Testosterone Regulation and Autism
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Ranking : 
Type(s) : Medication
Introduction
Testosterone regulation involves using a drug, such as leuprolide, to reduce the amount of testosterone and oestrogen in your body.
Some people think this will help reduce sexually inappropriate behaviour.
Other people think that reducing the level of testosterone will reduce the toxicity of any mercury in your body.
They think this is helpful because they also believe that autism is caused by mercury poisoning.
Opinion
Leuprolide is a very strong drug, designed to change the hormonal balance in men and women. Used on children or adolescents, it could cause disastrous and irreversible damage to sexual functioning.
It is also very expensive, with some providers charging between £125 and £1,000 – or $250 and $2,000 – per injection.
There is no scientifically valid or reliable research evidence to suggest that Leuprolide is effective in reducing any of the problem behaviours associated with autism.
For all of these reasons we believe that Leuprolide should not be used to treat individuals with autism, unless and only if it is used to treat disorders, such as prostate cancer, for which it was designed.
Further information
Please see the Advanced version of this page for more information about this intervention, including relevant research studies and details of how we ranked them.
Disclaimer
Please read our Disclaimer about this intervention.
Last Updated : 26/03/2013 Back to Top
