Low T treatment with my doctor - Need some guidance / ideas

[calisun]

Warning: long post ahead.

First off I'm 22 years old. My test levels in June of this year were measured at 360..obviously pretty low. I was having a lot of symptoms of lethargy, weakness, sleepiness etc. My doctor prescribed 500iu's of hCG 3 times per week to see if that would bring it up. After a few weeks my blood test looked like this:

Testosterone Total: 1061 (250-1100ng/dL)
Testosterone FREE: 162.3 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
Testo, Bioavailable: 333.9 (110.0-575.0 ng/dL)

I was feeling MUCH better, and unfortunately my Estradiol also shot up to 79 (<29 pg/mL scale). Another doc prescribed 0.25mg of Arimidex per week to combat the estrogen rise.

From there my protocol was changed to: 300iu hCG 3 times/wk and 0.25mg Arimidex once per week.

However, after awhile my mental state became VERY bad. Irritability, sex drive loss, erection frequency out the window, depression...the whole nine (not like me AT ALL...possible Arimidex side effect?). So I got more blood work and my test came back as follows:

Estradiol: 14 (<29 pg/mL)
Testosterone Total: 495 (250-1100ng/dL)
Testosterone FREE: 58.5 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
Testo, Bioavailable: 125.4 (110.0-575.0 ng/dL

My doctor was iffy about the test and wasn't really worried about it. He said that the potency of the hCG bottle was probably dropping due to time span (~8 weeks since it was mixed) and to not worry about the testosterone dip too much. However he did prescribe 50mg of (sub-q) injectable testosterone per week (not sure of the type yet..received the first injection in the office already).

He also wasn't sure what to do cycle-wise and suggested possibly doing something like 8-12 weeks of test injections, then 1 bottle's-worth of hCG, then back to test again. He did not see the previous estrogen issue as a threat even with a painful lump that developed under my nipple (that is still there actually)...so no arimidex or anything was prescribed (however I do have some left over from the other doc .

I would like to keep my test elevated back to where it was previously and also do as much as I can to prevent infertility issues, preserve my testicles as much as possible lol. So my question is, what type of cycle plan would be safest and recommended for this issue using testosterone/hcg/arimidex? Or is there a better way to go about this?

[Mario L]

I think a weekly test shot with some hcg 2x a week and a arimidex added to keep estrogen in check is a trt protocol. There really shouldn't be any cycling on and off test during a trt treatment. I believe I also read about a hmg to keep fertility going.

[zaggahamma]

you say your e2 shot up but the only numbers you posted (pre HCG ) were total test levels...need to know basis?

weird that after success of getting your t levels up that high with hcg he then decides to give you test shots...

was the lump checked by your doctor...i dont hear his evaluation of it?

the logical advice from this board is going to ask ...why is your T low to begin with...ask for more bloodwork(thyroid, cortisol, prolactin, etc. etc)....do you have more bloodwork from before treatment to post....more during treatment or did u post all?..

, checking/checked for tumors? or just threw test into the mix?

[gymfu]

hcg is only good for 30 days after reconstituded.

[calisun]

you say your e2 shot up but the only numbers you posted (pre HCG) were total test levels...need to know basis?

Pre-HCG I don't think I was tested for Estradiol levels. I have the blood work in front of me and it's not listed. Just testosterone for the hormone side of things.

The low numbers from my bloodwork pre-HCG:

Testosterone Total: 360
Testosterone FREE: 33.2 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
Testo, Bioavailable: 68.3 (110.0-575.0 ng/dL)

weird that after success of getting your t levels up that high with hcg he then decides to give you test shots...

I thought the same thing actually. He's a specialist and my primary was also very FOR the test shots.

was the lump checked by your doctor...i dont hear his evaluation of it?

Yeah. He didn't seem impressed by it. He just said it'll go away. It's sore to touch though. Has gone down a bit since stopping HCG

the logical advice from this board is going to ask ...why is your T low to begin with...ask for more bloodwork(thyroid, cortisol, prolactin, etc. etc)....do you have more bloodwork from before treatment to post....more during treatment or did u post all?..

, checking/checked for tumors? or just threw test into the mix?

I've been checked for tumors, prolactin test, thyroid, liver...everything you can imagine.

