If you’re a male that takes opioids on a daily basis, there is a very strong chance that you have low testosterone. And if you have low testosterone, you may suffer from unpleasant symptoms like low libido, fatigue, decreased muscle mass, and increased body fat to name just a few.
When I was on opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, buprenorphine, and methadone my libido was almost nonexistent.
I never felt like having sex.
I didn’t gain weight like some people on opioids do, but my sex drive was significantly reduced.
In this article, I’m going to explain why opioids — and especially methadone — can decrease testosterone and why this can lead to mild, moderate, and even severe symptoms that can become debilitating to some people.
Let’s begin with a little science and research…
Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy
Opioid drugs bind to the mu opioid receptors in the brain, spinal chord, intestines, and other areas. According to a cross-sectional study published in 2015, “mu opioid agonism may affect the neuroendocrine system, suppressing the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, resulting in reduced testosterone synthesis and lower testosterone plasma levels. This syndrome is often referred to as opioid induced androgen deficiency (OPIAD).”
Another medical term that refers to the endocrine dysfunction from prolonged opioid use is Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy (OIE).
While short-acting opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and heroin can cause a reduction in testosterone, the long-acting opioid medication known as methadone causes the most harm in this area.
When I was a Substance Abuse Counselor at a methadone clinic I would constantly get patients in my office complaining about a cluster of symptoms.
The most common complaints were about the following symptoms:
- Decreased Libido
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Hot Flashes
- Weight Gain
This is by no means a complete list of symptoms, but these were the most common. I wish I had known how to help my patients reduce or eliminate those symptoms back then, but I was merely a counselor with no medical background.
Furthermore, medical issues were outside my scope of practice.
It was the task of the doctors and nurses to figure out how to treat the patients’ medical issues.
Unfortunately, the medical staff at the methadone clinic I worked at didn’t know about Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy. The patients were told to focus on diet and nutrition to lose weight and were told to carry a sweat rag for the sweating.
It’s not that the medical staff didn’t care.
They were just ignorant — as I was — about the problems opioids can cause to the neuroendocrine system.
So the patients continued to gain weight, sweat, lose muscle mass, lose the ability to get an erection, and more.
The Solution
If you’re taking opioids on a daily basis then you probably have low testosterone. Maybe you are like I was and only have the symptom of decreased libido, or maybe you’re in a similar situation to many of my patients on methadone and have a severe case of Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy.
Fortunately, there is a solution.
Here are some recommended treatment protocols for Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy:
- Supplementation – Testosterone for men, and 50 to 100 mg of DHEA for women (or testosterone for women but only 1/4 the amount needed for males).
- Opioid Rotation – Patients who gained weight when receiving long-term treatment with morphine or methadone subsequently lost substantial weight when rotated to oxycodone or buprenorphine.
Toward the end of my time working at the methadone clinic, one of the counselors quit.
The Clinical Supervisor (CS) divided up the counselor’s caseload between me and the other counselors and I received several new patients.
One of those patients was a 45-year-old male that told me the following:
- He had been on 140 mg of methadone for six years.
- He suffered from massive weight gain, low libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), fatigue, depression, loss of muscle mass, and many other symptoms associated with Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy.
- After years of enduring these awful symptoms, he told his primary care doctor and as a result was prescribed testosterone.
- He stated that the testosterone injections took away nearly all of his symptoms and as a result, he was much happier and healthier while taking 140 mg of daily methadone.
Freeze-Dried Bull Testicle Supplementation
If you’re in a similar situation to the patient I just wrote about, you should get an appointment with your doctor ASAP and see if testosterone therapy is a good treatment approach for you.
And if you simply have low libido and maybe some other mild symptoms, you might benefit from taking a novel supplement that most folks have never even heard of.
I’m talking about freeze-dried bull testicles.
DrRons.com has a high-quality supplement containing 180 capsules (250 mg each) of freeze-dried bull testicles from grass-fed New Zealand bulls.
Here is the product description from the website:
- With trace amounts, testicles are the richest food source of testosterone and have been eaten by men throughout the ages.
