Starting Testosterone with Low Iron and Ferritin

[mrk]

Whats up fellow TRT users!!

Age: 33
Sex: Male
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 225

I have been trying to eat clean and healthy, but I am an addict for sugar and carbs. I have recently got back into the gym after a 3 year layoff. Over the last few years I have had no energy, motivation, and have been in bad moods.

A couple of months ago I went to the Dr to see what my problems with energy, motivation, and mood were. The doc asked me a few questions and said I fell into the category of mild depression. I asked to have my testosterone checked before thinking about taking an anti-D.

My initial lab work came back as:

TT - 327 (332-896)
LH Luteinizing Hormone (CML) - 4.2 (.8-7.6)
FSH Follicle Stimulating Hormone - 5.3 (.7-11.1)

Doc said I had Secondary Hypogonadism based off these results. I was not asked to fast before the bloodwork (I only had a small glass of OJ), but was told by the lab that it wouldnt effect anything.

A week later, had bloodwork taken again. To double check I guess.

TT - 281 (332-896)
LH - 6.2 (.8-7.6)
FSH - 5.5 (.7-11.1)

The doc gave me a injection of Test-C 200mg in the glute and said I will have to get a 200mg injection every month. After 3 months my testosterone should rebound and I might not need TRT anymore. (side note: I have never had any erection problems and wake up every morning with morning wood since probably 13 years old)

I explained the half life of Test-C to the doc, but wasnt believed and was told one monthly injection would work fine. So after two weeks I went back and had the doc order bloodwork to prove the half life. Results:

TT - 166 (332-896) --HOLY HELL!!
Prolactin - 7.9 (1.6-18.8)
Transferrin - 190 (214-365) --Low but doc didnt see it as a problem, so im confused with this
Cortisol - 17.5 (4.3-22.4)
Iron(FE) - 57 (50-170) --On the low side, but no info

More bloodwork taken for:
Hemoglobin - 16
Hemacrit - 42%

So after confirming the half life and being surprised myself on how low I dropped. The doc has put me on 100mg Test-C a week with self injections. I have since found a new doc with more experience with TRT and is open to HCG and an anti estrogen if needed.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Welcome to ExcelMale.com, Mrk.

I am glad that you found another doctor. What a moron who could not even read the package insert for testosterone cypionate! It seems that you may be on your way to better care.

I would get free T3, free T4 and reverse T3 measured since your transferrin and iron are on the low side. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ferritin/


"First, though the slide into low iron can be symptomless, it eventually becomes the precursor to being anemic, revealed by the other iron labs–saturation and serum iron. And once the latter occurs, you can then have symptoms which mimic hypothyroid–depression, achiness, easy fatigue, weakness, faster heartrate, palpitations, loss of sex drive, hair loss and/or foggy thinking, etc, causing a patient to think they are not on enough desiccated thyroid, or that desiccated thyroid is not working. Excessively low Ferritin as well as low iron can also make it difficult to continue raising your desiccated thyroid, resulting in hyper symptoms when raising desiccated thyroid.In turn, having low iron levels decreases deiodinase activity, i.e. it slows down the conversion of T4 to T3. Biologically, insufficient iron levels may be affecting the first two of three steps of thyroid hormone synthesis by reducing the activity of the enzyme “thyroid peroxidase”, which is dependent on iron. Thyroid peroxidase brings about the chemical reactions of adding iodine to tyrosine (amino acid), which then produces T4 and T3. Insufficient iron levels alter and reduces the conversion of T4 to T3, besides binding T3. Additionally, low iron levels can increase circulating concentrations of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone).

Even worse, good iron levels are needed in the production of cortisol via the adrenal cortex. This study reveals that an iron-containing protein is present in high amounts in the adrenal cortex and is involved in the synthesis of corticosterone. So by having low iron, you can potentially lower your cortisol levels."

Blood tests:

http://www.discountedlabs.com/choose-your-test/

 

[mrk]

Thanks for the info on iron! Now I have another thing to worry about lol. I will add the above mentioned items to my bloodwork this week.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Mrk

Look at it this way: Increasing iron and ferritin may make you feel great and it is easy to do. Try to eat more of these foods:

Choose iron-rich foods

Foods rich in iron include:
Red meat
Pork
Poultry
Seafood
Beans
Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
Peas
Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources. If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as someone who eats meat.

Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption

You can enhance your body's absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.
Vitamin C is also found in:
Broccoli
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Leafy greens
Melons
Oranges
Peppers
Strawberries
Tangerines
Tomatoes

You can also chose to take this supplement


http://www.amazon.com/Vitron-c-High...30328625&sr=1-12&keywords=iron+plus+vitamin+c

Measure your iron and ferritin a month after all these changes to ensure they are not too high (high iron can be an oxidant and cause liver enzyme increases)

Now that you will use 100 mg of testosterone cypionate per week (or 50 mg twice per week), optimizing your iron will ensure that you get the best results from TRT.

 

[mrk]

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

 

[midlifealpha]

You are not eating a low-carb type diet right?

The trouble I have is that I tend to feel much more energetic and alert when not I carbs. For the last three weeks I've been adding carbs on Saturday, making it a "cheat day". TKD or Slow-Carb diet I suppose.

I keep wondering if I should just ditch that altogether, but the problem is I get real addicted to carbs eating everything in sight including Sugar. Lately I've been enjoying Stevia, maybe that is one area to look at diet wise. Interestingly I just had about three of those little tangerine looking things, right as I took the Iron pill.

 

[Kirk]

Mrk

Look at it this way: Increasing iron and ferritin may make you feel great and it is easy to do. Try to eat more of these foods:

Choose iron-rich foods

Foods rich in iron include:
Red meat
Pork
Poultry
Seafood
Beans
Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
Peas
Your body absorbs more iron from meat than it does from other sources. If you choose to not eat meat, you may need to increase your intake of iron-rich, plant-based foods to absorb the same amount of iron as someone who eats meat.

Choose foods containing vitamin C to enhance iron absorption

You can enhance your body's absorption of iron by drinking citrus juice or eating other foods rich in vitamin C at the same time that you eat high-iron foods. Vitamin C in citrus juices, like orange juice, helps your body to better absorb dietary iron.
Vitamin C is also found in:
Broccoli
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Leafy greens
Melons
Oranges
Peppers
Strawberries
Tangerines
Tomatoes

You can also chose to take this supplement


http://www.amazon.com/Vitron-c-High...30328625&sr=1-12&keywords=iron+plus+vitamin+c

Measure your iron and ferritin a month after all these changes to ensure they are not too high (high iron can be an oxidant and cause liver enzyme increases)

Now that you will use 100 mg of testosterone cypionate per week (or 50 mg twice per week), optimizing your iron will ensure that you get the best results from TRT.

Actually Nelson, some of those foods will inhibit Fe uptake.

This may help:
http://www.irondisorders.org/diet/