thegreenpander
New member
Hey guys, I'm 20 years old, I recently had bloodwork done with my new endo. My TSH level came back at 2.9 and my total test was 220.
A little background: When I was 18 I took a prohormone for 4 weeks and did the "pct" that came with it (I know). About a year later I started getting falling asleep when I got home from work every day, there were a few times when I couldn't get it up at all, and noticed overall weaker erections, and one of my testicles was noticeably smaller, and I had gained a considerable amount of weight. I was 195 at 5'9, I couldn't give an accurate BF% estimation, but I guess about 25%, I had 15 inch arms to give you an idea of the amount of muscle I had.
I went to my family doctor with my symptoms and told him about the pro hormones, his response was basically "At 19 there is no possible way you have low testosterone and I am not aware of any over the counter supplement which can cause shutdown. I can guarantee you don't have low testosterone. There must be something else." So we got some bloodwork done, my TSH came back at 5.0, he said my test was 119 but that was "in range" so it was ok. The nurse who told me my numbers over the phone said that is a different measurement than the typical 300-800 range so I figured it was just my thyroid. I've been on 50 mcg of levothyroxine every day since then. Last time I got bloodwork done with him my TSH was 3.0 and he said that in 6 months I can go back and he'll see what he needs to do.
Now, for the amount of effort I've been putting into my diet and training, I knew that I should have made a lot more progress than I had. After a year I was only down to 180, made some muscle gains, but not much. I'm not the type to make excuses but I know that if your hormones are messed up, it will be very difficult to make progress. I got my most recent lab results from my doctor and brought them to my new endo. He wasn't even testing my testosterone anymore.
About 2 weeks ago I went to a new endo, awesome guy, he had new bloodwork done, TSH 2.9 and test at 220. He upped my levothyroxine dose from 50 mcg ed to 75 mcg every day and I am on the brand name now instead of the generic. Unlike my family doctor, he understands that at 20 years old I should be, his words "Burning rubber" and not have the test levels of an 80 year old.
I realize that this is a huge wall of text and I probably said more than I needed to to get my answer, lol, but here are my questions.
1. Will switching from the generic to the brand name (synthroid) make any significant difference? It's not much of a price increase, I'm just wondering.
2. I have read that sometimes hypothyroidism can cause low testosterone. Is this common or likely in my situation? I understand that no one on here can say for sure, but I'm just asking if this is a possibility of more than a slim chance. I just started taking my increased dose today and am really hoping that this cures it.
3. As I said before, I know that no one can say for sure, but since I have had such a low test level for so long at a time like this in my development, is there a high chance for infertility? This is my biggest fear and the main reason I am hesitant to get on trt.
4. This question is a little less important, but could having low testosterone at this age made it impossible for me to ever grow a proper beard?
I know this is a long read, but if you've read this far, thanks, and I appreciate any advice.
A little background: When I was 18 I took a prohormone for 4 weeks and did the "pct" that came with it (I know). About a year later I started getting falling asleep when I got home from work every day, there were a few times when I couldn't get it up at all, and noticed overall weaker erections, and one of my testicles was noticeably smaller, and I had gained a considerable amount of weight. I was 195 at 5'9, I couldn't give an accurate BF% estimation, but I guess about 25%, I had 15 inch arms to give you an idea of the amount of muscle I had.
I went to my family doctor with my symptoms and told him about the pro hormones, his response was basically "At 19 there is no possible way you have low testosterone and I am not aware of any over the counter supplement which can cause shutdown. I can guarantee you don't have low testosterone. There must be something else." So we got some bloodwork done, my TSH came back at 5.0, he said my test was 119 but that was "in range" so it was ok. The nurse who told me my numbers over the phone said that is a different measurement than the typical 300-800 range so I figured it was just my thyroid. I've been on 50 mcg of levothyroxine every day since then. Last time I got bloodwork done with him my TSH was 3.0 and he said that in 6 months I can go back and he'll see what he needs to do.
Now, for the amount of effort I've been putting into my diet and training, I knew that I should have made a lot more progress than I had. After a year I was only down to 180, made some muscle gains, but not much. I'm not the type to make excuses but I know that if your hormones are messed up, it will be very difficult to make progress. I got my most recent lab results from my doctor and brought them to my new endo. He wasn't even testing my testosterone anymore.
About 2 weeks ago I went to a new endo, awesome guy, he had new bloodwork done, TSH 2.9 and test at 220. He upped my levothyroxine dose from 50 mcg ed to 75 mcg every day and I am on the brand name now instead of the generic. Unlike my family doctor, he understands that at 20 years old I should be, his words "Burning rubber" and not have the test levels of an 80 year old.
I realize that this is a huge wall of text and I probably said more than I needed to to get my answer, lol, but here are my questions.
1. Will switching from the generic to the brand name (synthroid) make any significant difference? It's not much of a price increase, I'm just wondering.
2. I have read that sometimes hypothyroidism can cause low testosterone. Is this common or likely in my situation? I understand that no one on here can say for sure, but I'm just asking if this is a possibility of more than a slim chance. I just started taking my increased dose today and am really hoping that this cures it.
3. As I said before, I know that no one can say for sure, but since I have had such a low test level for so long at a time like this in my development, is there a high chance for infertility? This is my biggest fear and the main reason I am hesitant to get on trt.
4. This question is a little less important, but could having low testosterone at this age made it impossible for me to ever grow a proper beard?
I know this is a long read, but if you've read this far, thanks, and I appreciate any advice.
