I have recently signed on with Defy medical to get my low Test symptoms figured out. I am currently 38 years old and have been lifting heavy since my early 20’s with good diet and training habits. Achieved decent Numbers 330 Bench/ 495 Dead/365 Squat at a Bodyweight of 190 but was never really able to maintain any muscle. As i aged It all became harder and throw in depression,brain fog and anxiety it’s not good.
Here are my most recent bloods
Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 754 ng/dL 264 - 916 01
Adult male reference interval is based on a population of
healthy nonobese males (BMI <30) between 19 and 39 years old.
Travison, et.al. JCEM 2017,102;1161-1173. PMID: 28324103.
Free Testosterone(Direct) 4.4 Low pg/mL 8.7 - 25.1 01
Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S
T4,Free(Direct) 1.27 ng/dL 0.82 - 1.77 01
DHEA-Sulfate 88.8 Low ug/dL 102.6 - 416.3 01
TSH 1.150 uIU/mL 0.450 - 4.500 01
IGF-1
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I 164 ng/mL 83 - 233 02
Reverse T3, Serum 17.5 ng/dL 9.2 - 24.1 02
Estradiol, Sensitive 20.1 pg/mL 8.0 - 35.0 02
This test was developed and its performance characteristics
determined by LabCorp. It has not been cleared by the Food and
Drug Administration.
Methodology: Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC/MS/MS)
Triiodothyronine (T3), Free 3.0 pg/mL 2.0 - 4.4 01
Sex Horm Binding Glob, Serum 80.9 High nmol/L 16.5 - 55.9 01
And here is the treatment plan they have given me I just wanted to see what you guys think
BEGIN Testosterone Cyp 200 mg/mL inject 0.40 mL IM/SQ twice weekly 25-29G, 5/8” needle/ (1cc syringe Luer).
BEGIN HCG 500 IU SQ twice weekly. To reverse/prevent testicular atrophy.
BEGIN Anastrozole 0.125 mg PO twice weekly. As needed per elevated E2 symptoms
BEGIN Cytomel 5mcg One each morning for one week, then 10mcg each morning for one week, then 15mcg each morning. Stop titration if any hyperthyroid symptoms occur and go back to the previous dosage starting the next day. Take first thing in the morning upon waking, on empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before breakfast.
BEGIN DHEA 25 mg one at bedtime. To Decrease SHBG and Raise Free T.
BEGIN Vitamin D3 5000 IU daily. To Decrease SHBG and Raise Free T, and for mood support.
BEGIN ZINC PICOLINATE 50mg one daily. To Decrease SHBG and E2, and Raise Free T.
BEGIN MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE 400mg one daily. To Decrease SHBG and Raise Free T.
BEGIN Fish Oil 3-4 grams daily. For Cholesterol and HDL support. Decrease blood viscosity.
I will have this stuff in about 3 days and will begin right away. This looks like a great community and I have been reading as much as I can! Tips and tricks appreciated
He said that my T3 is not optimal but in range?
Everything described as over the counter supplements I have already been on minus the Boron for a few years now. DHEA as well.
The zinc was 50mg a day with no specified time, I take it at night with magnesium
Luteinizing Hormone(LH), S
LH 5.0 mIU/mL 1.7 - 8.6 01
I don’t see FSH,Prolactin on the bloods but I will look again I had everything tested.
How about liver AST ,ALT liver important for shbg issues.
Insulin
A1c
Lipids
I say this to see if you can discover why shbg high.
And hyperthyroidism increases shbg.
Imo should not have given you t3. Esp from 1 lab. Free t3 can range during a day. It’s not like your TSH was above 2 and free t3 on low end.
Starting thyroid and trt at the same time can be troublesome.and Add in ai …But maybe they know something we don’t know.
It’s easier said than done but if shbg lowers you may have a good free t without trt
Thank you very much for the responses I am not to well versed in this so the help is much appreciated. I had one previous lab from a month ago that I submitted to them with almost identical numbers as well, Then they had me get this lab work to confirm. Do you think I should hold off on taking the thyroid medication?
With a TSH of 1.1 I would not take t3. Going on trt is enough shock.
If I know I researched lowering shbg and tried to lower it with supps, nutrition, exercise or whatever you find in your research, then I would consider trt for life.
Curious what defy said about this thinking.
Seems like defy like to start guys at 200 a week. HCG. Dhea. And with that yeah you will probably get high e2 symptoms.
The more cases I see from defy they seem more like a TRT MILL sometimes. That’s in my opinion.
I have researched lowering SHGB and believe I have been doing everything to lower it with no results. I have some bloodwork from when I was 27 that showed my SHBG in the 70’s thats when I started the D3,Zinc,Magnesium and Fish oil. I have always had a good diet with plenty of protein and good carbs.
It does seem they like to use the same protocol for everyone and adjust with first labs.
It could be about but also defy since your paying private- are inclined to put you at the higher range of t or above.
Some say with a higher shbg you need larger t doses.
I would not want to be in the upper range if it means I need medication to control e2.
We are all different though. Keep us posted we all help each other get through this.
Btw I take no AI no HCG just t. 90 mg divided in 2 injections. My total t 700 free t mid range. But my shbg is mid 30s. I don’t care about fertility and my balls same size as pre trt and usually hang too.
Thank you so much, I ordered the AI to have on hand and do not want it to be a dose where I need to take it. I don’t want to screw with crashing my E2 either. My main goal is to feel better and have a better quality of life.
What size needle are you injecting with? I have soon good and bad things about the HCG and still want to try and preserve fertility
Still waiting for tracking on my order but hoping to have everything in a few days. I ordered last Thursday.
Been researching as much as I can on injection locations etc…
27G 1/2 Inch is fine i been doing Shallow IM brother in delts now @yarmish going on for 2 months with that needle size in both delts, no Gear spills out either & zero pip.
If lab tests reveal you have higher than normal estrogen and/or very low free (unbound) testosterone, it’s a good sign that you have high aromatase or high SHBG levels.“
something i saw in the article. but what if i have low e2 and high shbg?
it also says” eating like a bird wrecks shbg”? so if youre underweight that might be a reason for high shbg?
These are good questions my Sensitive E2 was 20.1 and I generally eat between 2200-3000 cals a day while weight 190 at 5’10". Body fat in the mid teens but when I try to get really lean I have to get really low cals to make any progress.
TRT Day 1
I received my package today and tonight I had my first injections of the Test and HCG .
Went in to my quad with the test and stomach with HCG. Much easier and smoother than expected
