Testosterone Test Results - 28 y/o male

[AppleJuice77777]

Hi Everyone:

I just got the results of my blood tests and it's pretty disappointing. Looks like I'm dealing with hypogonadism. I had my T levels checked back in August, after experiencing a plethora of related symptoms. The doctor I had at the time was/is a total shithead, because he basically ignored the fact that my T levels were low and told me I was fine. Fast forward 10 months, I have a new doctor, and after experiencing a wave of pretty harsh symptoms, such as mood disturbances, fuzzy thinking, and the loss of morning erections, not to mention weaker and smaller erections in general, I had my thyroid and T levels rechecked.

Here are the labs from August 2011:

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 333 ng/ml Range is not listed, but i read it's 300 to 1200 ng/ml. Under 300 is generally hypogonadism.
TESTOSTERONE FREE 92.5 Standard Range: 35-155 pg/ml
TESTOSTERONE FREE % 2.78 Standard Range: 1.1-2.8

TSH,BLD,QN 0.840 Standard Range: 0.320-5.500 MIU/ML

Compared with the labs from today, June 2012:

TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL 296ng/ml Standard Range: 300 -1200 ng/ml
TESTOSTERONE FREE 92.5 Standard Range: 35-155 pg/ml
TESTOSTERONE FREE % 3.13 Standard Range: 1.1-2.8

TSH,BLD,QN 1.180 Standard Range: 0.320-5.500 MIU/ML

Those are the only test results I have. I haven't yet heard from my doctor; I was able to check the results online this afternoon. I'm just going to flat out admit that I'm scared and I'm fearing the worst. In 4 days I'll be turning 28 years old.

Is anyone able to interpret something useful from these results? Is there hope?

[SEOINAGE]

post ranges for us. Is that all the blood work that was ordered? really not enough info to really get you set up right on a protocol, maybe the doctor will order more blood work when he sees where you are at. If not then likely you will still need a new doc. Based on symptoms you need to do something.

[AppleJuice77777]

added.

[Vettester]

For being 28, you have the total serum levels of someone 40 years older than you. The good news, you obviously have a lower level of SHBG, and your free test % is in the upper quartile. That will be a benefit when you get your serum level up to an adequate level.

It's hard to base your thyroid issue just on the TSH lab. Although, there could be some indication of hyperthyroidism in the mix, you really need to get the reverse/free T3 & free T4 labs to truly get the scoop on this.

Same goes with the testosterone. It's hard to make any diagnosis just based on what you provided. Especially being at 28yo. Yes, hypogonadism sounds about right, but are we talking primary or secondary? Your LH/FSH labs would be beneficial to help with this. It will always be recommended that you get an MRI and/or testicular exam to make sure there are no tumors or other conditions to be concerned about.

Additionally, it would be good to just provide a complete hormone panel, along with your lipids, metabolic, etc. DHEA, cortisol, and most definitely your E2 sensitive assay needs to be addressed before you get too far into this. If you could also squeeze a B12, Vitamin D-3, & pregnenolone lab in, better yet! Give us blood, we'll give you more input.

Sounds like you had a real winner for a doctor, but I'm concerned your current GP might not be fully up to snuff on this either. Please tell us what the doctor's plan is at this stage, now that these results are out on the table ...

[kelkel]

^^^^^This. Find the root of the problem first via BW and go from there. See the stickies for lists of BW. And welcome to the forum. Great place to learn so stick around.

[vinceproduction]

Hang in there, there is hope. I know it seems pretty bad right now but with the right info (be glad you came here for more info than your doc will probably give you, these guys are awesome!) there is hope. A couple things to add to what's already been said. First noticed you're 28. Do you want children in the future? If so, MAKE SURE your doctor knows this. I was started on 300mg of Testosterone every 2 weeks and it wiped out my sperm production pretty quick. I was on this protocol for about a year. We are still working on getting my fertility back. If I would've been on HCG (read the stickies for full details) I would've most likely preserved my fertility by keeping the boys working. I also have very low SHBG and it's proven to be a very good thing! Now that my levels are in the high normal, I'm feeling awesome and the test is doing wonders for me. So again follow the guy's advise and follow up with your doctor. If he/she's not following what you've been advised here, fire him/her and get one that does! Trust me if I would've followed the guys advice here the first time, it would've saved me a LOT of problems, and a year of pure hell.
VinnieTRT

[AppleJuice77777]

Thanks--I'll check out those stickies next.

