I would appreciate a second/third/fourth opinion; I have been feeling these symptoms for a while, before I started cutting. I hate to be waiting around for someone to agree with me, but having a Dr say “335 is still in range… Also, the reference range is not age specific” sounds asinine. Being 27 with 335 total T is a bit anticlimatic - I’m curious if some of the other brainpower in this forum can advise if i should seek a 2nd professional opinion or if i’m too biased looking at these results. Is it unreasonable for me to want treatment with these values?
Mood swings, irritability, low libido, not taking action when I ought to, low energy (before I was in a deficit), concentration (even while taking Adderall), and little progress during training sessions (was happening before i was in a deficit). There’s probably a couple others in there, but I think this covers the important parts pretty well.
Your TT isn’t that high because your SHBG is low. Your Free T is likely more than adequate. You won’t get a diagnoses. Medically you have no need. Any clinic will “sell you” TRT but I don’t think you should partake.
Do you say this for no other reason than the test results? I guess i’m asking if symptoms really play a role in this diagnosis, or if they are secondary to results.
I say this because you are 27, your numbers are adequate, you have no problems putting on muscle or motivating yourself in the gym from what I can tell. Those symptoms could be a number of things. If you were lower in T maybe but this “symptoms” matter more than labs BS is getting out of hand. TRT is not a cure all.
If you think you are low T then I recommend retesting a couple times after you’ve improved body composition and are no longer on a taxing cut. If repeat labs show poor numbers and symptoms persist then it’s your call. IMO it should be a last resort unless you are an aging male.
I would. Get labs first thing in the AM. Check LH, FSH, SHBG, e2 and prolactin. If you’re dieting hard, training hard, stressed or overworked, factor that into the outcome.
These were done first thing in the morning, but I am probably just going to order my own labs instead of having the VA putz around and short change me like they did this time (i asked for the full T panel workup as prescribed by TC Luoma, this is what they settled on).
Will probably seek labs again after the cut, or at least a month or two away from this one. Thank you for the input!
I have considered that there can be/is an impact from this, but it is a medication I forsee needing at least until I finish my degree. As such, if it IS causing low T - I would go as far as to say it is a lifestyle factor I am willing to compensate for with TRT, rather than stopping the medication.
You’re gonna get mixed answers. I suggest reading up on it and getting retested and just mulling it over. It’s a lifetime commitment and sometimes it doesn’t go as smooth as you hoped, but sometimes it does lol
I think this is where things start to make less sense to me… If i’m doing okay on my current levels, but jumping into TRT will subject me to a lifetime of TRT, it seems to make more sense that I would just run actual Test cycles with proper PCT. This seems almost less impacting/more beneficial than taking TRT at potentially unwarranted levels, unless i’m misunderstanding TRT and Test cycles (i probably am).
As you get older it’s gonna make it harder and harder to get back to your levels after a PCT, and you’re already low… combine that with you lose some sweet gains with Pct (apparently). Doesn’t seem like a good idea.
