I just wanna share this " How I Fixed My Low (free) Testosterone: High SHBG & Iron Overload "
2 Likes
What a great video! Subscribed to the guyās channel, very impressed by him. Thanks for sharing, brother.
Donāt think this is the root cause of my issue, per recent bloodwork (ref range on left, my values on right):
1 Like
Did you have any issues with sleep on IM? Iāve felt great since switching to prop but sleep has been a big issue - canāt fall asleep for the first few hours after getting to bed. Wondering if the switch to prop could be the culprit and whether SQ would help 
yoyo Bkb33 
Just wondered how did you feel before trt?. My health problems started under a very stress full job. At first I noted that I started to lose my sexdrive and after a couple of months I started to note that I was always tired never really get any energy. So I quit my work they said it was a āburnoutā. I was so tired first 3-4 years I couldnt even work. I did many bloodworks everything showed good except shbg 70-80 nmol/l and total t 800 ng/dl. Free T was around 10-12?. Right now with better diet and started strenght training (never trained in gym before all this happened) I was active on other things. I did new bloodworks now and my shbg was 55 nmol/l and my total t was still 800 ng/dl. I took a sensitive e2 this time too and it was 64 pmol/l. So my sexdrive is still almost zero, bad eractions,numb down stairs kinda,brainfog,very bad memory,very tired. Do you think it still could be low free t or is it something else maybe?. I really need some advice. Wasted 10 years now ā¦
Probably. Need free T tested to know. Thatās the next step.
On the last lab test I only had bio active test and the value are 10.8 nmol/l ref range 4.4-14.
If I use a free t calculator my free t are 13.1 ng/dL = 1.64 %
Not bad on paper, could be better. So many factors at play though. Have you seen a specialist? Iāve seen a few and like Defy.
Ye but I live in EU they dont even care when my shbg was 80 nmol/l and my free t was under ref range. And ye I did take bloodworks on many things so it seems like I dont have any other under laying causes.
Feeling great!
- 175 mg T-cyp (25 mg EOD)
- 50 mg scrotal cream ED
Also will be adding HCG soon in an effort to get fertile. I have Anastrozole on hand and might take a micro-doseā¦still debating. Guessing with my current protocol + HCG, E2 will get quite high.
The biggest change-maker recently, Iād say, has been dropping caffeine entirely. Iām sleeping like a baby and it just feels like my body is getting healthier.
1 Like
Time for bloodwork. Getting lots of stuff from Labcorp. Are these tests the best options for T and E?
Testosterone, Free, Equilibrium Ultrafiltration With Total Testosterone, LC/MS-MS
TEST: [070038 ]
Estradiol Free, Equilibrium Dialysis, With Total Estradiol, HPLC/MS-MS (Endocrine Sciences)
TEST: [500649]
@NH_Watts @Gman86 @anon18050987 @swoops39 @Andrewgen_Receptors @mnben87 @blshaw
1 Like
ābestā is relative.
I donāt need a blood test to tell me how I feel - Iām going to gauge it by what makes me feel best (within reasonable TRT doses). So ābestā for me is āleast expensiveā.
Are you looking for the most accurate, or a check in the box to keep your provider at bay?
Iād lean more to the accuracy end of the spectrum.
Thanks, man. Does one of these tests do the arbitrary >1500 cut-off? Iām hoping to see the TT even if itās north of 1500 (as mine surely will be).
Edit: looks like this isnāt an issue with Endo Science.
1 Like
LABS! As I like to do 1X year, I had a ton of stuff measured.
Protocol: 175 mg T-cyp injected IM EOD, 100 mg scrotal cream ED, 250 IU HCG injected SQ EOD (fertility), occasional very low dose of Anastrozole if my nipples get itchy.
Iām feeling good! Libido improved when I added the scrotal cream. I do wonder if I could push the injectable T dose a little bit higher. Obviously 28.62 is a great FT, but the % FT (1.77) could be better. This is because SHBG (83.8) is still quite high, and a higher dose would likely help.
However, need to keep longevity in mind. On this front, Iām most concerned about ApoB (97). Itās not too bad but something to monitor; it was 89 last year. HDL (38) is a little low but has improved (28 last year). BUN (30) is also pretty high.
Iād love to hear your thoughts, @anon18050987 @Andrewgen_Receptors @mnben87 @swoops39 @disciplined_trt
What does ur diet look like? Ur triglycerides look amazing! Which is the most important lipid marker. So good job! LDL looks great. I personally like my ldl around 200. LDL actually has quite a few health benefits when a person isnāt insulin resistant. One of the main ones having to do with our immune system. Ur clearly far from insulin resistant, so for someone like u, the higher the ldl the better. Just need to eat more healthy fats to get ur HDL up.
If I were u I would look into taking a small dose of lugolās iodine. Just like 1 drop per day of their 2% solution. Ur thyroid isnāt functioning the best unfortunately.
Do u take vitamin d? If so how many iuās per day?
1 Like
Thanks for the feedback, brother!
90% Vertical Diet. Lots of lean sources of protein, fruits, and veggies, and mainly potatoes and rice as carb sources. I donāt eat sweets but do enjoy pretzels as a daily treat.
