Testosterone Pills: How Oral TRT Solutions are Changing Testosterone Therapy

Comparing Kyzatrex and Jatenzo: Oral Testosterone Therapies for Men on TRT

 

FDA Approved Oral Testosterone for Men on TRT

For men with low testosterone, TRT has become a therapeutic option which has positively changed, countless lives for the better. TRT as a medical treatment has been dominated by injectable testosterone like cypionate and enanthate, topical creams and gels, which are absorbed through the skin like Andro gel or even patches and pellets that get inserted into the skin.  These are not always the preferred choice in terms of patient’s preference so fortunately, now there is a more convenient alternative in oral testosterone pills that have been developed an FDA approved. Two popular options are Kyzantrex and Jatenzo which are both oral testosterone replacement therapies that have FDA approval. Each has unique characteristic which separate them from one another.  

Here we discuss and compare the two of them showing how they work, what their benefits are and why men with low testosterone may prefer oral pills over the more traditional injections, creams, etc. 

 

FDA Approved Oral Testosterone 

So in terms of the development of these medications, both Kyzatrex and Jatenzo are oral testosterone replacement therapies which received their FDA approval for treating adult men with hypogonadism. Jatenzo was the first of its kind, which got approved by the FDA in March of 2019, which was a huge leap forward in HRT as it offered a non-invasive, convenient alternative to injections, pellets, patches and gels. Marius Pharmaceuticals, who manufactures Kyzatrex, followed shortly after, receiving their FDA approval in August 2022. Kyzatrex is seen as a better version of Jatenzo by many with its formulation designed to optimize absorption and provide consistent testosterone levels. Both medications approval by the FDA were based on clinical trials which demonstrated their effectiveness in restoring testosterone levels to normal physiological ranges, while maintaining what is considered to be an acceptable safety profile.

 

The reason these oral testosterone medications are considered important developments in TRT is because of the dangers associated with oral testosterone in the past. Before the development of medications like Kyzatrex and Jatenzo, oral TRT was largely avoided by all reputable medical professionals because of the serious risks associated with older formulations. Traditional oral testosterone pills/capsules and tablets, such as methyltestosterone, was processed through the patients liver (first-pass metabolism), which led to hepatotoxicity — causing liver strain and, in some cases, serious liver damage. This included major medical conditions such as liver tumors and cholestasis (impaired bile flow). These very serious liver-related risks made oral testosterone a less viable option due to the high probability of complications and side effects, so most physicians wisely preferred prescribing injections or transdermal systems like gels to their patients. The more recently developed oral testosterone medications were specifically designed to bypass the liver and be absorbed through the lymphatic system, which significantly reduces the risk of liver toxicity and thus makes oral TRT a much safer option today and one that physicians can now offer their patients.

 

How do testosterone pills work? 

 

Kyzantrax and Jatenzo were both developed to increase testosterone levels back to acceptable therapeutic ranges for men that have hypogonadism. Hypergonadism is a condition where the man’s body is no longer producing enough testosterone and can occur for multiple reasons so it’s important to get properly evaluated and diagnosed by your physician before jumping to conclusions and trying therapies without proper medical guidance. 

Both of these oral medication‘s are taking orally. However, the mechanism of actions and formulations have important distinctions, which a physician and patient need to discuss and consider before being prescribed. 

 

For example, Jatenzo is a form of oral testosterone undecanoate capsule.   Testosterone undecanoate is at its core, a long chain ester of testosterone which gets absorbed in the body, primarily via the lymphatic system, as opposed to the liver, which helps it to reduce what’s known as first pass, hepatic metabolism.   This has been a challenge in the past with testosterone often causing patients who would take oral testosterone to have liver complications, but this new medication seems to have solved that problem. It’s taken twice a day with food, preferably meals that have fat to help in its lymphatic absorption. Once ingested, the ester bond is broken, releasing active testosterone into circulation within the bloodstream.

 

Kyzatrex however, is also an oral testosterone undecanoate, but comes in a soft gel formulation unlike Jatenzo. Kyzatex uses what’s called a self-emulsifying drug delivery system, which helps to increase the absorption rate through the lymphatic system similar to Jatenzo. It too is taken twice daily with food. The soft gel capsules are designed so that they can easily and quickly dissolve, and its formulation helps to improve what’s known as bioavailability, which make sure there’s a more consistent rate of testosterone absorption in the body.

 

Both of these medications rely on food intake to help maximize the absorption of the medication which makes adherence to the prescribing and dosing guidelines important because without dietary fat, the bioavailability of both of these medications can decrease significantly. Even though both of these medication’s are extremely similar and have similar mechanisms of action, Kyzatrex is widely believed to have a formulation which promotes a smoother pharmacokinetic profile which may potentially result in a steadier hormone balance and testosterone levels throughout the day.   

 

What are the benefits of oral testosterone?

The development of oral TRT pills like Kyzatrex and Jatenzo help address several common issues that many patients have with traditional TRT medication’s.  

