Newbie here and have been prescribed TRT by my Endo....

[Lonestar71]

Good evening guys!


I've spent the last two weeks searching this great site for answers however there's differences of opinions, testimonials, etc. To myself, it's information overload so I wanted to post my own thread for a more personal/direct response.

I'm a white boy, 44, 6' 1" 202lbs. Waist is 34" I'm not a junk food addict but I do enjoy eating whatever I wish 2-3x a week. I usually exercise 2-3x a week when my work schedule allows. I think I'm in decent shape for a 44 year old despite being a smoker (legal stuff).

I'm currently on no MEDS but I do take ZMA, Vit-D 1000, multivitamin and a baby aspirin. I enjoy my Bourbon and diet cokes on the weekends, I do not drink during the week except on occasions.

So...I had my T Levels checked and rang in a 279 last week. My endo immediately stated I needed TRT.

I asked for a T check because for the last 1.5 years I've had ZERO libido, no joy in life, no motivation, indifferent on just about every aspect of my life, I just don't care and I was never like this. My GP offered Wellbutrin, I declined. This literally happened overnight, especially the libido. I do get morning wood but I can't honestly say if it's every morning. My GF and I have sex several times a week but I have to mentally prepare for it.....just no drive/desire. And again, this curse hit me overnight.

My question is....Is this a T problem or possible depression?

Many thanks in advance.

Travis

 

[lcvl]

Labs don't lie. In any case I would ask your doctor for a full panel. Free T, Estradiol, PSA, FSH, LH, thyroid, hemocrits, etc.

 

[James]

Sounds like you have both low T and symptoms. Problem is, your symptoms can be caused by so many different things. Since you've tested, and based on your age, if I were you, I'd start with a low dose, maybe 100 mg per week and see how you feel/test in 5 weeks.

 

[Lonestar71]

Thank ya'll for the input replies. One year ago, my T was 316. At what range will low T start impacting my mental state? If I were to start 100mg/week it's a life-long commit to TRT? I just read/hear so many contradictions on the subject. Some men don't feel better/receive any benefits on TRT. I certainly don't want to make myself worse. Thanks again.

 

[Sean Mosher]

If your labs indicate you need TRT and can't do a re-start, then yes, TRT is a lifelong commitment.
Based on the way I used to feel though, it's absolutely worth it.
I can't imagine going back to the way I used to feel pre-TRT.

 

[CSI007]

I am a similar age to you. My values started slipping late last year. First test 328, then mid to high 200s. Same symptoms as you only my main reason for exploring the cause was ED issues began to appear rapidly late last year. Get all the blood work done and see where your at. I am taking a different approach and using HCG to raise my T instead of replacing it. Might be a good course of action for you too. I would suggest you start reading A LOT on both TRT and HCG and perhaps Clomid as well. I just adjusted my HCG dosage - I will find out in a few weeks if it's enough to keep me off TRT. If not, I will be doing TRT as well.

If you do go on TRT, HCG is highly recommended as well since it keeps the testicles close to "normal" size and keeps some things working down there. So get used to the fact that you will need to give yourself injections multiple times a week.

As far as libido goes, so far I have seen a slight improvement - The biggest improvements I have seen so far are in the ED, mental fog, forgetfulness etc. All well worth it for me.

Good Luck!

 

[Lonestar71]

Thanks Sean....What do you mean by "re-start"? I've never been on TRT or any meds.

Thank you.

 

[warrior1]

If I felt that bad about life, I would start TRT today! some say and I agree normal T levels should be 700-800.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Thanks Sean....What do you mean by "re-start"? I've never been on TRT or any meds.

Thank you.

A restart employs Clomid, essentially, to try and reset your HPTA axis so that testosterone is produced endogenously. There are multiple threads here on the Forum, particularly the sticky-threads, that you should devote some time to. We all have to be our own advocate when it comes to this journey.

 

[Lonestar71]

My results!



Ordered Items

CBC With Differential/Platelet; Comp. Metabolic Panel (14); Lipid Panel w/ Chol/HDL Ratio; FSH and LH; Testosterone, Free+Total

LC/MS; Dihydrotestosterone; Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S; DHEA-Sulfate; TSH; Prostate-Specific Ag, Serum; Estradiol, Sensitive;

Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum; Venipuncture



TESTS RESULT FLAG UNITS REFERENCE INTERVAL LAB

CBC With Differential/Platelet

WBC 9.5 x10E3/uL 3.4 - 10.8 01

RBC 4.72 x10E6/uL 4.14 - 5.80 01

Hemoglobin 15.7 g/dL 12.6 - 17.7 01

Hematocrit 45.0 % 37.5 - 51.0 01

MCV 95 fL 79 - 97 01

MCH 33.3 High pg 26.6 - 33.0 01

MCHC 34.9 g/dL 31.5 - 35.7 01

RDW 13.3 % 12.3 - 15.4 01

Platelets 260 x10E3/uL 150 - 379 01

Neutrophils 66 % 01

Lymphs 23 % 01

Monocytes 7 % 01

Eos 4 % 01

Basos 0 % 01

Neutrophils (Absolute) 6.3 x10E3/uL 1.4 - 7.0 01

Lymphs (Absolute) 2.2 x10E3/uL 0.7 - 3.1 01

Monocytes(Absolute) 0.7 x10E3/uL 0.1 - 0.9 01

Eos (Absolute) 0.3 x10E3/uL 0.0 - 0.4 01

Baso (Absolute) 0.0 x10E3/uL 0.0 - 0.2 01

Immature Granulocytes 0 % 01

Immature Grans (Abs) 0.0 x10E3/uL 0.0 - 0.1 01



Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)

