Testim 2 Tubes Per Day, Having Problems

Hello,

I posted a while ago, but I have new questions.

I am 33 and have a level around 320 total and 8.2 free. So, I went the route of full diagnosis, I have low FSH, but no pituitary tumor.

I was put on one tube of Testim per day and that raised total T to about 350 and free to about 8.4. So they put me on two tubes. I have not had the blood work yet for the result of the two tubes of testim per day.

The issue is, I still feel exhausted all the time. Most of the doctors I have seen say 320 or 350 is really not that low and probably isn’t the cause of the exhaustion. I can, and do when I can, sleep 12 hours a day or more. I am constantly tired. I had a sleep study done, it’s not sleep apnea, sleep stages all seem to be fine.

Am I correct in thinking 350 is just too low? Or are the doctors right and 350 just wouldn’t cause this kind of exhaustion?

As a side note, shortly after going on two tubes of Testim per day, I get a splitting headache during exertion, especially sex. (And sex is a large amount of effort, since completing it is terribly difficult, I think libido is pretty crappy right now.) These headaches, at their peak, are equivalent to being in the attic and standing up into a rafter, I grab my head, feel like I might vomit. The headache is low grade constantly, but spikes during these events. (I’ve had an MRI recently, for the pituitary, and nothing like an aneurysm or anything showed up, it doesn’t seem to be BP related.)

I am having a great deal of difficulty concentrating, focusing on a task. The doctors keep implying it’s depression, but I think I can tell the difference. There’s a lot of things I WANT to be out doing, but I am just too tired to do them.

Does any of this track for anyone else? Do these things correlate at all? What should a 33 year old male’s T be on average?

Thank you for your time

This is a really old thread, but I’m going to bump it. I’ve been on TRT for a while, Testim gel. I don’t seem to get many answers from my doc as to why FSH is low to begin with.

At any rate, the doc has been pushing me to take less and less, which I have been doing. But I’m getting fatigued, just exhausted. So, I decided to go back up to 1.5 tubes, hematocrit and RBC is high, just top of the range. Test is still low, 338 total, 10.8 free. However I have a slamming headache, hematocrit is 50.9, hemoglobin 17.4g/dL

Is HCG, Test, Arimidex a solid way to go? (This doc only wants to do an injection every 2 weeks, which I hear is not that great.)

So, I’m hoping someone can recommend a different doctor, or a different tact to take with this one. I’m in upstate SC, if anyone knows of a good endo around here, or a good remote doctor, let me know.

Thanks!!!

Addendum: There’s a bunch of BHRT doctors around here, are they worth checking out? Or is that just some BS I should avoid?

Have you read these stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc

Many who come here have a degree of low thyroid function inability to absorb transdermal T is a symptom of low thyroid function. You can eval your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperature as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid function can be caused by different factors, but iodine deficiency from not using iodized salt can be corrected. Symptoms can be feeling cold and sparse outer eyebrows.

High hematocrit can cause headaches. Your BP can be wild during sex.

Please post lots of recent lab work with ranges.

Thanks, I will read the sticky on finding a doc.

Sorry, I’m a bit unfocused. Here is what I am hoping you guys can help with:

  1. Is the hematocrit / hemoglobin an issue? Should I be worried or is this acceptable variance?

  2. What labs tests would one recommend?

  3. I’m pretty unhappy with this Endo at the moment, I feel like my questions aren’t getting answered. I’m not sure why we keep going up and down on T… even though WHY it’s low has never been answered. I’m low on their chart, feel like crap, but they say it’s fine. Do I need to run from this doctor? Or should I go in one more time with some data and say, I want to do X.

  4. What’s a “shoot for” range for a 35 yo male?

  5. I weigh 218lbs, 5’11 - I don’t know body fat, I have definition, I work out, but not ripped or anything. I can bench over my body weight and deadlift 315 for many reps. Just so you can get idea, not epitome of fitness, but not necessary out of shape. I could stand to lose some BF and build cardio endurance for sure.

  6. Is HCG and/or Arimidex recommended if you’re taking T?

A brief summary:

Went to Endo with 320 total T. They said it wasn’t low, could be a fluke, could be depression. Put me on 1.5 tubes of Testim. I had this same brutal headache when I started, so much that I went to the GP and they put me on some migraine medicine, light hurt, right behind my eye. I lowered T a little, as best I can by judging how much I am squeezing out of the Testim tubes, and the headache went away.

I had many lab tests where Total T was around 500-600. I met with a PA who suggested bumping it up to 1.75 tubes, as ~550 was still low, according to her, not the Endo.

The last time I saw the Endo (not the PA), I had a test done and total T was 900 and Free T was 26.1. The Endo then said I must drop it down to 1.25 tubes of T. She is insistent that I should get off it totally, but every time I try, I get exhausted. And not just tired, exhausted to the point of missing work, sleeping 12 hours a day, no motivation, don’t have the energy to workout, almost no libido. I have taken time off just to sleep. I also have terrible night sweats. If I wear underwear, they will be soaked. I usually change them between 1-3am even though I try to keep my apt at 67 degrees at night.

I told her nurse these things and she said I could do my lab early. Which I did. The office called and said the lab work was fine and I should continue on 1.25 tubes of Testim. So, I felt like my T was low, I asked for numbers, which they mailed to me. That is what follows:

Total Testosterone: 335 ng/dL
Free Testosterone: 10.9 pg/mL
White Blood Cell Count: 5.3 K/cmm
Red Blood Cell Count: 5.65 million/cmm
Hemoglobin 17.2 g/dL
HEMATOCRIT: 50.8%
MCV: 89.9 fL
MCH: 30.5 pg
MCHC: 34 g/dL
RDW: 12.7%
Platelets: 139K/cmm

That is the entirety of the lab work they do. After this, I have bumped it back to 1.5 tubes, and now have this headache, like when I first started T. But my numbers had dropped back to pretty close to where I was to begin with.

Prior to the Endo, the GP did thyroid and big battery of tests, everything was within normal ranges except Test. The Endo discovered low vitamin D, but that has been corrected. I don’t have immediate access to those tests, I can get them mailed most likely…

Thank you for your time and patience, I will try to be as clear as possible.

  • see the protocol for injections sticky and advice for new guys to know more basics

You clearly need a new doctor.

E2 management is probably your answer.
You might do better and save money self-injecting.
When you sweat, you loose your transdermal T.

Thanks, I’ve been calling pharmacies and have a few leads… great idea!! :smile:

Thanks for the help and support!

Get specific and ask re docs who Rx injected, T+hCG+AI