Newbie: Help with protocol + what to do based on blood work

[Isenhart85]

Hello Everyone,

I need your help because I am a newbie and new to this world.

Let me start with background: I was on the 12-13% body fat with some decent muscle (nothing crazy) but decent size muscle several years ago. Fast-forward to now, got some back injury with light osteoporosis took me out for a year and half. I got a lot of fat now I will say I am at 23%-25% body fat with a shitty body. I can finally train again, but I am lacking motivation, this past year has been a struggle to go to the gym and stick to a diet. Furthermore, I also get mentally tired and feel low energies.
Few weeks ago I did a complete labwork (I paid by my using labMD) and looked also to my hormones and these the results:

Testosterone: Low: 224 ng/dL
FSH: High: 14.5 mIU/mL
LH: High: 11 mIU/mL
TSH: Normal 2 uIU/mL
Estradiol: Normal: 19.5 pg/mL
PSA: Normal 0.4 ng/mL
Insuline: Normal : 8.4 uIU/mL

All blood work normal except liver ALT at: 55 IU/L. I have fatty liver and discovered 2 years ago. At that time I had ALT at 160 IU/L, got rid of alchool and now is always slightly higher but always in n the 50 to 60 range and never normal, so I am worried to everything I can take that can be liver toxic.

I am seeking for suggestion on what to do. Given your experience, what this values tells you about my testo level?
I have insurance PPO but I have a 3K limit before they kick in so this always make me wonder about going for expensive treatment. I was thinking going with TRT clinic instead. I live in the USA, but I am from Europe and travel once at year for a month period. If I got to a TRT clinic here in USA, would I get some prescription that I can use it for travelling without being stopped at the control?

Also I am scared of the idea of injecting testo for the rest of my life, what if there are some other feedback mechanism related to having FSH and LH in your body that will bring long range issue and we still don't know well? On the other side I don't think that having such hormonal values are neither beneficial so this make me not have clarity of what to do.

What would you do if you were me? Let me add that I am 38 years old and I have an infant, and my wife doesn't really want to have other kids, I never used steroids before.

Thanks !

 

[MadBret]

You have low testosterone. I would seriously consider starting trt. It is a big decision and life long at that but the benefits outweigh the negatives imo. If you aren't ready to go on it for long-term yet, you could order a couple bottles of test and do your own trt for temporary and see if you don't feel a lot better. You will likely want to continue seeing as you already have low test levels. If you go and get doctor prescribed testosterone, you will be able to legally travel with it. Good luck.

 

[Isenhart85]

You have low testosterone. I would seriously consider starting trt. It is a big decision and life long at that but the benefits outweigh the negatives imo. If you aren't ready to go on it for long-term yet, you could order a couple bottles of test and do your own trt for temporary and see if you don't feel a lot better. You will likely want to continue seeing as you already have low test levels. If you go and get doctor prescribed testosterone, you will be able to legally travel with it. Good luck.

Thanks for the answer.
Do TRT clinic have doctors that prescribe it or not really and I need to visit a urologist/endo by myself?

 

[MadBret]

Trt clinics definitely can take care of everything. They can be a bit pricey but usually pretty thorough.

 

[Deadp007]

with testosterone that low are you tired 24/7, like everything takes massive amounts of energy to do?
Did they do any other labs? Free, SHBG etc?
I jumped at the opportunity when my total test was that low and am glad I did.
But it's something you will have to decide.
Good luck & Godspeed.

 

[Isenhart85]

with testosterone that low are you tired 24/7, like everything takes massive amounts of energy to do?
Did they do any other labs? Free, SHBG etc?
I jumped at the opportunity when my total test was that low and am glad I did.
But it's something you will have to decide.
Good luck & Godspeed.