Thatās encouraging, bro! For whatever reason, these have never been an issue on TRT. 70 is the highest Iāve gotten.
Thatās probably a good idea. My fat intake is pretty low. I find itās way easier for me to stay lean if I eat more carbs and less fat, though.
Believe it or not, I already take this (1 drop/day). Think I should increase it?
Indeed I do ā 4,000 IU a day. I was also surprised to see that at only 65. But sunlight has been limited here in the northeast. Think I should take a little more?
Gotta bunch of new labs ā here are the interesting data points:
As you see, my cholesterol numbers are really bad. T is quite high. SHBG remains very high as well.
Notes:
- Protocol: 300 mg/week, with 100 mg injected 3x/week.
- Because of schedule constraints, I had this blood drawn 24 hours after an injection. I know that isnāt ideal, and it may have skewed results.
- Interesting how low T3 is (59). Is this a problem?
- Iāve been feeling good. I guess that shouldnāt be surprising given how high my dose/FT are. This is the highest FT Iāve had in years. However, these labs make me think changes are in order. The cholesterol numbers arrested me.
@Gman86 @mnben87 @swoops39 @Andrewgen_Receptors @disciplined_trt @FunkOdyssey @alex_uk @highpull
Wowsers that cholesterol isnāt looking good, Iāve been working on mine the last 4 months, had some improvements and looking for more, but mine is all within range just want it to be better, that like you say is alarming. If youāre a reader pick up a copy of Outlive by Dr Peter Attia a really detailed section in there about cholesterol (listening on audible myself just due to time constraints and I seem to be driving a fair bit for work at the moment) and thereās some really details tests that would help you get more insight on the risks here.
My first change was to drop all processed carbs (I was primarily looking for improvement in hba1c which was closing in on pre-diabetic range) this had me eating more meat - particularly bacon, and quite a bit more cheese (I generally ate 6 eggs and 4 pieces of bacon at least once a day and often followed up with another 6 eggs and cheese later in the day). Funny enough my HDL dropped very slightly but so did my LDL and cholesterol overall.
I asked our resident forum RD who suggested that things will further improve if I cut Sat Fat (no more than 3 pieces of bacon a week) and also avoid pairing fat and carbs in the same meal, plus make sure my carb sources are fibrous, so oats over rice, potatoes eaten with skin on etc (poor paraphrase so Iāll tag them, just checking if theyāre up for it, because a lot of good dietary advice was given).
Iām currently going on a v-diet style cut, Iād be tempted to see what my cholesterol looks like after that, but Iāll probably just stick to regular eating after this (gaining but clean) and retest in 6/12 months.
Whatās your blood pressure? You on any orals or been on any recently? What have previous tests looked like? If this is up then Iād go stringent dietary interventions for 3 months retest and if not satisfactory considering statins (but thatās just me not a recommendation).
Thank you for reading, my friend.
Agreed, man. Iām not panicking because I injected 24 hours before the blood draw. That couldāve thrown off the numbers. It was probably a dumb decision, but scheduling is what it is. Iām also feeling healthy. That said, Iām aware changes are needed, so weāll see what Dr. Saya thinks is the best next step.
I actually read this. Tremendous book!
Iāve been testing apo(B), which is the big one he likes. Unfortunately they missed it on these labs ā they accidentally tested Lipoprotein (a), which was normal (16.5). There were actually a lot of things that were normal. But the cholesterol numbers obviously jump out.
Interesting. My HGB a1c is great. Were you eating a lot of processed carbs at the time?
Weird that your cholesterol numbers went down with that diet. I always had higher cholesterol numbers when I was eating high-fat and high-protein. In fact, LDL has always been high for me, but never as high as it is now.
Your plan sounds good, brother, but it honestly sounds like youāre in a great place and I wouldnāt stress too much about it. What was the HGB a1c? Anything else concerning on your labs?
My BP has consistently been good. Itās been a bit higher than normal lately, but still healthy. No orals, nope. Though I have considered adding a low dose of one and dropping the T dose. I wonder how that would impact cholesterol.
My HDL hasnāt changed, but my LDL and total cholesterol numbers have been higher than normal. TBH, my diet has been phenomenal. Iāve been strictly Vertical, with small cheats here and there, but even my ācheatsā arenāt really cheats. And I donāt have the orthorexia I used to deal with.
As I said, Iām in a healthy place. But now itās time to get this cholesterol in order
1 Like
Donāt think a straight T injection would likely be the culprit, well not from my personal experience.
Yea definitely enjoying it so far, enjoying the refreshing long term medical view (from the prospects of closing in on 40!).
Thatās good, itās on my list to do!
Guilty as charged, my diet 4 months ago was pretty dirty, Iāve always been pretty lean so I āget awayā with it, good job I get regular blood work - trt life saving in more ways than one!
It wasnāt super high fat and I suspect that the drop in processed carbs ended up reducing numbers while the fat increased it and probably nigh on balanced it out but still on the lower side.
Iām only doing it for a personal challenge, want to go back to gaining so a hard cut is a) a solid place to start from b) a good way to make me appreciate eating again (miss eating big meals already and itās only been 5 days!).
Rest of my labs I posted in my journal Alex_uk: I've got more, time to give more - #3453 by alex_uk