Need help what to do next - low free t normal test

[DB32]

Hi All,

New to forum and looking for practical advice and support mainly.

**Me**
Turning 32 in a matter of days and have recently been feeling generally beat up, tired, depressed and socially a bit flat for a while which prompted me to get test levels checked.

**History **
As a youngster I dabbled in various anabolics but haven't been part of that lifestyle for nearly a decade.I have also had some adrenal issues which we're managed under the guidance of an endo who was satisfied that I could function better off and corticosteroids rather than lifelong dependence and was only taking hc for c8 weeks and was weened off and re tested which showed my baseline cortisol was upper quartile but suspected low reserve .

**Main focus of this post **

I had two testosterone bloods done two weeks apart over December 17 and have written the results :

LH 4 (.5-9)

FSH 2 (1-8)


Testosterone 16.5 nmol/dl 17 nmol/dl( range 9-29)



Free test 38 37 (range 42-200) ***low**

SHBG 54 46 (range 18-54) looks high for my age??

am cort 447 (200-550) looks normal but have a history of adrenal problems

TSH 2.5 (1-5)

FT4 16.4 (12-22)

B12 1600 (range up to 900) have since immediately halved my b12 supplement which I've been taking for adrenal support)

**Other supps **
Vit b5 600mg a day
Vit b6 100mg a day
Vit c 2000mg a day
Creatine

**Weight **
210 15% ish

**Nutrition **
Between 2500-3000 cals depending on activity ,of which 1000 cal from protein)

**Activity**

Train push pull legs 2 days on 1 off recurring (although this is becoming increasingly challenging of late due to fatigue)

Feel fatigued in gym
Nothing progressing and have been regressing and feel as if I have lost muscle mass

Generally not enjoying working out and seem to want to nap a lot and stay indoors whenever I can.

I have an appointment next Friday with my gp and given that I am in the UK I know his response will be "your numbers are in range and don't worry too much about free test it will sort itself out"

I have a myriad of digestive issues and get palpitations when my cortisol starts to drop when I'm under stress, my joints are starting to ache and my libido is barely noticeable.

I want to take a mature and gradual approach to this and know there aren't any quick solutions so I would invite any positive advice or support from anybody who feels qualified to take the time and reply.

Happy to share more if you have any specific questions

Thank you

DB

 

[ratbag]

Your Free T is very low and no doubt contributing to the way you feel. Your high SHBG no doubt causes your Free T to be low. Have a look here:
https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?2311-SHBG-who-has-successfully-lowered-their-levels

A TSH of 2 or greater usually indicates an underlying problem but because it's in range most endo's will not do anything about it. Whereas an HRT doctor will run more thyroid labs to determine what is wrong.

 

[DB32]

Thanks for the reply.

From what I can see in the linked thread SHBG can be quite challenging to manage.

Is it more common to focus on lowering SHBG/ increasing Free T or should I really be asking for some sort of trial of TRT based on the above results?


I did wonder about the thyroid, is it worth getting a full thyroid panel done including FT3 , RT3 and antibodies ?

Any other tests I should invest in at this point?

One thing that may be worth noting that when me estradiol was tested in the first test it was also low (haven't got the result as i just discussed it in gps office)

Have had all of my fasting glucose and hba1c done and those are all very good.

Thanks

DB

 

[ratbag]

For a complete thyroid panel you need:
TSH
FT3
FT4
RT3
Both antibodies
Ferritin

I suspect the E@ test they run in the UK is a womens test and not the mens sensitive test found at Labcorp in the USA. I seen posts around here saying there is a good TRT doctor in Dorset. Not sure if that's helpful.