Please help. Do I have low testosterone?

[songofwar]

Hello,

I am a 24 year old male Army soldier currently transitioning out of the Army. I recently had some blood tests and had my testosterone levels checked. I have never taken any anabolic substances in my life. My results are as follows..

Total T - 372 (348-1197)
Free T - 17.8 (9.3-26.5)

My doctor told me my levels were fine but when I showed it to my friend he said that 372 is extremely low for a 24 year old. Would this be worth seeing an Endocrinologist for?

I have no idea what any of this information really means and I was hoping for some further guidance from someone with experience on this issue.

I currently feel all the issues that come along with low T. I havent had a morning erection in months, I am constantly depreased, I have gained roughly 45lbs the past year or so and most of it is around my mid section. I feel like trash.

Thank you

 

[casanovaaa]

Welcome to the site, yes your Total test level is low, do you remember when you first start feeling the issues that come with low t and what prompted you to get a blood test done?
Since you have never done aas may I ask what was your diet like? lifestyle? any head injuries or general accidents?

 

[songofwar]

I started feeling these issues a couple years back around october of 2015. What prompted me to get tested was because out of nowhere i was greatly gaining weight and it tgere wasn't any explanation to it. My diet honestly is ver poor. Processed food alot. Before i wasnt having these issues. My life style is very basic desk job work. Work out about 45 mins a day. No head injuries recently at all. Or any general accidents that i can recall. Sorry if none of these responces help. Thank you.

 

[Systemlord]

Our president's T levels (446.6 ng/dL) are higher than yours and he's 71 years old, GP's know nothing about male hormones, you T levels at 24 should be near top of the range. A lot of doctors seem to ignore the symptoms and focus too much on lab numbers, you weren't manufactured in a factory and you are biochemically unique. I'm going to assume SHBG and estrogen weren't tested yet? A protocol for success would be injections 40-60mg 1-2 times a week and anything stretched out longer than that you likely won't work since the half life of T is about 8 days.

 

[CobraMustangSVT]

On another note, if you're transitioning out, make sure you get everything checked and documented in your medical records. Also, you have a year after you get out, in case you get some chronic problem, to get covered by the VA.

Get a sleep study done. Tell them you snore and want to get it checked out. Tell them you have ringing in your ears and you want to be checked out for tinnitus. Tell them your dick doesn't work and get that documented. Also have your back and knees checked out. Sometimes you'll have lower back problems or knee problems crop up years down the road and that's from humping a pack back in the Army days.

 

[Entourage_Doc]

I am glad you came here for help! Sounds like my story, left military 22 and was dx with low t. It's been a life changer.... been on ever since..

PM me and I'll get you on th right track my friend

Dr B

 

[scorob777]

At your age this post is really troubling. Yes it could be a hormone deficiency, and if so you are in the right place for that.

But, what I read between the lines is you have a terrible diet, have gained 45 pounds in a year I'm assuming all fat, and I wonder about things like sleep and stress. Listen to your body, the way your are living is no good.

It only gets worse with age. My suggestion would be to get your diet sorted out first, look into sleep and stress issues, and get a better workout routine. If you can manage to destress, eat better, lose weight, and gain muscle - then your test levels may naturally rise.

Sure you can go down the road of injecting exogenous hormones, but if you continue to live like you are my guess is you'll feel better for a while but may get much worse as you hit 30's then 40's.

 

[Entourage_Doc]

Good advise Tankmanbon- Credit to that. Always best to go that route and exhaust all options before any type of synthetic medications.

Dr. B