HRT has it's place but I've noticed that a lot of my patients are getting testosterone without my recommendation nor thinking it was appropriate. While it's died down somewhat there was a big push a few years ago by pharm companies to testosteron-ize men hitting their 40s+.
Something else I noticed is some patients I've seen had low T (again cause it seems pharm companies have gotten docs to test for it quite a lot) in men that were in their 20s-30s that were on an SSRI. Led me to think maybe the SSRI was lowering their testosterone.
I've been trying to find any answer to my low testosterone. I had all the symptoms so I asked to be checked. It was 100 something the first time. The highest it's been is low 200. Last test was 81. I want to find the root cause (it's not primary) but psychiatrist insists it is not psych drugs (which include Paxil since age 15). It's the weirdest thing too because when I started Paxil I had this strange intrusive thought, "I wonder if this will stop me from going through puberty." I mean that's a pretty random thought to have, but I did have it. And I did in fact end up only going part way through, meaning I don't have a lot of secondary sex characteristics and spent years trying to figure out my sexual orientation which never appeared. I simply seem to not have one, which is actually rather confusing in and of itself. Maybe at 81 ng dl that's normal. I'm only 32, btw, and I first got tested for testosterone around age 28 or so I think. Haven't treated it due to a number of factors, fear being at the center of them all. I have it re-checked every time I have my blood drawn (about 3-4 times a year) and it won't go up with exercise/diet, etc. I have low levels of whichever hormones tell the testicles to make testosterone (I think FSH and LH).
I even showed my doctor info on how the SSRIs affect the HPA axis and thus possibly the testosterone (I had this whole theory I can't remember now), but it was dismissed.
Might bring it up again with her because she wants me off Paxil eventually anyway, whereas I had thought I should go up since I have OCD that's never gotten better and I've never gone above 30 mg and recently read a higher dose is needed for OCD. She doesn't want me to use SSRIs at all going forward because of her genetic test but her reasoning is never spelled out (nothing in the genetic test I've seen says I shouldn't be on SSRIs).
Anyhow, this is very interesting anecdotal evidence on your part. I realize it would require a study to connect the two, but interesting nonetheless.
Edit: I wanted to edit to add I am not inferring anything from your experience with patients that I would apply to myself. I merely found it interesting/relevant as it coincides with two of the factors, being on an SSRI and having low testosterone, that I have.