The laws of the land were modified to prevent compounding pharmacies from selling any drug that is substantially the same as commercially branded. So they could not sell hCG any more. So now you can get hCG from a compounded pharmacy that has B12 in it. When you add BA water, it is then a deep red color from the B12. There is really no magic here and no reason to get too excited. It’s not really anything special.
Only a compounding pharmacy will supply this. You would dilute the same and inject the same amounts.
SMG, please provide links to your threads. Should not be an easter egg hunt.
Lower SHBG means more FT and bio-T.
Lower SHBG can lead to lower TT, but that is not a problem as T+SHBG is functionally inert and it a transport method to eliminate T from your blood by metabolization of T+SHBG in the liver.
KSman, I’d appreciate you taking a look at my latest lab report and replying with any comments. Thanks again. Your contributions (as well as others) here have shortened my learning curve about TRT dramatically. Much appreciation!
From the reading here it looks like you are the man when it comes to saving people from our symptoms and giving us back our quality of life. I would appreciate it if you could give me any advice about my current situation. I will keep reading all you have wrote in my breaks at work!
I’m not sure how to “tag” you about my reply but I have followed up with info in “47yo new trt a lot to learn” thread
my last post explains I need to get 1 of my 3 blood labs from the dr tomorrow and post those results too it is one about pituitary function…
Hi Ksman, don’t like to keep hassling you but I feel I need some direction as although I’ve been referred to a thyroid specialist it looks like it’ll be months before I get to see him and can’t even say for sure he’ll be helpful.
Should I ask for a test on rT3? Have a few questions in my original post you’ve been helping me in.
please take a quick look at “47 yo guy lot to learn” if you get a chance.
planning a consult with dr fri. and want to have her order all necessary blood work to get on tract
I plan on the SQ injections since there does not seam to be a down side .5cc of (200mg per cc) 2x a week
Going to order iodine supplement and follow IR protocol before mentioning to dr about hypothyroid again then do thyroid panel after IR protocol is complete
Take a look and let me know what tests would be preferred at the next lab in 3-4 weeks
I’m really beginning to grasp the concepts here and can’t thank you enough for you diligence and help provided through this site !!!
Thanks so much for your time! I have learned a lot from you already. And, as evidenced by the countless “Thank Yous” on here, you have changed many lives for the better!
When you get a chance, I added my labs as requested. Please take a look, let me know what you see, and how you think I should proceed.
First, different labs have vastly different ranges and numbers. So you cannot easily compare or define such things in some cases. Quest FT has very high numbers.
FT near or at high range for old guys seems to work well, but many will not get there when their TT is limited to normal ranges and docs will often not want any labs exceeding normal high range. Younger guys will get more benefit from a given FT than old guys.
And FT:E2 is probably good metric as long as E2 is not so low that adverse things start to happen. So FT=30 with E2=30 would be 30/30=1.0 and FT=30 with E2=20 would b e 30/20 = 1.5. There is not real science behind that and I just made that up, but it does have merit. Similar to some androgen indexes that factor in SHBG. Note that more E2 typically increases SHBG and more FT or bio-T lowers SHBG. And also note that E2 blocks some of the molecular action of T at the cell walls. Both T and E2 affect gene expression inside the cell nuclei and the effects of one can also involve inhibiting the effects of the other.
SHBG is a big factor. SHBG is thought to increase with age. In many cases that would result from guys simply getting older and fatter with T levels that are also dropping. But in a TRT context, there can still be some odd things going on in time when T levels, E2 levels are maintained the same over the years. In my case, with 100mg T per week I started off with FT around 35 [Labcorp]. With no weight changes and waist size not changing, my FT levels dropped over the years and T dose was increased to restore some of the energy and libido benefits of the past.
Another issue is that labs have age brackets for ranges. Suddenly your high-normal range T levels can become high above range after a certain birthday. Many progressive TRT docs want to restore T levels to youthful levels. Ranges that decrease with age are contrary to that intent.
When there is a problem with higher levels of SHBG, TT levels become exaggerated vs FT levels. In such cases, TT should be driven above range to get FT to high normal. Most doctors simply do not understand the implications of T+SHBG been non-bio-available. In that case, bio-T would be the best target, but few use that. Higher FT may then drive down SHBG over time. Note that there can be other medical causes or drugs that affect SHBG and the liver’s ability to remove E2 from the blood stream that then increases E2 which can then increase SHBG. So functionally, there is a lot of potential complexity and variability and we seek simple metrics as guides. Sometimes we need to see when one needs to change the game.
Regarding Quest, is that the same company as Quest Diagnostics? Just curious, because that is where I had my last labs done.
If I come across information that I feel might be useful in a general sense for the thyroid and iodine, where is the best place to post that? The “Thyroid Basics” sticky?
Also, I posted one more set of questions before I start IR. I appreciate you looking at it!