It is hard for me to tell you how I feel because it is something going on for a couple years and I feel kind of used to but I would say I don't want to do much. I try to avoid social gathering, I don't want to go our and train, just being home eating. I have always been introvert and loved to be home, but I was used to do a lot of sports with desire and dieting wasn't crazy hard like it is now. At work I have mental focus only for short spans and mostly in the morning so I try to get most of my work before lunch time so to keep myself productive.
Regarding blood work I did by myself first bloodwork generic lipid and normal checkup + total test and since it was low I order a panel of hormones to have a base line for prostate,thyroid, FSH/LH but didn't look into free testo becuase I wanted to save money and thought that having total at 200 is already a strong indication despite how much percentage will be free.

 

[Rido]

TRT reactivated motivation for me to hit the gym.


TRT will also allow you to travel with testosterone. Most importantly.. it helps optimize everything.


TRT is meant to be for life, but you can give it a trt for 6 months. You can see if you like the way you feel and if you are down to inject yourself regularly. If you don't, pct off and go back to being less than ideal.

Only you can decide.

I will say. I am happy with my decision and everything that I have done. From TRT, to running cycle.

I get euphoria from lifting now instead of it being a chore.(regardless of on blast or not)


I went from 207 25 percent bodyfat to 234(on blast) at 15 percent body fat in 14 months.


So I am happy, my wife is, and I look better naked

 

[Isenhart85]

TRT reactivated motivation for me to hit the gym.


TRT will also allow you to travel with testosterone. Most importantly.. it helps optimize everything.


TRT is meant to be for life, but you can give it a trt for 6 months. You can see if you like the way you feel and if you are down to inject yourself regularly. If you don't, pct off and go back to being less than ideal.

Only you can decide.

I will say. I am happy with my decision and everything that I have done. From TRT, to running cycle.

I get euphoria from lifting now instead of it being a chore.(regardless of on blast or not)


I went from 207 25 percent bodyfat to 234(on blast) at 15 percent body fat in 14 months.


So I am happy, my wife is, and I look better naked

I see. Thank you for your point of view !
I want to try to see what the cause is , it seems to me hypogonadism primary since the pituitary has high LH and FSH value but I never abused alcohol, never used any drug , never got injured on my testies, and never used any steroid and made my wife pregnant slightly more than one year ago after just 2-3 months of trying . So I am kind of worried or what the cause would be and if going straight into TRT will not let me try to look for underlying causes .

Anyhow I am glad that the TRT clinic give you medical record that you can use for traveling . Anyhow they don’t give you the prescription to pick it up at your pharmacy right ? They ship you themself their test , is that true ?

 

[Fonzie1234]

Hello Everyone,

I need your help because I am a newbie and new to this world.

Let me start with background: I was on the 12-13% body fat with some decent muscle (nothing crazy) but decent size muscle several years ago. Fast-forward to now, got some back injury with light osteoporosis took me out for a year and half. I got a lot of fat now I will say I am at 23%-25% body fat with a shitty body. I can finally train again, but I am lacking motivation, this past year has been a struggle to go to the gym and stick to a diet. Furthermore, I also get mentally tired and feel low energies.
Few weeks ago I did a complete labwork (I paid by my using labMD) and looked also to my hormones and these the results:

Testosterone: Low: 224 ng/dL
FSH: High: 14.5 mIU/mL
LH: High: 11 mIU/mL
TSH: Normal 2 uIU/mL
Estradiol: Normal: 19.5 pg/mL
PSA: Normal 0.4 ng/mL
Insuline: Normal : 8.4 uIU/mL

All blood work normal except liver ALT at: 55 IU/L. I have fatty liver and discovered 2 years ago. At that time I had ALT at 160 IU/L, got rid of alchool and now is always slightly higher but always in n the 50 to 60 range and never normal, so I am worried to everything I can take that can be liver toxic.

I am seeking for suggestion on what to do. Given your experience, what this values tells you about my testo level?
I have insurance PPO but I have a 3K limit before they kick in so this always make me wonder about going for expensive treatment. I was thinking going with TRT clinic instead. I live in the USA, but I am from Europe and travel once at year for a month period. If I got to a TRT clinic here in USA, would I get some prescription that I can use it for travelling without being stopped at the control?

