I am a 26 year old male and have been on trt for about 9 months or so. When i was diagnosed with low testosterone, i had a level below 300. something around 270. now my level is at around 500+. I feel better and i have lost weight, i used to weight 140 and went up to 240 in a year. im still weighting 240 but less fat and more muscle. now when i went to go for my routine check up, i asked my dr about the highest ranges i could go. he said 600+ would be considered normal for me but i told him i have seen people post online that they have reached levels up to 1000+ and he said that that wasnt considered therapeutic and that reaching those levels would cause more harm than good. now i’ve read that trt isnt about reaching a certain blood level but its about feeling a certain way. for example, a man could feel great at a test level of 600 while another man would need a test level of 800 to feel that same way. I am very concerned because at an age of 26 i dont want to feel average if optimal is an option thats being restricted because of a dr that only works using theory. i want to know if i should see another dr who will get me to my optimal levels even if it means reaching a test level of 700, 800, 900 or whatever, or if i should stay with my dr because what hes saying is correct and men that have higher levels than 600 reaching 800 and above are not in therapeutic ranges. thank you for taking the time to read this. also just top add, would lifting weights increase my testosterone levels even higher? or is my testosterone level going to stay at a level depending on my injections?
It sounds like you doctor is inexperienced, most that are don’t push for optimal T levels because you might then need an aromatase inhibitor to control excess estrogen and he probably doesn’t prescribe them because he prefers not to use them. You mention nothing about HCG, it’s used together with TRT to prevent testicular atrophy.
You need and experience doctor as these doctor’s aren’t interested in optimal T levels, only therapeutic T levels. Just enough to keep the symptoms at bay.
Damn how should I go about finding a good dr?
Forgot to mention lifting weights will make TRT much more effective and will improve your situation, you can’t just inject T and expect to get cut and trimmed. Perhaps you could persuade your doctor to get you near the top of the range, 700-800 range, see if he will work with you before you burn your bridges.
This may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think your doctor is being irresponsible by telling you that 1000+ ng/dL, levels achieved by AAS, aren’t therapeutic doses.
the other problem is that my DR never mentioned anything about hcg and atrophy and my testicles have shrunk a noticeable amount.I read that atrophy leads to decreased levels of semen and eventually infertility because the testosterone without HCG can cause organ damage to the testicles. Also i had to ask my Dr for an estrogen test because my hands and feet were swelling up, which i read is a possible side effect of too much testosterone being converted into estrogen, and i was very disappointed that my Dr wasn’t already having me check estrogen levels and I had to ask him as if he didn’t already know. So i’m not sure if this Dr is such a great candidate to treat me since i am spending my hard earned money on this. Just to give a little more detail, my Dr is an Endocrinologist but he’s also specializes in Pulmonology so I don’t know if possibly he’s one of those Dr’s that only works by the book and doesn’t work with the patient. Thank you for your response by the way!
Let’s start with what country you’re in, location is everything when it comes to TRT. If you’re in the USA finding a doctor that knows what their doing is easier, there are some services available even if you live in a different state where you go for labs and a physical and doctors visit is done via phone or video conferencing.
This is something Defy Medical offers to those who have exhausted their patience going through many clueless endo’s, just because their a doctor doesn’t automatically mean they know what their doing. I think that’s a big misconception people seem to have of doctors, that their a god in a labs coat who are all knowing. At the end of the day their as flawed as anyone else.
Since you’re paying for it out off pocket it might even be a cheaper route, they even can ship your medicines to you.
Thank you for your response. I live in Miami Florida. I don’t pay out of pocket but my insurance is expensive. I have Molina healthcare and its $500 a month.
Ah. Now these are good reasons to try to find a different doctor. I suspect that - if you’ll pardon my being presumptuous - as Miami is a popular and wealthy city, there are good doctors available who know their stuff. It is unlikely that a city full of movie stars and professional athletes wouldn’t have some doctors who know about TRT. As far as how to find them, I’m at a bit of a loss as I don’t know the area specifically. I have had good luck here in Portland with OHSU, our medical school. I would get in touch with someone at the Miller School of Medicine to see if they can point you in the right direction.
Thank you, I’ll do that as soon as possible.
Defy Medical is in Tampa, FL and averages out to $100-$150 per month. These hormone doctors know what their doing, no doubt!
Thank you. Tampa is a bit out of my way. I live in Miami Florida, so Tampa would be about a 3 hour drive. But I just scheduled an appointment with a new Doctor from University of Miami so I’m hoping he"ll be alot better. He’s also in his thirties, where my current Doctor is in his sixties, so it’s possible this new Doctor might use a more up to date, modern method than my current Doctor who is possibly using an older, out dated method. i’ll keep you updated. My first appointment with this new Doctor is in march 1’st.
I had a similar experience. My old doctor here at OHSU was highly recommended on here and was a pioneer in the field. He has since retired (at the age of 90 or so) and I’m now seeing his… understudy? replacement? what’s the right word here?
in any case, the younger guy is more up to date on more recent developments (hcg and other ancillaries, checking thyroid, etc). Let us know how it goes!
hi guys. let me update you guys. so im still seeing this shitty doc but i have an appointment with a new doctor who seems to be in his late 30’s early 40’s from turkey. he works at the hospital for university of miami. hopefully he uses the current way of trt treatment. i have to wait until august though 
If you have test on hand why wait to see a doctor? Pay for labs out of pocket and get someone to help you with a protocol…