An issue that is definitely connected to the low test is low cholesterol. My cholesterol was measured at 108 (125-200mg/dL) and HDL at 31 (>=40mg/dL). Over the years I've had random spikes in my liver test as well with my liver enzymes (I don't drink and never have..no drugs either). The issue of cholesterol and liver has been worked on with tons of blood work/exams by 2 primary doctors, an endocrinologist, a GI specialist, and 2 disease specialists. No one can figure out why my body has low cholesterol and liver enzyme spikes from time to time. Three of the doctors agreed to just treat the hormonal issue, but all agree there is a root to it...they just haven't figured it out. I really wish I knew what the root was.

[calisun]

Hm, made a reply with more info/answering the above questions but it has to go through mod approval...?

[SlimmerMe]

^^ if it had a link then it takes awhile for approval....and nothing personal, just the way it is for a little bit

[calisun]

^^ if it had a link then it takes awhile for approval....and nothing personal, just the way it is for a little bit

Gotcha. No prob. I wonder if it thought something was a link by mistake because I didn't actually link anything.

[bass]

Hm, made a reply with more info/answering the above questions but it has to go through mod approval...?

yea thats happened to me too, i was surprised!

OP, if you develop gyno due to your doc ignoring the high E2 make sure he pays for your surgery!

[SlimmerMe]

interesting. No link? odd. Well then just wait and see once it is posted.....

[calisun]

OP, if you develop gyno due to your doc ignoring the high E2 make sure he pays for your surgery!

Hah, I hear that man. I'm not liking the current nipple situation at all but he seems to think it's no big deal. Tried to convince him of otherwise. He also didn't have a solid protocol to follow either hence why I'm here so I'm highly doubting his E2/"just ignore it" advice.

[steroid.com 1]

hcg is only good for 30 days after reconstituded.

Where did you get this from? hCG refrigerated can hold its effective potency for 90 days...maybe even longer.

Even if there were a potency decline after 30 days it would be so insignificant that the OP wouldn't see or feel any changes for some time thereafter.

[bass]

Hah, I hear that man. I'm not liking the current nipple situation at all but he seems to think it's no big deal. Tried to convince him of otherwise. He also didn't have a solid protocol to follow either hence why I'm here so I'm highly doubting his E2/"just ignore it" advice.

yes just make sure you tell him that if this turns into gyno he will be held responsible! BTW, have him read Dr. John Crisler advice on TRT!

[calisun]

you say your e2 shot up but the only numbers you posted (pre HCG) were total test levels...need to know basis?

Pre-HCG I don't think I was tested for Estradiol levels. I have the blood work in front of me and it's not listed. Just testosterone for the hormone side of things.

The low numbers from my bloodwork pre-HCG:

Testosterone Total: 360
Testosterone FREE: 33.2 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
Testo, Bioavailable: 68.3 (110.0-575.0 ng/dL)

weird that after success of getting your t levels up that high with hcg he then decides to give you test shots...

I thought the same thing actually. He's a specialist and my primary was also very FOR the test shots.

was the lump checked by your doctor...i dont hear his evaluation of it?

Yeah. He didn't seem impressed by it. He just said it'll go away. It's sore to touch though. Has gone down a bit since stopping HCG

the logical advice from this board is going to ask ...why is your T low to begin with...ask for more bloodwork(thyroid, cortisol, prolactin, etc. etc)....do you have more bloodwork from before treatment to post....more during treatment or did u post all?..

, checking/checked for tumors? or just threw test into the mix?

I've been checked for tumors, prolactin test, thyroid, liver...everything you can imagine.

An issue that is definitely connected to the low test is low cholesterol. My cholesterol was measured at 91 (and then 108 after a few months of stuffing my face with fatty foods to see if it would help) (125-200mg/dL) and HDL at 31 (>=40mg/dL). Over the years I've had random spikes in my liver test as well with my liver enzymes (I don't drink and never have..no drugs either). The issue of cholesterol and liver has been worked on with tons of blood work/exams by 2 primary doctors, an endocrinologist, a GI specialist, and 2 disease specialists. No one can figure out why my body has low cholesterol and liver enzyme spikes from time to time. Three of the doctors agreed to just treat the hormonal issue, but all agree there is a root to it...they just haven't figured it out. I really wish I knew what the root was.