New to low T, first blood work.

[joshk5145]

Hey guys, new to low T and to the forum.
A little background:
I'm 25, never really done any drugs, don't drink much, diet is so-so (Probably needs to be a lot better)
Anyways on with the blood test results.

Total Testosterone 261 (241-827 ng/dl)
Cortisol 11.5 (mcg/dl)
FSH 2.5 (1.6-8.0mIU/ml)
LH 3.5 (1.5-9.3 mIU/ml)
Magnesium 2.2 (1.5-2.5 mg/dl)
TSH 2.46 (0.4-4.50 mIU/L
I also have the results for CBC and Chem 12 but not sure if they are relevant.

Been feeling like crap for sometime. Pretty bad anxiety, mental fog, depression, low libido, no motivation or caring for much of anything. Finally got to the point that I went to see a Dr., The actual Dr. was on vacation so I saw a nurse practitioner and my plan was to just ask for some kind of anti depressant or something for anxiety. It had gotten to the point that I was missing work because of it. She didn't like the idea of that and told me she wanted to do some blood work and find out what was really going on. Just got my results Friday and she told me about TRT and about Androgel and the injections. She also said my blood work showed that it was primary and not secondary. She drew my blood again Friday just to double check. Supposed to get a call Monday to confirm.

Pretty happy with the Nurse practitioner as it seems most people have a hard time of finding a Dr. that believes in TRT.

 

[Megatron28]

Let us know how the second results come in. You need to check Prolactin as well if the nurse did not add it in the second time.

You have Secondary Hypogonadism, not Primary.

Being 25, you should try to restart your HPTA. If that does not work, then you can go on TRT. TRT is a life saver if you need it, but all of us on TRT wish we didn't have to be. Natty is better! Restarts usually involve running hCG for a while to restore testicle size and function. Then running clomid to get the pituitary working again.

Have you read the Basic TRT Overview sticky thread in this forum? If not give it a quick read so you can have the knowledge to advocate for yourself. After you read it come back to this thread you started and ask any questions you have.

Lastly, gels have a low success rate. Most guys on TRT prefer injections by a wide margin.

 

[joshk5145]

I have read the TRT overview, thanks for posting that it's great. I'm sure I'll have some questions but I've done so much research since Friday I'm trying to let it all soak in before I ask any dumb questions. Hopefully I'm able to take the call tomorrow and find out how my labs came back.

 

[joshk5145]

The Doc did not call yesterday and so far haven't heard anything yet today. Left a voice mail yesterday and one this morning so hopefully I'll hear something. Feeling like death today though so I'm really hoping for a change.

I've got a few questions.

I see where you said I have Secondary Hypogonadism, what indicates that? I'm just new to this and still can't decipher the blood tests yet.

Also if I were to attempt a restart what are the chances it would work ( I know it may be completely dependent on a person by person base but overall what percentage would you say are successful?)

Would someone with a successful restart be more likely to end up on TRT later down the road?
.

 

[Jimstigator]

Secondary basically means your testicles work but aren't getting the proper message to produce hormones. His conclusion is drawn from LH and FSH levels.

I restarted three times, each with success... for a time. The first when I was 20, second around 25, third at 27-30. All with Nolvadex (tamoxifen)... all with excellent results at first. The first two times, I was able to get off Nolvadex after a month and it was like I never had a problem until a few years later I would crash again. The third and final restart, I was never able to get off Nolva. I could take as low as 2.5mg every day and keep my testosterone at 900+. The second I got off, it crashed. And... I never felt good when staying on Nolva, even at the lower dose.

I am now on TRT and have started to have a libido for the first time in 4 years.

For you, its hard to tell without more work. High Prolactin or Estradiol (estrogen) can lower testosterone. Thyroid issues can as well, but you look at least ok. TSH is a bit high, but not insane.

I feel anyone who is secondary should try to restart at least once. I wish, after the first failed, I didn't try two more times though

-Jim

 

[joshk5145]

Thanks Jim, hopefully I'll have some more blood work to share within the next few days. Would it be better to start TRT and get a stable T-level before attempting a restart?

 

[Megatron28]

Thanks Jim, hopefully I'll have some more blood work to share within the next few days. Would it be better to start TRT and get a stable T-level before attempting a restart?

Nope. Starting TRT would further suppress your HPTA and make it harder to do a restart.

I also want to add that many guys use Clomid for restarts instead of Tamoxifen (Nolva).

 

[joshk5145]

Well missed the call today but they also called my wife and confirmed my count was still low (didn't give any numbers) asked would I rather do Gels or injections and my wife told them injections. The nurse was supposed to let the Doc know and call back to tell us what the next step is but never called back. I'm assuming they will want to make another appointment.

I'm kinda on the fence here because I really really want a change in the way I feel but I don't want to scare the Doc away from TRT talking about doing a restart (I don't know how much they know about TRT yet it's a Family DR.). My Insurance really sucks and has a $4k deductible so I can't really afford to be sent to a specialist or anything just to start labs over and have 5 more appointments before they are able to do anything for me.