can I get your opinions please?

[steve c.]

Great site here..I've been reading a lot. I was wondering if I could get some ideas from you all about what might be going on with me?

I'm 36 6'4" and 190 pounds. Probably 12% bodyfat. I am skinny almost skinny fat I guess and pretty much always have been. I have made progress with training, but I can only go so far as strength just will not increase and excess calories end up as fat. I have an extremely slow metabolism. That's probably the least of my concerns. My biggest problem is lack of sex drive. I went from sex twice a day to no interest hardly at all. I am extremely tired all the time. I feel like I am partially sedated....is probably the best way to describe it. Blurry vision, no motivation, etc.. I feel like I have to sit down after standing for just a few minutes. Three doctors have told me that I am fine and have suggested this could just be depression. They are of course willing to write scripts for Zoloft, Paxil, etc.. on the spot, but that is it. These are my latest lab results. I would love to hear any and all suggestions as to what is or isn't wrong with me. Thank you.

TSH 1.21 uiu/ml (.45-4.5)
T4 free 1.24 ng/dl (.82-1.77)
Test 581 ng/dl (249-836)
Free Test 12.4 pg/ml (8.7-25.1)
LH 3.4 miu/ml (1.7-8.6)

[Bullseye Forever]

Have you had a thyroid blood test?

[zaggahamma]

Have you had a thyroid blood test?

wouldnt that be the t4 levels that he showed?

[Bullseye Forever]

wouldnt that be the t4 levels that he showed?

yea i think so,im not for sure personally

[zaggahamma]

you should have had your estradial tested too...

your test levels look aight ( a lot higher than most that start trt) ..

once again, i always preach that hormone levels are individual....

so these zoloft pushers only offered such relief? no referral to a specialist? you didnt even complain of depression...only thing close is you mentioning no motivation i guess thats close enough..did you consider taking anti d's?

the parially sedated though and no motivation i feel a lot and i'm on trt....i sleep like shiat though and i feel that is my cause for those symptoms..

r u working out? youre on this site so maybe you've considered hormones/replacement?

sorry to give you more questions than answers but looks appropo in your case

welcome to the site, btw

[steroid.com 1]

T levels are fine and thyroid is fine as well (TSH & T4). Something else is going on here. Do you have your complete BW? Can you post about yourself like any Rx or OTC use? Supplements? What are your E2 levels? Have you used any steroids in the past? A lot of time hypothyroidism has the same symptoms of low T but I don't think this is the case here.

Did you get a diabetes eval? Blood sugars?

I know you don't want to hear it but depression can have these same symptoms like your Doc stated.

Post your complete BW here and anything else and those with deep knowledge will lead you in the right direction. Eliminate all medical issues before going on any antidepressant protocol.

[steve c.]

you should have had your estradial tested too...

your test levels look aight ( a lot higher than most that start trt) ..

once again, i always preach that hormone levels are individual....

so these zoloft pushers only offered such relief? no referral to a specialist? you didnt even complain of depression...only thing close is you mentioning no motivation i guess thats close enough..did you consider taking anti d's?

the parially sedated though and no motivation i feel a lot and i'm on trt....i sleep like shiat though and i feel that is my cause for those symptoms..

r u working out? youre on this site so maybe you've considered hormones/replacement?

sorry to give you more questions than answers but looks appropo in your case

welcome to the site, btw

Yeah they think it is all in my head. My GP did all the inital bloodword and said nothing was wrong and to go to an endo. The endo did a few more test and thyroid tests and said nothing was wrong and that I should go back to the GP.

I'm working out as much as I can. Really just spinning my wheels as I'm not getting any stronger or any leaner. I've come here because I just wonder if I have low testosterone or thyroid problems as all of my other bloodwork is good, I eat perfectly, get plenty of sleep etc..

[steve c.]

T levels are fine and thyroid is fine as well (TSH & T4). Something else is going on here. Do you have your complete BW? Can you post about yourself like any Rx or OTC use? Supplements? What are your E2 levels? Have you used any steroids in the past? A lot of time hypothyroidism has the same symptoms of low T but I don't think this is the case here.

Did you get a diabetes eval? Blood sugars?

I know you don't want to hear it but depression can have these same symptoms like your Doc stated.

Post your complete BW here and anything else and those with deep knowledge will lead you in the right direction. Eliminate all medical issues before going on any antidepressant protocol.

