Thinking about starting TRT

Tgk143

New member
Hey guys. I want to get your opinion on weather it would be appropriate to start trt.
I'm a 35 year old male with a total T level of 419 and a free T level of 276pmol. My GP says that I'm normal and that he will not prescribe any testosterone. However I have been researching trt clinics near me and I reside in the Edmonton Alberta area. I will be scheduling an appointment soon.

The problems I'm having is a dead libido I have to force myself to get it up for my wife, even alone in the bedroom I can barely get it up, viagra works but gives me bad side effects I cannot continue to take it. Also have very low motivation and always tired, energy is lacking by alot as well.

I workout 4-6 days a week I eat clean and healthy everyday except for one day a week which is Fridays I will have a pizza or whatever, somewhat like a cheat day I suppose.

I really really need to get this libido thing under control, in my early to mid 20s it was crazy high and now non existant it sucks. So any opinions would be awesome. Thanks.

Also just paid for my blood work requisition form at ONMEN and will be getting it done tomorrow for the most up to date bloods.
I hear some mixed reviews from them, I'm wondering if I should have just stuck with my true balance. Time will tell I guess. Lol
 
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Low libido can be from lots of different things beyond low test and if your test tests come back in the somewhat normal range then you may want to look elsewhere.

Do you have any previous experience with using hormones ?
No not exactly, i did try trt 3 years ago for about 1 month im not sure if it was placebo but after the 2nd-3rd week i noticed a nice increase in energy and libido. I stopped for the fact that i wanted to exhaust all natural means before fully committing to trt.
I have tried many things over the past 2.5-3 years, getting my diet and sleep in a good place and im exercising consistently, tried taking a bunch of different supplements ie: vitamin D,Boron,zinc,magnesium,vitamin B, bunch of different aphrodisiacs/ testosterone boosters. took up meditation and yoga tried to destress my life and has been or feels like its been all for nothing. currently im taking low dose cialis daily and that hasnt been doing anything for libido, although erections have been noticeably better but nothing like it used to be. I have been trying everything i can the right way and been talking to my doctor and he doesnt seem to understand the impact its causing in my life, i have so far had a patient wife but its definitely not been easy over the past 6 years we have been dealing with this for.
 
I'm was in a similar situation, although my levels were lower than yours.

Before I hopped on TRT, I committed a year to naturally boost my T. I figured once I went on TRT, I would more or less be doing it for life. I wanted to make sure I gave an honest effort to do it naturally first.

Now maybe you've done this. And like me, after putting in the effort, your levels still came back dogshit. (Although my GP was willing to let me get on as my lvls were at the lowest end, even after my natural efforts.) But there seems to be this TRT bandwagon lately and I just want to make sure you and others know this is a long term commitment, not something to just jump into. It's not a magic fix. It takes months to level out and see results. Your nuts will shrink. You will be pinning weekly, if not twice per week. You may experience side effects. And you will be visiting the doctor and getting blood drawn often.

Not trying to be a Debbie downer here, just providing my 2cents.

Natural Test boosters I tried:
- No Fap (4 months)
- Daily cold shower
- Very clean diet, No soy. ( I did carnivore)
- 8 hours sleep minimum
- Lifting 5 days a week
- Zinc, Vitamin D, Iodine, Magnesium, Beef organs (heart, kidney, liver)
- Limiting Electo Magnetic Field exposure
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Reduce stress and improve well being
 
I'm was in a similar situation, although my levels were lower than yours.

Before I hopped on TRT, I committed a year to naturally boost my T. I figured once I went on TRT, I would more or less be doing it for life. I wanted to make sure I gave an honest effort to do it naturally first.

Now maybe you've done this. And like me, after putting in the effort, your levels still came back dogshit. (Although my GP was willing to let me get on as my lvls were at the lowest end, even after my natural efforts.) But there seems to be this TRT bandwagon lately and I just want to make sure you and others know this is a long term commitment, not something to just jump into. It's not a magic fix. It takes months to level out and see results. Your nuts will shrink. You will be pinning weekly, if not twice per week. You may experience side effects. And you will be visiting the doctor and getting blood drawn often.

Not trying to be a Debbie downer here, just providing my 2cents.

Natural Test boosters I tried:
- No Fap (4 months)
- Daily cold shower
- Very clean diet, No soy. ( I did carnivore)
- 8 hours sleep minimum
- Lifting 5 days a week
- Zinc, Vitamin D, Iodine, Magnesium, Beef organs (heart, kidney, liver)
- Limiting Electo Magnetic Field exposure
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Reduce stress and improve well being
Hey im with you i know full well the maintenance that comes with trt and this is why i have tried most of what you are suggesting over the past 3 years. Ive done No Fap for just over 3 months with ease unfortunately lol. I have dabbled with the cold shower thing from time to time not daily though lol. have not tried iodine as ive heard can cause alot of problems. As far as the nuts shrinking the wife and i could care less lol.
The thing that gets me is i am experiencing these issues with "low normal levels" and that is whats stopping me from pulling the trigger still, i have had other TT tests done that have came back lower than what ive posted but still within range, 352 ng/dl

What were your TT and FT levels at when you started? sounds like you were very low.

