Another Low T Case

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Not really looking for advice or anything yet (still have a lot of reading on the subject to do), just sharing my case. My case is almost certainly linked to AAS use, as the problems began after my first cycle in January 2010 (though I didn’t recognize the problems at the time). I basically have no sex drive but that has never been a concern of mine (aside from it being an indicator of low T). I’ve had my diet and training pretty well dialed in for years but my progress has been abysmal, with periods of no progress and even regression for months at a time. I finally decided to see a doctor to see if low T was the cause. I got a prescription for Testim and have been using it for a little over a week now. No significant changes yet; my lifts are coming back up a bit but I obviously need more time to really evaluate anything there.

-age
22

-height
5’11"

-waist
31"

-weight
170 lbs

-describe body and facial hair
Patchy facial hair, basically no hair on back/chest/etc.

-describe where you carry fat and how changed
Low back/lovehandles/lower abs. Pretty typical.

-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever
Currently prescribed 1 tube (50mg) Testim per day.

-lab results with ranges
Name--------------------------Value-----------------Range
prolactin, serum------------------4.4 ng/mL-------------4.6-17.8
thyroid stimulating hormone, serum—1.940 u[iU]/mL---------0.450-4.500
testosterone, total-----------------161 ng/dL-------------249-836

Have a bunch of other general health test results and didn’t want to make a mess with things that aren’t pertinent. Did not get full thyroid or estrogen panels yet.

-describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets]
M/W/F (non lifting) ~ 40g carbs, 250g protein, 40g fat (~1550 cal)
T/Th/Su (lifting) ~ 100g carbs, 250g protein, 30g fat (~1700 cal)
Sa (lifting) ~ 310g carbs, 190g protein, minimal fat (~2000 cal)

-describe training [some ruin there hormones by over training]
5/3/1 four days a week and daily fasted LISS cardio.

-testes ache, ever, with a fever?
no

-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed
Occurred infrequently (a couple times a week) prior to first AAS cycle, now very rarely (maybe once a month).

I’ll switch from Testim to injections after the first box runs out if possible, as I don’t have much faith in the absorption after trying it. I’ll post updated test results as I get them. I’m scheduled to see an endo (in November… don’t think I’ve ever had a 2 month wait in making an appointment) at the request of my doctor, but based on the opinion on endos and doctors in general on this forum I’m not expecting much.

2

Your lh and fsh are probably too low so your body isn’t signaling to make any T. Are you taking T right now? How long were you off T before getting this test? Are your testicles normal size? I’d like to see a free t4, free t3 and lh and fsh test. I definitely don’t think you need to supplement with T to solve this issue.

3

Do you feel like you are eating enough? Looking at your calorie numbers they seem a bit low. Especially training days are only 150 cals above non training days. You would definitely expend more than 150 cals during a workout I would assume.

How long have you been on this diet for? To me it seems like you are hardly eating enough for maintenance. Add in training and your body is probably burning out.

What do you think?

4

@Retinoid - I had FSH tested and the result was “1200” with no units or lab range listed so I wasn’t sure if that would be useful. I will get the other suggested tests. Last AAS use ended about 4 months prior to these lab results.

@iroczinoz - I have been dieting like this for 10 weeks so far and adjusting down as needed. I’m aware that the numbers seem low for most people but that’s what it takes for me to drop about 1lb per week. I have gone too far in the past and experienced a lot of muscle and strength loss, so I’m pretty careful about it now. However, even during those periods being completely destroyed by excessive dieting, I never felt hungry. Don’t know if I just learned to ignore it or if that’s an indicator of something else.

5

[quote]

@iroczinoz - I have been dieting like this for 10 weeks so far and adjusting down as needed. I’m aware that the numbers seem low for most people but that’s what it takes for me to drop about 1lb per week. I have gone too far in the past and experienced a lot of muscle and strength loss, so I’m pretty careful about it now. However, even during those periods being completely destroyed by excessive dieting, I never felt hungry. Don’t know if I just learned to ignore it or if that’s an indicator of something else.[/quote]

What kind of weight are you trying to drop down to at 5ft 11?
From what I have read, being on a diet (your calorie numbers do look extremely low) it can play havoc on your hormones. Probably best to summarize in saying that it is not beneficial.

What are your typical meals?

6

I’m aware of that, but there really isn’t any way around it. If being fat is the solution, then low T is the least of my worries. Even while eating well above maintenance the low T symptoms (no libido, no morning wood, etc) were still present.

protein sources: chicken, whey
fat sources: eggs, peanut butter, almonds
carb sources: oatmeal, rice, surge workout fuel
Vegetables like celery, broccoli, and lettuce are in there as well but I don’t count them.

7

5’11 + 170 + dieting??? Are you manorexic?

8

Talked to my doctor today and we agreed that low T is probably a symptom of other hormonal issues, so I’ve decided to go off meds and wait til I see an endo in November… Kinda disappointed that I can’t do anything in the meantime but I’ll update after that.

9

[quote]Duro wrote:
Talked to my doctor today and we agreed that low T is probably a symptom of other hormonal issues, so I’ve decided to go off meds and wait til I see an endo in November… Kinda disappointed that I can’t do anything in the meantime but I’ll update after that.[/quote]

I be using an integrative approach by evaluating:

  1. Lifestyles, sleep hygiene and hidden stressors
  2. Nutrition, present of past medication, supplements, past medical history, ect
  3. immune system
  4. Hormones and thyroid
  5. Neurotransmitters and psychological influences
  6. Environmental influences
  7. Physical or structural imbalances

The interaction of how they affect one another

10

Running an intense program like 5/3/1 on 1700 calories a day… I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

Which AAS did you take? At 5’11" 170lbs I can’t imagine what sort of results you were shooting for with that usage (unless you have lost a lot of muscle after the cycle or something).