Ex Steroid user help with blood work

[tinytom777]

36 year old male recently had my results back from my doctor and she said everything is 'normal'. My last cycle was about 7/8 years ago and have not used anything since (take fina for hair loss). Whilst initially not experiencing any side effects of low testosterone since coming off cycle (full PCT was done), within the last year I have felt a steady decline in libido, strength, my ability to retain muscle and lethargy. Would anyone be able to shed a little more light on my results rather that just 'they're normal' and anything that I could possibly do to increase levels etc... (was perhaps considering Clomid?) That would be very much appreciated

FSH – 4.3i.u/L (range 1.4 – 18.1)
LH – 4.9i.u/L (range 1.5 – 9.3)
Oestradiol – 62 pmol/L (<116)
Serum Testosterone – 13.2 nmol/L (6.1 -27.1)

[Youthful55guy]

(take fina for hair loss)

I would start here. I support the use of finasteride for guys on TRT, as our DHT levels (or at least mine) get way high. Use of small doses of finasteride (i.e., 0.5-2mg/day) can go a long way toward bringing DHT levels back into the normal range. This will help with minimizing TRT side-effects like excessive RBC production (high hemoglobin/hematocrit), hair loss, and BPH. HOWEVER, taking finasteride without TRT will probably drive your DHT into the ground and this can affect sexual function and have other side-effects when DHT/E2 get out of balance.

I don't see DHT in your posted labs. I would never take finasteride unless I had labs to show that I was high in DHT and then have regular follow up labs to monitor and adjust dose.

[tinytom777]

Hi Cylon, thanks for the reply.

No they didn't test for DHT, despite me requesting in initial consultation :/ I have been on Fina for over a year now, finding it very effective for hair loss/regrowth.

[Youthful55guy]

I concur with Cylon. You should not be on finasteride without knowing and regularly monitoring your DHT levels. If you can't get your doc to do it, do it yourself. There are lots of options for ordering labs yourself in the USA. Other countries may be different. HOWEVER, without being on TRT, even the lowest dosage of finasteride commercially available (1 mg) tablets can drive your DHT down to near nothing a will result in sexual side-effects and most of the other symptoms you posted.

I am on a 125mg/week TRT protocol and without finasteride, my labs usually come back in the 100-200 ng/dL range, with 85 being the top end of normal for my lab. With just 2mg of finasteride per day, it brings my DHT down to about 60ng/dL, which is about mid-range for me. I can't imagine what that would do to someone who is not on TRT.

[tinytom777]

Wonderful thank you I'm UK based, I will get my DHT levels checked asap