Low libido and a visit to the Endocrinologist

[Jesse-Defy]

You guys are great thanks for your input. I would like to know how you all feel now that you have been on the TRT. I will call Defy , you guys sound like you have alot of experience with this. I'll go to my MD , get a regular physical and then ask him to give me exactly what kind of form? saying that I'm ok? ......................I assume that I will have to tell the doctor what I need it for?

Feel free to email me directly at [email protected] and I'd be happy to answer your questions.

 

[Traildude]

Ok jesse, I'll take you up on that offer. Thanks.

 

[DragonBits]

how old were you when you found out your levels were low?

I was 43 when I tested at 376 ng/dl, the doctor at the time said that was normal.

I was 57 when I first went on TRT / Nebido, my Total T was still about the same.

Testosterone make a world of difference, so no one would be able to convince me that" YOUR PROBLEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE HORMONAL". I would just ignore that sort of opinion and move on.

 

[Traildude]

Yes I have completely ignored that idiotic comment from endo. Made no sense at all.

 

[Traildude]

I did notice something else in my last blood test. My glucose was 96, I think that is a bit high. I know that too much insulin will lower testosterone right?

 

[captain]

Glucose 96 is what you want its normal. Too much insulin will lower SHBG. When SHBG is lower you don't hold on to your T. Diabetics have low T from low SHBG. You only have the T level you got because its all bound up. Lower the bound you would have less. You fix high SHBG by adding more T. Better to have high SHBG than low.

 

[Gman86]

I did notice something else in my last blood test. My glucose was 96, I think that is a bit high. I know that too much insulin will lower testosterone right?

96 isn’t ideal, and it’s close to pre-diabetic range, but it’s still within normal limits. 100 is the limit, so you’re on the cusp. Good thing is, one of the best things you can do to lower fasting glucose levels is to optimize testosterone levels. TRT will absolutely bring that 96 down into a better range. TRT also increases insulin sensitivity, which means your body will be able to produce less insulin, to get the desired effect. Basically your insulin will work better, and therefore your body won’t need to make as much. TRT is hands down one of the best things you can do to not get diabetes.

 

[captain]

SHBG of 51.61 would tell you there is no diabetes.

 

[Gman86]

SHBG of 51.61 would tell you there is no diabetes.

SHBG unfortunately doesn’t paint the whole picture when it comes to diabetes. I have a friend that’s extremely overweight. Probably over 400lbs. He’s full blown diabetic, and has a SHBG of 56 (10-50)

But I completely agree, the OP isn’t diabetic.

 

[captain]

That may be from high levels of estrogen from fat. I think its more typical for a diabetic to have low SHBG.

 

[Gman86]

That may be from high levels of estrogen from fat. I think its more typical for a diabetic to have low SHBG.

I think you’re spot on. I think the norm is for diabetics to have lowish levels of SHBG due to the higher insulin levels.

 

[Blackmar401]

You guys are great thanks for your input. I would like to know how you all feel now that you have been on the TRT. I will call Defy , you guys sound like you have alot of experience with this. I'll go to my MD , get a regular physical and then ask him to give me exactly what kind of form? saying that I'm ok? ......................I assume that I will have to tell the doctor what I need it for?

I feel great. I have been on trt for 3 months. One month of gel with a primary and one month of shots then switched to defy who upped my dose to a better spot and let me do multiple injections instead of wanting me to let my levels crash for the blood draw so they can show potential inquiries that their patients are all on the bare minimum. You will see alot of guys on here having issues but i dont think that is the norm after a few weeks on shots I felt great. I had T levels of a woman. Not just low. Defy has been great so far. They want you to feel good 7 days a week consistently not for a couple days after your shot like most Drs will require. Most Drs wont even understand the SHBG relation to t levels and dosing frequency. My old Dr was even on TRT himself and was clueless

 

[Traildude]

I would like to know when you guys have been getting your blood work/testosterone tests, in the morning or afternoon?

 

[captain]

I use Gel so I do morning labs 2-3hrs after application.

 

[Traildude]

I noticed that the morning and afternoon numbers are very different. My morning number was 451, which imo could be better, but the afternoon number was much lower. They say that it doesn't vary that much if you are over 45 but that has not been the case with me.

 

[captain]

After your on TRT your own production will be shut down. We check in the AM at peak to see how much is getting in. I have done labs late in the day and there is not that much difference at 6-8hrs. Your only talking about total T and it doesn't reflect what the active DHT and Estrogen levels may be over 24hr. The active hormones may stay at a higher level longer than the total T does. These levels are affected by how high you spike total T. There is more to it than just total T.

 

[Traildude]

As you can see as stated earlier in the thread, my T is low, however I have a possible dilemma, which I had not thought of earlier but thought that I should probably post about now. I have a few lymph nodes that are enlarged in the retroperitoneal cavity. They are sub-centimeter. The largest being just under 1 cm. They are stable. I have a concern that if I go on TRT, it may aggravate this situation and they may become larger. Any input from anyone that knows more about this would be appreciated.

 

[captain]

What is the cause of it? Maybe what is causing the lymph problem is causing the T problem. I don't know anything about this type of thing.

 

[Traildude]

I don't know what the cause of it and neither does my doctor or any other doctor that I have spoken with and neither can anyone here know what it is either. It can be many things as I have been told. An infection or whatever. I have also been told that sometimes they get smaller on their own and there is no real way to know what it is unless there is a biopsy, which there is no way I'm going to do for many reasons. The good news is that it has been stable for 2 years and the largest is 9mm which is just under 1 cm.

 

[DragonBits]

I don't know what the cause of it and neither does my doctor or any other doctor that I have spoken with and neither can anyone here know what it is either. It can be many things as I have been told. An infection or whatever. I have also been told that sometimes they get smaller on their own and there is no real way to know what it is unless there is a biopsy, which there is no way I'm going to do for many reasons. The good news is that it has been stable for 2 years and the largest is 9mm which is just under 1 cm.

I was curious how you even found out about it as you seem to say it wasn't causing any problems.