application Serum T concentrations in some T-deficient
men may be in the low-normal range; these men
may need applications of two patches daily; skin
irritation at the application site occurs frequently in
many patients
Convenience and discreet Gum-related adverse events in 16% of treated men
Requires infrequent
administration
Requires surgical incision for insertions; pellets may
extrude spontaneously; rarely, local hematoma and
infection may occur
Requires infrequent
administration
Requires IM injection of a large volume (3 or 4
mL); coughing episode reported immediately aer
injection in a small number of men
Rapid absorption and
avoidance of first pass
metabolism
Multiple daily intranasal dosing required; local
nasal side effects, not appropriate for men with
nasal disorders
