So I'm new to this forum and I have an issue I think many of you can likely help me with. About a month ago I went to the doctor and had blood work done because my doctor suspected I had low testosterone. A few days ago when I went back to her she told me that I did (Total T was 320 which is low for someone my age [21]) and immediately prescribed me testosterone to be injected 5 times in the first month and then twice a month beyond that.
Obviously I'm extremely apprehensive about the whole process. She assures me that she does this frequently and that I should see dramatic increases in my mood and libido, an overall better sense of well being and increased muscle growth. She has no apprehension about it at all and even told me as long as we monitor the total T there really should be no side effects.
I did my research after the appointment and am now extremely concerned about how gung ho she is about all of this, there will certainly be some negative side effects (which she failed to mention). My understanding also is that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is supposed to be a last resort after some sort of "restart process" and other attempts to naturally increase T levels. She only looked at total T in the blood work and nothing else, which strikes me as strange. To boot, my doctor did not prescribe Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) or an estrogen blocker nor did she even mention them. I like my doctor but it seems dangerous how ill-informed she seems on this topic.
My problem, however, is that I pay for my appointments out of pocket. I should not have to go see her for another month yet I already have the testosterone and she told me to start the weekly injections immediately (actually it might be 5 times a month so more than weekly). Am I in harm's way if I do the therapy for a month and then, when I go in for my regular appointment, request to be put on Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) and an estrogen blocker? Obviously if she is as ill informed as it appears of course this is dangerous but would it be bad for me to not have these supplemental medications if its only for the first month of therapy?
The 21 year old inside of me says, "yes! DO IT NOW!" but my logical half knows I should just wait and get referred to an endocrinologist who actually knows what they're talking about. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Obviously I'm extremely apprehensive about the whole process. She assures me that she does this frequently and that I should see dramatic increases in my mood and libido, an overall better sense of well being and increased muscle growth. She has no apprehension about it at all and even told me as long as we monitor the total T there really should be no side effects.
I did my research after the appointment and am now extremely concerned about how gung ho she is about all of this, there will certainly be some negative side effects (which she failed to mention). My understanding also is that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is supposed to be a last resort after some sort of "restart process" and other attempts to naturally increase T levels. She only looked at total T in the blood work and nothing else, which strikes me as strange. To boot, my doctor did not prescribe Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) or an estrogen blocker nor did she even mention them. I like my doctor but it seems dangerous how ill-informed she seems on this topic.
My problem, however, is that I pay for my appointments out of pocket. I should not have to go see her for another month yet I already have the testosterone and she told me to start the weekly injections immediately (actually it might be 5 times a month so more than weekly). Am I in harm's way if I do the therapy for a month and then, when I go in for my regular appointment, request to be put on Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) and an estrogen blocker? Obviously if she is as ill informed as it appears of course this is dangerous but would it be bad for me to not have these supplemental medications if its only for the first month of therapy?
The 21 year old inside of me says, "yes! DO IT NOW!" but my logical half knows I should just wait and get referred to an endocrinologist who actually knows what they're talking about. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