- Our organs and glands are ideal supplements for individuals wanting to provide nutritional support for specific organs and systems, and to complement the diet with the incredible array of nutrients found in organs and glands from healthy, carefully raised animals.
- Sourced from New Zealand grass-fed, inspected animals, raised without the use of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics.
I learned of this supplement from my dad’s ex-wife Maria, who is the mother of my half-brother Tom.
Whenever she visits from Northern California we like to talk about new supplements we’ve tried, and a few years ago she told me about Dr. Ron’s bull testicle capsules.
She stated that her husband (a senior citizen) began taking two capsules a day and his libido went through the roof.
I had a fairly healthy libido at the time, but I was weight-lifting regularly and trying to put on some solid muscle, and having very high levels of testosterone can lead to more gains in the gym.
Thus, I ordered a bottle.
My Experience Using Dr. Ron’s Bull Testicle Capsules
When my bottle of 180 capsules came in the mail, I took two capsules right away. I didn’t notice anything. But after taking two capsules twice a day for a few days, my libido began to increase significantly.
I had better workouts at the gym… that’s for sure.
And my mental and emotional outlook on life also became enhanced.
However, I stopped taking the supplements daily after a week. I did this because my libido became so intense that I couldn’t concentrate on work or anything else.
All I thought about was sex.
I remember the day I knew I had to stop taking the supplement.
I dropped my daughter off at school in the morning and literally every mom I saw I wanted to have sex with.
Please don’t judge me for this.
I was single at the time and I’m normally not like that, but those darn bull testicles made me abnormally horny due to the HUGE increase in testosterone.
How To Use Bull Testicle Capsules While Taking Opioids
If you’re taking opioids and suffering from low libido, erectile dysfunction, or other symptoms of low testosterone, you may want to try these freeze-dried bull testicle capsules.
As I stated earlier if you have moderate or severe symptoms it could be beneficial to see your doctor and talk about testosterone therapy or perhaps rotating to a different type of opioid.
But if you only have mild symptoms, supplementing with bull testicle capsules could be all you need to feel better while taking opioids.
According to DrRons.com, “three capsules provide the equivalent of one-quarter ounce of fresh raw whole testicle.
I’m no expert, but this seems like a powerful dosage to me.
Here is a dosing protocol that could work well for you:
- Start off by taking 2 capsules a day for the first week.
- If you don’t notice any benefits or side effects, begin taking 2 capsules twice a day.
- For low libido or problems getting an erection, try taking 3 or 4 capsules two hours before having sex.
Final Thoughts…
For more detailed information on the issues that opioids can cause to your neuroendocrine system make sure you read my article titled Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy: How Opioids Can Screw Your Health.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan and don’t agree with humans eating animals and you’re appalled by my recommendation to use a bull testicle supplement, then I sincerely apologize.
But if you eat meat and are looking for ways you can feel your best physically, mentally, and emotionally while using opioids for Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) — or for the treatment of pain syndromes — or simply because you’re addicted to opioids — then you might benefit from ordering yourself a bottle of bull testicle capsules.
I’ve been wanting to write this article for a few years and now I’ve done it.
It feels good.
If this article even helps one person it will have been well worth it.
So please, if you do order this supplement and test it out on yourself, would you post a comment below about your experience?
That would be so cool.
P.S. – I’m really trying to spread awareness about Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy. It’s one of the most common yet least often diagnosed negative consequences of prolonged opioid use. As I think about all the patients at methadone clinics that are suffering from this it makes me so sad.
The doctors and nurses at the clinics typically don’t know about this phenomenon, and if they knew about it and knew how to treat it, patients on methadone could take their medication without the horrible side effects from long-term use.
If you would like to join me in the pursuit of raising awareness about Opioid-Induced Endocrinopathy so that patients suffering from this disorder can get treatment and thus radically improve their physical and psychological health, please email me at help@opiateaddictionsupport.com.
Thank you for reading this piece, and take good care of yourself and your loved ones.
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