Got my bloods done and my Testosterone levels are LOW. I’m working out a lot and kind of pissed Ive been doing it on “hardmode” for god knows how long, but before I take the doc up on the script I’m doing my due diligence on the realities. It seems like every article I find is either written by a trt clinic or is a one sided hit piece. So Im after some real world experiences.
No experience myself, but one of the fitness YouTubers I like posted this recently: https://youtu.be/_ro-YvnLF-4
I did catch the beginning of that one when I had a look on YT and I was planning on coming back to it, glad you recommended it because its a really good video.
Just dropping this one here too for anyone else curious on the topic. Its from a very “Bodybuilding and steroids” community viewpoint but also some good no-bullshit information.
Most people who are using TRT don’t need to use it so be very dubious about what you’re reading on the Internet. Testosterone is unfortunately abused. People are taking testosterone as a performance enhancer and a quick fix to get what they want. Look up “anabolic steroid abuse” or misuse if you want to see the side effects and problems with inappropriate use. Example include aggressive behaviour, mood swings, paranoia, cardiovascular effects that can cause heart attacks or stroke, kidney problems, infertility and small testicles. This is when you use extra testosterone on top of normal levels of testosterone.
Your case is very different and a lot of what you see online does not apply. In your case you have low testosterone - that is an actual medical condition and you’re being prescribed testosterone to get up to normal levels. Having low testosterone can delay puberty, lead to low muscle mass, lead to reduced growth of the penis and testes, and lead to low sex drive, low energy, and long term infertity, erectile dysfunction and even osteoporosis.
If you’ve had a blood test showing you have low testosterone and are under a decent doctor who is prescribing this and monitoring it then you should follow their advice. You have a medical condition that should be treated for your benefit and quality of life. All the quackery from people who self medicate and abuse testosterone does not apply.
I didnt want to create a wall of text in the post and I’m not looking to massively overshare but the truth for me is somewhere in the middle.
Ive been counting calories, tracking macros, wearing a fitbit and hitting 4 to 6 crossfit workouts a week for 2 years and while I’m happy with the progress Ive made, Ive also watched people who started well after me experience more dramatic transformations in their physiology in shorter time and after bitching about it at the gym, one of the guys said “Bro, your almost 40. You have a small child, you get up at 4am for work and you’re always stressed about something. I bet your T levels are destroyed” So I got them checked and they are. So I googled “Symptoms of Low Test” and fuck me if “harder to lose weight and put on muscle” werent right next to “Irritable moody asshole who sleeps like shit and always seems unhappy” (Yep… not like I’m proud of it) which was a very welcome surprise because yeah… if the shoe fits but I cant find the other one I will be a grumpy ass about it and it will ruin my day.
The big catch is that TRT in my country is something some doctors just dont take seriously (Which is why I got my bloods done privately) They think everyone asking for it just wants to look like Jack Reacher so they tell you “Reduce stress, sleep better and get some exercise” then charge you $80. The ones that do take it seriously will refer you to an endocrinologist who will take 6 months to see you, is just as likely to do the same as the first doctor, or will have some set of wacky criteria that they use to determine if they will give it to you. I got told a story from a nurse friend of a guy who literally lost his balls to cancer and still had to go have his bloods taken 2 months apart to prove that he had low test because that was the practices policy on prescribing TRT. That and I havent had a regular GP since I moved so any doctor I see is going to be our first meeting and I’m going to be like “Hey, I want testosterone please” which even with bloods is likely to go poorly.
We also have private TRT clinics, which is who I showed my results to because fuck jumping through the other hoops just to ask some questions and I’m absolutely eligible BUT (and this is me being a self aware grownup) the TRT clinic would never tell me about the possible pitfalls and side effects and negative experiences because they want my money and (If I’m honest) I DO want to look like Jack Reacher and private medical practices arent always known for setting healthy limits on their customers and being even more honest, I’m not super great at doing it to myself. I want the mental improvement as well as the physical, but I know how good I am at lying to myself about shit too.
So I’m trying to do research online but its a bit of a mixed bag, lots of heavy bias. I DO plan on talking to a GP before I make a concrete decision but I want to have smart questions to ask before I do.
So I gotta ask: what’s your plan for addressing your stress levels and your lack of sleep? A prescription from your doctor doesn’t squarely address those issues, and they should probably be addressed.
Truth be told some of the supposed benefits of TRT are improved sleep, improved moods, feeling more “whole” and being less Irritable. Is it low because I sleep like shit and Im stressed or do I sleep like shit and I’m always stressed because its low.
Edot: That answer seemed a bit flippant, Theres a bit of light at the end of those tunnels, in that my daughter gets more reasonable every day and we just sold our old place and moved into a tiny shitshow of a place to save money while the new one is built so hopefully in 12 months she might ne going to bed on time in her nice new bedroom. Works always going to be work though.
