Should I try?

[Personofinterest]

Hello,

I am a 32-year-old male and I would appreciate your opinion regarding whether I might be a candidate for a TRT trial.

I have been experiencing symptoms that could be related to low testosterone such as reduced energy, lower motivation and difficulty maintaining optimal performance in the gym despite consistent training.

Relevant background:

- Age: 32
- Height: 183 cm
- Weight: ~79.5 kg
- Training: strength training ~3–4 times per week
- Medical condition: autoimmune hypothyroidism (currently treated)

Recent morning blood test results:

Total Testosterone: 5.24 ng/mL (524 ng/dL)
Free Testosterone: 10.30 pg/mL (lab range 9.1 – 32.2)
SHBG: 36.04 nmol/L
LH: 4.6 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.91 mIU/mL
Estradiol (E2): 24 pg/mL
Prolactin: 5.79 ng/mL
DHEA-S: 178 µg/dL
DHT: 338.87 pg/mL

Thyroid markers:

TSH: 2.7
Free T4: 1.24
Free T3: 2.53

IGF-1: 219 ng/mL

My total testosterone appears to be in the mid-range, but my free testosterone seems to be near the lower end of the reference range.

Given these numbers and symptoms, would a 3–6 month TRT trial be reasonable to consider?

I feel tired, exhausted, depressed.
Currently using retatrutide also.

I would really appreciate your professional opinion.

Thank you.

 

[radman]

Hello,

I am a 32-year-old male and I would appreciate your opinion regarding whether I might be a candidate for a TRT trial.

I have been experiencing symptoms that could be related to low testosterone such as reduced energy, lower motivation and difficulty maintaining optimal performance in the gym despite consistent training.

Relevant background:

- Age: 32
- Height: 183 cm
- Weight: ~79.5 kg
- Training: strength training ~3–4 times per week
- Medical condition: autoimmune hypothyroidism (currently treated)

Recent morning blood test results:

Total Testosterone: 5.24 ng/mL (524 ng/dL)
Free Testosterone: 10.30 pg/mL (lab range 9.1 – 32.2)
SHBG: 36.04 nmol/L
LH: 4.6 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.91 mIU/mL
Estradiol (E2): 24 pg/mL
Prolactin: 5.79 ng/mL
DHEA-S: 178 µg/dL
DHT: 338.87 pg/mL

Thyroid markers:

TSH: 2.7
Free T4: 1.24
Free T3: 2.53

IGF-1: 219 ng/mL

My total testosterone appears to be in the mid-range, but my free testosterone seems to be near the lower end of the reference range.

Given these numbers and symptoms, would a 3–6 month TRT trial be reasonable to consider?

I feel tired, exhausted, depressed.
Currently using retatrutide also.

I would really appreciate your professional opinion.

Thank you.

You might try to increase your protein intake and add some supplements (eg. boron, magnesium, zinc) to try to reduce your SHBG before shutting down your natural T production/HPT axis with TRT. You are too young for that. Your TT is at a decent level and Free T is normal but on the lower end. Reducing SHBG would fix that and elevate your Free T.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Hello,

I am a 32-year-old male and I would appreciate your opinion regarding whether I might be a candidate for a TRT trial.

I have been experiencing symptoms that could be related to low testosterone such as reduced energy, lower motivation and difficulty maintaining optimal performance in the gym despite consistent training.

Relevant background:

- Age: 32
- Height: 183 cm
- Weight: ~79.5 kg
- Training: strength training ~3–4 times per week
- Medical condition: autoimmune hypothyroidism (currently treated)

Recent morning blood test results:

Total Testosterone: 5.24 ng/mL (524 ng/dL)
Free Testosterone: 10.30 pg/mL (lab range 9.1 – 32.2)
SHBG: 36.04 nmol/L
LH: 4.6 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.91 mIU/mL
Estradiol (E2): 24 pg/mL
Prolactin: 5.79 ng/mL
DHEA-S: 178 µg/dL
DHT: 338.87 pg/mL

Thyroid markers:

TSH: 2.7
Free T4: 1.24
Free T3: 2.53

IGF-1: 219 ng/mL

My total testosterone appears to be in the mid-range, but my free testosterone seems to be near the lower end of the reference range.

Given these numbers and symptoms, would a 3–6 month TRT trial be reasonable to consider?

I feel tired, exhausted, depressed.
Currently using retatrutide also.

I would really appreciate your professional opinion.

Thank you.

Many things could cause your symptoms beyond T. The GLP-1s alone cause similar issues in some people. I always recommend the book Perfect Health Diet as a dietary home base. What does your diet, sleep, stress level, and nutritional supplementation look like? What does your gym/activity look like?

 

[Phil Goodman]

Yes free t is low and if you were in your 40s or older I’d be more willing to lean towards the trt aspect out the gate… but as mentioned above 32 is a little young to start, particularly when there are likely other contributors you could (and should) address first.


1.) free t3 is on the lower end of and could absolutely be contributing to your symptoms. Actually, I’d be very surprised if it isn’t. Just because you’re being treated doesn’t mean your treatment is dialed in. And if your doctors entire goal was to just get you back within range no matter how low on the scale you are then that’s a bad sign. I’d being that aspect up and see if they are willing to consider various protocols that could bring that up.

2.) DHEA is low, and for some people that is a big factor for energy. For example I end up having to take only 12.5 mg/day because if I take 25 or more I end up only sleeping like 5-6 hours (I usually aim for 7-8)… but even with significantly reduced sleep I still have plenty of energy on it and get through the day with zero problems. It’s also cheap and easy to implement. Do your own research, but I’d say 25 mg/day is a good starting point for most though you could take my protocol and start with 12.5. It’s also very inexpensive and can be obtained OTC (assuming you’re in the US). It also introduces very little risk of issues, though you may see some minor things like acne. But again do you own research.

3.) you are on retatutride… do you track your calories to know what kind of deficit you’re in? Excessive caloric deficits can definitely be draining and leave people with little to no energy if not done correctly.


4.) as mentioned above you could also consider looking into ways to free up more of your natural testosterone. Don’t expect miracles out of natural supplements, but addressing that front should be a consideration and it will likely help at least somewhat if you can get that to a decent number. This is particularly true if you address the other issues mentioned above.



If you are able to resolve more than one of those(ideally all) then I’d imagine you would be able to hold off on trt for quite a while.