Bloodwork Results + My Story

[ronmexico]

Hey guys, I'll try and keep this as brief as I can while including at the relevant info.

I'm 38 and for the last few years I've had all the classic "low t" symptoms. Told my doctor, got bloodwork done for thyroid, he said it was fine. Get more sleep is the advice given.

Fast forward to this summer, was sick of the no libido thing, had trouble losing weight this past year so went to an anti-aging clinic and got more bloodwork done this time with testosterone .

8/2012

Test Serum - 320
Range 348-1197

Free Test - 4.2
Range 5 - 21


So I'm clearly out of range, agree to administer test myself with injections.

50mg Test E - 2X a week
250iu HCG - 3X a week
.25 Adex - 3X a week

Results: Feel great, libido is back, amazing social change (much more confident and funny like I used to be)

New bloodwork

10/2012
Test Serum - 910
Range 348-1197

Free Test - 22
Range 5-21

Estradiol Sensitive - 10
Range 3-70

Now here's the part that worries me (because my doctor told me it was fine this summer):

TSH - 6.49
Range .45 - 4.5

T4 - 7.2
Range 4.5 - 12

T3 uptake - 32
Range 24-39

Free T4 - 2.3
Range 1.2-4.9

Can anyone help me interpret these results? I think it might be time to get a new doctor...

Thanks in advance for reading this and any replies!

[xtitan1]

Hey Ron,

Great news about getting on testosterone and feeling better. Do you have LH and FSH numbers from before you started therapy (they'd be suppressed now that you're on it). The reason I ask is because usually it's in your interest to know why it is you have low testosterone . We all have declining testosterone from age, and that could be the culprit here, but you'd want to make sure.

Your estrogen is within the lab's reference range but it really should be up into the 20s so I would back off the AI ever so slightly to dial that in. Too much estrogen is bad, but not enough is bad also.

Okay thyroid:

Your TSH is certainly not fine by anyone's standards. Some people say TSH <5 is fine, some say <3.5, and on and on, but you're at 6.49. This is highly indicative of HYPOthyroidism. Your thyroid is underactive and your pituitary is trying to release extra amounts of TSH to kick it back in gear. The total T4 and T3 uptake tests aren't really reliable indicators of thyroid function. The tests you want are TSH, Free T4, Free T3, and Reverse T3.

As expected, your Free T4 is at the bottom end of the range. T4 is converted into T3, which is really the end product as far as feeling good is concerned. It would be really helpful to get the above mentioned tests (you didn't get Free T3 or RT3). But I believe this clearly indicates hypothyroidism and warrants further testing (re-doing TSH and FT4 along with FT3 and RT3). Are you experiencing any of the classic hypothyroidism symptoms such as slight weight gain, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, constipation, etc.?

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com has good info on thyroid issues if you haven't checked it out already.

-x.T.

[bass]

sounds like you have a good doctor, but TSH should have raise red flags! its way too high which suggests under active thyroid. definitely have more test done to see why, he will probably put you on meds. nice protocol and nice results BTW.

[ronmexico]

Thanks for the replies!

xtitan, thankfully I did get bloodwork done before TRT and here are the LH + FSH;

LH - 2.5
Range 1.7 - 8.6

FSH - 2.4
Range 1.5 - 12.4


As for symptoms, I have gained a little weight, but the biggest change is the need to bundle up when I get home because after 3pm I'm freezing. Unfortunately, I didn't read enough to know that I needed tests for FT4, FT3, and RT3. I suppose that should be my next step. Do people self medicate for thyroid?

[xtitan1]

Thanks for the replies!

xtitan, thankfully I did get bloodwork done before TRT and here are the LH + FSH;

LH - 2.5
Range 1.7 - 8.6

FSH - 2.4
Range 1.5 - 12.4


As for symptoms, I have gained a little weight, but the biggest change is the need to bundle up when I get home because after 3pm I'm freezing. Unfortunately, I didn't read enough to know that I needed tests for FT4, FT3, and RT3. I suppose that should be my next step. Do people self medicate for thyroid?

With your low T your LH and FSH should have been much higher if your pituitary was functioning properly. This indicates, therefore, secondary hypgonadism, where you have low T not because your testes aren't working but rather because your pituitary is not signaling them to make enough testosterone . That's strange because it seems the pituitary IS working in the case of your thyroid meaning you have primary hypothyroidism. Curious...

No people generally do not self medicate for thyroid. Even general practitioners are comfortable prescribing T4 which is called Levothyroxine (generic for Synthroid ). However, you should make sure whoever you are working with knows what they are doing. I would definitely check out that website in my previous post. A lot of people are reporting that taking T4 only medication is not alleviating their symptoms and they respond better to medications such as Armour Thyroid which is a dessicated porcine thyroid gland product that has T3 as well. That's a harder sell to your typical physician who probably hasn't heard of it or has heard some false rumors about its consistency.

But yes the next step is to get those additional tests.

[Vettester]

Would like to see an even more comprehensive thyroid panel with RT3 (which can account for body temp issue you're describing) and thyroid antibodies, as well as your cortisol/ACTH.

Also, we need to get your E2 up in the 20's. I'd suggest coming off your AI for a month, retest, and if anything you may only need .25mg for a maintenance dose (or maybe none).

I wouldn't try self medicating on the thyroid. That's one area that can backfire real fast on you if you don't respect it. Get with a qualified physician who knows how to properly diagnose and treat patients in this department.

[kelkel]

Great advice above. As soon as I saw adex @ .25 x 3 I knew the end result of that. Agree with both XT and Vette. Get off the AI for now. More power to you if you can go without it. Less is more.

XT very well said!

kel

[steroid.com 1]

Would like to see an even more comprehensive thyroid panel with RT3 (which can account for body temp issue you're describing) and thyroid antibodies, as well as your cortisol/ACTH.

Also, we need to get your E2 up in the 20's. I'd suggest coming off your AI for a month, retest, and if anything you may only need .25mg for a maintenance dose (or maybe none).

I wouldn't try self medicating on the thyroid. That's one area that can backfire real fast on you if you don't respect it. Get with a qualified physician who knows how to properly diagnose and treat patients in this department.

Exactly what Vette said; I am suspicious of your Thyroid.

I would like to see Free T3 in addition.

Many times everything will be in range till you look at RT3 and it tells an entirely different story about how your Thyroid is functioning.

Your low Testosterone levels may be caused by your potentially under performing Thyroid.

Get more tests by a Thyroid Specialist...most Docs are not trained well.

[ronmexico]

Thanks guys! I will get the tests mentioned above and report back. I appreciate the time taken to respond.