Forgive me, I am new..

[Hailo]

can someone please tell me what blood test(s) or any test a doc should order before he prescribe me androgel?
let me start over. i'm a 37yr old male with 2 kids. first time i found out i had low T was about a year ago. my bp med stopped working. i had really bad headaches. i went to see my dr., but he was unavailable. i saw a PA instead. she ordered TSH and total T. my TSH was normal but my total T was low. a yr later, after getting my blood pressure normal i saw my dr and asked him to check my testosterone level. he asked me why? i told him that it was low last time. he was puzzled to why it was checked the first time. so he repeated it.
so on 3/22/12 my results on free testosterone was 5.8L reference range is 8.7-25.1 pg/ml. so he referred me to an endocrinologist. the endo dr checked my testes and said size was normal. he ordered the following test:

1. IGF-1 was 213 ref. range 109-284.
2. LH was 2.5 ref range 0.6-12.5
3.free testosterone 4.0 ref. 8.7-25.1
4.total t was 181 ref 195-1138
5.FSH 3.3 ref 1.42-15.4
6.prolactin 14.3 ref 3-15

this was done on 5/23/12. he prescribed androgel. what are you guys' advice(s). thank u so much.

[Leroy Jenkins]

For bloodwork info go to the sticky at the top of this section for finding a doctor (I can't post links - sorry).

You have low T. I don't know much about the other numbers but there are a lot of knowledgeable members here that will. You are lower than I was and I had just about every symptom in the low T category. I tried Androgel and it only raised my total T about 50 points. I went to the shots and that worked. Some have luck on the gel but it seems most prefer injections. For some really good information, go to allthingsmale . com and look at Dr. Crislers publications. It explains a lot.

Good luck.

[kelkel]

Well, you can pull bloodwork from the Finding a TRT Physician Sticky at the top of this forum and use it as a guide. Based on what your showing above your LH/FSH are low which could indicate a potential pituitary issue. Low LH = low T = possibly secondary hypogonadism. Primary Hypo would be a failure of the testicals in some way where you would normally see high LH/FSH and low T. IMO you should have an MRI to rule an abnormality in or out. You need to find the root of your problem before you attempt a cure and then examine all options before you start a life time of TRT.

As stated, your first step in my opinion is an MRI. If it comes back negative you may consider alternative therapies to "jump start" your system before initiating TRT. After that we can all speak about Gels or cypionate, etc.

Welcome to the forum. Hope the above helps! There are many good people here with lots of knowledge and experience in this field gained from years of experience. All are willing to help. Be sure to begin reading all the sticky threads and educating yourself. Knowledge is your best friend when dealing with physicians who may not completely understand TRT. Keep us posted here with your results/decisions.

Kel

[steroid.com 1]

I'd like to see Prolactin levels lower...they are elevated...could point to pathology.

[kelkel]

Thinking prolactinoma GD? His level is up there ^^ and pretty high.

[steroid.com 1]

Thinking prolactinoma GD? His level is up there ^^ and pretty high.

Exactly what I was thinking Kel.

[HRTstudent]

probably worth looking into that high prolactin.

surprised an endo would a) give you T therapy and b) not order a pituitary mri.... which they pretty much order for anything it seems.

as a rule of thumb, on average, endocrinologists know little about male TRT. finding the right doctor when it comes to your TRT is the most important step in my opinion.