CreamTransdermalNon sterile Rx only

Testosterone / DHEA Topical Cream (Lipoderm®)

Topical Cream Base

A compounded cream combining testosterone and DHEA in Lipoderm base, prepared in Chino, CA to a prescriber's order. Testosterone is a controlled substance.

Reviewed by Linda Pungpravat, Compounding Pharmacist, RPh Mixwell Compounding Pharmacy, Chino, CA

USP <795> compliant
USP <800> hazardous drug lab
PCCA member

At a Glance

Preparation details for Testosterone / DHEA Topical Cream (Lipoderm®)
Dosage form	Cream
Route	Transdermal
Active ingredients	Testosterone, DHEA
Technology	Topical Cream Base
Strengths in literature	DHEA 50 mg per day in a gel for 5 days in the one published study. No combination strength has been published.
Commercial product	No U.S. commercial product
Strength and directions	Per prescriber
Dispensing	Valid prescription

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Phone (909) 378-7301. Fax (909) 378-7071

Clinical Advantages

Multiple actives in one base
Custom strength available
Dye free option
Non sterile preparation

How It Works

What is Testosterone / DHEA Topical Cream?

Testosterone / DHEA Topical Cream is a compounded cream that combines testosterone and DHEA in Lipoderm, a cream base for transdermal preparations. It is prepared by prescription for one patient, at strengths the prescriber sets. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance [2].

How it works

Testosterone applied to the skin is absorbed into the bloodstream, which is how approved testosterone gels work [2].
DHEA is a precursor hormone. In a study of ten men who applied a DHEA gel for 5 days, DHEA was well absorbed and converted to DHEAS, androstenedione, and then testosterone and estradiol [4].
So the cream raises testosterone directly and through DHEA, and it can also raise estradiol. The effect of the two together has not been studied in the trials cited here.
Lipoderm is a cream base made for transdermal preparations.

When prescribers choose it

Endocrinology, menopause, and men's health practices that want both hormones in one preparation
Prescribers who monitor testosterone and estradiol levels and adjust the strengths
Prescribers whose patients react to an ingredient in an approved gel or patch

Clinical Details

What does the evidence show?

The FDA states that testosterone is approved solely for men with low testosterone and an associated medical condition. No testosterone product for women is approved, and no testosterone cream or testosterone and DHEA product is approved [1].
The 2019 global consensus position statement on testosterone for women found that the only evidence based indication is hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women after a full assessment. It calls for doses that approximate premenopausal blood levels with regular monitoring, and notes there are no safety data beyond 24 months [3].
Sulcova and colleagues (2000, Physiological Research) gave 50 mg per day of DHEA in a gel to ten men aged 29 to 72 for 5 days. DHEA was well absorbed and rapidly metabolized, and levels of testosterone and estradiol rose. The study was short and small, and it did not include testosterone [4].
The only FDA approved DHEA drug is a 6.5 mg vaginal insert of prasterone for moderate to severe painful sex due to menopause. Its labeling notes that estrogen is a metabolite of prasterone [5].

Findings come from the cited studies and do not promise any individual outcome.

Why is it compounded, and how is it typically used?

Why it is compounded

No testosterone cream and no product combining testosterone with DHEA is FDA approved [1]. A prescriber who wants both hormones in one topical preparation orders it compounded. Federal law restricts compounding preparations that are essentially copies of approved products unless the prescriber documents a significant difference for that patient [7]. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance, which affects how prescriptions are written and refilled [2].

Dosage forms and strengths

Strengths of each hormone set by the prescriber. No standard combination strength has been published
Lipoderm cream base
Dye free versions on request
Quantities matched to the prescribed course and monitoring schedule

Dosing, blood level monitoring, and duration are the prescriber's decision.

How Mixwell prepares it

Mixwell compounds this cream in Chino, California under USP 795 standards for non sterile preparations, in a facility with a USP 800 negative pressure containment room [8]. Our pharmacist reviews the strengths, application directions, and skin contact precautions with the prescriber before compounding. Batch records document every preparation, and finished creams ship across California.

Safety information

Approved topical testosterone gels carry a boxed warning about secondary exposure, because children touched by treated skin have developed virilization, sometimes not fully reversible. The same transfer risk applies to a compounded cream. Children and women should avoid contact with unwashed or unclothed application sites, hands should be washed right after applying, and the site should be covered with clothing once dry [2].

Testosterone is contraindicated in pregnancy and in men with breast cancer or known or suspected prostate cancer, and all testosterone products now carry a blood pressure warning [1][2]. Because DHEA converts to testosterone and estradiol, effects can be androgenic and estrogenic, and blood levels of both are monitored [4].

In women, doses that reach premenopausal testosterone levels were linked in trials to mild increases in acne and body or facial hair in some, and no safety data exist beyond 24 months [3]. Compounded preparations lack the uniform labeling and warnings of approved products [6]. Patient selection, dosing, and monitoring are the prescriber's responsibility.

References

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA issues class wide labeling changes for testosterone products. February 28, 2025. FDA
ANDROGEL (testosterone gel) 1.62%. Prescribing information. Drugs.com label
Davis SR, Baber R, Panay N, et al. Global consensus position statement on the use of testosterone therapy for women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019;104(10):4660 to 4666. doi:10.1210/jc.2019-01603
Sulcova J, Hill M, Hampl R, et al. Effects of transdermal application of DHEA on the levels of steroids, gonadotropins and lipids in men. Physiol Res. 2000;49:685 to 694. Physiological Research
INTRAROSA (prasterone) vaginal inserts. Prescribing information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA label
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Clinical Utility of Compounded Bioidentical Hormone Therapy: A Review of Safety, Effectiveness, and Use. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2020. doi:10.17226/25791
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Compounding when drugs are on FDA's drug shortages list. FDA human drug compounding
United States Pharmacopeia. General Chapters 795 and 800. USP NF.

What to include on the prescription

APIs and strengths
Base or vehicle
Quantity
Directions for use
Refills
Allergies or dye free needs

Call (909) 378-7301 Fax (909) 378-7071

Compounded in Chino, CA. Delivered across California.

Chino
Chino Hills
Ontario
Pomona
Diamond Bar
Rancho Cucamonga
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Mixwell Compounding Pharmacy 13788 Roswell Ave, Ste 158, Chino, CA 91710
(909) 378-7301

Compounded medications are not reviewed or approved by the FDA. Dispensed only with a valid prescription. Mixwell is a non sterile pharmacy and does not prepare sterile products or injectables. Compounded preparations are not presented as superior to commercially available products, and nothing here promises a specific result. Mixwell does not accept insurance. Call for pricing.

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