I will have to get a copy of the initial bloodwork. I looked at it briefly with my doctor and pretty much everything was well within range. The test results were three pages long, but hormonal stuff was just total testosterone and TSH.

Never used steroids before. Only thing I take regularly is fish oil. I eat strict paleo which is low sodium so I just began an iodine supplement.

Doctors didn't order an E2 test....is that something I can get on my own?

[steve c.]

T4 looks fine, how do you know you have a slow metabolism? Sounds to me like you may be over training. If your strength has stalled and you have a loss in motivation this is the first place I would look.

I have to be extremely careful about what I eat. The traditional bulk diets that add mostly muscle to the average joe adds mostly fat to me. I do get stronger, but at the expense of giant love handles and fat on my chest. I also have never seen my abs. I have done keto for months, tons of cardio, HIIT, heavy weights etc.....my body simply shuts down and will not let go of the fat. The dedication I have shown would result in 6% for most people. I struggle to maintain 12%.

[SlimmerMe]

Thyroid is in a good range. And you need to remember when reading TSH results, you read them inversely. Low means high and high means low. So with a low number for the reference range means you are not low as in hypo...but just fine....hope this makes sense.

[steroid.com 1]

Steve - As you'll learn, ranges on labs don't mean much as they are often extreme. Think of it like this; if a T range is between 300 and 1,000 and you have a 23 year old that is 890 and a 50 year old at 351 do you think both men are in the normal range? Not even close!

You have symptoms but it's not lot T or hypothyroidism. There are countless reasons you feel like you do. If you haven't seen an endo yet that may be your best bet. High or low E2 can cause a lot of your symptoms...but so can a bunch of other things.

Find a really good Endo who understands ranges and dig deep to see where your problem is. As mentioned earlier here, you may be simply over training and a 3 or 4 week break could be just the answer to your problem!

[zaggahamma]

http://www.anylabtestnow.com/

http://www.directlabs.com/

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/

heres 3 sites to choose from if you need to get your estradiol tested before any of your doctors can write you a referral...i dont think either one requires an RX for the labwork of your choosing (imagine that...having your bloodwork tested WHEN T F YOU want and WHAT T F YOU want)

12% body fat i would and most would consider quite fit...i can see you at 6' 4" wanting to carry a few more pounds of muscle on being only 190...
only you know yourself if your lack of motivation is mental or physical or laziness...

see if you can get yer as$ in the gym and lift some heavy a$s weights for a month consistent...you will know if you are in need of medical help if you give 100% and see zero results

wish u the best

[steve c.]

Steve - As you'll learn, ranges on labs don't mean much as they are often extreme. Think of it like this; if a T range is between 300 and 1,000 and you have a 23 year old that is 890 and a 50 year old at 351 do you think both men are in the normal range? Not even close!

You have symptoms but it's not lot T or hypothyroidism. There are countless reasons you feel like you do. If you haven't seen an endo yet that may be your best bet. High or low E2 can cause a lot of your symptoms...but so can a bunch of other things.

Find a really good Endo who understands ranges and dig deep to see where your problem is. As mentioned earlier here, you may be simply over training and a 3 or 4 week break could be just the answer to your problem!

I will try to find another endo. Most have multiple month waiting lists or aren't accepting new patients so I'm kinda screwed for the moment. I will try a break from working out in the meantime. Thank you.

[steve c.]

http://www.anylabtestnow.com/

http://www.directlabs.com/

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/

heres 3 sites to choose from if you need to get your estradiol tested before any of your doctors can write you a referral...i dont think either one requires an RX for the labwork of your choosing (imagine that...having your bloodwork tested WHEN T F YOU want and WHAT T F YOU want)

12% body fat i would and most would consider quite fit...i can see you at 6' 4" wanting to carry a few more pounds of muscle on being only 190...
only you know yourself if your lack of motivation is mental or physical or laziness...

see if you can get yer as$ in the gym and lift some heavy a$s weights for a month consistent...you will know if you are in need of medical help if you give 100% and see zero results

wish u the best

Thank you for the links!

Yeah, I need to add more muscle but just can't seem to do it without adding way too much fat.

[zaggahamma]

Thank you for the links!

Yeah, I need to add more muscle but just can't seem to do it without adding way too much fat.

well i hope you find the right answer...keep us posted! HERE ON THIS THREAD!!!!!!!!!