Androderm - Testosterone Patch

• Generic name: testosterone topical
• Drug class: androgens and anabolic steroids

 

Androderm is a specified medicine that is used to fix the deficiency of testosterone in adult males due to any medical condition. Testosterone is a naturally derived male hormone that is essential for several processes in the human body. Androderm is an alternative to testosterone that works like the natural sex hormones. It helps in the development and maintenance of various male characteristics, such as the maturation of the prostate, penis, seminal vesicles, and scrotum. It also encourages male hair distribution in areas such as the chest, pubic, facial, and axillary hair. Androderm is found to help with vocal cord thickening, fat distribution, and alternations in body musculature.

Androderm functions by increasing or replacing the body's naturally occurring levels of testosterone. It is not used to improve athletic performance; hence, it should not be used in that case.

Androderm 2.5 mg/day patch has 12.2 milligrams of testosterone. It provides 2.5 milligrams of testosterone in 24 hours. Likewise, a 5 mg patch delivers 5 milligrams of testosterone within 24 hours of application. Additional ingredients in the gel reservoir comprise ethanol, purified water, glycerol, glyceryl monooleate, methyl laurate, carbomer copolymer (type B) and sodium hydroxide.  The patch looks like this:

Androderm is in the form of testosterone transdermal patches. Similar to AndroGel, testosterone itself is dissolved in an alcohol-based gel, but the gel in transdermal patches is kept in a separate reservoir. The testosterone goes from the patch through the skin and into the bloodstream when the patch is placed on the skin, inferring that. It is applied on the skin every 24 hours, which helps treat conditions in men that result from a shortage of natural testosterone production in the body. Your health care professional will check the level of testosterone in your body before you start or while you are using Androderm. It is a type of patch that is applied to the skin once a day and it should be used late in the evening. If it causes skin irritation, then you can rotate the application area. Androderm can be taken on its own or in combination with other drugs.

Before initiating the medicine, make sure to measure the serum testosterone concentration in the morning for at least two separate days. If the concentration is below the normal range, then start with this medication. Androderm patches have different sizes and they should be applied at the same time every night. This is not an addictive treatment. The patch should be changed every 24 hours. The advisable starting dosage of one Androderm is 4 mg per day, applied at night for 24 hours. The test is done again after 2 weeks of starting therapy to ensure proper dosing. If the serum concentration range is outside the range of 400–930 ng/dL, then increase the daily dose to 6 mg, which is one 4 mg/day and one 2 mg/day, or reduce the dose to 2 mg/day. The doses can be 2 mg/day, 4 mg/day, and 6 mg/day.

Androderm should be applied to dry and clean areas of the skin. The part selected for application should not be damaged, oily, or irritated. You can apply it to the upper arms, thighs, back, or abdomen. Do not apply it to bony areas or any part of the body that is subjected to prolonged pressure. Do not apply to the scrotum, skin that has cuts, rashes, or sores, or bony areas. The patch’s application in these body areas can result in skin blisters. With a seven-day gap between applications on the same site, the application sites should be rotated. The patch should be applied immediately after opening and taking off the protective release liner. Make sure it has been pressed properly around the edges. Avoid showering, swimming, or washing the specific region where the patch is applied for a minimum of 3 hours. After 3 hours, you can allow your skin to come into contact with water. The patch may get loose or come off after vigorous exercise or sweating. Press the patch's edges together to keep it in place if it becomes loose. These are the regions where you can apply the patch:

It should be kept at room temperature between 20^oC to 25^oC. Until you are ready to use it, keep ANDRODERM in its foil packet with a tight closure. An ANDRODERM patch should not be taken out of the bag until you are ready to use it. Keep it out of the reach of children and pets. Discard the used patch by folding it in half so that the sticky side sticks together. Topical testosterone is absorbed via the skin and can have negative consequences or manifest as male traits in children or women who come into contact with it, so keep away from children.

