19 and endo wants to put me on TRT

[gmoore01]

Okay please read my story and let me know what you think.
I grew up playing football and always excelled. Planned on going to college for it until after my senior season I knew I was done. At 6'2" I weighed 275 I had a lot of muscle under the fat and was always strong. Mid January I decided I'm gonna lose a few pounds. Started losing weight by just eating less. Drop down to 240 by start of May and think hey I'm doing good I'm gonna buy a fat burner and lose some more weight.
Took hydroxycut hardcore elite until about mid June and felt great while taking it. Took a 3 week trip to Canada where I didn't workout much and did some drinking. Stopped taking the hydroxycut halfway through the trip. Get back and I'm feeling really tired all the time so I get another fat burner Shred JYM. Both of these were basically just all caffeine. Was also drinking coffee while taking these so I was taking in a ton of caffeine. Got down to 205 by end of August. I never did any crazy calorie restrictions I was just working out a ton with usual cardio and eating good.
Got to the point where I was taking in over 800 mg of caffeine every day and couldn't workout without having a big ass coffee and a sugary carb like poptarts. Would start to feel really tired and weak and got to the point where it was all the time. Stopped all the stims thinking it was fugging up my adrenals. Felt so weak and foggy mind with zero sex drive. Throughout this whole weight loss my sex drive slowly decreased but didn't bottom out until I got to 200.
So I've been seeing all these docs since September and all they can find is that I have extremely low testosterone all I can remember is the number was 5.9 on whatever scale I don't know. So endo wants to put me on 300 mg test cyp once a month. He doesn't really know anything I tried to tell him well I lost a ton of weight and wasn't getting enough fats but he says that couldn't do this. He thinks it's from my concussion 5 years ago basically because he has no other reason for why my test is low. Symptoms are extreme weakness, brain fog, depression, no sex drive.

All I wanna know is am I doing the right thing. Could this low t be from losing all this weight while not getting enough fats. Should I try a restart first? I have never touched and kind of steroids in any way. Just gotta hear some input before I go down this road.

 

[gmoore01]

View attachment 560053
From 275 to 205. Last pic was me in September since then I basically haven't been able to workout or do anything I feel so physically weak. Have put on a lot of fat since my last pic even though I'm still weighing 205

 

[Megatron28]

We need to see all of your blood work results to be able to give you advice on doing and HPTA restart or TRT. Can you please post all of the results and include reference ranges?

As yo your question, diet can definitely affect your testosterone levels. I am guessing that your use of stimulants in high amounts and over a prolonged period could have an effect as well.

Regardless, I would typically suggest that any 19 year old try a restart before going on TRT unless he has a clear cut case of Primary Hypogonadism.

Let's see your blood work results and go from there.

By the way, your doc wants to put you on a terrible TRT protocol. It sounds like you are in the US where we typically use Testosterone Cypionate. Due to its half life, it needs to be injected once or twice a week to maintain reasonably stable levels. Once a month is far too infrequent and would have you feeling worse than you do now.

In the meantime while you are getting your blood work results, give the Basic TRT Overview sticky thread a read. It will help you understand TRT and Hypogonadism better.

 

[Megatron28]

View attachment 560053
From 275 to 205. Last pic was me in September since then I basically haven't been able to workout or do anything I feel so physically weak. Have put on a lot of fat since my last pic even though I'm still weighing 205

Congrats on the transformation despite all the caffeine it took to get there. I am sure it was still hard work on your part

 

[STAUNCHED427]

Starting off at 100mg per week is more appropriate.

But yes post up full bloodwork so we know what we are dealing with, most likely you need a good restart and that should solve the problem. Once you exhaust all other avenues then look at TRT.

 

[hiram1st]

Great transformation! I know what it takes to do that I'm down from 273 to 220 over the last 6 months.

As stated above the protocol your on is horrible more frequent injections is a must and you need to post the rest of the blood work results so we can see what's going on under the hood to see if a restart is a vIable option.


I have a few questions:

When you got your blood work was it done first thing in the morning after a good night sleep?

Have you had an MRI to check for a pituitary tumor?

Do you have sleep apnea?

 

[gmoore01]

I've had an MRI of my pituitary and it came back negative. I will try and get my bloodwork on here. I know you all want to see the bloodwork first but based on the info so far, could a restart help? I know weight loss and calorie deficits will impact t levels but could it to this extent? Also no I don't have sleep apnea and most of my tests were done in the morning.

Btw, I did take the first shot of 300 mg almost 3 weeks ago just because I was desperate for some relief, but it hasn't really done anything

 

[Megatron28]

I've had an MRI of my pituitary and it came back negative. I will try and get my bloodwork on here. I know you all want to see the bloodwork first but based on the info so far, could a restart help? I know weight loss and calorie deficits will impact t levels but could it to this extent? Also no I don't have sleep apnea and most of my tests were done in the morning.

Btw, I did take the first shot of 300 mg almost 3 weeks ago just because I was desperate for some relief, but it hasn't really done anything

Can't say if a restart would help or not until we know if your are primary or secondary hypogonadotropic.

 

[gmoore01]

I will try and get numbers up asap
I'm really just concerned with my future.
If trt is the route I need to go, will it work forever? I see a lot of guys that it works for a year and then it quits on them.
I know I won't be able to have kids while on this.
It's all just overwhelming knowing I was healthy not long ago and now all this.

 

[3J]

you were cutting for a long time im guessing??? dont get on trt... start eating like a normal human being again and youre hormones should bounce back..

