22 Years Old, Very Low T (75 ng/dl)

Hey guys, new here and looking for some advice.
I’m a 22 year old male, 160 lbs and 5’10. In september of this year i weighed a whopping 210 lbs. i got dumped by my girl and started losing weight. I got on this crazy diet where i did one meal a day combined with keto + very low calories. i also did a weekly 48/60 hour fast. i dropped down to 148 lbs and decided to up my calories to maintenance and started lifting. After a while i realised i was still starving to death, cold all the time and had zero sex drive (since december all ready).
I got bloodwork done and my testosterone is very very low (75 ng/dl).

Bloodwork
HORMONOLOGIE
Bijnier
a Cortisol ochtend 18.71 4.82-19.50 μg/dL
a. ACTH ochtend 44.02 7.20-63.30 pg/mL
a DHEA-sulfaat 185 150-500 μg/dL
. Androstenedione 425 50-480 ng/dL
Gynaecologie-Andrologie
a LH 0.4 <10.0 U/L
a FSH 1.6 <12.4 U/L
Prolactine 5.5 4.0-15.2 μg/L
a SHBG 50.8 18.3-54.1 nmol/L
a Testosteron totaal ↓75 280-1100 ng/dL
Testosteron vrij ↓0.99 6.00-18.00 ng/dL
. Androstanediolglucuronide 1599 100-2360 ng/dL
Diversen
IGF-1 (Somatomedine C) ~ 169 120-338 μg/L

I also have mild anemia and low vitamin d. My doctor referred me to an endocrinoligst who basically gave me androgel for 5 weeks. When i went back he took me off androgel and gave me Nolvadex. I have been taken this for a week now. He told me to ‘come back in 3 months to see if it’s around 300 ng dl’'. When i asked for advice on reddit, everyone told me to get injectables. I’m pretty lost for what to do. I’m skinny fat at the moment, zero libido and very depressed. Constant brain fog and tired all the time.

What should i do?.

Starvation diets are quite harmful/stressful and can mess with sex hormones, adrenals and thyroid function. Ditto for heavy training with those issues. So you did everything needed to get messed up.

Important:

  1. Describe history of using iodized salt [iodine source]
  2. Are your outer eyebrows sparse?
  3. Do you get cold easily?
  4. Post oral body temperatures from the requested two times per day - see below.

Low thyroid function can drive fat gain and affect energy, mood, libido. If GF was not getting iodine she would have been affected as well.

Post available lab data in list format with ranges. Do not skip because its ‘normal’.

What is your clomid dosing? Doctors often prescribe harmful amounts.
On Clomid, get these tested: TT, FT, E2, LH/FSH

Your pre-treatment E2 was not tested. But would be low with very low FT.

What time of day was cortisol tested? How many hours after waking up.


Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys - need more info about you
  • things that damage your hormones
  • HPTA restart
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc

Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.

KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.

I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab number and ranges.

The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.

We are going to tell you the same, get on injectables but do it with another doctor. You have high SHBG and would benefit on 1 or 2 large injections a week, test ethanate 140mg weekly or 70mh twice weekly. I prefer to hold off on the AI for high SHBG guys do to most of your free hormones being bound. No thyroid labs, troubling.

I also had bad anemia and low vitamin D when my testosterone was low. Androgel is a big pharma scam pushed by pharma reps pushed onto unsuspecting doctors who don’t know any better. You need to be shooting for the 800 ranges, these are youthful levels. See if you can get ahold of test ethanate, if not Sustanon 250 and dose weekly.

