New to site and TRT

[scott0719]

Hi everyone, I am new to these forums and I have also recently started TRT. I am male, 25 years old, 6 feet 0 inches tall and 250 pounds. I went to a doctor because I have been having trouble with erectile dysfunction for the last few years and recently it has been worse than ever. I have also been having problems with fatigue and mood swings and over the last year I have put on about 30 pounds of fat which I think is due to lack of exercise which is due to lack of energy.
I went to the doctor the beginning of July of this year and told him about my symptoms and he had me get an MRI with and without contrast to check for a pituitary tumor and the results showed no growth of any sort, at this point he had me get some bloodwork (fasting) which was as follows:

NA 139 Range 130-145 mmol/L
K 3.6 Range 3.5-5.1 mmol/L
CL 105 Range 101-111 mmol/L
CO2 25 Range 22-32 mmol/L
ANION GAP 12.6 Range 8.0-16.0 mmol/L
GLUCOSE 93 Range 70-99 mg/DL
BUN 16 Range 8-26 mg/DL
CREATININE 0.82 Range 0.9-1.3 mg/DL
eGFR >60 Range >60 mL/min
TOTAL PROTEIN 7.0 Range 6.4-8.3 gm/DL
ALBUMIN 4.0 Range 3.5-5.0 gm/DL
CALCIUM 9.3 Range 8.2-10.0 mg/DL
CHOL/HDL 3.4 Range 3.5-5.3 RATIO
BIL TOTAL 0.8 Range 0.3-1.0 mg/DL
AST 21 Range 15-41 IU/L
ALT 28 Range 17-63 IU/L
ALK PHOS 49 Range 38-126 IU/L

TESTOST 159 Range 241-827 ng/dL
TSH 1.47 Range 0.35-5.5 uIU/mL
PROLACTIN 7.9 Range 2.1-17.7


After getting these results he put me on testosterone Cypionate 200mg every 2 weeks, which I took and after 3 injections ( six weeks ) I had more bloodwork done (non-fasting) with the following results:

NA 138
K 4.0
CL 106
CO2 23
ANION GAP 13.0
GLUCOSE 106
BUN 14
CREATININE 0.97
eGFR >60
TOTAL PROTEIN 7.1
ALBUMIN 3.9
CALCIUM 9.0
TESTOST 230
BIL TOTAL 0.7
AST 20
ALT 26
ALK PHOS 48

After seeing him on 10\08\12 he said that my testosterone is still quite low at 230 and that I need to take 200 mg of testosterone cypionate every week and we will redo bloodwork after 6 more weeks. So I found this site and you guys all seem very knowledgeable about this stuff and I was hoping to get some opinions on my situation, it just seems weird to me to have to be on testosterone injections at age 25. I also don't know a darn thing about all this bloodwork stuff and I am not sure if he is checking for everything that he should be. Thanks alot for taking the time to read my long post.

[The Deadlifting Dog]

How many days after the testosterone injection did you get the bloodwork done?

[scott0719]

I got the bloodwork done about 12 days after the injection, I also should have mentioned that I started looking for information on TRT because I haven't felt anything since beginning the injections. I have read other people mention that they feel the testosterone at a peak 3-4 days after injections and lessen after 10 or so and some people inject every week due to this but so far I haven't felt anything energy wise, erection wise, mood wise absolutely nothing no matter how many days it has been since an injection.

[The Deadlifting Dog]

I am not the most knowledgeable member here and I am sure many of the smarter members will chime in shortly however I believe that by 12 days after the injection your testosterone levels will almost be back at baseline. Your doctor should know this but many do not. Members here will tell you that 200mg/week is on the higher end for TRT.
Doing weekly shots of 100mg or 50mg semi-weekly (not bi-weekly as I originally wrote... Thanks Bass) would lead to more stable levels and you might also feel better.
Once again. I am no expert on injections. (I use a topical cream daily.)

[kelkel]

Welcome Scott! Your BW should be done in the morning either one day before injection or the same day, pre injection. Your testing should be fasted as well. Your second test showed low testosterone as test has a half-life of arguably 7 days and if you tested two weeks after injection you're tanked. This is why injections need to be weekly at a minimum. Your doc does not understand the half life of test and if he doesn't understand that, you've got problems in the future, unless he is willing to learn from you.

Curious if you have pre-TRT LH/FSH levels as well as a full thyroid panel and cortisol levels. Next, do you have a history of AAS usage or pro-hormones or anything else that can impact your HPTA? Have you suffered any head or testicular trauma? Did you doc tell you if you were primary or secondary hypogonadal? Diet/lifestyle plays a part here as does body fat levels. Do you know your E2 level?

