Low Testosterone, 19 Years Old

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
21

[quote]rugb328 wrote:
UPDATE

I found an endo and have an appointment for Monday. I also got a second evaluation from another gp. The AT staff at my university sent me to this guy just so I could get a second opinion (they paid for it). This guy turned out to be a retired bodybuilder and was at least somewhat knowledgeable. He brought up HRT without me asking about it, and although I seriously hope I don’t have to go that route, its nice knowing that i found someone who is open to and somewhat educated on the subject.

Thanks again for all the help. Ill check back after I see the endo[/quote]
i would not waste your time going to an endo because they are not hormone specialist, but more so diabetic dr’s
You need to look why your testosteorne levels are low and what stress or lifestyle, nutritional imbalance that may present here. Most endos do not ask the right questions which take about 30 minutes to achieve. With in 30 minutes of the first visit I have some kind of an idea what the potential cause for why the testosterone may be low. IT just takes time to ask the proper questions. Being as young as you are there is a logical reason. Only on rare occassions hrt is ever needed. To many dr’s are taking the easy way out and prescrbing TRT to young people resulting in causing more issues then they first started with.

22

very good thread. info’s really useful.

im 19 and my most recent lab tests showed my total test was at 240 ng/dl.

i went through the same things (never felt like doing anything, antisocial, etc) but i attributed it to the fact that i was dieting

/hijack

anyway please keep updating. hope all goes well

23

Well if you have insurance there is a good Dr near by that specializing in these issues. I also have been through this as well and work with an MD that will look into what hidden stressor may not being allowing your body to rebalance.

24

update -

Went to the endo and found out very quickly how much they did not know. “no, we dont need to worry about your estrogen, that only affects women” and “free testosterone is not a valid test, all we need to look at is total testosterone”. I was about ready to walk out at this point, however they did do some more tests to try to figure out why my cortisol was low and i figured ide let them since i already payed my $60 copay (still pissed about that). Nevertheless, I will definitely be looking for another doctor. any input is appreciated. I will post the new labs when i get them

25

That’s is so frustrating…I just had the same experience with my doc…

My estrogen level is 154 when upper limit is 160…He says “It’s within normal range”

I was like are you F%^&ing kidding me!!

Tried to get some Nolvadex and/or Arimidex and he was like no way and basically laughed at me…Think it’s time for a new doctor…

26

UPDATE

here are the most recent lab results. These were taken by the endo at aprox 1PM in the afternoon. All labs were done through Labcorp.

LH 4.1 1.7-8.6
FSH 4.0 1.5-12.4
ACTH PLASMA 27.9 7.2-63.3 (this ref range is for samples collected between 7 and 10 AM)
Cortisol 9.4 AM RANGE 6.2-19.4 PM RANGE 2.3-11.4
TSH 3.0 0.45-4.5
Free T4 1.35 0.93-1.60
IGF-1 295 19 year old range (141-403)
Test, serum 492 280-800

I was given a ACTH stimulation test, and my cortisol level was retested exactly an hour later.

Cortisol 30.4 Ref AM RANGE 6.2-19.4 PM RANGE 2.3-11.4

The endo would not listen to me when I suggested testing for e2 and free test, among other things, and she said that they do not apply to me and are bad tests(yes, I am looking for another doctor)

What do you all think about the new cortisol levels? about the ACTH stim test? If i do not have a pituitary problem, I think that my main issue is the high estrogen which is effecting my free test levels and making me feel crappy.

Thanks for all the help

27

I would look into cortisol saliva testing done through ZRT and see if it matches your symptoms. One may also look into thyroid and all its parameters as well as binding elments.

28

You have very high TSH and need a more detailed Thyroid tests:
TSH > 2 = a problem that needs to be addressed.
Total T4
Total T3
Free T4
Free T3
Reverse T3
Ferritin
Total Iron Binding Capacity

Your cortisol may be a problem. You really need an 8am blood test or the x4 daily saliva tests.
15-20 is ideal for an 8am blood test
< 15 = a possible problem
< 10 = a problem
< 5 = a serious life threatening problem

The ACTH test simply means that your adrenals can produce more when hit by a big dose of ACTH.

Testosterone seems okish (since it was a 1pm test) but will probably bounce up once you fix your estrogen, thyroid, and cortisol problem.

Try to get all of your future blood work done at 8am (it is best practice).

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http://www.impotencespecialists.com/southwest.html

30

How is digestion?

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Digestion is so-so, sometimes i crap out undigested food but i am normally OK. Bricknyce, I appreciate the link that you sent me, but I went through the doc’s on there the first time you posted it and none of them are near where I go to school or where I am from.

32

Ok if digestion is altered then this should be a red flag for to things that need to get checked such as
Food allergies and also thyroid disorders. I see these run hand and hand with each other as food allergies can increase antibodies. Digestion needs to be corrected but you need to find the underlying causes other wise attempted is futile

33

Update:

I am still working through getting a good doctor, however I think my cortisol levels are back in line from the blood work Ive recently had. I started on arimidex .20mg EOD and have seen a dramatic improvement in energy, mood, and body composition. I am still trying to find a doctor that can figure our my thyroid issues, however funds and time are in short supply. I want to thank you all once again for your input, I really have appreciated it. I will check back in when I got for more labs.

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Update:

It has been over a year since I first began getting blood work done, and although I have learned allot, I have yet to see any real improvements. I have included an update for a few different areas, as well as a snapshot of an excel sheet containing all of my lab work.