If i do hop on it i might want to try the compound creams before injections.
 
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Hey im with you i know full well the maintenance that comes with trt and this is why i have tried most of what you are suggesting over the past 3 years. Ive done No Fap for just over 3 months with ease unfortunately lol. I have dabbled with the cold shower thing from time to time not daily though lol. have not tried iodine as ive heard can cause alot of problems. As far as the nuts shrinking the wife and i could care less lol.
The thing that gets me is i am experiencing these issues with "low normal levels" and that is whats stopping me from pulling the trigger still, i have had other TT tests done that have came back lower than what ive posted but still within range, 352 nmol.

What were your TT and FT levels at when you started? sounds like you were very low.

If i do hop on it i might want to try the compound creams before injections.
Side effects from Iodine? Hyperthyroid is the only one I know of. Modern diet doesn't provide much iodine anymore (and the medical community has bastardized Iodine). It used to be in milk, and bread. Most people are now getting it from only seafood, seaweed and Iodized table salt, but most have switched to sea salt, which does not contain iodine. Your thyroid will use all available Halides; chlorine, bromine, astatide, fluoride and iodide. But Iodine is the best halide for your thyroid. You want an adequate amount of Iodine in your diet (and Selenium to facilitate the halide transfer in your thyroid) or the other halides will take the space up in your thyroid receptors eventually leading to problems. Notice all the thyroid problems and Haishimoto, especially in women these days? I's a cheap supplement. Do some research.

My T level was 9 nmol/L in the 9 - 38 nmol/L range
 
Side effects from Iodine? Hyperthyroid is the only one I know of. Modern diet doesn't provide much iodine anymore (and the medical community has bastardized Iodine). It used to be in milk, and bread. Most people are now getting it from only seafood, seaweed and Iodized table salt, but most have switched to sea salt, which does not contain iodine. Your thyroid will use all available Halides; chlorine, bromine, astatide, fluoride and iodide. But Iodine is the best halide for your thyroid. You want an adequate amount of Iodine in your diet (and Selenium to facilitate the halide transfer in your thyroid) or the other halides will take the space up in your thyroid receptors eventually leading to problems. Notice all the thyroid problems and Haishimoto, especially in women these days? I's a cheap supplement. Do some research.

My T level was 9 nmol/L in the 9 - 38 nmol/L range
Wow so like non existant hey, that's crazy.

Ok so I did supplement iodine for about 3 weeks only and started getting nasty headaches, than I read that iodine can cause problems with thyroid if over taken. I was just taking it as directed on the bottle. Maybe it was too much for me but I stopped. If I were to use iodized salts instead that might be a better approach. But it scared me off from it and when I read that too much iodine could burn out your thyroid I just threw that idea out the window lol.

Yeah see numbers like yours and others that are similar, make me question weather trt will even work for me.
 
Wow so like non existant hey, that's crazy.

Ok so I did supplement iodine for about 3 weeks only and started getting nasty headaches, than I read that iodine can cause problems with thyroid if over taken. I was just taking it as directed on the bottle. Maybe it was too much for me but I stopped. If I were to use iodized salts instead that might be a better approach. But it scared me off from it and when I read that too much iodine could burn out your thyroid I just threw that idea out the window lol.

Yeah see numbers like yours and others that are similar, make me question weather trt will even work for me.
Sounds like the iodine was doing it's job. Flushing the other halides out and giving you "detox" symptoms.

edit: I just want to clarify I am not a doctor and am not diagnosing or giving medical advice here. Just sharing my anecdote after much research on the subject.
 
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Sounds like the iodine was doing it's job. Flushing the other halides out and giving you "detox" symptoms.

edit: I just want to clarify I am not a doctor and am not diagnosing or giving medical advice here. Just sharing my anecdote after much research on the subject.
Yeah I understand, I usually always do due diligence first before taking advice from non medical professionals lol. looks like I could benefit from doing some more research on it though, but as for it fixing my problems is something to be determined I suppose. I always really appreciate the opinions of others especially those that have been through the ringer.
 
Bloodwork is key. Lets get some data before we solution

What is your bf%? Do you know your e2? Higher conversion will lower your test

Are you under stress? Are you over trained? Do you know your Cortisol levels? Higher cortisol will lower testosterone


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Sounds like the iodine was doing it's job. Flushing the other halides out and giving you "detox" symptoms.

edit: I just want to clarify I am not a doctor and am not diagnosing or giving medical advice here. Just sharing my anecdote after much research on the subject.
great post sir, not a lot of people seem to know that and stop the protocol just as it has basically got to working. A very natural reaction unfortunately, at the time it seems like a no brainer to stop.
 