• Triamcinolone acetonide of 0.1% can be applied to avoid skin irritation.
• Clomiphene Citrate can be used to avoid estrogenic side effects
• Arimidex (Anastrozole) can help in more effective control of estrogen by avoiding its synthesis.

Some drugs can be affected by Androderm and cause trouble. These can be:

• Medicine that avoids blood clots, like warfarin or other anticoagulants.
• Insulin or any other medicine that controls blood sugar

Adult males with disorders linked to a lack or absence of endogenous testosterone are advised to use ANDRODERM as replacement therapy.

It is used in primary hypogonadism or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Hypogonadism is a clinical syndrome for minimized functional activity of the gonads. Gonads are the testes in the male that produces testosterone and other essential hormones.

Androderm can be used in testicular lack of functioning or failure due to any disorders like:

• Cryptorchidism
• Orchitis
• Bilateral torsion
• Vanishing testis syndrome
• Klinefelter syndrome
• Orchiectomy
• Toxic damage from alcohol
• Chemotherapy

All the above health concerns happen to men with low testosterone concentrations.

Men with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) deficiency or pituitary hypothalamic injury that occurred from radiation, tumours or trauma have low testosterone concentration and can also use Androderm.

1. Man with breast cancer
2. Pregnant women
3. Men with prostate cancer
4. If you have a high level of calcium in your blood
5. Kidney disease

Consult your healthcare professional if you take insulin or any other medicine that minimizes blood clotting.

If you don't remember to put Androderm® on in the evening, do so as soon as you do, as long as it's before noon the following day. Or else, do not apply it until the next dose application time; then proceed as normal.

In case of an overdose, immediately remove the patch and call a doctor or poison information center for advice, even if it does not cause you skin irritation or any other discomfort. Do not cut Androderm patches before using them. The patch may burst if it is handled carelessly.

Although most men with low testosterone levels benefit from this medication, some persons may experience unfavourable side effects. All medications have potentially negative effects. Although they are frequently not serious, there are situations when they are. If any of the negative effects occur, you might require medical attention. There are several side effects of Androderm.

• Prostate abnormalities
• Skin irritation, burning or blisters
• Headache
• Backpain
• More erections than normal
• Rapid weight gain
• Increased urination
• Loss of bladder control

• Heart attack: chest pain, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, left arm pain
• Stroke: weakness on one side of the body; trouble seeing, walking, or speaking.
• Blood clots: lungs and legs
• Withdrawal: depression, fatigue, restlessness, Loss of appetite, insomnia, lower sex drive
• Liver Damage: nausea, stomach pain, yellowish eyes, vomiting, dark urine, light-coloured stool

Once your body becomes accustomed to the drug, the following adverse effects could improve with time. If you continue to experience these symptoms or if they get worse over time, call your doctor right away.

1. PARK, J.S., HONG, J.I. and PARK, N.C., 1999. Changes in the Quality of Life after Tansdermal Testosterone (Androderm (R)) Supplement Therapy in the Aging Male. Korean Journal of Urology, pp.1057-1065.
2. DailyMed - ANDRODERM- testosterone patch (no date) U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Available at: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=e58a5328-fdd9-40cb-a19f-8ed798989b9c [Accessed: 10 November 2023].
3. De Sanctis, V., Vullo, C., Urso, L., Rigolin, F., Cavallini, A., Caramelli, K., Daugherty, C. and Mazer, N., 1998. Clinical experience using the Androderm testosterone transdermal system in hypogonadal adolescents and young men with beta-thalassemia major. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism: JPEM, 11, pp.891-900.
4. For Healthcare Professionals (no date) Androderm® (testosterone transdermal system) | Official Patient Website. Available at: https://www.androderm.com/ [Accessed: 10 November 2023].
5. Androderm Transdermal: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing (no date) WebMD. WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1630/androderm-transdermal/details [Accessed: 10 November 2023].
6. Androderm - Uses, Side Effects, Interactions (no date) Uses, Side Effects, Interactions - MedBroadcast.com. Available at: https://www.medbroadcast.com/drug/getdrug/androderm [Accessed: 10 November 2023].

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