Low T..who in this forum can help me?

[Hailo]

hi guys/gals. i would like some help. i am 37 yrs old. i had a free T tested and it was low. this isn't the first time i got it tested. but this time i wanted help. my lab are as follow:

5/23/12 labs

somatomedin 213 -----> ref. 109-284
LH 2.5 ------> 0.6-12.1
Free T 4.0 ------> 8.7-25.1
Total T 181 ------> 195-1138
FSH 3.3 ------> 1.42-15.4
PRL 14.3------> 3-15

after these labs, the doctor didn't inform me of my results. i had to email him to get the results. that took a wk. i then waited for him to say something about it but he didn't. i emailed him again asking what to do with the low T. he said "we will treat it with androgel once a day".
so i gave this androgel a try. i did it for 2 full weeks. but stopped because of my 2 little kids and my pregnant wife. so i called the doc and explain to him my situation and asked for an alternative route.
he said he will prescribe depo testosterone.
i get a call from his office to come in so the nurse can show me how to inject depo. i show up and she asked me if i have my depo. i said "no, u guys never sent me the prescribtion". so she gets a 200mg vial and showed me how to inject it. i told her i applied the androgel right before i got here. she said it was okay. so then i injected myself on the thigh.
this was an endocrinologist that i was referred to from my regular doctor. so i'm here to ask for advice and help from u guys.
i looked into online low T clinics and came across this forum.sorry for long post.

thanks,
Long

 

[Megatron28]

Other than the poor customer service and lack of follow through, the treatment sounds about right to me. Most people here give themselves injections of testosterone and had the nurse show them how to do it (mine was hot by the way which made it more fun). I would probably be looking for a new doctor that I could have a better relationship with if it were me. Yours doesn't seem to be trying very hard or showing much concern for your treatment. Can you work with your primary physician? If not I am sure people here can recommend someone to you.

 

[David1963]

Glad to hear you're getting help. Your T level was quite low.

How much Test did your doctor prescribe, and how often? Did he prescribe anything else to take with it? If you experience any pain or problems when injecting in your thigh, you might want to try injection in your glute (tricky the first couple of times because of the location, but once you get the hang of it, it's not too difficult). There are places online which show what areas of the glute to inject in. I suggest spending some time reading older posts here on the forum. There is a lot of knowledge that has been shared. Then, ask questions. There are many people here happy to help.

 

[brazensol]

If this doc is willing to supply you with the medications you need and run the blood tests you request then I would by all means keep him. You can get yourself educated on this forum and others and be your own doctor. And you can do a better job, as far as trt/hrt goes than 98% of the docs out there. My problem is finding a doc who will prescribe me what I need. We have a fine doc/patient relationship but that is not worth much if he won't subcribe what I need. By the way I fired my old doc in search of one who will get me the stuff I need.

 

[Hailo]

How much Test did your doctor prescribe, and how often? Did he prescribe anything else to take with it?

200mg shot every 2 wks. seems like a lot of folks are getting tested for estradiol. which i haven't yet. i sent him a few questions about aromatase. but still nothing.

btw...i'm 5'5" 160-165lbs. i didn't consider myself to be too bad out of shape but i do fatigue easily. i find that i'm sleepy/tired when i'm home doing nothing.

 

[Hailo]

i haven't picked up the depo test from the pharmacy. my only shot is during the office visit. my wife says i shouldn't do it and that she worries it can cause cancer. what are u guys' input on this?
also if i do decide, should i take some sort of aromatase inhibitor and HCG? i read that this is a life long treatment. is this true?

 

[Megatron28]

Cancer?

i haven't picked up the depo test from the pharmacy. my only shot is during the office visit. my wife says i shouldn't do it and that she worries it can cause cancer. what are u guys' input on this?
also if i do decide, should i take some sort of aromatase inhibitor and HCG? i read that this is a life long treatment. is this true?

Testosterone is a natural hormone produced in our bodies (your wife's too). You are lacking normal amounts of it and simply replacing it through injections. It will not cause cancer.

Some people are taking estrogen inhibitors and others are not. Probably depends on your situation. Others can probably speak to this way better than I could.

Yes -- it is a life long treatment unless you can remedy the cause of your low T.

 

[BigFella]

. . . get yourself educated on this forum and others and be your own doctor. And you can do a better job, as far as trt/hrt goes than 98% of the docs out there.

and this is a great place to get educated. It is quite a conservative forum, so you won't be led too far astray.

I do think that a high priority for you is getting your wife educated as well. You need her on side. You have been incredibly responsible so far - she needs to appreciate that. The last thing you want is to be hen-pecked - but if she is pregnant at the moment her hormones are all over the place too, so take it easy with her.

I predict that if you do a few months' research this is roughly what you'll come up with (tweaked a bit to what your body requires):

Twice-weekly 50mg shots, done with a 25 gauge needle into your delts. (I hate to think what gauge you have been using so far!) Warm the T so it will be able to be pushed through the tiny needle.

