Man- I haven’t posted in a while, but since I just got put on TRT, and my situation is like yours, I feel the need to help a brother out.
I’m 27, live in the US, and have had symptoms just like yours. I’ve fought with them over the last couple of years and finally decided to get it checked out a year and a half ago. The first doc I went to, said it was depression. I’m pretty sure they will say this to almost anyone who comes in their office. I wasn’t going to go on anti depressants tho so I left that doc and didn’t get anything done until a year later.
A year later, I switched docs and decided that I just wanted to be treated. So, my new doc- a female first tried prescribing Wellbutrin- an antidepressant. Even tho I didn’t want to, I heeded her treatment and started on the antidepressant. I figured, if I proved her wrong, she’d continue trying to figure it out.
Sure enough, antidepressants didn’t do anything. Next she sent me to a sleep clinic to determine if I possibly had sleep[ apnea - possibly being the cause of my fatigue and from high fatigue- all the other symptoms. That wasn’t it either.
Her next step was to take a full blood profile- about 10 vials worth. My Total test came back in the 400’s- not terrible for 27 but it was the SYMPTOMS that made my doctor send me to an outside provider who specializes in atypical cases of male hypogonadism. The outside doc decided to start treatment on me despite a “normal range” from blood tests. What the doc told me is that each person has their own rhythm for how their bodies release test. And throughout the day, it can fluctuate as much as 500ng/dL. Additionally, a normal test for one person, isn’t necessarily normal for you. You could be used to a test of 800 and feel shitty at 500-600. It’s the symptoms that my doc treated- not the number.
Now, I’ve been on TRT for only a week- and I’m already feeling better. Concentration and energy is up. I sleep better, and my libido is improving. For the TRT, my doc uses pellets implanted under the skin. The procedure is easy and painless, but 8 hours later, it’ll DEFINITELY be sore. A week later and I’m still slightly sore and have bruising, but it’ll be gone soon.
My advice- don’t go see a dedicated endo. As someone said above, they definitely only think inside the box. See if your doc knows any docs that deal with atypical cases or is comfortable referring you to an anti aging clinic. You’ll have to pay out of pocket- but they’ll treat you.
Also, I think it may be a misconception that since you workout, your body should be raging with testosterone. I think the opposite may be true- not that you’ll have incredibly low test, but that you’ll have lower than normal. Yes, after you workout testosterone should shoot up for a little, but that doesn’t mean it will- or in a large amount. What you can be certain of- is that your cortisol will be high and your body will need time to repair. But with consistent workouts of 4-5 times a week not including cardio- I think it’s possible that it’s taxing enough on your body that your test could be lower than what you normally could have. Just a theory. Take it or leave it.
Hope the above helps.
Cheers