postitnote
New member
I took Finasteride for 4-5 months in 2008. Libido completely disappeared, started getting fat, had brain fog and felt blah all the time. Finally stopped taking it after I decided I would rather lose my hair than be a eunuch. My libido never fully recovered. Fast forward to today and now looking back at the past 5 years, I haven't really dated or even hooked up.. at all. I did have a lot of life stuff going on, but overall I just wasn't interested in sex. Last year I had a fracture in my foot that wouldn't heal and eventually had surgery to insert a screw. Basically I was physically inactive from Jan-October 2012 because of the injury and gained 25 lbs. I met someone in Sept. and started a relationship, but quickly realised my libido is not where it needs to be for a healthy relationship. I started taking ZMA to help with sleep and supplement zinc just in case I was deficient. It helped me get some better sleep, but did nothing for my libido.
My low-T symptoms:
1. poor quality sleep/always exhausted
2. fat gain in my midsection and chest (?bitch tits), low exercise tolerance (vs. feeling invigorated like I used to)
3. chronic aches and pains in my joints, stiffness especially spine and feet. chronic muscle spasms in my upper back
4. lower bone density? (had body composition DEXA scan in Jan/13 z-score -0.5)
5. no morning erections, ever
6. zero libido. even porn is boring/unexciting. orgasms don't feel great, but can come with work. poor quality erection
7. beginnings of metabolic syndrome - non-alcoholic fatty liver, slightly elevated liver enzymes, high fasting blood sugar but normal HbA1c
8. brain fog/forgetfulness/feel like I have ADD and can't concentrate. trouble word-finding, losing train of thought mid-conversation
GP finally tested T after 8 months of complaining:
Drawn @ 8:30 am
Total T: 9.1 nmol/L (ref range 8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
SHBG: 15 nmol/L (13-71 nmol/L)
Bioavailable T calculated: 6.3 nmol/L (5.0-18.0 nmol/L)
Prolactin: 11.2 ug/L (4.0-15.0 ug/L)
Repeat testing 1 week later:
Drawn @ 7:30 am
Total T: 12.6 nmol/L (ref range 8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
Luckily was able to get in to see a men's health specialist and had some more blood work done last week
Drawn @ 7:45 am, 1 month after last testing
Ferritin normal, ruled out hemachromatosis
FSH: 4.2 U/L (2-18 U/L)
LH: 6.7 U/L (2-18 U/L)
PSA: 1.08 ug/L (<4 ug/L normal )
Estradiol: 101 pmol/L (<156 pmol/L normal)
Total T: 9.4 nmol/L (8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
Bioavailable T calculated: 6.3 nmol/L (5.0-18.0 nmol/L)
SHBG: 13 nmol/L (13-71 nmol/L)
IGF-1: 153 ug/L (82-250 ug/L)
Then started Androgel 1% 5 mg/day (4 pumps) after my blood work
WOW!
The first few days, I felt like I was on cloud 9.
Deep, restful sleep for the first time in years.
Brain fog is lifting and I can concentrate again - so productive at work!
Grinning ear to ear, relief from the chronic "anxiousness" or "fussing" for lack of better word.
Woke up with raging morning wood on day 3 but haven't since.
Might be my imagination but I think I've noticed some testicle shrinkage, but I have really big ones to start, so I'm not too worried. Maybe they are just ornamental...
No more sweating! Armpit are dry for the first time ever
No more groaning like an 80 year old man when I bend down
Questions:
1. Is there anything else the doc should be looking for? Am I truly hypogonadal?
2. What has been other guys in their 20s/30s experience with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)? Post-finasteride? Does testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) help bring the libido back or am I expecting too much?
3. The doc said in a month's time to go down to to 2.5g/day but if symptoms come back, then go back up to 5g/day. The idea is that I should get my T up to a level that will give me more energy and be able to hit the gym, lose some of the weight and hopefully my body will start to recover and that I will be able to go off T... or is this a bit of pie in the sky?
My low-T symptoms:
1. poor quality sleep/always exhausted
2. fat gain in my midsection and chest (?bitch tits), low exercise tolerance (vs. feeling invigorated like I used to)
3. chronic aches and pains in my joints, stiffness especially spine and feet. chronic muscle spasms in my upper back
4. lower bone density? (had body composition DEXA scan in Jan/13 z-score -0.5)
5. no morning erections, ever
6. zero libido. even porn is boring/unexciting. orgasms don't feel great, but can come with work. poor quality erection
7. beginnings of metabolic syndrome - non-alcoholic fatty liver, slightly elevated liver enzymes, high fasting blood sugar but normal HbA1c
8. brain fog/forgetfulness/feel like I have ADD and can't concentrate. trouble word-finding, losing train of thought mid-conversation
GP finally tested T after 8 months of complaining:
Drawn @ 8:30 am
Total T: 9.1 nmol/L (ref range 8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
SHBG: 15 nmol/L (13-71 nmol/L)
Bioavailable T calculated: 6.3 nmol/L (5.0-18.0 nmol/L)
Prolactin: 11.2 ug/L (4.0-15.0 ug/L)
Repeat testing 1 week later:
Drawn @ 7:30 am
Total T: 12.6 nmol/L (ref range 8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
Luckily was able to get in to see a men's health specialist and had some more blood work done last week
Drawn @ 7:45 am, 1 month after last testing
Ferritin normal, ruled out hemachromatosis
FSH: 4.2 U/L (2-18 U/L)
LH: 6.7 U/L (2-18 U/L)
PSA: 1.08 ug/L (<4 ug/L normal )
Estradiol: 101 pmol/L (<156 pmol/L normal)
Total T: 9.4 nmol/L (8.4-28.7 nmol/L)
Bioavailable T calculated: 6.3 nmol/L (5.0-18.0 nmol/L)
SHBG: 13 nmol/L (13-71 nmol/L)
IGF-1: 153 ug/L (82-250 ug/L)
Then started Androgel 1% 5 mg/day (4 pumps) after my blood work
WOW!
The first few days, I felt like I was on cloud 9.
Deep, restful sleep for the first time in years.
Brain fog is lifting and I can concentrate again - so productive at work!
Grinning ear to ear, relief from the chronic "anxiousness" or "fussing" for lack of better word.
Woke up with raging morning wood on day 3 but haven't since.
Might be my imagination but I think I've noticed some testicle shrinkage, but I have really big ones to start, so I'm not too worried. Maybe they are just ornamental...
No more sweating! Armpit are dry for the first time ever
No more groaning like an 80 year old man when I bend down
Questions:
1. Is there anything else the doc should be looking for? Am I truly hypogonadal?
2. What has been other guys in their 20s/30s experience with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)? Post-finasteride? Does testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) help bring the libido back or am I expecting too much?
3. The doc said in a month's time to go down to to 2.5g/day but if symptoms come back, then go back up to 5g/day. The idea is that I should get my T up to a level that will give me more energy and be able to hit the gym, lose some of the weight and hopefully my body will start to recover and that I will be able to go off T... or is this a bit of pie in the sky?