Right now I feel...weak. And fatigued. I could sleep for 10-12 hours a day and then would still need to pop Adderall like candy just to stay awake. My hands are usually cold; have almost flu-like body aches and chills, followed by extreme overheating and sweating. My head's foggy, and it feels as though I'm adjusting to high altitude or something. My body does not like me at the moment.

Can my SHBG be calculated with the stats I've provided?

[fit2bOld]

Welcome to the forum Apple Juice. Keep posting up your blood work and protocol from the Doctor. Great group of guys here to help you get dialed in.

[vinceproduction]

Not sure about some of your symptoms, but the ones I identify with are the sleeping 10-12 hrs a day. I used to take ephedrine all day just to keep away at work. I know what you mean. It sucks... When do you see your doctor? I'd get in as soon as possible so you can get started on seeing what exactly is going on. It's a long slow steady process, but once you get things figured out you'll be you again...
Good luck to you, and welcome!

[Vettester]

Can my SHBG be calculated with the stats I've provided?

Would need your Albumin lab to get an exact. However, let's say your albumin was at 4.3g/dl (which is a good possibility) then your SHBG would be 11.3 nmol/l. Testosterone will be loosely bound to albumin, so there won't be all that much deviation if it goes up/down a few 1/10ths. If you have or can get a metabolic panel, we can give you the exact, or just get the SHBG panel if you run more labs.

[AppleJuice77777]

Anybody familiar with the effects of antipsychotics on hormone levels? I've been taking Geodon since May 2011 for treatment resistant depression, which is technically considered off-label usage since I'm not bipolar or schizophrenic. I started taking the drug a few months before I even thought to have my T levels, etc., checked. Anyway, I was taking a pretty hefty dose for about 8 months, but then I titrated down to a maintenance dosage, which is about 1/4th the amount I had previously been taking. I'm still on it today.

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome. I'll definitely keep you all posted on the latest and greatest developments.

[SEOINAGE]

Anybody familiar with the effects of antipsychotics on hormone levels? I've been taking Geodon since May 2011 for treatment resistant depression, which is technically considered off-label usage since I'm not bipolar or schizophrenic. I started taking the drug a few months before I even thought to have my T levels, etc., checked. Anyway, I was taking a pretty hefty dose for about 8 months, but then I titrated down to a maintenance dosage, which is about 1/4th the amount I had previously been taking. I'm still on it today.

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome. I'll definitely keep you all posted on the latest and greatest developments.

You should be able to look up more information on the matter, but as far as I know it can have a big impact. All the advice others have given you is great.

[AppleJuice77777]

I have an appointment with an endocrinologist later this week, so I'll let you know what the verdict is. I'm glad that I now know which questions to ask!

Also,I'm in the process of changing insurance carriers--from Kaiser Permanente to Blue Cross & Blue Shield Federal--so hopefully the latter will be better than the former. I'm going to do a forum search, but if anyone can refer me to a good HRT physician who practices in DC, please drop me a line.

Peace.

[MrManGuy84]

Looking forward to your results. My bloodwork and age are exactly the same and I feel just how you do! So at least you're not alone. Only difference for me is that my free is also below normal and I've had a few other tests done.

Anyhow, you might want to ask the doctor to look at prolactin. If that's elevated, it could mean that your problems are being caused by a pituitary tumor. They are rarely cancerous and usually quite treatable. If that's the case it could be the only treatment you need.

As far as your levels, there is no question that you are low! I can't post links, but if you search "Assessing Normal Testosterone Levels" in google, check out the first listing. You'll see that you and I have the average testosterone of an 80 year old man! Yeah, right! Real normal!

I had the same problems with the endo I saw. She said I was fine and to go exercise. She's fired. I talked to a friend who is a retired endo and he told me they were out to lunch and that I should get treatment. He referred me to someone else he knows who still practices. Now I'm waiting again.