SUPPLEMENTS:
Fish oil
Zinc
Magnesium
B12
Vit D
Liquidex - .8mg per week dosed evenly EOD
I supplemented Iodoral tablets per the template that Purechance (I think?) used. This had no effect and I discontinued after about a month.

Lifestyle:
Since December 2010, I have quite football (As I mentioned earlier in this forum, I have lost a significant amount of weight (this number has increased to 60 plus lbs, however I am stable now) and strength (about half as strong as I was before) and am simply not competitive anymore) and decided to graduate a year early. I also started a business, so needless to say I work between 12-14 hours per day due to my business and school. Nothing else has really changed in this area. I usually work out 3-4 days a week, however this usually is determined by if I have the energy/time.

Diet:
I have since eliminated all wheat and corn products. I eat extremely clean and my diet consists of mainly chicken, beef, vegetables, fruits, rice, potatoes, and dairy product - all of which is minimally processed. Fast food is < once a week.

Body:
I have lost a little bit more weight (see above) however I seem to have stabilized. I have a decent amount of muscle but seem to have about the same amount of fat. I lost a little bit of fat when I first started taking liquidex, however this seemed to only be temporary/imaginary lol.

Mood/energy:
This is the biggest area of concern. I currently feel miserable. Symptoms include:

Severe fatigue: I routinely sleep between 8-9 hours per day, however I could easily sleep for 12+ if I had the time. I do not ever feel rested upon waking. I struggle to simply function in the morning, however I feel a little better late at night.
Lack of libido - libido is low, not a concern at the moment, although I do know this is a problem
brain fog - worse some days than others
Social withdrawal - I am not the same person I was 2 years ago. Not sure exactly how much of this can be contributed to medical issues or its just me growing up.
Morning wood: rare, although I can get a decent erection.

Doctors:
I have seen 4 doctors so far, none of them really know much about anything, however I have been using them to slowly get labwork done so it has not been to no avail. I am currently in a place where I do not have access to a doctor that knows what they are doing. My schedule/finances simply will not allow me to travel to where I can get help. I will be in Dallas/Ft. Worth for two months this winter and plan on seeking a doctor there.

Body Temps:
I consistently wake with body temps in the low 96s and even down into the 95s. My body temps rarely get above 97.8 during the day. This has been observed over multiple periods and with different thermometers.

Summary of Lab Work:
My labs all point to thyroid/cortisol issues. My RT3 numbers are sky high and my cortisol numbers are in the crapper. My theory (per what I have been reading) is that my RT3 numbers are bad because of my cortisol. I plan on getting a doctor to address my cortisol and hope that everything else clears up. I have also read that supplementing t3 only medication will clear my excess RT3. Also, once thyroid and cortisol numbers are fixed, if my testosterone numbers do not go up significantly, I plan on pushing for TRT.

Purpose of Post:

  1. I would like any feedback/insight into what I posted. What do you all think about my theory about my RT3 numbers? Any idea what is causing the crappy cortisol numbers?
  2. Anybody in the DFW area with a good doctor? Would appreciate a PM if so.

Thank you everyone for contributing. If it were not for this forum, I would have likely never sought help and just simply toughed it out for the rest of my life.

35

i have the same problem except my test is fine.

fogginess and only feel really in focus when i have stims.

if you have a quality T3 product, it will lower your T4 production resulting in less rT3

i did that actually^^^.

i have finally got the money, and ordered a cortisol saliva test (4x in one day) by recommendation of anonym and VTballa, IIRC

you can order it through lab corp or online

36

Rugb, hang in there man. I can see you are completely frustrated. And being tired a lot makes it like ten times worse. Not smart enough to give you any advice, just hang in there…someone will help you. That sucks.

37

[quote]txhawkeyes wrote:
Rugb, hang in there man. I can see you are completely frustrated. And being tired a lot makes it like ten times worse. Not smart enough to give you any advice, just hang in there…someone will help you. That sucks.[/quote]

Thanks for the support. I appreciate it.

38

Dude, I was in a health market just now, and was talking to a guy who is 25 who likes what
DHEA has done for him. He takes 25 mg twice a day, and has energy, and sleeps well… Just
throwing it out there. They also had a topical DHEA that you rub on too.

Also, the same company makes a topical rub on Pregnenolone. It is a precursor to hormones,
right ahead of DHEA one way, and Progesterone in the other direction.

? Good luck.

39

[quote]txhawkeyes wrote:
Dude, I was in a health market just now, and was talking to a guy who is 25 who likes what
DHEA has done for him. He takes 25 mg twice a day, and has energy, and sleeps well… Just
throwing it out there. They also had a topical DHEA that you rub on too.

Also, the same company makes a topical rub on Pregnenolone. It is a precursor to hormones,
right ahead of DHEA one way, and Progesterone in the other direction.

? Good luck.[/quote]

Thanks for the info, however I am still learning about how DHEA interacts with cortisol. I have read that supplementing DHEA before fixing adrenals can due more harm than good. However, I am currently looking into supplementing Pregnenolone or progesterone to treat cortisol. My understanding of cortisol production is that progesterone → 17 hydroxyprogesterone → cortisol, however I don’t think I have read anywhere on these forums of approaching treatment this way. Would love to hear from VTball, purechance, or ksman on this.

40

from a charles poliquin article regarding ALCAR

“…This product is particularly useful for people who when exposed to long term stress show signs of low morning cortisol, such as early morning and difficulty waking up. A great thing about ALC is that it has an amphoteric effect on cortisol levels, raising or lowering levels depending on feedback mechanisms. If it is too low and, it will bring cortisol up. If it is too high, it will bring it down…”

(props to PBandy)