Glucose, Serum 79 mg/dL 65 - 99 01

BUN 17 mg/dL 6 - 24 01

Creatinine, Serum 0.92 mg/dL 0.76 - 1.27 01

eGFR If NonAfricn Am 100 mL/min/1.73 >59

eGFR If Africn Am 116 mL/min/1.73 >59








Specimen ID: 013-363-0659-0

DOB: 12/18/1971 Patient ID: DL 3733 Control ID: B0053385970 Date collected: 01/13/2017 0825 Local



TESTS RESULT FLAG UNITS REFERENCE INTERVAL LAB

BUN/Creatinine Ratio 18 9 - 20

Sodium, Serum 138 mmol/L 134 - 144 01

Potassium, Serum 4.5 mmol/L 3.5 - 5.2 01

Chloride, Serum 97 mmol/L 96 - 106 01

Carbon Dioxide, Total 21 mmol/L 18 - 29 01

Calcium, Serum 9.3 mg/dL 8.7 - 10.2 01

Protein, Total, Serum 6.9 g/dL 6.0 - 8.5 01

Albumin, Serum 4.4 g/dL 3.5 - 5.5 01

Globulin, Total 2.5 g/dL 1.5 - 4.5

A/G Ratio 1.8 1.1 - 2.5

Bilirubin, Total 0.6 mg/dL 0.0 - 1.2 01

Alkaline Phosphatase, S 63 IU/L 39 - 117 01

AST (SGOT) 27 IU/L 0 - 40 01

ALT (SGPT) 29 IU/L 0 - 44 01



Lipid Panel w/ Chol/HDL Ratio

Cholesterol, Total 248 High mg/dL 100 - 199 01

Triglycerides 98 mg/dL 0 - 149 01

HDL Cholesterol 38 Low mg/dL >39 01

VLDL Cholesterol Cal 20 mg/dL 5 - 40

LDL Cholesterol Calc 190 High mg/dL 0 - 99

T. Chol/HDL Ratio 6.5 High ratio units 0.0 - 5.0



Please Note: 01

T. Chol/HDL Ratio

Men Women

1/2 Avg.Risk 3.4 3.3

Avg.Risk 5.0 4.4

2X Avg.Risk 9.6 7.1

3X Avg.Risk 23.4 11.0



FSH and LH

LH 6.6 mIU/mL 1.7 - 8.6 01

FSH 3.4 mIU/mL 1.5 - 12.4 01



Testosterone, Free+Total LC/MS

Testosterone, Total, LC/MS 318.7 Low ng/dL 348.0 - 1197.0 02

Adult male reference interval is based on a population of lean males

up to 40 years old.

Disclaimer: 02

This test was developed and its performance characteristics

determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared or approved

by the Food and Drug Administration.

Free Testosterone(Direct) 11.1 pg/mL 6.8 - 21.5 02



Dihydrotestosterone 29 Low ng/dL 03

Reference Range:



All Rights Reserved - Enterprise Report Version:



qWERtyUi Patient Report



Specimen ID: 013-363-0659-0

DOB: 12/18/1971 Patient ID: DL 3733 Control ID: B0053385970 Date collected: 01/13/2017 0825 Local



TESTS RESULT FLAG UNITS REFERENCE INTERVAL LAB

Adult Male: 30 - 85



Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S

T4,Free(Direct) 2.03 High ng/dL 0.82 - 1.77 01



DHEA-Sulfate 472.9 High ug/dL 71.6 - 375.4 01



TSH 1.030 uIU/mL 0.450 - 4.500 01



Prostate-Specific Ag, Serum

Prostate Specific Ag, Serum 0.4 ng/mL 0.0 - 4.0 01

Roche ECLIA methodology.

According to the American Urological Association, Serum PSA should

decrease and remain at undetectable levels after radical

prostatectomy. The AUA defines biochemical recurrence as an initial

PSA value 0.2 ng/mL or greater followed by a subsequent confirmatory

PSA value 0.2 ng/mL or greater.

Values obtained with different assay methods or kits cannot be used

interchangeably. Results cannot be interpreted as absolute evidence

of the presence or absence of malignant disease.



Estradiol, Sensitive 12.3 pg/mL 8.0 - 35.0 02

This test was developed and its performance characteristics

determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared by the Food and

Drug Administration.

Methodology: Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC/MS/MS)



Triiodothyronine,Free,Serum 3.5 pg/mL 2.0 - 4.4 01

 

[CoastWatcher]

You've posted these results in new thread. I am closing this one.