Maybe also schedule with a therapist/counselor for a couple weeks prior, establish a baseline, and have them help you to monitor your mental state while you take the meds.
It seems like you’re very self aware, which is a blessing/curse I believe I share. It’s important to me to keep some outside perspective that will “speak truth to power”. My therapist won’t lie to me, he won’t put up with me lying to myself, and he knows me well enough to spot the bullshit.
If you like, think about it like any other medicine with psychoactive properties. My doctors monitor me for the side effects of antidepressants, mostly for manic episodes. I think it’s a smart aspect of the whole plan.
I’ve only heard very positive things about TRT, but that’s just from people discussing it online.
I imagine if you’re just using it to get testosterone levels back to normal then it wouldn’t cause any issues tho. The high testosterone side effects usually come from taking an inconceivably unnatural amount.
I have hypothyroidism and since going on medication I’m a completely different person. Obviously a different thing, but it’s crazy how much our entire lives can be dictated by hormones without realising.
All that being said, you should speak to a doctor about it.
Ive mentioned it in a other reply but theres a private TRT clinic thats happy to take my money and give me what I apparently need. But regular GPs often treat guys wanting TRT like junkies seeking pain meds. They will only prescribe it or recommend it if your levels are utterly fucked mine are pretty damn low but not abysmal.
Im going to talk to a GP before signing up (If I decide to) but I want to have smarter questions to ask than I have now.
The biggest thing that you want to be sure if, in my experience, is ensuring that the dosage results in steady levels throughout the month. I had an awful time with the dose being every other week. And when I say awful, I mean “having a full fledged anxiety attack causing me to be pretty much locked inside my head every fortnight, resulting in needing to seek professional help”. Hormonal imbalances can really fuck you up.
Yeah my reading pretty much says twice a week is the best balance between stability and fewest injections.
My wife encouraged me to talk to a doctor about possibly low testosterone levels because of increasing depression and irritability. When I was talking to him he started asking questions about difficulty of maintaining muscle/keeping fat off, energy levels, ED, and low libido. I had noticed all of those things but they came on so gradually that I did not realize how bad it had gotten till we started taking about it. I got tested and sure enough I was low. I started twice weekly at home subcutaneous injections about a year ago and man has it made a difference. My mood is much better, but because I’m just going back to normal levels I’m not aggressive. It is much easier to keep muscle mass and keep fat off. I have more energy, better sex drive, and better sex in general. I have not noticed any down sides so far. I like the at home thing because it is more smaller injections instead of fewer large injections so you maintain a more consistent level. I definitely do not think people should abuse steroids for “gains” but if you have low T and are seeing multiple symptoms from it I definitely think it is worth it to get back up to a reasonable level.
Men don’t get aggressive because of excess testosterone. Roid rage is caused by an excess of estrogen, which kicks into overdrive when you have more testosterone. That’s why a proper routine often includes estrogen blockers like Anastrozole.
I’m on TRT, have been for about a year. It’s pretty easy. Just 1 injection once per week, although I’ve been thinking about moving to one injection twice per week. I don’t really want to give myself shots twice per week though, so I’m still just in the thinking about it phase.
You’ll need regular blood tests at first, and then one every 6 months after you get a stable routine going.
It will make your testicles shrink unless you use Pregnyl, because they’re not producing testosterone any more. Pregnyl is pretty expensive. That doesn’t bother some people, and other people are greatly bothered by it. I suppose it depends on how big your balls are to begin with.
Your body may produce excess estrogen when you start taking testosterone. That’s pretty easy to manage with Anastrozole, but getting the dosage right can take a few weeks. Be aware of any changes to your emotional state, and any nipple sensitivity, and communicate those with your doctor.
You may develop viscous blood after taking testosterone for a while, and you’ll need to donate blood to get it back to the correct viscosity. There are several risk factors that need to be monitored, so don’t start the routine if you’re not willing to regularly do follow-up blood tests. Once you get everything dialed then it’s a very easy routine to follow.
I went and got tested because of a similar situation as yours. I was working out consistently, but not really seeing any progress. I am middle aged, but I was thinking that it shouldn’t be that hard. I was just under the lowest normal range, so I qualified for the program. Overall my energy levels have improved, my libido increased, I’m more alert, and I see much more progress at the gym. Be aware that this treatment just gets you back into the normal range, so don’t expect to see the same results you would see while doing an actual bodybuilder’s test cycle. Those guys use up to 1000x more testosterone than we normally have in our systems. TRT just puts you back at 1x. It can push you into the upper normal range though, which gives an improvement to muscle mass and fat burning if you’ve never been in that range before. My vials have almost double the amount I actually need per dosage, so I could definitely up my dosage without telling my doctor, and probably see some pretty sweet gains. But I’m not going to risk throwing everything out of balance that took a few months to get dialed in. I’m good where I am.
