If you were me, would you begin TRT?

[Chiefy]

I'll try to keep it brief but will provide any more information if you need it.


33 years old, no prior AAS use, active lifestyle, diet is in check, not overweight, have basically every low T symptom in the book which have made the last few years a fairly miserable existence. I have had multiple rounds of complete bloodwork done to rule out various illness', none of which have shown anything that caused concern for any of my doctors.

LH, FSH, prolactin, SHBG, vitamin D3, TSH, free t3/t4, DHEA, cortisol, cortrosyn stimulation test, full meta panels, lipids, free testosterone, Lyme disease, sed rate...etc...etc...have all been normal/middle of ranges on multiple occasions. I'll spare you the 20 pages of bloodwork.

The only test that has been somewhat alarming to me has been my total testosterone. Multiple 8am tests have put me at 260, 305, 420, 310, and 426. All have been within range. As you can see there are a couple of tests that have me at reasonable levels, and a few that seem low-normal.

After multiple doctors telling me that I was in "perfect" health, I decided to seek opinions from non-traditional healthcare providers (I.E. Anti-aging clinics and holistic doctors). All have said that my total testosterone sucks and would treat me if I wanted. Obviously there is a significant cost associated with these places, but at this point I'm willing to spend any amount of money to get better.


If you were in my position, what would you do?

 

[methos0123]

were you taking predinosone or something during the times of the low t tests?

 

[Chiefy]

were you taking predinosone or something during the times of the low t tests?

Negative. Only medications that I was taking at the time of those tests was 10mg of Citalopram and 10mg of Zolpidem but no change to dosing during that period.

 

[Rastas]

Negative. Only medications that I was taking at the time of those tests was 10mg of Citalopram and 10mg of Zolpidem but no change to dosing during that period.

How long have you taking these drugs in succession for? SSRI's and benzodiazepines can have a significant impact on your hormone levels. Are you in the States? I'm in Australia and my natural readings are 400-450 but our scales are different and reference levels read lower than yours. Someone did a conversion on here once, I'd have to find it. I have a history of prescription drug abuse and am a couple years younger than you.

Anyhow, I would look at TRT. If you can't find a doctor to help, then I'd self-administer. Megatron will chime in soon. He always has solid advice for the TRT boys. I feel you too can incorporate holistic medicine with the introduction of exogenous testosterone. Almost all doctors of traditional medicine will disagree though.

 

[Chiefy]

How long have you taking these drugs in succession for? SSRI's and benzodiazepines can have a significant impact on your hormone levels. Are you in the States? I'm in Australia and my natural readings are 400-450 but our scales are different and reference levels read lower than yours. Someone did a conversion on here once, I'd have to find it. I have a history of prescription drug abuse and am a couple years younger than you.

Anyhow, I would look at TRT. If you can't find a doctor to help, then I'd self-administer. Megatron will chime in soon. He always has solid advice for the TRT boys. I feel you too can incorporate holistic medicine with the introduction of exogenous testosterone. Almost all doctors of traditional medicine will disagree though.

I've been taking the Citalopram for about 5 years, and the Zolpidem for 3 or 4. Yes, I am in the US.

I've found doctors who are willing to help, it's just that none of them accept insurance. Seems to be pretty common with anti-aging clinics and compounding pharmacies.

At this point I'm more than willing to pay out of pocket if it means getting back to leading my normal life. I'm just unsure about making such a huge commitment without finding any cause for my less than optimal levels.

 

[Spunkey71]

Chiefy, try going to a compounding pharmacy and asking them if they can give you a recommendation for a few well respected doctors who do TRT. This is what I did to find my doctor and he is amazing, far better than I could have hoped for.

This worked for me because they fill the prescription of HCG for many of his patients, they don't know him directly they just knew his name because of the prescriptions.

 

[Chiefy]

Chiefy, try going to a compounding pharmacy and asking them if they can give you a recommendation for a few well respected doctors who do TRT. This is what I did to find my doctor and he is amazing, far better than I could have hoped for.

This worked for me because they fill the prescription of HCG for many of his patients, they don't know him directly they just knew his name because of the prescriptions.

I went to a compounding pharmacy a few months back after reading about them here. I didn't even know that they existed! They were very helpful and understanding of my situation.

They printed me a list of doctors who use them to fill hormone prescriptions for men. To my surprise, every name on the list was that of a doctor from an anti-aging clinic or concierge doctor's practice. I live in a very large city with no shortage of doctors so I was a bit taken aback by this.

Maybe I should try other compounding pharmacies in the area, perhaps there is something about this one particular place that I wasn't aware of.

At this point it's less about finding a doctor to treat me, but more about doubting if I should even start TRT. May sound crazy but I've had enough doctors tell me that nothing is wrong with me that I started to believe them a little bit.

If you felt like crap all the time and had total testosterone numbers in the same range as me, would you begin treatment?

 

[methos0123]

I am 35 and I had similair situation. I started last year, and I am so glad I started.

However, not one of us can decide that for you...it's your life. You choose.

 

[Megatron28]

I would like to see the 20 pages of lab work results. And fill us in on your medical history. It would help if you could read the Basic TRT Overview sticky thread first. That will give you a better sense of what to consider before jumping on TRT and so what some of the possible causes are.