Twice-weekly 0.5mg anastrozole.

Twice-weekly 500iu HCG.

Why twice-weekly for T? To eliminate the peaks and troughs and lessen aromatisation. Why twice-weekly for everything else? Because it's easiest to do everything at once. A dose a quarter of what you are injecting now, pushed through a tiny needle, is painless. Why delts? Because it is easiest and least likely to hurt. Why an anti-E? Because it is very likely that your E levels will rise too far, and high E makes you feel like shit. Why HCG? Because your balls will shrink, and the belief here is that if you use HCG it is more likely that they will stay in better shape, perhaps useful for making more babies.

But you are young (yes you are) and your levels are far too low, so everything will need fine-tuning. Many people take six months or more to get dialed in, so don't expect a miracle in the first month.

And everyone is different. None of us knows what our T should be, as none of us got it checked where we were in our prime. And until you have tried it long term you don't know how you will react. Some people on this dose find their T levels still far too low, whereas I'm off the scale high - and I like it!

(Like everone else I tend to think that the way I'm doing it is right and therefore you should do it too, so take all advice as a guide, not the perfect truth.)

 

[vpi]

Great post BigFella, nice to see guys here eager to give good advice.

 

[Hailo]

thx guys. and big thx to BigFella. i've been reading, but the more i read the more confusing things get. i picked up my 10ml of test cyp today along with the syringes. i remember the nurse told me to draw the fluid with a 18 gauge needle and use a 23gauge to inject. but the needles i got today were only 25gauge.
so if using test cyp increases the bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, what are u guys doing/taking to control that? i am already on cholesterol and high bp meds.
i don't know if the andro gel i was using worked(or along with the first injection), but i do feel better. although i have been excercising more. i'm not a heavy weight lifter nor do i plan on being big and buff. i do push ups, curls, shoulders and crunches about 3-4x a week. my arms and chest are a lot tighter than they used to be.
so, should i tell my doc to check my estradiol levels and ask him to put me on Anastrazole and HCG?

 

[mlitt12345]

thx guys. and big thx to BigFella. i've been reading, but the more i read the more confusing things get. i picked up my 10ml of test cyp today along with the syringes. i remember the nurse told me to draw the fluid with a 18 gauge needle and use a 23gauge to inject. but the needles i got today were only 25gauge.
so if using test cyp increases the bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, what are u guys doing/taking to control that? i am already on cholesterol and high bp meds.
i don't know if the andro gel i was using worked(or along with the first injection), but i do feel better. although i have been excercising more. i'm not a heavy weight lifter nor do i plan on being big and buff. i do push ups, curls, shoulders and crunches about 3-4x a week. my arms and chest are a lot tighter than they used to be.
so, should i tell my doc to check my estradiol levels and ask him to put me on Anastrazole and HCG?

everyone is different so Estrogen needs to be checked this will show whether or not you aromatize easily and if so you will need a Aromatase inhibitor (AI). The HCG will keep your balls nice and plump and they will not shrink to the size of raisins, I also believe that it helps back fill the pathways of other hormones like Pregnenolone and it gives me a sense of well-being when I take it. Good luck and keep us updated......

 

[mlitt12345]

The 25g needle will be fine....may take a bit longer to inject it. Also if you haven't done it yet go to IMT website they have injection instructions that show you how to inject safely and all the good sites to pin at. I pin my glutes, delts and quads giving me a total of six spots to pin. Good luck

 

[BigFella]

draw the fluid with a 18 gauge needle and use a 23gauge to inject.

Warm the syringe to body temp. You'll see when it's warm enough - the bubbles move freely. The you can inject easily. You still need quite some force, but you can get at delts easily, and for me they are painless, so I just do them.

so if using test cyp increases the bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, what are u guys doing/taking to control that? i am already on cholesterol and high bp meds.

You'll lose fat, and that should sort the cholesterol out. Besides, you'll be eating heathier - wont you!!!

so, should i tell my doc to check my estradiol levels and ask him to put me on Anastrazole and HCG?

Check E levels - make sure you specifiy the blokes' sensitive test. Have E on hand. I'm just backing off to quarter a tab twice a week - I think my E might have been a bit low. Although I still cried twice in the kids' concert on Sunday.

 

[theguy9129]

definitely go at least once a week, you will find every two weeks is rough. I started on every 7 days and thats not good Im now at every 6 days and fine. I like you am waiting on an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) and HCG. Some people do 2-3 times a week which has benefits as well, but me for I am concerned about scar tissue as I am 29 and if I do this for another 50 years Id hate to see the after affects of all those shots, plus im dialed in at every 6 days and its working.

My problem is I went up like rocket the first 4-5 weeks and the last 3-4 weeks have declined and leveled off. I have upd my dosage but I think estrogen has caused me to decline, but again awaiting my appoint with the endo.