Sorry for all the questions but they are in effort to help determine a root cause for the low T. Guaranteed there is a reason and every effort should have been made prior to starting TRT. Your MRI ruled out pituitary adenomas which is great. So, now what is causing this. Underlying thyroid issue even though TSH is in range, cortisol? In the Finding a TRT Physician Sticky thread there are examples of blood work. Take a look at those for your next BW.

Your new dosage at 200mg per week is really at the top end of normal. Average starting dose may be around 100mg per week. With this (any) dosage will come a spike in your E2 level which needs to be tested for, monitored and kept within range with an aromatase inhibitor if required. Estrogen follows testosterone and as your T goes up so goes your E. Next comes HCG to keep your testicals functioning.

The main goal right now should be to find the root cause and see if it can be corrected getting you off of TRT. You don't want to be on this at 25 unless absolutely necessary.

So, I apologize for all the questions but the answers may help us help you. Others will chime in as well.

Welcome to the forum Scott.

kel

[scott0719]

Yeah he put me on 200 MG per week as of 10\08 so maybe that will be better, I am just thinking that being on the higher end of TRT at age 25 when I have never tried a single recreational drug, never had any form of testicular damage and never been on any medications of any sort is a little weird without some sort of an explanation =\ I also only drink alcohol maybe 2 or 3 times per month and even then I only drink maybe 5-7 ounces of Rum or vodka throughout the evening.

[bass]

You're going through a roller coaster. Half Life of test is about 6 days, so in day 9-14 you'll be running on fumrd. Most of us do it twice a week to avoid peaks and valleys, and there for manage e2 better. Obviously your doc don't know how to treat you for TRT. Starting dose for TRT is no more than 100 per week, and most split that to twice a week. You also need estrogen blockers (AI) like anastrozole to stop estrogen (e2) conversation, also you need hCG to keep your testicles functioning properly and to prevent atrophy.

But at your age he should have done allot more tests to find the cause of your low T, and yes you're T level is way too low for your age. Find a qualified doc. Stick around others will chime in soon.

[bass]

I am not the most knowledgeable member here and I am sure many of the smarter members will chime in shortly however I believe that by 12 days after the injection your testosterone levels will almost be back at baseline. Your doctor should know this but many do not. Members here will tell you that 200mg/week is on the higher end for TRT.
Doing weekly shots of 100mg or 50mg biweekly would lead to more stable levels and you might also feel better.
Once again. I am no expert on injections. (I use a topical cream daily.)

Not bi weekly, twice a week. I know that's what you meant.

[scott0719]

ok I will take a look and find the BW that I should get done and bring it to my doc at my next appointment and see if he will test for among other things my E2 levels, thanks for all the replies gentlemen. Edited- no I have no head trauma no testicular trauma and the bloodwork I posted is everything that is on the sheet that my doc tested for prior and after TRT.

[JackG79]

Yeah he put me on 200 MG per week as of 10\08 so maybe that will be better, I am just thinking that being on the higher end of TRT at age 25 when I have never tried a single recreational drug, never had any form of testicular damage and never been on any medications of any sort is a little weird without some sort of an explanation =\ I also only drink alcohol maybe 2 or 3 times per month and even then I only drink maybe 5-7 ounces of Rum or vodka throughout the evening.

Hey Scott... I am new around here as well. These guys will def. show you the path. 1st bloodwork that the doc did, prior to your TRT looks better than the one that mine did. One of the best things you can do is write down the info that Kell, and the others ask you about and have it added onto your bloodwork. Once they have the info that they need, i'd be willing to bet that they can find out WHY you have Low-T instead of just using testosterone to replace what is missing. I am only 33, and hoping to find and treat the root cause of my low-t and maybe get off all HRT in the process. If not, atleast all the bases were covered, and you didn't have to undergo any unnecessary treatment and/or long term use effects that were not necessary.

Good to see another new member. Take care!! -- Jack

[scott0719]

So I haven't seen my doctor again since posting on here but 3 weeks into 200 MG per week of test cyp and I am not feeling anything at all, the only thing that may have changed is my erectile function which seems to be even worse than before which is bad because it was already terrible. I am going to stop the testosterone injections in hopes that what little testosterone my body was producing isnt completely shut down until I can get my doc to find what exactly is causing my problems because if he can't i felt just as crappy without the testosterone and had slightly better sexual function. Posting this because I am wondering if there is a time I should wait before getting new bloodwork done after quitting the injections?

[kelkel]

Scott read the sticky by GD on what to expect with TRT therapy. That will help explain things. How quickly the Test is out of your system depends on your metabolism as well as the drug. It will slowly reduce itself over time. Within about 3 weeks it will be substantially (not all)gone based on the amount injected.