 

[gmoore01]

That's the thing I never did any crazy calorie cuts. But I have been eating a lot more and getting more fats in for a couple months now. I've been gaining fat but other than that no improvement. It's not that I wasn't "eating like a normal human being" I cut calories pretty big at the beginning but towards the end I was eating a lot.

Even though I've been forcing myself to eat more I do not get hungry anymore and haven't in a couple months. Could this be an effect of low t?

 

[Megatron28]

I will try and get numbers up asap
I'm really just concerned with my future.
If trt is the route I need to go, will it work forever? I see a lot of guys that it works for a year and then it quits on them.
I know I won't be able to have kids while on this.
It's all just overwhelming knowing I was healthy not long ago and now all this.

Yes, TRT works very well for 99% of people who need it. Have you read that Sticky thread yet that I told you to read?

I agree with 3J on getting your diet sorted out. Calorie restriction can have a big effect on hormones.

We still need to see your blood work too. No use in conjecturing when we don't have any solid information.

 

[TRTnooby]

you were cutting for a long time im guessing??? dont get on trt... start eating like a normal human being again and youre hormones should bounce back..

Listen to this. You lost 70 LBS in under a year, thats a 245K calorie deficit. Eat at maintenance for a few months, I bet you feel better. You can always get on TRT later if that doesn't' work, but make that your last choice, its for life. You're only 19.

 

[gmoore01]

I've been eating more for months with no improvement. The hard thing is not being hungry. Maybe it's from the low t I don't know.

 

[gmoore01]

View attachment 560226

These are my numbers that I just got tested for on Monday, January 19. I just switched endo's as I didn't think the one I had knew what he was doing. He had me prescribed for one 300 mg shot every 4 weeks, and that is why I switched endos. These test results were 4 weeks and 3 days after my first shot of testosterone cypionate of 300 mgs. I know my level was lower than 291 a couple months ago when I was going to my other doctor when he prescribed the t cyp. Just curious on what you guys know if a restart would help seeing my LH and FSH numbers here. My new endo says my level of 291 is fine and wants to send me to a neurologist and doesn't think my t level is causing any of this. PLEASE INPUT

 

[Megatron28]

View attachment 560226

These are my numbers that I just got tested for on Monday, January 19. I just switched endo's as I didn't think the one I had knew what he was doing. He had me prescribed for one 300 mg shot every 4 weeks, and that is why I switched endos. These test results were 4 weeks and 3 days after my first shot of testosterone cypionate of 300 mgs. I know my level was lower than 291 a couple months ago when I was going to my other doctor when he prescribed the t cyp. Just curious on what you guys know if a restart would help seeing my LH and FSH numbers here. My new endo says my level of 291 is fine and wants to send me to a neurologist and doesn't think my t level is causing any of this. PLEASE INPUT

These are pre-TRT labs, correct? Based on the LH and FSH, it looks like they are.

Your Testosterone was at hypogonadal levels and requires treatment. It is unhealthy in the long term to be hypogonadal.

Your LH and FSH point towards Secondary Hypogonadism. This means you could try an HPTA Restart to see if you can get your pituitary working again. I think it is definitely worth a try. If it doesn't work then you could go on TRT. There isn't much tk lose in trying it

 

[gmoore01]

These were my test results 4 weeks and 3 days after my first shot of 300 mg of test cyp. I switched endos and these were the results I got from here. My level before the first shot was 270. The problem is my old endo would only do once a month shots and this new one says my level of 291 is fine and doesn't want me on trt. Wtf do I do she wants me to go to a neurologist and thinks my problems are nothing from my low t. Also, what exactly would a restart consist of?

 

[Chiefy]

These were my test results 4 weeks and 3 days after my first shot of 300 mg of test cyp. I switched endos and these were the results I got from here. My level before the first shot was 270. The problem is my old endo would only do once a month shots and this new one says my level of 291 is fine and doesn't want me on trt. Wtf do I do she wants me to go to a neurologist and thinks my problems are nothing from my low t. Also, what exactly would a restart consist of?

Do you have other labs from before your first injection? Mainly LH and FSH?

Either way it sounds like neither of these doctors aren't well educated on treating male hormone disorders. Everybody here will stress the importance of having a good doctor when embarking on any type of hormone therapy.

It can be tough to find a doctor who knows the ins and outs of these types of treatments, and your age will certainly be an issue for some docs. I know it's not always the easiest thing to do, but I'd really suggest looking for another doctor. Neither of these guys is going to be able to get you feeling good again.

A restart usually consists of Clomid or hCG being used in an attempt to restart your HPTA. It's hit or miss, and seems to only be reliable in cases of secondary hypogonadism. Even then there are no guarantees, but it's worth a shot if you can avoid a lifetime of injections with TRT.

 

[Jimstigator]

I wouldn't go near TRT if it was 300mg every few weeks. If you can't find a local resource who is up on it... consider calling IMT, the board sponsor. They do restarts, which might be right up your ally, or full blown TRT.

Restarts by the way - get pretty complex around here and don't always have to be. Nolvadex/Tamoxifen, taken at 20-40mg for a month, can boost alot of guys right back into normal. I have the results to prove it, three times. My restarts always failed after a few years due to other issues, but still - it worked for a time and can stick forever on some men.

Truth be told - I bet at 19 you could get that up naturally from good sleep, no drinking, etc, etc.

-Jim

 

[gmoore01]

I see in my old labs my
LH was a 1.7
My test was a 270 ng/dl
TSH was 1.010
FSH 3.0

These were prior to any shot, and jimstigator, I sleep enough and don't drink at all