Jan,
I was just interviewed for possible participation in a study for a testosterone topical gel for women who have had a hysterectomy and are experiencing low libido. Would administration of low levels of testosterone pose a negative impact on MC?
Mary

Type of Myotonia: Thomsens

Country: USA

Mary,

The study I posted in this thread showed that testosterone definitely inhibits the chloride channel although the effect is apparently short-lived. So if you did try the gel and the symptoms increased dramatically you could stop and would not have any long-term effects.

Testosterone does increase potassium levels in the body and that may in turn cause more stiffness. It can also increase insulin sensitivity which is good if you're tending toward diabetes, but again it may increase myotonia.

It would be interesting to see how it affects you at low doses which I'm assuming they would use in the study. Testosterone has many beneficial effects and that may outweigh the not so beneficial effects :-)

I guess I would say be prepared to experience more stiffness and if it gets to be too much, then drop out of the study. They are using testosterone now to treat certain types of metastacized cancers and it even improves anemia. I take liver powder every day which body builders have claimed for decades naturally increases testosterone and I have not seen any worsening of the myotonia but my average blood count is much higher and my kidney cancer is 1/2 the size that it was when I started.

Jan

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's MC

Country: US

Jan,
Thank you so much for your reply. I have been approved for the study, pending results of thyroid ultrasound.
I have a concern about the possibility of facial hair, but that can be taken care of, I suppose.
Mary

Type of Myotonia: Thomsens

Country: USA