  1. I don’t really have a history with iodized salt
  2. No
  3. Jup, my hands are freezing sometimes. It has improved since i have been eating a lot more. But still get cold more often then others
  4. I’ll be doing this starting tommorow

Nolvadex 20 mg per day. Cortisol was tested 2 hours after waking
I have since then done another round of blood work

HORMONOLOGIE
Schildklier
a TSH 0.92 0.30-4.20 mU/L
a Vrij T4 17.4 11.6-21.9 pmol/L
Bijnier
a Cortisol ochtend 12.05 4.82-19.50 μg/dL
a DHEA-sulfaat 243 150-500 μg/dL
. Androstenedione 199 50-480 ng/dL
Gynaecologie-Andrologie
a LH ↑13.6 <10.0 U/L
a FSH 7.7 <12.4 U/L
a Oestradiol 31 27-52 ng/L
a SHBG 40.8 18.3-54.1 nmol/L
a Testosteron totaal 478 280-1100 ng/dL
Testosteron vrij 8.31 6.00-18.00 ng/dL
. Androstanediolglucuronide 746 100-2360 ng/dL

Hard to tell what caused this spike in my T levels. Could be nolva, could still be that high from the Androgel (had been taken 4 pumps of 1.62 %, only stopped 1 week before blood test) or could be the fact that i gained a lot of weight. Hard to tell.

I’m having an appointment with 2 other endo’s and a urologist. I feel like my current endo is an idiot (as he thinks the reason for my low t levels are due to me consuming protein shakes). I also believe that Nolva isn’t a long term solution for my problems. I’m fairly young and would like to avoid injecting myself for my entire life, but i have read to much stories of guys in simmilair situations who waited it out, felt like shit all the time and still had to go on TRT.

Oral body temperatures will tell if there’s a thyroid problem, more accurate than any labs test.

Taking 20mg Nolvadex per day.
LH ↑13.6 <10.0 U/L
FSH 7.7 <12.4 U/L
Oestradiol 31 27-52 ng/L
SHBG 40.8 18.3-54.1 nmol/L

Nolvadex dose is too high, creating high LH/FSH that can be expected to create higher T–>E2 inside your testes. Anastrozole does not work there so it might not resolve E2. While E2=31 is not high, it is not ideal.

E2=31 is high VS FT=8.31, also suggesting above testicular T–>E2.

SHBG is elevated creating more non-bioavailable SHBG+T that inflates TT so TT=4.78 overstates your T status. FT=8.31 does show low T status. A spike of TT with higher SHBG is not what it appears to be.

Your T response to LH/FSH does suggest primary hypogonadism. [testes not working well]

Lower FT and estrogen dominance can be expected to increase SHBG.

When introducing iodized salt or supplements, it is important to have a source of selenium to prevent thyroid inflammation and auto immune problems that can occur when deficient in selenium. 200mcg [micrograms] suggested. You will know this if you have read the thyroid sticky. Post the two sets of requested oral body temperatures.

Haven’t had the time to get a thermostat. What’s your advice KSman!? Is nolva a long term solution for my problems?

Depends on how long you were on Nolvadex.
If a longer time, FT=8.31 says that this is not good and you should be injecting T and using hCG to protect fertility. With higher FT, FT–>E2 will most likely require anastrozole.

I have been on Nolvadex for a month now. I’m still taking it. But I’m seeing an urologist Monday and 2 other endos in June.

Hey KSman. I have noted some serious water retention. Take a look. My urologist told me that it’s a by product of the Nolvadex and there is nothing we can do about it

Might easily be E2 doing that.
How old is that E2 data?

You could try anastrozole or cut Nolvadex dose.

Where are those body temperatures?

Bloodwork was done on 17the of may. Should i call my endo to ask about the water retention? I have noticed some acne in my face, sensetive nipples and oily skin. My endo is pretty much an idiot and i feel like he won’t give me an AI. Should i just lower my nolva dose in half? (10 mg instead of 20)

Update. Got blood checked again. T levels are at 950 Ng dl after 3 months of nolva. Very happy with the result. Now have to take Nolvadex (10 mg a day) for another 2/3 months, then get retested in 6 months

How do you feel though at 950 Ng/dl testosterone do you certainly feel better & stronger just wondering brother? also did you use mostly Nolva to get your T levels up?

Glad you’re also not at 75 Ng/dl testosterone anymore, that is FATALLY Low yes.

Feeling way better, no more brain fog nor depression. Stronger in the gym, finally have my sex drive back etc.

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And yes, my t levels dipped to 56 ng dl at one point. I felt like dead. I only used Nolvadex. I do believe however that gaining a significant amount of weight back helped a fair bit as well