Low T at 27 Years Old

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hello T Nation,

I am new to “TRT” and forums so please bare with me…

Little background on myself:

-27 years old
-6’2’', 285 lbs.
-Have been lifting weights on the regular since I was probably 14, my dad was a World Champion Powerlifter and competitive bodybuilder, so I learned early on how to train well.
-For years now I have been struggling with, lack of motivation, muscle mass loss, fat gain, low energy and generally speaking just feel like shit on a daily basis.
-I’m married and have 3 kids under 5 (so everything appears to be working)
-Generally speaking, I have a pretty good diet.
-Work in Corrections, HIGH STRESS.
-I am not concerned with fertility or sperm count, done having kids!

6 months ago I went to my Dr with these complaints and some others. My other major complaint was that I felt I had sleep apnea. (My dad had severe sleep apnea and passed away at 44 y/o). At this time I had my T checked and got the following results:

**TESTOSTERONE, FREE 7.13 **
Reference range: 5.05 to 19.8
Unit: ng/dL

**TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 216 **
Reference range: 240 to 950
Unit: ng/dL

My Dr. referred me to a sleep study, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was given a C-PAP machine. My Dr. said to use the C-PAP and come back in 6 months to re-check my testosterone. Now 6 months later I got the following results:

**TESTOSTERONE, FREE 9.22 **
Reference range: 5.05 to 19.8
Unit: ng/dL

**TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 288 **
Reference range: 240 to 950
Unit: ng/dL

Is there anyone out there that can shed some light on this for me? Should I be getting anything else looked at? I have a Dr. appt next week to go over my new results, is there anything I should be bringing up with him?

Any insight will help…thanks.

2

Your testosterone is low. Steroid use? Medication?

Get more labs to get a full picture. .

Total t
Free t
Shbg
Metabolic panel
Iron
CBC
Lipid panel
Prolactin
Am cortisol
Estradiol sensitive
LH
FSH
TSH
Free t3
Free t4
Thyroid antibodies
Dht

3

As charlie pointed out you need more tests to see what’s going on, I don’t know who ran these initial tests but I would refrain from allowing your GP to diagnose or replace your hormones as it’s not their specialty, guys usually end up worse than before TRT.

The amount of labs you’ve posted is shockingly inadequate, your Free T and Total T numbers suggest your SHBG is low and this can make TRT a little challenging especially if your doctor doesn’t understand how SHBG works. SHBG prevents your body from clearing out all your testosterone too quickly, when lower you end up excreting it into your urine within 1-2 days.

That’s why it’s important to inject testosterone EOD or you may not respond well to TRT. You shouldn’t be targeting high normal testosterone, low SHBG men tend to have a lot of free hormones and we don’t need high Total T to achieve adequate Free T levels. If your doctor suggests 200mg every 2 weeks just get up and get the hell out.

Your average endocrinologist and urologist will fall short in their understanding as it relates to TRT, often refusing estrogen management or an estrogen blocker should the need arise.

I was forced to go private because all endo’s at Kaiser are idiots, not one of them understand how to do TRT as they are all TRT ignorant. They don’t teach doctors how to do TRT in medical school, it’s why they all so terrible at it. The only ones who know how to do it are all private practice, sports medicine and anti-aging.

4

Regardless of any other labs you need to take action. Life style changes. Diet changes. Exercise. You have disease state levels of testosterone. The sleep study was a good start. At a minimum try clomid. If you dont feel better on clomid try trt. You have options.

5

I have not used steroids, and I have never taken any meds. Thank you Sir

6

Thanks man. Trust me this has been an on going battle. And it has become extremely frustrating putting in the work and getting zero result. I have a pretty active job where I walk miles a day, wake up at 4am to lift due to working 12 hour shifts, I eat pretty damn decent although it definitely could be better.

7

I’m in the same boat. Wake up 4am. I work in industrial environments like refineries ect ect. I was right where you are now. Searching for answers. Dont give up. You only live one life. Go out guns blazing.

8

I have to say that I am concerned about how my Dr plans on moving forward. I live in Central Mn and we dont exactly have any “specialists” for TRT 'round here. I remember after reviewing my Total results 6 months ago and it was 216 he said something to the effect of " thats a little low". I am glad to be moving forward now though. For YEARS i have been telling my wife and my family that “something HAS to be wrong with me”.

9

There are plenty of TRT telemedicine docs out there that don’t require a visit. All by phone.

10

You will get better. Get those labs. Post results and we can offer better Advice.

11

I’m with Defy Medical, a telemedicine anti-aging clinic that staffs competent doctors. All my medications are mailed to me, telemedicine via Skype is the future.

12

I am looking into Defy. My concern is money though (isn’t it everyones lol). I have pretty good insurance through my work and also have a nice HSA, but after a sleep study and my two year old taking a few trips to the ER this year I already have a couple thousand in medical bills racked up. Fortunately, my deductible was met back in February but… paying out of pocket at Defy seems a little steep for me at this moment in my life.

13

I have excellent insurance as well, it’s pretty useless when none of the endocrinologists have any clue what to do. I was saying the same thing a year ago, no way was I going to pay out of pocket. I got tired of feeling like crap and am now paying out of pocket.

I get it you’re not there yet, give it time.