Frequently Asked Questions
What's included
By joining the program, you will have access to our physicians through telemedicine for both your general health and your hormone therapy.
Symptoms & Benefits
Most common symptoms of low testosterone include: Low sex drive, loss of muscle mass, depression and anxiety, fatigue, unwanted weight gain and infertility. Benefits can include improved energy, increased bone density, greater lean muscle, restored sex drive, greater sperm quality, better erections, improved cognitive functioning, improved mood and less anxiety, greater red blood cell production, and greater immune system function.
Risks
There are two known main risks. First is the over production of red blood cells. This can lead to an increased risk of blood problems and clotting issues. We easily monitor this with routine blood tests to minimize this risk. The second, is worsening of prostate problems (if they already exist). For this reason, we screen all patients for prostate concerns (cancer) and those found to be at risk will not qualify for this treatment. Finally, there was one study that shows there is a theoretical risk of increased heart disease. Conversely, there have been studies that show low levels of natural testosterone in your body also increases risk of heart disease. These findings emphasize why we believe getting your testosterone level into a normal range is our goal and may decrease these risks. Envision Health and Wellness is committed to staying on the forefront of the research and caring for our patients accordingly.
Injections
Initiative Medical and Wellness treats low testosterone levels with injectable testosterone. We do not offer implantable testosterone pellets. We believe that injectable testosterone is a better method of low testosterone treatment for the following reasons: First, there is no need for repetitive doctor visits for the treatment. Injections allows you to do the treatment at home. Second; injections allow us to fine tune your treatment to make adjustments for life events. Your body uses testosterone differently during different life events (stress, exercise, etc) and using an injectable form allow us to adjust for these different events. Finally, using pellets requires an incision in your buttocks each time. Injectable testosterone does not leave any scarring.
Billing
We do not bill insurance companies. We provide our service on a subscription fee paid monthly. Over the course of a year, our plan is more affordable than testosterone pellet treatment. Once you are in the program, there are no additional fees for labs draws or the medications (delivered to your door)- its all included.
Cost
We charge a flat fee of $145 per month. This is all inclusive and covers lab draws (at a location near you), the medication (delivered to your doorstep) and access to your doctor for all your health needs. Most testosterone providers charge $600-$1000 per pellet injection and you will need 3-4 per year, costing over $2000 per year.
Why Envision
Initiative Med and Wellness is dedicated to providing up-to-date appropriate medical care that is backed by research and literature. There are many providers out there who are willing to give anyone testosterone at inappropriate doses. Unfortunately, they are willing to do that even if it is not appropriate. Envision is committed to making sure everyone we treat is medically qualified to receive hormone replacement, with safe dosing for optimal health and wellness.