Need advice: 24 years old, Low Test, Time to get these levels up

[JT19]

Not that I know. Just tons and tons of guys bitching about how they don't work for them! That's usually a good indicator !

 

[jakesonyou]

Not that I know. Just tons and tons of guys bitching about how they don't work for them! That's usually a good indicator !

Unfortunately, word of mouth is will not be enough of an indicator for my doc. I need to find actual research studies.

 

[JOWS7]

Unfortunately, word of mouth is will not be enough of an indicator for my doc. I need to find actual research studies.

Problem is that most people do fairly well on gels and studies will back this up. There is a cohort of non-responders to this type of TRT treatment and many of them will find their way to sites like these which propagate this notion that gels are ineffective. Gels may work for you and I would look into it personally. In the event it doesn't, you will have evidence for your doctor that injections would be the next step to take.

 

[jakesonyou]

Just wanted to update you guys:

I go for the pituitary MRI and the blood test in a few days.

These are the blood tests that were ordered:
T4 (Free)
Cortisol Level Random
TSH
LH
FSH
ACTH
Prolactin Serum
IGF-1
Comprhensive Metabolic Panel
Testosterone Women/Child
Hepatic Function Panel

I see an endocrinologist next week and a urologist in two weeks for another opinion.

 

[jakesonyou]

Just wanted to update you guys:

I go for the pituitary MRI and the blood test in a few days.

These are the blood tests that were ordered:
T4 (Free)
Cortisol Level Random
TSH
LH
FSH
ACTH
Prolactin Serum
IGF-1
Comprhensive Metabolic Panel
Testosterone Women/Child
Hepatic Function Panel

I see an endocrinologist next week and a urologist in two weeks for another opinion.

Give you guys an update. MRI came back all good. Went in to the Endo, he still doesn't have my blood results (why not call me to reschedule then?). I asked him why he did not order an E2 test, and he said "Estrogen does not mater if your an adult male, I never check estrogen." Wow, it literally is scary that this guy has the power to prescribe people medications. He started talking about treatments and said he would do a gel. I explained why I did not want the gel and he said he would refer me to a urologist that would give me pellets. What?

Going to a urologist, I found, next week that seems like he is up to date on legitimate testosterone replacement therapy. If that goes south, I'll try one more doc and then call IMT.

 

[Megatron28]

Good luck. Keep at it.

 

[jakesonyou]

Good God, just got back some blood work and I have no idea what to make of it.View attachment 556995

Prolactin and Cortisol are high and I am trending towards hypothyroidism.
How could my test levels fluctuated this much since my original blood test? Also if my levels are normal here, then why do I still have the symptoms of someone with low testosterone (inability to build muscle, strength, no sex drive, sluggish, etc)?
I feeling a bit discouraged because I feel like, if my test is not the issue, then there is nothing out there that is going to help be feel the way I want to feel.

 

[Megatron28]

Good God, just got back some blood work and I have no idea what to make of it.View attachment 556995

Prolactin and Cortisol are high and I am trending towards hypothyroidism.
How could my test levels fluctuated this much since my original blood test? Also if my levels are normal here, then why do I still have the symptoms of someone with low testosterone (inability to build muscle, strength, no sex drive, sluggish, etc)?
I feeling a bit discouraged because I feel like, if my test is not the issue, then there is nothing out there that is going to help be feel the way I want to feel.

Your TT looks a lot better. Make any lifestyle changes.

Being hypothyroid can make give you those symptoms. You need to look into whether or not you should treat it.

Start taking 1000mg of NAC every day. You liver values are elevated. Are you doing anything to aggravate your liver (e.g. Tylenol or alcohol)?

I wouldn't freak out about your Prolactin. It is just slightly high. Just keep an eye on it. It would have been nice to see where your E2 is at as it can impact your Prolactin as well.

Why don't you just use Private MD - Buy Lab Tests Online and get the blood work yourself. It looks like you went to Labcorp anyway (which is who private MD usually uses).

 

[jakesonyou]

Your TT looks a lot better. Make any lifestyle changes.

Being hypothyroid can make give you those symptoms. You need to look into whether or not you should treat it.

Start taking 1000mg of NAC every day. You liver values are elevated. Are you doing anything to aggravate your liver (e.g. Tylenol or alcohol)?

I wouldn't freak out about your Prolactin. It is just slightly high. Just keep an eye on it. It would have been nice to see where your E2 is at as it can impact your Prolactin as well.

Why don't you just use Private MD - Buy Lab Tests Online and get the blood work yourself. It looks like you went to Labcorp anyway (which is who private MD usually uses).

Thanks for the reply Megatron.

