T Nation

My SHBG Is Off the Charts!?

T Replacement
#1

I’m 28, I’ve never done test, or taken any drugs of any kind. I’ve trained on and off for the last decade, and seem to over train really really easily, so I thought I’d order blood tests to see whats going on.

I had a blood test, and here is the results:

Ttest
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As you can see my toatal test is pretty good, I think it converts to about 850.

However my SHBG is horrendous, and my free T is bad because of it.

Any opinions?

I’ve been looking online for ansewers. So far I’ve started supplementing with: Boron, stinging nettle root and an avena sativa tincture.

Also I’ve come across the idea that liver issues can be a cause.
Here are the results of a liver blood test I had:

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As you can see, my aspartate transferase and alanine transferase are iffy.

#2

Get an Ultrasound of your liver. I have never seen SHBG that high. I run around 49-50, but went up to 70 when I took lisinopril.

Do you drink? You already said no meds, but make sure. Finasteride? Something is going on with your liver to have SHBG that high and the other two abnormal liver markers.

I have high shbg, but my liver markers are fine. I caused my SHBG to go high with benzos and alcohol more than likely.

***Oh, and those herbs and stuff to lower SHBG, might possibly help, but you have a serious issue that needs to be medically addressed. Those are band-aids, and not very good ones either.

#3

Thanks for the reply. No I don’t drink reguarly at all. Maybe a couple of times a year at most for special occasions.

Long before I had these tests done (years before), I noticed that my palms were bright red all the time except when I got up in the morning. It was weird, I’d look at everyone elses palms to see if anyone else had red palms like me, but nobody did. One day I googled it, and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is what came up time and time again in the search results.

Although my palms are far less red now since I’ve started eating healthier and it got noticeably better after I started supplementing with topical magnesium.

TBH I don’t like doctors; I’ve never left the doctors office satisfied with our interaction. I just get fobbed off. If I print off my blood results perhaps they’ll actually do something about it.

#4

Also there are few other iffy markers for the blood test like: high Calcium, low uric acid, high cholesterol, both HDL and LDL too high

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#5

Yea dude, something is up, you need to follow up with this.

#6

Those ‘liver enzymes’ that are high are actually amino acid transaminases. It is common for them to be a bit elevated in those with high protein diets or who lift heavy. The ‘standard’ ranges given are for the average fat lazy American.

It does sound as though you may have Fatty liver disease. One of the best treatments for this is lipotrophic injections, commonly known as ‘Lipo shots’. They are cheap, basically choline and inositol with methionine as a methyl donor. Lots of clinics give them, and they are cheap.
Another inexpensive, safe, and cheap option that would recommend in addition to the Lipo shots is using Milk Thistle as a dietary supplement. It has impressive protective action on both the liver and the kidneys. I prefer the extract, but you could take pills if you want.
If you do indeed have liver issues, these two treatments in conjunction should have you feeling better within a couple of weeks.

#7

Hi,

I have been struggling with high SHBG also … my story is at High T, FSH, SHBG, Low E2 No Libido. My Lab Results

The doctors have not been able to determine the cause of the high SHBG. Like you, I take boron, and have tried stinging nettle root. For a while, I believed the boron was working, but now do not think so now as my SHBG has continued to rise. I’ll stop taking boron when I run out. :slight_smile:

I hope you will keep your thread updated with what you find. I’ll be watching!
Thanks.

#8

I have never heard of the Lipo shots before. Good info. I wonder if this has any effect on SHBG.

#9

Most of the body’s SHBG is produced in the liver. High SHBG can definitely be caused by a fatty liver, although in some very obese people it can paradoxically decrease SHBG. It can also be caused by cirrhosis, high estrogen, hypothyroidism, anorexia, and some medications that adversely affect the liver. Repetitive binge-drinking behaviors will elevate SHBG as well. Long-term calory restriction of around 50% of maintenance will also elevate SHBG.

Lipo shots and Milk Thistle will help in all of these cases while you work on the root cause.

Of course, Lipo and all the milk Thistle in the world won’t help if you drink a handle of whiskey every night.

#10

Ill have to look into the lipo shots. Milk thistle has done nothing to bring down my SHBG I take it more now to prevent any further damage.

#11

SHBG will decline slowly as liver function improves.
SHBG increases naturally with age as well. Testosterone shots (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) will cause a more rapid decrease in SHBG itself.