Bloodwork Help

**doublewide** · 05-05-2022, 09:14 AM

52 year old male. Taking 200 mg Test Cypionate per week. Supplement with DIM every day to control estrogen levels. I was thinking Arimidex would be overkill. Been on this routine for about a year. I recently started taking Finasteride to help with my balding head and that is when the problems kicked in. All of a sudden I have zero desire for sex and now can not even get an erection when taking Viagra. So I had some bloodwork done and I came back with some numbers that are pretty out of whack. Here is what I got tested and the results:

SHBG: 76 (High)

Testosterone Total: 1623 (High but I think I am ok with that number)

Testosterone Free: 216 (High but think that is ok)

Estradial: 47 (Slighly elevated but not sure if this is causing my issues)

FSH:.7 (Very low. Concerning)

LH: .2 (Very Low. Also Concerning)

Prolactin: 9.1 (Normal!)

Just curious as to your thoughts on my bloodwork and what I should do. Yes, this is all self prescribed. Perhaps that is my problem. Not totally sure if the Finasteride had anything to do with this but this literally hit me about 3 weeks after starting Fin. I have stopped the Fin.

Any help would be appreciated.

**Cylon357** · 05-05-2022, 10:08 AM

Finasteride is a DHT killer. Guess what DHT does, among other things? That's right, helps with libido. This situation is not that complicated. Your problems started with the Finasteride.

Note that some men tolerate low DHT well, others, apparently including you, do not. Fina is either maana from Heaven or poison from hell, depending on which camp you fall in.

If this was doctor prescribed, your doc needs their a** kicked for putting you on a dht killer and not checking your dht levels.

In addition, you have some more reading to do. You seem concerned about FSH and LH being low. In the presence of exogenous testosterone , LH and FSH trend toward zero. This is very well known and documented 1000s of times. Educate yourself on what testosterone does to the male HPTA.

**Cylon357** · 05-05-2022, 10:12 AM

Oops sorry just read that this is self prescribed. Educate yourself. You should NOT be self admistering without some basic knowledge that you seem to be missing. That's how people screw themselves up royally.

Not trying to be harsh, just trying to be clear.

Drop the fina, test your DHT asap and then 2 months after being off fina. Next bloodwork should include psa as well. When we hit 50, that becomes a big one, especially if you THINK you are having DHT issues.

At some point, you can think about microdosing finasteride, but I would not until you have those bloods.

**doublewide** · 05-05-2022, 10:25 AM

Well you just helped educate me Nice Guy Cy! Thank you very much for the response. Been off Fina for about a week. Hoping I can get back on track soon as this really sucks. Fina was poison from hell for me it seems.

Other that quitting the Fina is there anything else you suggest I do? I am obviously doing this for TRT purposes.

Thanks again for the help.

**doublewide** · 05-05-2022, 10:32 AM

Well you just answered my questions. Thank you. I am somewhat educated on all of this. "Somewhat" being the key word there. I do get my PSA tested just about every time I do bloodwork. I suppose my lh and fsh have been low before but I was not having any problems so I did not stress about it. I do recall reading about it now that you mention it. I remember now that it will be low. I was just trying to pinpoint the problem this time and those numbers were what jumped out at me. I usually get my liver levels checked as well.

Thanks again for the help.

**Cylon357** · 05-05-2022, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by doublewide

Well you just helped educate me Nice Guy Cy! Thank you very much for the response. Been off Fina for about a week. Hoping I can get back on track soon as this really sucks. Fina was poison from hell for me it seems.

Other that quitting the Fina is there anything else you suggest I do? I am obviously doing this for TRT purposes.

Thanks again for the help.

There are a handful of additional suggestions I would make, both specific to your situation and in general.

That dose of test seems a little high. You didn't post ranges, but even if top of scale is 1100 on total t, you may have issues with total being that high.

You may feel better overall by reducing the dose and increasing frequency of injection. You might do well at 150 or even 100mg per week if you break that up into 2 or maybe even 3 injections per week. At those lower doses, you could consider subq if you wanted.

For that high SHBG, I would add on low dose proviron . That is, IMO, the number one benefit of that compound. Lowering SHBG will allow you to have higher free t at that lower overall dose we talked about. It will also increase your DHT, through reduction of SHBG, which I suspect you need right now. 12.5mg 2x per day will work wonders.

Add HCG in as well. Even 500iu per week, 250 x2, will help. To be honest, this is really more like insurance to me: you may not need it until you do, then you REALLY do. But it does help maintain some natural production, again which would allow you to run less test per week and still feel super.

**Cylon357** · 05-05-2022, 10:57 AM

Sorry those were specific to you. In general...

Pull lipid panel and cbc at every blood work for the foreseeable future. They don't cost that much and can allow us to prevent problems before they even start.

TSH is another one I would like to see every three months or so, especially being in the over 50 age range. Thyroid issues can seem like low t issues and it is in general just a good idea to know what is going on there.

That is all that comes to mind right now.

**doublewide** · 05-05-2022, 11:51 AM

Damn man thank you very much. Just the info I was looking for. I have taken Proviron in the past and loved it. I actually quit taking it because I was losing a ton of hair! I will get on a lower dose. Give me an excuse to take it. Thanks again for taking the time to educate me. I really appreciate it.