Also I am scared of the idea of injecting testo for the rest of my life, what if there are some other feedback mechanism related to having FSH and LH in your body that will bring long range issue and we still don't know well? On the other side I don't think that having such hormonal values are neither beneficial so this make me not have clarity of what to do.

What would you do if you were me? Let me add that I am 38 years old and I have an infant, and my wife doesn't really want to have other kids, I never used steroids before.

Thanks !

I had similar test levels to you about a year ago. I felt like complete dogshit. I also had fatty spots on my liver from drinking.

I quit drinking 4 months before I started TRT. With diet and excersise I was able to clear up all health markers.

I was also terrified of injecting myself. My clinic would do weekly injections for me until I decided I would just man up and do it myself. It's easy now.

It can be a slippery slope though. I'm on my second cycle and if I'm honest I have absolutely no business taking anything more than just TRT. It is fun to experiment with different compounds though.

Some clinics will mail you your test, others will inject it for you. If you can get it through your endo you could possibly save some money.

 

[Rido]

Anyhow I am glad that the TRT clinic give you medical record that you can use for traveling . Anyhow they don’t give you the prescription to pick it up at your pharmacy right ? They ship you themself their test , is that true ?

upcharge and ship the test

 

[Isenhart85]

upcharge and ship the test

Do you get some record of the fact that they prescribe it to you ? Is it good quality ?
Or is just like if i buy it underground but they just help you dosing and checking it ?
Thanks all for the help

 

[Isenhart85]

upcharge and ship the test

Do you get some record of the fact that they prescribe it to you ? Is it good quality ?
Or is just like if i buy it underground but they just help you dosing and checking it ?

I had similar test levels to you about a year ago. I felt like complete dogshit. I also had fatty spots on my liver from drinking.

I quit drinking 4 months before I started TRT. With diet and excersise I was able to clear up all health markers.

I was also terrified of injecting myself. My clinic would do weekly injections for me until I decided I would just man up and do it myself. It's easy now.

It can be a slippery slope though. I'm on my second cycle and if I'm honest I have absolutely no business taking anything more than just TRT. It is fun to experiment with different compounds though.

Some clinics will mail you your test, others will inject it for you. If you can get it through your endo you could possibly save some money.

I will try with endocrinologist but I am also looking at TRT clinics in other states that will ship it to me . An endocrinologist is more legitimate in my view and I believe will make prescription I take from my local farmacy. However my plan with insurance has extremely high deductible so it is not going to be so cheap at all maybe even more then going with a TRT clinic that is not rip-off. Being a newbie and ignoring pricing, what is the difference between an actual endocrinologist prescription and TRT ? Does TRT release me some medical documentation that I can use to prove I need testosterone or it is more an underground kind of thing ?
Sorry for the stupid question but have no clue how it works especially because I moved to the USA just few years ago

 

[Rido]

Do you get some record of the fact that they prescribe it to you ? Is it good quality ?
Or is just like if i buy it underground but they just help you dosing and checking it ?
Thanks all for the help

It has a prescription on there with my name

I hope it's good quality.

In my head, it's no different than UGL.

You should start with them and not here...

 

[Fonzie1234]

Do you get some record of the fact that they prescribe it to you ? Is it good quality ?
Or is just like if i buy it underground but they just help you dosing and checking it ?

I will try with endocrinologist but I am also looking at TRT clinics in other states that will ship it to me . An endocrinologist is more legitimate in my view and I believe will make prescription I take from my local farmacy. However my plan with insurance has extremely high deductible so it is not going to be so cheap at all maybe even more then going with a TRT clinic that is not rip-off. Being a newbie and ignoring pricing, what is the difference between an actual endocrinologist prescription and TRT ? Does TRT release me some medical documentation that I can use to prove I need testosterone or it is more an underground kind of thing ?
Sorry for the stupid question but have no clue how it works especially because I moved to the USA just few years ago

Not sure on the clinic vs endo aspect of it as it probably all depends on how your insurance works.

