Hello community,

I am a 42 yo male who has been on TRT for about six (6) months now. In my late 30s I was experiencing many of the symptoms of low T specifically, weight gain, low energy, lack of concentration, and ED. I thought (and so did my shrink) that I had adult ADHD and with mood swings/depression, and was given central nervous system stimulants that just made me feel like I was living in a haze. While visiting my new urologist last fall and going over my slight case of ED and the mood enhancers I was taking, he asked me if I had my testosterone level check. Not knowing, he set me up with LabCorp to be tested. In Oct 2015, I came back with: 281 (Total); 6.8 (free); 17 (Dihydrotestosterone); and 27.6 (Vit. D). Needless to say we discussed my options and I chose to give myself Testosterone cypionate IM injections (.5 cc weekly). After four (4) weeks my Total T was up to 643, Free T was at 21.8 and my Dihydro was 43. We did discover that my Estradiol was high at 44.8 and my Vit. D was still low. The doctor kept me at .5 cc every week and on my own I recently begun taking 50 mg of Zinc, 2 mg of Copper and a Vit. D supplement to see it helps with my levels. I will test again in six weeks and my doctor and I will reassess then.

Early on I knew that TRT would be a lifetime commitment but recently had the revelation that I should not rely on a doctor to solely monitor my hormone levels, mostly because he probably won’t out live me. Therefore, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can; I hope to accomplish this through the facts posted in this forum as well as through its user’s own experience and knowledge.


Regards,

Ty

Welcome aboard! There is a bunch of information here. I also enjoy reading the articles at peaktestosterone. Good information all around. I've found the members here at excelmale to be very accommodating and insightful. Enjoy!

Ty

Welcome to ExcelMale.com

How are you feeling now?

Do you know if the estradiol test was sensitive (LC/MS)regular (ECLIA)?

Also, did you get your TSH, free T4 and free T3 checked?

Feel free to post blood tests on that folder.

Thank you for asking, I am feeling a lot better. I have stopped taking the meds prescribed for the ADHD diagnosis and have just been taking the Test Cyp however, I still seem to feel sluggish at times as well as a little moody. My doctor believes that this may be attributed to the high Estradiol. I tend to agree because it fluctuates- changing from day to day. As far as the test itself it appears to be the Roche ECLIA. As far as your question regarding other test T3, T4 etc. I don't believe I have. I've only been tested twice in the six months and went to my doctor this past Friday to get a new rx. During this he gave me a form to take with me to LabCorp and I will see what he marked. As i mentioned, I have started taking a few supplements and want to wait a few weeks before taking my next test. Plus for some reason my insurance doesn't cover some of the test and it costs me about $175 to get it done. I may be looking into the Discountlabs as an alternate option. I look forward to learning more so I can be proactive in my hormone maintenance.

Welcome, Ty! Glad you joined!!

Welcome to Excelmale, like Nelson said make sure the estradiol test was sensitive (LC/MS) for men. A lot of doctors use the female estradiol test.

welcome I would encourage you to read the sticky's in http://www.excelmale.com/forumdisplay.php?56-Testosterone-Basics-Questions