Dont go on TRT at yohr age. You do have a problem with your thyroid, they call it subclinucal hypothyroidism. Get the thhyroid fixed and T will resolve.
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johann77,
You think that if I correct a potential thyroid issue, my Test would go back to normal? I wasn’t aware this was possible. I’ll try to do some research.
My libido and sleep quality have both improved in the recent months, I think as a result of better stress management. Still incapable of gaining muscle though. That could be a result of improper training and diet.
If you correct the thyroid issue, SHBG will likely increase reducing your Free T levels.
Of course, you need adequate testosterone to build muscle. You based off your levels you are not expected to build muscle with Free T in the gutter.
Yes it will. Get the full panel of thyroid hormones and check for anti thyroid antibodies (Hashimito Disease) and again T, LH, FSH and importantly prolactin.
Anywas try supplementing with thyroid hormones first before going on TRT, less disruptive and keeps you fertile.
also maybe easier to read
Do most people who supplement with, Armour Thyroid for example, use it every day? What is a normal dose? Are there negative side effects that can come from suppression of my own thyroid as a result of supplementation?
I am holding off on TRT until I get more labs done, including an extensive thyroid panel.
@dynamo2728
Good choice to wait until you have your thyroid hormones in place.
Thyroid hormones need to be taken regularly (daily to weekly) to be effective. Some people do well on only T4 and others swear on combination drugs of T3 and T4. The exact dose needs to worked out with your health care provider. This will take some time as thyroid hormone replacement is like TRT in a sense that there is no one size fits all approach.
I am not aware of any major side effects of shuttiing down your only thyroid hormone production once your levels are adjusted to your needs.
@dynamo2728
Just as a side note. Be careful with selfmedication. I know its tempting to try eg Armour and see whats happening, but this really needs to be supervised by an expert MD with frequent blood work.
Self prescribed T and Armour can be dangerous combo!
Armour® Thyroid Rage - A Dangerous Mixture
Due to the potential drug interaction between both natural and prescribed thyroid hormone and testosterone supplements, patients should be discouraged from self-administration of thyroid or anabolic steroids. Due to the lack of standardization in the T3 content, the use of Armour Thyroid should be avoided. Given the absence of other cardiovascular risk factors, the cause of the myocardial infarction in our patient was likely due to drug interaction between Armour Thyroid and exogenous testosterone therapy.
@dynamo2728
Most endos aren’t great with thyroid. Go to stopthethyroidmadness (dot) com and read up on what works and how it works.
New Test Results; Thyroid Panel Coming Soon
In the past 5 months, I have been taking an herbal testosterone booster containing tongkat ali, attempting to raise my levels.
Estrogen and free T both low. Elevated prolactin and SHBG.
It seems your SHBG increased causing TT to go up. Your FT using the Tru-T calculator is 19.70 ng/dL (ranges 16-31 ng/dL) and is not good, the high SHBG is to blame likely caused by high liver enzymes.
Your liver is having trouble, interested in seeing that thyroid panel.
I do not drink or use drugs, so this is odd. Possibly from the oral powder testosterone booster? Prior to using this supplement, my AST was 34 U/L and my ALT was 30 U/L.
Your T is perfectly normal now for your age now. TSH is lower, also in a healthy area. Prolactin is high
Drop the supplement as it messes with your liver and then recheck T, SHBG, LH, Prolactin, Thyroid and Liver enzymes in a month. The liver enzymes need to go down.
Dont jump on the TRT bandwagon too soon at your age. Better to invest more time now to investigate, especially with this new normal T result.
Good luck buddy!
My free T seems pretty low, as does my estrogen. The bottom line is I am not even close to optimized. I will definitely hold off on TRT for a while, but I feel it is inevitable for me.
Thyroid results:
Active hormones look basically perfect to me other than reverse T3. The only issue with my health right now is high SHBG, causing low Free T and low estrogen, and prolactin slightly above midrange. I’ve been in a caloric deficit and steadily losing weight over the last few months, so hopefully a caloric surplus could help lower SHBG, thus freeing up test and estrogen.
I’m no thyroid expert but according to stopthethyroidmadness (dot) com elevated RT3 basically cancels out T3 so even if your free T3 shows up normal range (3.0 isn’t high) you can still be hypo. Using T3 only will help bring down RT3 and give you the T3 you are missing. Since you may have a problem with the body converting T4 to excess RT3 you wouldn’t want to take medications such as Armour, natural or T4 because the T4 in them can elevate the RT3 instead of bringing it down.
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You now have a reason for high SHBG, basically restricting food intake is what increases SHBG. I’m willing to bet this is also why RT3 is elevated, to conserve energy for basically what amounts to starvation.
This wound is self inflicted.
To clarify, I’m not in a deficit on purpose. I just eat according to my appetite. When you eat a clean diet and lead a busy life, it’s hard to maintain a high caloric intake. Starting now, I’m going to attempt to count all of my calories and track my weight like a crazy person to make sure I’m eating enough.
UPDATED LABWORK; BLOOD DRAWN AT 8AM; STARTING TRT
After a year of great sleep and great diet, I got my bloods retested. Estrogen is basically crashed, just like it was in 2019. I’m tired of not being able to gain muscle, having low libido, and low mental clarity. Time to start TRT
Also, my TRT clinic is recommending DHEA along with test. Would this be a waste of my money?
It’s pretty cheap, but you’re at 316. I’d be fine starting without it.