 

[Chiefy]

I am 35 and I had similair situation. I started last year, and I am so glad I started.

However, not one of us can decide that for you...it's your life. You choose.

I appreciate the input. I'm definitely leaning towards treatment at the moment. My symptoms have taken over my life and are certainly affecting my job performance and family. We've looked hard to find the cause of my issues and nothing has turned up, just low ish testosterone.

I would like to see the 20 pages of lab work results. And fill us in on your medical history. It would help if you could read the Basic TRT Overview sticky thread first. That will give you a better sense of what to consider before jumping on TRT and so what some of the possible causes are.

I'm out of town for a few days but I'll try to get it uploaded when I return.

My medical history is pretty straight forward. No major illness' to speak of, anxiety that started in my mid twenties which is treated with Citalopram, insomnia that is treated with Zolpidem. I've tried coming off both several times but I just function better while on them. I know they aren't good for me, but my mental health suffers when unmedicated.

Doctors have tried to find the cause of my symptoms through bloodwork and physical exams, but nothing has jumped out at them. They claim to have ruled out any pituitary issues, problems with my testes, adrenal function, thyroid disorders, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases.

 

[Alpin]

How does the 10 mg Citalopram feel?
I heard this is a super new SSRI which may not be as bad for T like paxil is.
Its not even generic yet.

 

[Chiefy]

How does the 10 mg Citalopram feel?
I heard this is a super new SSRI which may not be as bad for T like paxil is.
Its not even generic yet.

I really like it...at least when compared to other medications that I've tried. Obviously I'd prefer to be free of any SSRI, but that's just not an option for me right now.

I tried 4 or 5 others before landing on Citalopram, all of which had unwanted side effects. The most common being erectile dysfunction. Citalopram was the only one that didn't give me any noticeable side effects. Who knows what it's done to my testosterone levels though, I never had them tested before starting on SSRIs.

I think you may be confusing Citalopram with another med though, it's generic for Celexa and has been around for awhile. Wikipedia says it was approved in 1998.

 

[Alpin]

I really like it...at least when compared to other medications that I've tried. Obviously I'd prefer to be free of any SSRI, but that's just not an option for me right now.

I tried 4 or 5 others before landing on Citalopram, all of which had unwanted side effects. The most common being erectile dysfunction. Citalopram was the only one that didn't give me any noticeable side effects. Who knows what it's done to my testosterone levels though, I never had them tested before starting on SSRIs.

I think you may be confusing Citalopram with another med though, it's generic for Celexa and has been around for awhile. Wikipedia says it was approved in 1998.

When do you take it?
Theres another one now called escitalopram.
Have you ever tried paxil?

 

[Chiefy]

When do you take it?
Theres another one now called escitalopram.
Have you ever tried paxil?

I take mine in the morning, but some people take it at night. According to my doctor as long as it's taken around the same time every day it shouldn't be a big deal.

I tried Paxil years ago and hated it. It killed my sex drive and gave me ED. Others I've spoken to said it did the same thing to them as well.


A few people have PM'd me but the forum won't allow me to respond. Is that because I have a low post count?

 

[Alpin]

I take mine in the morning, but some people take it at night. According to my doctor as long as it's taken around the same time every day it shouldn't be a big deal.

I tried Paxil years ago and hated it. It killed my sex drive and gave me ED. Others I've spoken to said it did the same thing to them as well.


A few people have PM'd me but the forum won't allow me to respond. Is that because I have a low post count?

Paxil at 20 mg did that to me....
15 mg does not....
Get your post count up chiefy.

 

[Alpin]

Paxil makes you kinda tired too....
Do you notice the dif between cipralex and paxil for energy?

 

[Chiefy]

Paxil makes you kinda tired too....
Do you notice the dif between cipralex and paxil for energy?

Absolutely.

It's not that Citalopram gives me extra energy, it just doesn't completely crush my energy level like Paxil did. I really hated that stuff.

I'm on such a small dose though, so I imagine side effects are magnified when the dose goes up. Citalopram has been the only med that didn't give me some type of unwanted side effect so I've just been sticking with it rather than experimenting.

 

[Virginian]

I'll try to keep it brief but will provide any more information if you need it.

33 years old, no prior AAS use, active lifestyle, diet is in check, not overweight, have basically every low T symptom in the book which have made the last few years a fairly miserable existence.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

Tough question. I would be very reluctant to start TRT at your young age because it has to be for life and that is a very long time. Also, your T levels are not all that low.

On the other hand, I am on TRT and I love it. But I stated at age 70.

Exactly what is making your life so miserable? Could there be causes other than low T?

 

[hiram1st]

try going to a compounding pharmacy

I looked compounding pharmacy up on the google for my town and all the pharmacies came up. What is a compounding pharmacy?

 

[Spunkey71]

I looked compounding pharmacy up on the google for my town and all the pharmacies came up. What is a compounding pharmacy?

The best way I know how to explain it is this: a compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy that will custom make their medications. A good example of this is HCG, HCG requires mixing both a liquid and a solid (powder) together in a specific concentration. Once mixed HCG has a very short shelf life before it starts to deteriorate and starts losing potency. Most pharmacies stock up on medications and dispense them as prescriptions need to be filled, HCG would possible go bad or be very noneffective before it is sold. A compounding pharmacy mixes ingredients and components together to fill prescriptions.