Please Advise Whether I am Suitable for Treatment :

[mrvincenzo997]

I am a 31 year old , 195 lbs, 5 8'.
Last month i had taken 3 testosterone tests within a few weeks and all of them have been around 400, ( 380, 439, and 450).

I know for my age, the expected average is about 600+.

i have tried one injection last week from a clinic as a sample and i noticed more confidence and more motivation and desire to get things done -- like this is how things as man are supposed to be.

My only goal is get myself just a small bump of 100-200 increase with very little effect on the HTPA, because I want to stay within my normal ranges, i want to avoid shutdown.

Can you experts please advise what is my best and safest option?

I was thinking of one of these options :

a) taking just Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) / arimidex

b) taking a very low dose 50 mg injection/5 days + Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG)

c) low dose androgel + hcg

d) do nothing

Of course i would follow a 10 week cycle each time. for option a) the problem is that I am not sure of the effect of long term of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) may ultimately desensitive my testes to it. the problem with b) & c is i am worried about HPTA shutdown or my own test being shutoff.

with d) I feel i would be not getting the benefits of a full life.

 

[Bullseye Forever]

well my Endo tells me that my levels(567) are right at to high and doesnt need to be any higher,but i think hes full of shit,it should be around 700 or better,if i were you i would see another doctor

 

[ecdysone]

Is that 195 fat or muscle? Do you have other labwork?

 

[transcend2007]

What are your symptoms?

You are right to be seriously considering the ramifications of hrt/trt prior to getting started. It's a life long commitment that should be carefully deliberated.

For many of us who have chosen this path the symptoms were quite serious. In my case I had low energy, low sex drive, high body fat %, hard time focusing at work, poor quality workouts at the gym, and often times I felt depressed. My very quality of life had been reduced substantially.

For me at 45 years old I weighed the positives and negatives and made the decision to get started. For you being much younger and not knowing your “why hrt/trt” it’s difficult to give you advice.

I would recommend trying other options such as exercise, diet, and supplementation first if you have not exhausted those options completely.

If you ultimately choose therapy I will tell you Team Maximus lead by Chip is a first class organization and will also be very helpful in answering your questions as well as accessing your suitability for treatment.

 

[TR2838]

^^^This.. Can you post all of your other labs such as LH, FSH, Free T, SHBG, TSH, with lab ranges.. That will get you a little more feedback as they all play important roles on your well being.. Options b) and c) WILL shut you down..

 

[mlc31]

of all the options you listed : A,B,C,D, they all suck. Even without labs they still suck. True Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) means test/HCG/AI. Unless you're talking about doing this, you may end up in a worse spot than you are now. And please remember, numbers are just numbers and don't tell the whole story. This is why Maximus deals with the person not just the numbers. However, you are asking very good questions and getting some good advice here. Please hang around and keep us update on what you decide to do.

 

[cjw2021]

800 is the performance level. 450 might be high for the average unhealthy guy that goes to see the doctor.

 

[TR90125]

I would be surprised if simply bumping your total test by 100-200 when you are hovering around 400 would have any benefits short or long term.

Just my .02

 

[mrvincenzo997]

Ok thanks are you saying Im better off just trying to get that slight boost from naturally and or hcg / arimidex.

 

[TR2838]

HCG will shut you down to a point.. Your body body will sense that you have enough LH and it will stop producing it..
What's your symptoms? If any

 

[TR90125]

Ok thanks are you saying Im better off just trying to get that slight boost from naturally and or hcg / arimidex.

I know that if my goal was to increase my Test by 100-200, I would start with a natural approach. Having said that, based on my personal experience and limited research, many men do not respond to therapy until their T is in the upper third of the range.

Keep in mind, the ranges published by labs are only normal from a statistical perspective. What I am trying to say is that as a whole, based on the average diet, exercise habits, and consumption of intoxicants in our society, what the labs consider normal is probably low 400-500 ng/dL. In my opinion, a normal range of Testosterone should be based on samples from healthy males who are not considered obese and generally make good decisions regarding nutrition and exercise. That is not the case.

It was also mentioned in a previous thread that most of the samples are coming from patients who are seeking a blood test for T, which would indicate they suspect their T levels might be low, further skewing the results. While I cannot support this with accurate data, I know for a fact my doctor didn't test my blood because we thought I might be suffering from High T.

The bottom line, the lab ranges for Testosterone are quite simply fucked.

 

[cjw2021]

hcg won't work if your balls are exhausted. u gotta figure out if you have primary or secondary hypogonadism and hcg is a good way to do that with a blood test to see how much it increases your levels. it will increase e2 rapidly u need an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) with hcg most likely.