No lifestyle changes, other than reducing the amount of supplements I was taking.
I am currently taking 1200mg of NAC a day (I could only get the 600mg pills) as of a few days ago.
I have never drank alcohol and I do not use any OTC NSAIDS, pain relievers, etc.
I also would have liked to see an E2 result but my doc is a joke (to put it lightly).
I was going to pay out of pocket for my own blood work but I live in one of the states that does not allow it. I would have to drive out of state to get it done and would only be able to do this in the afternoon. I wasn't sure if time of day would effect my liver enzymes or my E2.

 

[Megatron28]

Time of day would likely only affect your TT reading materially.

 

[jakesonyou]

Time of day would likely only affect your TT reading materially.

I'd also like to have my free testosterone checked as well. Maybe my body just isn't able to use the TT at it's disposal?

Also is there anyway this could just be a one off/ false reading? Or if I was truly hypogondal, would this not even be a possibility?

 

[Megatron28]

It is possible. Labs make mistakes. It is always a good idea to confirm results.

Some people find bioavailable T more useful than free T.

 

[jakesonyou]

Ok. I will bring this up with the urologist on Monday. Any thoughts on the high cortisol level?

 

[jakesonyou]

Update:

Just got back from urologist.
I definitely like him more than my endo (not hard to do) but there are some concerns. He said different guys feel different at different levels (Ex: One guy can feel great at 400 while another can feel like garbage at 800). He also said I could feel this way because of stress and anxiety. He does want me to just jump on TRT, even though he said I would feel better, since I am only 24 and their are no long term studies on this topic.

He is ordering me to do the following blood tests in 3 weeks (then I meet with him again in 5 weeks):
Testosterone (Bio, Free, Total)
Estradiol
SHBG
FSH
LH
Prolactin
TSH
Complete Metabolic Panel
Albumin

He said, based on the results we get, he would like to first try increasing my natural production of test. He said he would prescribe Clomidex (I'm guess this is a brand name for Clomid, at first I thought he may have been confused between Clomid and Nolvadex). I mentioned HCG and he said we would rather do the Clomidex first because it is an oral. I haven't really researched any other drugs besides Test, HCG, and Arimidex, so I wasn't really educated enough to enrage in a dialogue about it (I plan to be next time).

He is also gave me a separate order for a complete metab.... for tomorrow to check my liver enzymes. I haven't lifted in 9 days, and have been on NAC for 1 week (alternating between 1800mg and 1200mgs a day).

Thoughts about his suggestions, clomidex, and the visit overall?

 

[Megatron28]

I am confused. Does he want to put you on TRT or try a restart? If it is restart, what happens if it doesn't work?

Clomid is typically used for a restart. Although one might often run hcg first to "prime" the testicles for the restart.

And am I

 

[spaced_out]

Sorry, but when I read pellets I immediately thought of hamsters

 

[jakesonyou]

I am confused. Does he want to put you on TRT or try a restart? If it is restart, what happens if it doesn't work?

Clomid is typically used for a restart. Although one might often run hcg first to "prime" the testicles for the restart.

And am I

My assumption was that he did not want to do TRT with me (at-least right now). He said he wanted to try and boost my own natural production (I take that to assume restart, but he did not use those words). I'm not sure what he would do if it doesn't work, that's a good question and I should have asked. He seems like he may do TRT as a last resort if nothing else worked (but again, that is my speculation).
Given this, do you have any other thoughts?
Thanks,
Jakes

 

[jakesonyou]

Got the results from my most recent blood test. Still haven't gotten the results of the liver enzymes test I did after abstaining from lifting weights for a week, won't get that till my visit, some kind of error from allowing me to get it online. I see the doc in 2 weeks to talk things over.

Estradiol 7.7 pg/ml (7.6-42.6)
Total Testosterone, Serum 414 ng/dl (348 - 1197)
Testosterone % Free+Weakly Bound 15.7% (9.0-46.0)
Testosterone Free+Weakly Bound 65.0 (40.0-250.0)
TSH 2.16 uIU/ml (.450 - 4.50)
LH 2.4 mIU/ml (1.7-8.6)
FSH 2.9 mIU/ml (1.5-12.4)
Prolactin 7.3 ng/dl (4.0-15.2)
SBHG 46.0 nmol/L (16.5-55.9)
AST 67 IU/L (0-40)
ALT 83 IU/L(0-44)

Thoughts?

 

[Megatron28]

I can't remember. Is this natty or is it with you taking anything? Remind us again of any treatment, if any, you are doing.

 

[jakesonyou]

I can't remember. Is this natty or is it with you taking anything? Remind us again of any treatment, if any, you are doing.

Natty. I've never been given anything except more forms for tests