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Suggest Treatment For Edema In Ankles And Calves

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Posted on Fri, 28 Nov 2014
Question: edema, ankles & calves, I thought furosemide was engineered specifically for edema. I was prescribed only 20 mg and told to lay off salt. this has been going on for months & GP will not increase dosage. since dosage is sold in 20 mg increments, what would be harm in bumping to 40mg?

7 yrs ago when I became quite fatigued plus other symptoms, urologist check..ed testosterone, was 104. then, he checked LH & FSH. they were so low, they were off the charts. diagnosed as secondary hypogonadism. continued with low T supplementation like androgel and axiron until my PSA went from 4.2 to 8.7--stopped taking Low T med. but PSA wouldn't drop back to 4.2 fast enough, so doc did 12 biopsies, 5 were cancerous, had prostate removed, successfully, blood test now is 0.0 PSA and have resumed testosterone . Question: which comes first: belly fat or low testosterone. I have read both sides. one says low T causes belly fat which is incredibly hard to get rid of. another periodical says increase in belly fat because you simply eat too much and the wrong foods is responsible, in part, for the low T reading. Which is it?


sorry, I also take fenofibrate, my tri's have been vacillating around 350 to 400
had full test at vascular surgeon, I guess it is sonogram or something XXXXXXX that is moved over top of your skin on both legs. circulation is considered all normal

some doctors say FSH & LH stops being produced because of intra muscular shot of testosterone tricking pituitary into thinking level is always high. first, my level is not ALWAYS HIGH. it is only high the first week I get the shot then starts to decline 2nd, 3rd, & 4th week until my next shot, so why wouldn't it produce then? also, when I originally check testosterone in 2007, fsh & lh were checked long before any supplementation commenced. I am assuming I will be on injections of T for the rest of my life. MRI was done of the pituitary and surrounding tissue and no evidence of tumor or anything else for that matter was found.

doctor
Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (42 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Increasing lasix

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for contacting HCM

It looks like you have several questions.

The first question is related to persistent edema of your lower legs. You have been taking Lasix at 20mg daily but not noticing any change in the edema. Your doctor has not increased the Lasix and this maybe due to other reasons. If you have kidney failure that increasing Lasix may actually cause more kidney problems. Or you could have a low potassium levels and taking more Lasix can cause your levels to lower even more. Or as your doctor states is that you may become dehydrated fro too much Lasix. in my practice if you have significant edema and it is causing problems then I will increase Lasix for a short time to see if it helps. Then follow up more frequently to be sure you do not become dehydrated. I believe you have a reasonable request.

Your other concerns are related to testosterone therapy. FSH and LH are hormones secreted by the pituitary to stimulate the production of testosterone in men. Before you have an injection your levels would be elevated because your body is low on testosterone. After the injection the pituitary now is getting feedback that there is enough testosterone in the system and to not produce anymore. This is the way the body maintains regular levels of testosterone.

Weight gain with testosterone is common. Though you hear on the radio and TV that taking replacement therapy reduces truncal obesity. The truncal obesity is something that is there before treatment and may take more than just a shot to remove. In addition to testosterone you do need to continue diet and exercise. The testosterone is not a magic shot to make all your troubles go away.

Since you have hypogonadism you will need to take the injections for the rest of your life.

Hope this answers your question. Please contact us again with your medical concerns and questions
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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Answered by
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Dr. Ronald Schubert

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1984

Answered : 2407 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Edema In Ankles And Calves

Brief Answer: Increasing lasix Detailed Answer: Thanks for contacting HCM It looks like you have several questions. The first question is related to persistent edema of your lower legs. You have been taking Lasix at 20mg daily but not noticing any change in the edema. Your doctor has not increased the Lasix and this maybe due to other reasons. If you have kidney failure that increasing Lasix may actually cause more kidney problems. Or you could have a low potassium levels and taking more Lasix can cause your levels to lower even more. Or as your doctor states is that you may become dehydrated fro too much Lasix. in my practice if you have significant edema and it is causing problems then I will increase Lasix for a short time to see if it helps. Then follow up more frequently to be sure you do not become dehydrated. I believe you have a reasonable request. Your other concerns are related to testosterone therapy. FSH and LH are hormones secreted by the pituitary to stimulate the production of testosterone in men. Before you have an injection your levels would be elevated because your body is low on testosterone. After the injection the pituitary now is getting feedback that there is enough testosterone in the system and to not produce anymore. This is the way the body maintains regular levels of testosterone. Weight gain with testosterone is common. Though you hear on the radio and TV that taking replacement therapy reduces truncal obesity. The truncal obesity is something that is there before treatment and may take more than just a shot to remove. In addition to testosterone you do need to continue diet and exercise. The testosterone is not a magic shot to make all your troubles go away. Since you have hypogonadism you will need to take the injections for the rest of your life. Hope this answers your question. Please contact us again with your medical concerns and questions