25yr Old, Very Low T. Trying to Avoid TRT

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hey Everyone,

I’m new here and I’ve been scouring these forms as well as the net to understand TRT. My situation is not new here as I have learned from several other posts. So lets start with the basics

-age: 25

-height: 5ft 7in

-waist: 30

-weight: 155 - 162

-describe body and facial hair: Very athletic, visible abs and muscular build. Normal, thick. No signs of balding.

-describe where you carry fat and how changed: No change.

-health conditions, symptoms: Diagnosed Ulcerative Colitis at 22, spent some time in the hospital. I have been in remission for 3 years (thank you prednisone!.) I understand predinsone can have a detrimental effect on the adrenals thus throwing everything out of whack. I thought I was somewhat normal until recently after I started tapering my predisone dosage…extreme lack of libido etc.

-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs: Lialda (Mesalamine) 2.4g/day and currently taper off 14mg of predisone. I have been on prednisone for nearly 3 years, I am taper 1mg every 4 wks. So far so good…at my highest dose (when first diagnosed with UC) 60mg/day for about 2 months.

-lab results with ranges: Had recent bloodwork done, testosterone level show 262. According to my GP this is “normal” Unable to provide further details as I had a very basic blood test done for my physical.

-describe diet: High protein/low to moderate carbs (low GI). Lots of fiberous green vegetables, avoid white carbs/sugars.

-describe training: Lifting 3x per week, Push/Pull/Olympic Complex
Cardio 4x per week: 2x HIIT. 2x Steady State
Skill: Boxing 3x per week, BJJ 5x per week, MMA 1 - 2wk.
Rest: Saturday is often just 1 light session (active rest, focus on technique), Sunday mandatory OFF day (often reward myself with some Ben N Jerrys).

-testes ache, ever, with a fever: No. Tests “seem” normal.
Supplementation: Multivitamin
Fish Oil 4g/day
Sesamin 1x2/day
B Complex 1/day
Calcium 1x/day
Green Tea Extract 2x/day
Black coffee 1x/day
AlCAR 1g/day
BCAA 2x/day (cardio, and skill/conditioning training)

There you have a basic layout of my training. For a while I suspected overtraining and thus took an extended rest period (approximately 1 week) and have since lowered the training volume. I have had several professional MMA fights, and actively compete in BJJ. I normally make the drop from 155 to 140 four or five times per year.

Could someone recommend a place to have lab testing done on the cheap? I am insured and have an endocrinologist but my insurance does not cover lab work. Go go cheap student healthcare.

2

www.privatemdlabs.com and LEF.org both offer cheaper bloodwork.

Why is your doctor tapering your prednisone? Are you going to wean off it completely? Some people have used pregnenolone and progesterone while tapering off corticosteroids to help promote cortisol production. Talk to your medical provider about starting at low dose and increasing accordingly depending on symptoms and how much you taper. Life-Flo is a good brand and is TD, but some can’t absorb TD’s and are forced to take orals (MLM).

Some of your issues could be related to your 15 pound cut multiple times per year, but that’s probably unlikely unless you are doing it completely retardedly.

Your T levels are definitely concerning and warrant further investigation. Do not accept that 265 is “normal”. You are 25 years old–if you have accompanying symptoms, then it should be addressed. Were you experiencing any symptoms before trying to taper off the pred?

3

Thank you for the quick reply.

I couldn’t get an appointment with my Endo until Dec 6th so I’ll have plenty of time to draw some labs before my next visit.

I don’t remember having any symptoms of low T until I started my prednisone taper, I still had libido and energy all the way down to about 20mg/day. Now I just feel run down pretty much all the time. I thought I was simply overtrained but this seems not to be the case. Lately it isn’t just having that rundown feeling, everything aches some days, lack of quality sleep. I figure at 25 I should really be hitting my stride.

4

Why are you tapering?

5

I’ve been on Predinsone for over 3 years at this point. Every time I try to get off of it my UC viciously flares up. Right now this is the lowest amount I’ve used and no flares yet. After my initial diagnosis simply using Lialda (mesalimine) worked but during my first flare up of UC I was prescribed a course of steroids that has now turned into long term dependency.