Male menopause

I am a 54 year old male who is going through a state of depression.  I am seeing a psychatrist who has  me on 20 mg of Prozac and 1 mg of clonazepam. I do a lot of research on the internet and came across male menopause.  I ordered a book called "Male Menopause" and found that low testosterone levels can cause depression.  I had a test done for my testosterone level and it was 247.  I saw my internist who suggested taking another test earlier in the day (I took the first one at 4:30 PM).  The second test which I took came out at 419. I took it at 9:30 AM.  My questions are: Is there such a condition as male menopause, can it affect one's mental state, libido, mood, energy level and why would my readings vary by so much?  The prozac has helped my mood, the clonazepam helped with my anxiety. I am taking a perscription sleeping pill to get to sleep at night. One doctor recommended testosterone shots another suggested I take 100mg of Wellbuetron (sp?) along with the prozac and clonazepam.  I would appreciate your advice.  Thank you.

[HFHS MD-JM]

William,

       Please let me first apologize for the delay in my response to this very interesting question.  "Male menopause" is a term that is coined to reflect the decreasing levels of testosterone which is a normal process as one ages.  Diminished levels of testosterone have been suggested to be linked with depression but is not specific(and there is not a great deal of good evidence in this area).  Decreased testosterone has also been linked to diminished libido.  The reason that your readings vary so much
is that this is a controversial area.
        Testosterone supplementation may be helpful with improving sexual functioning to some extent.  Wellbutrin may improve Prozac related sexual dysfunction and may further improve your mood. Thank you for this most interesting question.  I hope this has been helpful.

Sincerely,

HFHS MD-JM

Keywords: Male menopause