You have low T, now try to find out how and why.
Labs:
- LH/FSH - cannot do this after starting TRT
- prolactin
- TSH
- fT3
- fT4 [please not T3, T4 or indexes etc]
- rT3
TSH=2.469 is bad, should be closer to 1.0
The lab range is stupid and your doc will not understand.
Thyroid hormone fT3 regulates your energy levels and body temperatures. Use your oral body temperatures to see how bad things are - see below.
Signs of low thyroid function:
- almost all of the symptoms of low-T
- feeling cold easily
- dry skin - low T can too
- sparse outer eyebrows
With low T and low thyroid function, many young guys have been running on adrenaline which stresses out the adrenals then rT3 can increase and rT3 interferes with fT3. Many/most guys who come here have some thyroid/iodine issues. All the more for young guys.
In thyroid basics sticky find references to: stress, illness, accidents, adrenal fatigue, Wilson’s book.
HTC is very low for a male. This can be from low T to some extent, but a GI bleed can be an issue. Any digestive issues? An occult blood test can detect blood in your poop and your doc can get that.
Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman
- advice for new guys - need more info about you
- things that damage your hormones
- protocol for injections
- finding a TRT doc
Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.
KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.
I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab number and ranges.
The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.
What meds are you on? - history.
Supplements? - history
Many have thyroid issues from iodine deficiency caused by not using iodized salt. What is your history of that.