Hormone Replacement Therapy – Frequently asked Questions

Do the shots hurt?
That totally depends on the patient. The shots are intramuscular and for most patients they should not hurt

How do I pay?
We bill monthly. The initial fee of $238.80 covers the initial lab work and physical. Once you are accepted for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) the monthly fee is $238.80 per month. We do not charge exorbitant up front fees, we simply bill each month to help with affordability.This is our “self pay” plan. Please call  Woodstock, Georgia,(678) 233-2926 and Buckhead, Georgia (404) 566-8950 to find out if your insurance covers our plan.Some of our patients who have insurance have little to minimal out of pocket expense so please call to find out! Our call center is available 24 hours a day!

How often do I get lab work?

That depends on many, many factors. Age, weight, hormonal status at time of base line, all evaluated by your doctor. Initially  you may expect follow up labs in two to three months. It is necessary to have a few months of therapy before we repeat labs to ascertain if the appropriate levels are obtained. After the desired lab value is achieved, labs will
be taken less often maybe once or twice a year.

Are you covered by insurance?
YES. We are “in network” with most insurance carriers so please call  either one of our offices in Woodstock, Georgia,(678) 233-2926 and Buckhead, Georgia (404) 566-8950 and we can verify your benefits.

Can I use the blood work from my doctor instead of yours?
Since the price of the bloodwork is included in the price of our plan we recommend to have us draw your blood at our office.

Will you treat my wife?
We can evaluate your wife for female hormone replacement.

How quickly will I see results?
Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. The truth is that everyone typically responds differently. However, it seems that most of your patients recognize a change within the first 3 to 5 weeks after therapy.

Why this therapy? Now?
Medical science is finally starting to recognize that men also have issues with hormones as they age. It is not uncommon for physicians to prescribe estrogen for women who have estrogen deficiency now physicians have realized the same with men. If men have low testosterone levels it appears completely appropriate to treat these patients with the appropriate amount of testosterone to ensure optimal levels.

Do you use Human Growth Hormone?
NO.

Is there a safer alternative to Human Growth Hormone?
We offer Sermorelin which is a peptide stimulates  the body produce its own growth hormone. This is a separate and distinct therapy from testosterone therapy however there is empirical evidence to support the synergistic effects of these two therapies when combined together

Is Sermorelin expensive?
It is about a quarter of the price of actual growth hormone. So comparatively speaking No it is not.

What are the complications of testosterone therapy?
There a few complications that will be explained when you have your examination. These side effects are typically only if the dosage is too much. That is why we take extreme caution to ensure that you will not be receiving more than is needed to get the optimal clinical outcome.

I heard testosterone will cause my testicles to shrink, is this so?
Again that typically happens when there is too much testosterone in the body. Our treatment uses medications to optimize your own natural production and decrease the likelihood of any testicular shrinkage. If for any reason, while any of our patients are on our therapy and have anything like this happen we require you to call our office to discuss and make appropriate recommendations.

Can you really help me with my chest fat; aka: man boobs?
Most of the time that is from too much estrogen in the body which causes your body to retain both fat and water in the breast tissue. Appropriate testosterone therapy along with a healthy diet and exercise program may potentially get rid of the chest fat. However, if it is a situation that may not resolve from this therapy we will recommend an appropriate surgeon on a case by case basis to get rid of the unresolved fatty tissue around the breast area.

I’m afraid to get zits again or lose my hair?
There is a slight possibility to have some of these symptoms but it is generally when there is an excess of testosterone in the body. We strive to gradually raise the levels in your body to an acceptable healthy level which should not produce the unwanted side effects that are talked about on a regular basis.

Will testosterone cause prostate problems?
There is a debate among medical professionals regarding this issue. The predominance of patients that get prostrate problems are elderly. The reality is that elderly men typically have far LESS testosterone than their comparative younger counterparts. If testosterone was really the culprit then why would elderly men with less testosterone be getting prostate cancer more frequently? Regardless of the debate we will take appropriate lab values to ensure that each of our patients are screened for any potential prostate issues.

What ages do you accept?
Generally men 30 years or older that have specific health concerns and objective low lab values. We require our patients to have a primary care doctor to assess the patients overall health. 

Can your labs be used for my regular doctor’s visit?
That depends if your doctor will accept the labs. We will be more than happy to forward lab results or any other clinical information to your primary care doctor

What labs are included?
We do a comprehensive blood panel that checks the appropriate systems in the body to ensure safety in the therapy that we may recommend.

What labs do you get later on?
We will consistently monitor the prostate values, hormone values and certain blood counts.

What if something is wrong?
We will not be able to continue with the plan and refer you to the appropriate provider to get the issue resolved. Once resolved, it is possible that you may continue with the appropriate therapy.

Why Not Growth Hormone?

Human growth hormone has been used for anti-aging in the past but has been under increased scrutiny by many of the medical-legal professionals for a variety of reasons.

• Side effects can be serious due to improper dosing
• Most professional sports regulatory bodies have prohibited the use of growth hormone.
• According to The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Growth hormone can only be used for AIDS or AIDS related symptomatology or for adult onset growth hormone deficiency. Otherwise it is prohibited for use under federal law.

Because of the many challenges with Growth Hormone and the mere fact that is illegal to prescribe for any other reasons besides the ones we mentioned above we have discovered an alternative. Sermorelin is a polypeptide compound that when administered does not supply Growth Hormone to the body but instead stimulates your body to produce its own natural growth hormone. It can be thought of as a growth hormone stimulator.

Sermorelin increases your own HGH by stimulating the pituitary gland because of that it has certain advantages over HGH that include:

• Because your body will produce more growth hormone from semorelin, your bodies own regulatory mechanisms will prevent the growth hormone spike from getting to high.
• It is a more natural way to increase growth hormone response very similar to the way in which growth hormone is released during a normal day/night cycle.
•  It stimulates your brain(specifically the pituitary) to produce more growth hormone. This process typically declines in normal aging and by providing this stimulus helps keep the pituitary active and healthy.

We believe Sermorelin is a great alternative to HGH. It provides a safer alternative and its not prohibited for use.

Call Innovative Health & Wellness Today

Innovative Health & Wellness now has two locations: Woodstock, Georgia,(678) 233-2926 and Buckhead, Georgia (404) 566-8950.

You have the right to rescind within 72 hours, any obligation to pay for the services provided in addition to free or discounted services. Not valid for Medicare/Medicaid patients.