Hi guys, I’m 21 years old and I believe I have low testosterone
So here are my symptoms:
low enery( sleep a lot, and tired a lot)
lowered libido
rare morning wood(about 80% of the mornings there is no morning wood)
rare if any spontaneous erections throughout the day
erections rarely as hard as they used to be
bad mood (I get easily angry and sometimes take a long time to calm down)
no motivation
brain fog (difficulty concentrating, it really does feel like a fog sets down on my mind)
Symptoms started slowly appearing around May last year and have gotten worse (libido lowe, less energy, more ED problems)
I have done some bloodwork on two occasions at two different places
First one
Date: 30.03.2018
Total testosterone levels: 408 ng/dL ref. ranges 259 - 816 ng/dL, this test was done in a lab where you pay money to have the test, the results were in a couple of days, time of test 9:30 AM
Second one
Date: 21.05.2018
Total testosterone levels: 745,16 ng/dL ref. ranges 319-913 ng/dL
Thyroid hormones: T4 15,4 and TSH 2,5 no reference ranges were given, it just says there results are in normal ranges
This second test was done in a public hospital where it is free ( a percentage of you pay is deducted every month and you have free medical care, this is a public medical system), and I waited around a month to get the results, time of test 11 AM
So my questions are
Even though I felt slightly better on the day of the second test it was still far from optimal, so how could the two tests give back such dramatically different results?
Is it possible that one of them ( maybe the hospital one based on my symptoms) could be wrong?
I talked to the guy who owns the lab of the first test that maybe a trial run (a couple of months) of TRT would be beneficial to see if my symptoms would improve or go away completely, and he knows a private doctor who could give me trt, so would it be beneficial to try it out?
My stats: 195 meters tall, 80 kilograms, around 15% bodyfat.
Sorry for the long text but I really need help with this guys.
Thank you!!!
You don’t have enough tests to determine much of anything, you need quite a bit more labs tests. SHBG labs is a big one and tells us how well you hold onto your testosterone, high SHBG and your 408 Total T is overstated your true T status, which then free testosterone would confirm. We need to know how much of your testosterone is bioavailable, the active hormone that makes the magic happen.
Thyroid labs are inadequate, Free T3 is the only active thyroid hormone and not tested. A complete picture can be drawn by checking Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3 and antibodies. Be very careful normal ranges are a problem and believed to be far too wide and have many within them experiencing symptoms within them.
Doctors chase the labs numbers like people follow Jesus. Land within ranges and it ends all discussions about possible causes to your symptoms and are often told it’s part of getting old. This is a cop out and is BS! Don’t be fooled by these ranges, insurance companies love them because they get to deny TRT if you fall in ranges. A list is provided below of the tests needed.
You need to realize most doctors fail at TRT, if it doesn’t work out and you don’t feel well, it’s the doctor and not TRT that’s failing you. SHBG will determine dosing and injection frequency.
Total T
Free T
SHBG
Estradiol Sensitive (E2)
LH-Luteneizing Hormone
FSH-Folicle stimulating hormone
Prolactin
Cortisol
Ferritin
Thyroid Panel
CBC-complete blood count
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Lipid profile/panel
Hi systemlord thank you for you answer, I will definitely see what I can do about those additional tests, but a couple of quick questions.
Where should I do those tests, the first lab or the hospital?
Also what are your thoughts on those two dramatically different Total testosterone results?
Anything about the trial run of TRT?
Discount labs is the the place to order any test you wish. A trial run of TRT is likely to fail anyways because the chances of you finding a knowledgeable doctor under insurance is almost zero. You should be looking for private care.
Most who are tired of suffering at the hands of clueless doctors are forced to seek private care and pay out of pocket. You can’t compare numbers from two different labs, test levels fluctuate day to day week to week and aren’t static. This is why you need more testing, don’t get hung up one one test, it’s a snapshot of a constant moving target. Test levels definitely took a nosedive.
I’m saying your health insurance is useless for TRT, none of the doctors have any sort of clue regarding male hormones, private is all it. Insurance doctors have no training at all.
Oh that trial run of TRT would be from a private doctor, and the guy who told me about him says he is probably one of the most knowledgeable people about trt and sex hormones in the country, while most other endocrinologists from the public healthcare just know how to fix thyroid and diabetic issues
Also about discount labs they don’t operate in my country lol, I live in Bosnia
Boy did you throw me off, you’re using the u.s. measurements, but describing height in meter and weight in kilograms. Thought you were a British living in the US.
You’re 100% correct about endocrinologists, they do diabetes and thyroid, not TRT. That’s why they’re so bad at it like all the rest. You might have a better chance with a urologist.
Well I guess that speaks volumes about my English then
Sorry for not hearing from me for a couple of days, but today at 9:30 AM I took another total testosterone test, this time from a third lab, also a private lab and the results came 2 and a half hours later, total test was 994 ng/dL and the ref. range is 160 - 726 ng/dL lol
So now I’m left thinking could this all be in my head?
Could fixing my sleep schedule help me feel better?
I usually go to sleep at 3 AM and wake up at 9:30 AM and then I sleep in the afternoon for 1 hour and sometimes even 2 hours .
I bought melatonin to help me fall asleep earlier to fix my schedule.
Could taking zinc supplements help me?
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!!
I can’t tell you much of anything until you run more tests, again if SHBG is elevated then your Total T score is to be ignored as most bioavailable testosterone will be inactive.
Total test and SHBG should be taken on the same day right?
And the most accurate way of getting free test levels is to calculate it from total test and shbg right?