The clinic will do blood work and that is your "proof" that you need testosterone. Some clinics may just use the blood work you already have. I have clinic give me all my blood work so I can monitor amd track all my bio markers. I also get more labs on my own because my clinic doesn't monitor lipids and they use the cheap ECLIA test and not the LCMS test which is more accurate and won't cross detect other compounds/supplements as test or E2.

All in all I am glad I started "TRT". I have more confidence, libido, and ambition.

 

[XTX187]

Hello Everyone,

I need your help because I am a newbie and new to this world.

Let me start with background: I was on the 12-13% body fat with some decent muscle (nothing crazy) but decent size muscle several years ago. Fast-forward to now, got some back injury with light osteoporosis took me out for a year and half. I got a lot of fat now I will say I am at 23%-25% body fat with a shitty body. I can finally train again, but I am lacking motivation, this past year has been a struggle to go to the gym and stick to a diet. Furthermore, I also get mentally tired and feel low energies.
Few weeks ago I did a complete labwork (I paid by my using labMD) and looked also to my hormones and these the results:

Testosterone: Low: 224 ng/dL
FSH: High: 14.5 mIU/mL
LH: High: 11 mIU/mL
TSH: Normal 2 uIU/mL
Estradiol: Normal: 19.5 pg/mL
PSA: Normal 0.4 ng/mL
Insuline: Normal : 8.4 uIU/mL

All blood work normal except liver ALT at: 55 IU/L. I have fatty liver and discovered 2 years ago. At that time I had ALT at 160 IU/L, got rid of alchool and now is always slightly higher but always in n the 50 to 60 range and never normal, so I am worried to everything I can take that can be liver toxic.

I am seeking for suggestion on what to do. Given your experience, what this values tells you about my testo level?
I have insurance PPO but I have a 3K limit before they kick in so this always make me wonder about going for expensive treatment. I was thinking going with TRT clinic instead. I live in the USA, but I am from Europe and travel once at year for a month period. If I got to a TRT clinic here in USA, would I get some prescription that I can use it for travelling without being stopped at the control?

Also I am scared of the idea of injecting testo for the rest of my life, what if there are some other feedback mechanism related to having FSH and LH in your body that will bring long range issue and we still don't know well? On the other side I don't think that having such hormonal values are neither beneficial so this make me not have clarity of what to do.

What would you do if you were me? Let me add that I am 38 years old and I have an infant, and my wife doesn't really want to have other kids, I never used steroids before.

Thanks !

I'd get on TRT, you'll feel much better. Injecting testosterone is quite easy and once every 5 days or even a week isn't going to be much hassle. You'll understand once you get used to it.

 

[WeakPiggy]

everyone was so nice in this thread. im glad it happen and you had a positive vibe. good luck with your trt homie!

keep us up to date!

 

[clearheaded]

curious if know ur ferritin levels?
T levels low assume not on gear and fatty liver not caused by gear?

sorta sound like me, hemachromatosis (elevated iron stores) symptoms sometimes mis interpreted as arthritis as presents as joint pain stiffness. fatigue etc. Can lower T aswell. long shot, if have 23 and me can see if have the gene I think aswell. eastern euro and Scottish get it alot, alot of the dark coloured polish folks actually have it and is a symptom of high iron darkening skin and of course fatty liver. most Drs pay little attention to it which is weird as often ends in host of deadly health issues and is crazy common. So may be something to look into esp if have ur bloods, as easy to treat.

 

[bornSkinny]

I had never used aas until I tested out with low T in my mid 30’s and started researching trt options. Even though I was very needle shy injections seemed like the best option to fix my problem. Using exogenous testosterone changed my life.

Based on the symptoms you’re describing, and those test levels, I’d suggest TRT for sure.

 

[Dude from Nevada]

With high FSH and LH and little testosterone, your body sounds like TRT of one variety or another is what you will need.
Your pituitary gland is telling the twins to make more testosterone and it is not working. It is possible you could get some HGC to try to wake the boys up.