[AppleJuice77777]

I'm seeing the Endo for the first time tomorrow. What am I going to be in for? Is he going to be checking out my 'equipment,' if you know what I mean?

Feeling very anxious about this. I really hope he is not going to tell me that my levels are fine, because I desperately want to give HRT a go. I'm curious, though, about what it would feel like to have T levels at, say, 700 to 800. I've read blogs, etc., where people claim that men need to be around that level to feel at their best, so I'm left wondering how I would feel if my T levels were higher. It's hard for me to even contemplate living life without the symptoms I'm experiencing.

[Bonedriven]

It is a whole new world my man.. Keep at it and you will see.

[SEOINAGE]

yeah honestly the difference is noticeable without a question.

[MrManGuy84]

I sure hope so.

After 5 years like this, it's hard to remember what feeling good was even like.

Looking forward to hearing about your appointment AppleJuice.

[AppleJuice77777]

Saw the endocrinologist this morning and he told me that my testosterone levels were perfectly normal, and also mentioned he did not know why my PCP referred me to him. The endocrinologist stated that my total serum levels, which is 296, were within the standard range, and that my level of free testosterone, which is 92/5, is also normal.

Furthermore, the doctor stated that he was not going to order any additional tests because my free testosterone was normal, which, according to him, is the only variable that counts. He examined my balls and stated that I was 'well virilized' and that nothing was physically wrong with me. He referred me to my psychiatrist, actually.

Thankfully, I just experienced a 'qualifying life event' at work, and can enroll in a different health insurance plan. Today's appointment was with Kaiser Permenante, which is an HMO, but my PPO coverage with BCBS begins this coming Monday.

I'm curious, though, if I'm going to get the same explanation even if I go outside of my HMO. Evidently most doctors, at least the ones I've seen, are under the impression that total testosterone levels are irrelevant so long as your levels of free/ bio-available testosterone are within normal range.

What do you think? Am I going to have to buy this shit off the streets, since I can't get a doctor to prescribe TRT for me?

[SEOINAGE]

He is sort of right. going off of your free levels is more important. And my first endocrinologist didn't even test free levels, only total after starting treatment, he had no clue how important free levels were. My total levels were even higher than yours but free at the very bottom of range, and had no problem getting a script. Based on symptoms you should be able to find a doc that will treat you, yes your free looks fairly decent, of course not ideal, but its doing much better than your total. I go to an integrative medicine center now since my first doctor wouldn't monitor estradiol, nor prescribe hcg to me. They are looking into everything much more in depth, and seem to care a lot more about helping me out. I suggest you bag the endocrinologist idea and see what is available to you. Need a better doctor that will at least listen to you and wants to help you out.

[MrManGuy84]

As my retired endo friend said, doctors who aren't sure what to do blame the patient. I've had a lot of doctors fall back on my history of depression as an excuse not to pursue further treatment. This is just plain wrong - even my current therapist does not believe that my symptoms are being caused by some kind of thinking problem. It's especially careless when testosterone is a known cause of depression and the bloodwork is staring them in the face. I'm so sorry to hear this has happened yet again.

What really pisses me off about this is that the endo chose to ignore your symptoms completely. It would be one thing if he said "I don't think it's testosterone, but obviously you feel cruddy, so how about we take a look at this or try that." Instead he's just basically called you a liar and thrown you out of his office. If he were anything other than a doctor one would expect their money back after a visit like that.

He should have at least looked at your prolactin.

Time for another opinion.

Here's a couple tips. When you call a prospective doctor's office, ask to speak to one of the nurses. If you explain to the secretary that you have some questions about what kinds of treatment are available, they are usually willing to do this. Ask them if they treat low testosterone regularly, or what you think the doctor might do with your bloodwork and symptoms. Some will talk in more detail than others, and nothing they say is binding, but you can usually get an idea as to whether they'd be interested in treating you or not.

In my experience I've had better luck with DO's than MD's as far as their level of understanding, willingness to listen, and to take suggestions. You might try that route.

Again, I'm so sorry to hear about another bummer appointment. Pulling for you.