Bloodwork is key. Lets get some data before we solution

What is your bf%? Do you know your e2? Higher conversion will lower your test

Are you under stress? Are you over trained? Do you know your Cortisol levels? Higher cortisol will lower testosterone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I get blood work done tomorrow morning so this will be the most up to date bloods.
I can recall my E2 being at 41
My body fat percentage is roughly 18% now, I lost 25 pounds over the course of a year with training 4-6 days a week and diet of course.

Currently my weight lifting protocol is I lift heavy 3 days a week, I do some steady state cardio as a warm up before lifting, I've been doing some light cardio such as skipping/jumping jacks or spot jogging in between sets nothing crazy just to keep the blood circulating.
On my 4th - 6th day I do light bodyweight conditioning such as lunges/jumping lunges bodyweight squats, very light resistance band exercises for shoulders back chest, keeping the muscles saturated with blood helps for recovery as well. I incorporate half hour of yoga twice a week and 10 min to 1 hour of meditation 5 days a week usually before bed.
I have made it a habit to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep however over the past month I've become somewhat of an insomniac and cannot seem to fall or stay asleep very easily.
I don't want to blame it on this but could be from the 2nd dose of Moderna vaccine as it laid me out for 2 full days, and haven't felt 100% since. Could be in my head though lol.
I also have sleep apnea which I use a cpap machine for and have been for the last 10 years.

I stopped all anti depressants/anxiety meds as well as Adderall as I have ADD, for over a year. I am thinking of starting again as my anxiety has been extremely hard to control.

I do not know my cortisol levels as of right now, stress in my life has come down quite alot over the last 2 years I'd say. But of course there are always stressful days still, I just try to mitigate as much as possible on those days.

Also if anyone is going to use my anxiety as a potential cause, I already ruled that out years ago. I have been with my wife for 15 years so feel no anxiety with her in the bedroom, also have had counseling and have been trying everything possible known to us to fix these issues without full success.
 
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Just because you number says you are in range your not in range for you. A doctor that only looks at the BW and not the symptoms is not giving you a fair shake.
Yeah It might not be the proper range for me but at the same time not sure if thats what's causing these problems for me either.
That's what's making this decision stupidly hard and I know I'm not the only one in this situation. If my levels were under the normal range I don't think I'd even hesitate to start. Lol. Unfortunately they are not, and I seriously don't want to make things worse for myself either.
 
Got my bloods back, free test was still pending.
Total test- 14.6nmol
E2- 53 pmol
FSH- 4.3iu/l
LH- 4.7iu/l
TSH 3.84mU/L
Ferritin-106ug/l

My cholesterol is actually kinda bad though not sure why as I eat healthy but eat alot of meat I guess.
Triglycerides- 1.23mmol
Cholesterol total-5.27mmol
HDL- 1.49mmol
LDL- 3.67mmol
Non HDL-4.23mmol.
B12 - 306pmol.

What you guys think of the TSH the ref range is .20 - 4.0 mU/L
 
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Keep in mind if you go on TRT through Dr. you will be getting constant bloodwork and consultations. So if you want to continue doing your own cycles it will be very difficult if not impossible.
 
Keep in mind if you go on TRT through Dr. you will be getting constant bloodwork and consultations. So if you want to continue doing your own cycles it will be very difficult if not impossible.
I had to do 3 or 4 rounds of blood work in the first 6 months, but now that my trt dose is sorted out, I only go twice a year. Plenty of options for my own cycles
 
I'm 32, been prescribed on trt since 26. Started running gear at 21. It was the best decision I've ever made when I started trt under supervision of a Endo, improved life quality over all. He has me at 175mg test cyp per week, keeps me top end of high normal around 900. For a athlete that's right where I want to be. I say do it if you're prepared to commit to it for life

I run cycles a couple times a year and I'm honest with him so he knows when my blood work will come back high. He calls it ethical harm reduction and continues to monitor.

Find yourself a good doc and you'll never look back!
 
Got my bloods back, free test was still pending.
Total test- 14.6nmol
E2- 53 pmol
FSH- 4.3iu/l
LH- 4.7iu/l
TSH 3.84mU/L
Ferritin-106ug/l

My cholesterol is actually kinda bad though not sure why as I eat healthy but eat alot of meat I guess.
Triglycerides- 1.23mmol
Cholesterol total-5.27mmol
HDL- 1.49mmol
LDL- 3.67mmol
Non HDL-4.23mmol.
B12 - 306pmol.

What you guys think of the TSH the ref range is .20 - 4.0 mU/L

TSH is perfectly fine

Low HDL and High LDL is genetic unless you been cycling. Want LDL under 2.5. More fish oil.


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I'm 32, been prescribed on trt since 26. Started running gear at 21. It was the best decision I've ever made when I started trt under supervision of a Endo, improved life quality over all. He has me at 175mg test cyp per week, keeps me top end of high normal around 900. For a athlete that's right where I want to be. I say do it if you're prepared to commit to it for life

I run cycles a couple times a year and I'm honest with him so he knows when my blood work will come back high. He calls it ethical harm reduction and continues to monitor.

Find yourself a good doc and you'll never look back!
Consider yourself lucky, A good trt doc is hard to come by.
 
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