T Nation

Qustions to Ask Dr for Other Labs?

T Replacement
#1

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I am 40 years old. after months of going to the DR trying to find out why i was so tired and had 0 sex drive we checked my T level. it was 209. I started on androgel which shot my blood pressure up to 165 over 130. then I did 100 MG injection 1x week for four weeks. next blood test for T count was 289. then 150 mg shot 1x week for 4 weeks. then new blood test 320.

this made me feel much better but not normal. then Dr. gave me 200mg everyother week for 1 month and nothing changed from last time. labs 330. then wee did 300 mg everyohter week for 1month and labs were 389. now I am in my current month, 300 MG week 1, week 2 100mg, week 3 300mg week 4 100mg. I have to say that my life has changes so much and I cant believe I have been suffering for many years for no reason.

I am about to go order my new labs. from everything I have been reading it looks like I should be checking other things like E2. My Dr, she seems pretty open to letting me try things that might help. she is young, 33 years old. I want to go to my next visit as educated as I can. what other levels should i be checking? the only thing I have noticed is my nuts have shurnk a little.

I started at 216 lbs 120 days ago
I am now 188lbs
40 years old
I work out 5 days a week, nothing too serious
before and after pic below

#2

before

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after
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#3

Great progress man!

Glad that schedule is working for you…good on the weekly shots (longer term ones just cause too big of a swing).

TT is just a limited image of what is going on inside you… get her to test for:

DHEA, SHBG, Free (or bio-available) Test, IGF-1, Vit D, Vit B-12, T3, T4, FSH, LH and E2.

That’s expose any other problems you might have going on… but if it’s working, they are probably in line anyway… but good to make sure.

#4

Thanks, I am currious to see what my levels are after this last month. I will post when I get them back.

#5

I hope she checked your prostrate. Blood test and Dr. JellyFinger. If there is a hint of cancer in there, it’s gonna swell up like a mofo with all the T. Seriously. Not to scare you, but for guys our age it’s reality.
Awesome progress!

#6

yes, full prostate exam, with PSA levels checked, and will continue to check every 6 months

#7

exam and PSA levels checked

#8

And which one of us is going to object to a female doc ramming her finger up our …

Not like my doc with the nickname “Giant Knuckles”

#9

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
I hope she checked your prostrate. Blood test and Dr. JellyFinger. If there is a hint of cancer in there, it’s gonna swell up like a mofo with all the T. Seriously. Not to scare you, but for guys our age it’s reality.
Awesome progress![/quote]

From the first post of one of the stickies: "A retrospective analysis by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) published in The New England Journal of Medicine found no causal relationship between testosterone replacement and prostate cancer or heart disease risk

“We reviewed decades of research and found no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement therapy increases the incidence of prostate cancer or cardiovascular disease,” said Abraham Morgentaler, a urologist at BIDMC and associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School.

#10

is it uncommon for someone to dose 300mg everyother week for 1 month and only have their T make it from a212 -389? seems like a small jump for this dose.

#11

[quote]anyexcuse2ride wrote:
is it uncommon for someone to dose 300mg everyother week for 1 month and only have their T make it from a212 -389? seems like a small jump for this dose.[/quote]
I’m not a DR, but it seems like a good jump to me, esp. at 1x every other week, which is far from optimal as the half life is ten days.

#12

[quote]strangemeadow wrote:

[quote]anyexcuse2ride wrote:
is it uncommon for someone to dose 300mg everyother week for 1 month and only have their T make it from a212 -389? seems like a small jump for this dose.[/quote]
I’m not a DR, but it seems like a good jump to me, esp. at 1x every other week, which is far from optimal as the half life is ten days.
[/quote]

The real thing you are seeing here are the effects of lab timing in relation to the injection schedule and half life of the drug.

Most common recommendation on this site is to inject twice a week and get the blood tests done either halfway between the injections (to show an average) or just before the next injection (to show a trough).

This is the case of a trough, but since injections are only every other week, the trough is much lower than someone injecting 4x as frequently with much steadier blood levels.

Basically, the blood test is only showing how low he goes. No indication of average or peak values.

Normally, I would recommend someone to switch their injection schedule to a more sensical protocol (2x/week injections). But OP seems to do fine on EOW or EW injections. I would say to keep this in mind if things go south in the future, but if your current protocol is working for you I see no reason to change a thing.

Other posters have given good advice about blood tests to request when you go in for your follow-up. Good to hear a success story here.

#13

I got me levels back and my latest T level is 798. I feel great and DR gave me a 4 month scrip of 200MG weekly. I am going to inject 100MG Tuesday and Saturday. I asked about getting my E2 checked and she said that it was not needed if I did not have any smyptons of high E2. When I go in in December for my next blood test I will insist on blood screens as they have been sugested.

Should I be concerned over the next few months aboutanything? It seems I have a willing DR to get the T i need, although she is not educated on the proper use of it.

#14

You feel great on this protocol right? Why are you looking for things to worry about?

#15

so,if I feel great then dont worry? I do feel great so I wont worry. that sounds good to me.

#16

Trust me man…if there’s anything I’ve learned after doin this for 2.5 years, it’s this: if you rae feelin good, don’t go off chasing numbers that some guy on an internet forum says are optimal :slight_smile:

But if you don’t feel good, then go chasing lol

Glad to hear a success story