[inevitable]

Man... Im sorry to hear that your having such trouble with your doctors. I ordered my blood work last Friday, blood drawn on Monday, and had the results Tuesday by noon. Im 27 and my levels came back at 220, I freaked out and called my PCP around 12:45pm and was seen in his office by 1:30pm. Showed him my results and he said he wanted to start hrt right away because my father has low test and that was the main factor of his stroke 2 years ago, he talked about the cream and then mentioned the shots and i immediately jumped on the shots. Im doing 100mg/week of Depo-Test cyp by Pfizer (used to be UpJohn). My doctors old school and actually gives a shit about what is going on with his patience. If I were you, I'd do some more doctor hunting or even try your pcp. My fathers been to NUMEROUS endo's and all they keep giving him is the dam creams and HCG. I can't wait to get my blood work done in 3 weeks to compare them with my father since he thinks my pcp is a "quack." If your in/near the Pittsburgh area, I can give you the name of my doctor.

[MrManGuy84]

Man... Im sorry to hear that your having such trouble with your doctors. I ordered my blood work last Friday, blood drawn on Monday, and had the results Tuesday by noon. Im 27 and my levels came back at 220, I freaked out and called my PCP around 12:45pm and was seen in his office by 1:30pm. Showed him my results and he said he wanted to start hrt right away because my father has low test and that was the main factor of his stroke 2 years ago, he talked about the cream and then mentioned the shots and i immediately jumped on the shots. Im doing 100mg/week of Depo-Test cyp by Pfizer (used to be UpJohn). My doctors old school and actually gives a shit about what is going on with his patience. If I were you, I'd do some more doctor hunting or even try your pcp. My fathers been to NUMEROUS endo's and all they keep giving him is the dam creams and HCG. I can't wait to get my blood work done in 3 weeks to compare them with my father since he thinks my pcp is a "quack." If your in/near the Pittsburgh area, I can give you the name of my doctor.

Not to derail the thread... but can you share a bit more inevitable? I'm interested in any known cause for your low T, and how you've been feeling before/after treatment.

Cases of low T in us younger guys seems to be kind of mysterious.

[inevitable]

Not to derail the thread... but can you share a bit more inevitable? I'm interested in any known cause for your low T, and how you've been feeling before/after treatment.

Cases of low T in us younger guys seems to be kind of mysterious.

Well my cause is either AAS use as such a young age or its genetic since my father has it as well. For almost a year, I have been really really bitchy/moody, fighting with everyone, ZERO energy except if I took a stim like lipodrene or Animal Cuts, Foggy head, muggy/slow thinking, TERRIBLE TERRIBLE sex drive hard ons were very weak and was never horny, memory was shit, couldn't concentrate. Talked to the doctor many many of times and we decided to try anti-depressants. After about 3-4 months, I had tried 3 different kinds, all were a temporary fix. This past month I hit an all time low with the gf and everything else. We were fighting 24/7, I always wanted to be left alone or in my room to sleep, we hadn't had sex in 2 months and didn't have any drive (thats just to name a few). This past friday, I went on privateMDlabs (legal) and ordered my bloodwork (around $100), made my appoint for Monday at 11am then received my results Tuesday at 11:56am, called the doc and the rest history in the making. First dose was on Monday (200mg/cyp) and Today as I was cleaning I could actually feel my levels drop so Instead of waiting until Monday, I had decided to take 100mg every 5 days, after about 30 minutes (very fast responder) I could feel my body feeling better, plus face started to bloat after the shit (gf thinks it hilarious). I can't tell you how thankful I am for getting my bloodwork done and seeing that my levels were so low. I feel fantastic, energy is coming back, Im not depressed, laughing alot more that I was, sex drive is kicking up just to name a few. I can't wait until the ester fully kicks in.. I will also be starting hcg 250iu 3x/wk to keep the boys alive.
Sorry OP if I hijacked your thread.

[rd27]

AppleJuice77777, did you ever find some in the metro DC area? My PCP is recommending an endo consult so I am looking also.

FYI, I found at a couple people in the area and have asked their thoughts in the thread "TRT In Northern Virginia",