This will be a bit of a longer post, but I think there’s value in it as I think it’s probably a VERY similar story to a lot of guys. Furthermore, a LOT of my friends are totally lost trying to navigate the TRT world.
Okay so this coming Friday (2 days from now) I have an appointment scheduled with my family doc. Here’s how it’s going to go:
A couple of years ago I started seeing a Naturopath to get insight into stuff your normal family doc can’t or won’t dig into with you (we live in a rural part of the country so hormone clinics and functional medicine practitioners aren’t really closer than 4-5 hours away).
Being a relatively healthy guy, I more or less wanted to see where things are at, especially my testosterone as I was more or less curious. Some ED issues as I’ve gotten older and curious about breaking through strength plateaus in the gym, but that’s about it.
After getting a full panel done the ONLY thing that wasn’t optimal was my testosterone. Free test was almost non existent and total was around 349. The ND stuck me on some low dose cream. I asked him what markers we should look for to gauge its effectiveness, and he said, “you don’t feel it? Let’s stick you on some stronger cream!”
After that ‘course’ I came back to him and said what’s next? He then proceeded to tell me that the college of NDs informed him he isn’t really supposed to be prescribing testosterone at all, but that was okay because he had an AMAZING supplement he could set me up with that not only boosted test, it helps with ALL hormone levels…..I asked him why I’d take that when my only issue was low T and he laughed and said, “Because I can’t prescribe Testosterone to you anymore!”
Needless to say, that was my last appointment with him. I can tell other stories that would make your eyeballs pop out about the things that he said to me but that’s a post for another day.
Unable to find another professional to work with me, I turned to online telehealth and tried two different companies That were highly disappointing. One test that I did came back with T in the 340s again, and according to what the company told me they were unable to prescribe testosterone because health Canada’s threshold for TRT is 300. Being as though the normal range is 300-1200 and considering the bio individuality of what one guy feels good at versus another…….I was still unsuccessful in getting onto approved TRT.
My next step was to turn to an UGL. I started on 100-150mgs/week of test-cyp and to say it was Life changing would NOT be an exaggeration. Sleep, libido, erection quality, reduction in anxiety, strength in the gym, overall sense of wellness……regardless of what health Canada says, I am NOT meant to be at 349. And yes, prior to going down this road I have tried literally everything in the book from lifestyle diet and otherwise to increase natural levels on my own and 349 was the best I could get.
Now that I’ve given my backstory leading up to this Friday’s appointment, this is how I’m going to try and drive the conversation. I’m going to more or less tell my doc exactly what I’ve laid out here and tell them that I have zero intention of NOT using testosterone. Im going to ask for a script for pharmaceutical grade test. I expect to be told no. I will then ask what happens if I stop taking testosterone, have my levels crash, get a NEW test, and then have ‘health Canada approved levels’ for prescribed and approved TRT.
If I’m told this is possible, or even if I’m NOT, I’m going to then decide whether or not I keep a relationship with this doctor based on how they answer this next question:
“ so what you’re saying is there’s basically no way that I can get onto prescribed TRT but if I come in with my daughter and a note from the therapist that says she is a boy trapped in a girls body, You’ll give her a prescription for the best top quality grade stuff on the market, and we will be off to the races.”
Sorry for the length of this post, but this has been some thing I’ve wanted to do ever since starting on UGL testosterone and I plan on posting a follow up after my appointment on Friday.
Okay so this coming Friday (2 days from now) I have an appointment scheduled with my family doc. Here’s how it’s going to go:
A couple of years ago I started seeing a Naturopath to get insight into stuff your normal family doc can’t or won’t dig into with you (we live in a rural part of the country so hormone clinics and functional medicine practitioners aren’t really closer than 4-5 hours away).
Being a relatively healthy guy, I more or less wanted to see where things are at, especially my testosterone as I was more or less curious. Some ED issues as I’ve gotten older and curious about breaking through strength plateaus in the gym, but that’s about it.
After getting a full panel done the ONLY thing that wasn’t optimal was my testosterone. Free test was almost non existent and total was around 349. The ND stuck me on some low dose cream. I asked him what markers we should look for to gauge its effectiveness, and he said, “you don’t feel it? Let’s stick you on some stronger cream!”
After that ‘course’ I came back to him and said what’s next? He then proceeded to tell me that the college of NDs informed him he isn’t really supposed to be prescribing testosterone at all, but that was okay because he had an AMAZING supplement he could set me up with that not only boosted test, it helps with ALL hormone levels…..I asked him why I’d take that when my only issue was low T and he laughed and said, “Because I can’t prescribe Testosterone to you anymore!”
Needless to say, that was my last appointment with him. I can tell other stories that would make your eyeballs pop out about the things that he said to me but that’s a post for another day.
Unable to find another professional to work with me, I turned to online telehealth and tried two different companies That were highly disappointing. One test that I did came back with T in the 340s again, and according to what the company told me they were unable to prescribe testosterone because health Canada’s threshold for TRT is 300. Being as though the normal range is 300-1200 and considering the bio individuality of what one guy feels good at versus another…….I was still unsuccessful in getting onto approved TRT.
My next step was to turn to an UGL. I started on 100-150mgs/week of test-cyp and to say it was Life changing would NOT be an exaggeration. Sleep, libido, erection quality, reduction in anxiety, strength in the gym, overall sense of wellness……regardless of what health Canada says, I am NOT meant to be at 349. And yes, prior to going down this road I have tried literally everything in the book from lifestyle diet and otherwise to increase natural levels on my own and 349 was the best I could get.
Now that I’ve given my backstory leading up to this Friday’s appointment, this is how I’m going to try and drive the conversation. I’m going to more or less tell my doc exactly what I’ve laid out here and tell them that I have zero intention of NOT using testosterone. Im going to ask for a script for pharmaceutical grade test. I expect to be told no. I will then ask what happens if I stop taking testosterone, have my levels crash, get a NEW test, and then have ‘health Canada approved levels’ for prescribed and approved TRT.
If I’m told this is possible, or even if I’m NOT, I’m going to then decide whether or not I keep a relationship with this doctor based on how they answer this next question:
“ so what you’re saying is there’s basically no way that I can get onto prescribed TRT but if I come in with my daughter and a note from the therapist that says she is a boy trapped in a girls body, You’ll give her a prescription for the best top quality grade stuff on the market, and we will be off to the races.”
Sorry for the length of this post, but this has been some thing I’ve wanted to do ever since starting on UGL testosterone and I plan on posting a follow up after my appointment on Friday.