More convenient and easier to use   

One of the services that we offer our patients is education and assistance, and administering injectable testosterone, such as testosterone cypionate or enanthate. Most patients that we have are unfamiliar with how to self-administer an injection so they need to be shown the proper way to handle the medication and give themselves an injection. However, this is not an issue and is one of the most obvious advantages of oral TRT in the form of how convenient it is. Most men already know how to swallow a pill, especially those that are hesitant to inject themselves or don’t want the hassle of having to visit a clinic weekly for their testosterone injection. These patients truly appreciate how simple taking a pill is.  Transdermal testosterone gels are also convenient and non-invasive. However, many patients complain about how messy they are and are nervous about potentially transferring the medication to another individual or pet for example through skin to skin contact. Patches are also convenient but have been known to cause skin irritations when being worn all day and depending on the situation are clearly visible.  Capsules are more portable and for those men who travel frequently, oral TRT pills. Eliminate the need for refrigerating medication like HCG or having to worry about carrying a syringe in your luggage. Swallowing a capsule in contrast, is a very simple convenient way to start TRT without the risks, hassles or fear involved with other delivery methods. 

 

Consistently steady testosterone and hormone levels

Both Kyzatrex and Jatenzo help to deliver stable levels of testosterone throughout the course of the day, which is beneficial in helping to eliminate the peaks and rows of hormones, which can sometimes be associated with traditional injection TRT meds. Injections like testosterone cypionate or enanthate which have a long acting release of testosterone compared to the oral pills/capsules have a half-life of about a week, which is why they need to be injected at least one time a week. After injecting, testosterone levels will increase significantly and over the course of the seven days, decline, leaving what are known as peaks and troughs.  If not adjusted, some patients may even experience mood swings, irritability, or have difficulty controlling and maintaining their symptoms or even side effects, whereas oral formulations when taken consistently with food, provide an extremely predictable pharmacokinetic profile.  Kyzatrex claims to have an advanced delivery system and may have an edge in this area, providing smoother more balanced testosterone levels that can potentially help to mitigate mood variability and help to sustain energy and reduce fatigue throughout the day when taken consistently.   

 

Reduce the risk of any potential injection related problems

For some patients, the idea of injecting causes fear and even terror because of the discomfort of needles. It’s a major barrier for some men in starting or even maintaining TRT. Known as trypanophobia, the fear of needles can trigger intense psychological distress, including anxiety, panic attacks, and feelings of helplessness. This fear can activate the body’s stress response, which can lead to physical manifestations such as sweating, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, or even fainting (vasovagal response). For some patients on TRT, just the anticipation of having g to give ones self an injection is enough to cause severe emotional discomfort, reinforcing avoidance behaviors and increasing anxiety around medical treatments. These patients will often stop taking medication without alerting their physician and experience all of the signs and symptoms of low tea when in reality there are other delivery methods that would have been more appropriate for them and beneficial and helping to treat their andropause.

Another issue with injectable testosterone is potentially an increase in red blood cells known as erythrocytosis.   That’s not to say that oral testosterone medication doesn’t have this risk, but it’s believed that a more consistent hormone level in the bloodstream will mitigate the spikes of red blood cell production often associated with injections.

 

So why would someone choose one over the other? Is Kyzatrex orJatenzo better?

Picking the medication that’s right for you can be tricky and choosing between Kyzatrex or Jatenzo is usually a personal choice based on medical history, physician, guidance, and tolerability however, there may be several factors which can influence the patient’s decision.  

One such factor could be the tolerability and side effect profile for the patient.  For the same reason that someone might prefer Tylenol over Advil or Motrin or Excedrin, someone may prefer the way they feel on one of the oral TRT medications over the other.   

Where both of these medications share very similar potential side effects such as increased red blood cell count possible elevation in blood pressure and potential effects on cholesterol levels, some patients have reported better tolerability with one over the other. Clinical trials have shown us that both of these medication’s will effectively raise testosterone levels into normal ranges however, these subtle differences and how they are absorbed and a patient individual Ability to absorb and their metabolism may influence side effects that one patient experiences compared to the next.  

Also, some men feel that kyzatex provides a more balanced smoother, hormonal experience that they felt fewer mood fluctuations, and that could potentially be due to the way it’s absorbed in the body and other patients have said Jatenzo was equally effective and more well tolerated for them, especially if they had been on it for a longer period of time and their bodies had adjusted well to taking it.  

A physician who is experienced with hormone replacement therapy in particular TRT and these oral medication’s may be able to offer guidance based on their patients preferences and results, which once again reiterate the importance of going to an experienced healthcare provider for any medical advice/treatment.  

Ultimately both Kyzatrex and Jatenzo are incredible advancements and testosterone replacement therapy, which are now able to offer more men and effective needle free option to help balance their hormones, improve their overall health and quality of life. They both share similarities and how they work, function, and how they are administrated, however Kyzatrex’s delivery system seems to give it the slight edge in how it’s absorbed and how it’s able to consistently provide testosterone delivery for some patients. The choice between which one to take will come down, ultimately, to the individuals preference and tolerability.  If you take one of these medication’s, and notice some side effects, your physician may recommend switching to determine if the other medication is better suited for you. For many patients, the benefit of oral testosterone and its major appeal lies within its convenience, ability to maintain discretion and the avoiding injections or gels, which are both effective yet not without their own set of complications. As oral testosterone therapy medication’s continue to advance and evolve, these are now becoming a more popular option, which can empower men to treat their low t with greater convenience and confidence.   

www.NovaGenix.org  (561) 277-8260