[satysin]

This is of interest to me as I saw an Endocrinologist last Monday as I had a blood test a few weeks ago and my testosterone level was "quite low" at 257 (bottom of the range being 249).

Anything under 300 along with symptoms (of which I have several hence the blood test in the first place) means further investigation so I am now waiting for the results of a whole host of blood tests that I did last Tuesday that the Endocrinologist ordered. 9 vials! Never had so much blood taken in one go.

I am 39 and never really gave any thought to my testosterone levels if I am honest. But I have been suffering from a whole host of weird issues the past ~3 years. However I am not sure if TRT is something I want to do if it comes back that they are indeed low and it wasn't just a one-off in the first test.

At least it isn't something I want to try first, I will see what other things I can do naturally such as diet changes before I head down the TRT injections, gels, etc. route.

For what it's worth I am in [redacted] not the US and I've never known anyone on TRT. Honestly I had never even heard of it outside of sports with people that [ab]use such things.

[mmh0000]

I am in nearly the same boat as you. I'm 38, and 1 year ago, I had my testosterone levels checked. The results came back at 273ng/dL, which is considered deficient. When I asked about TRT, My doctor refused to prescribe it, but, couldn't provide any valid reasons or research to backup his one justification that "it makes your blood thicker, and increases the risk of heart attack" (see below).

After doing tons of reading, I decided TRT is something I want. I went to a very questionable "doctor" who will prescribe effectively anything you ask for—(Just Google 'Mens Health Clinic <your area>'). Below, I've listed some of the more compelling videos and articles I went through [0]

The main reason I wanted to try TRT is that I've suffered from severe depression for a long-time; literally, suicide was a daily thought. I tried all the other things people say to do; I ate right, and I religiously tracked my diet. I got sleep-tracking apps and devices and fixed my sleep to get 8+ hours of sleep. After all that didn't help, I went to my normal family doctor, who prescribed escitalopram which "fixed" my depression by making me unable to feel anything, which was a terrible way to live. So I stopped taking that.

I started TRT back in July of 2022.

After being on TRT for about five months, the depression just disappeared. I've had other benefits, too, such as significantly improved musical tone (though this isn't why I started TRT, but it's a nice side-effect).

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBhfP3MBYLU [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j232kdcnSQ [0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32081788/ [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3897047/ [0] https://www.eu-focus.europeanurology.com/article/S2405-4569(...

[anigbrowl]

I tried all the other things people say to do; I ate right, and I religiously tracked my diet. I got sleep-tracking apps and devices and fixed my sleep to get 8+ hours of sleep.

Not trying to second guess your health situation, but I don't see anything about exercise on here. You don't have to go crazy with it (unless you want to), but istm everyone should do some exercise. Walking at leisurely pace helps but I don't really count that as exercise - by that I mean something that gets your heart pumping or significantly tires you out, eg a long walk at a really fast pace or with a loaded rucksack. Obviously this will be different for people who struggle with obesity or have joint issues, but you don't mention any physical handicaps so I'm assuming you have full mobility.

[satysin]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have heard very similar stories from many people and it is certainly a pretty good sell for trying TRT.

Your initial experience is weirdly similar to mine. My doctor has given me a few different antidepressants over the past 2 and a bit years (Escitalopram, Amitriptyline, Sertraline to name three) but they just made me worse in that I put on weight (which now will not fucking leave!), awful sleep, my penis became useless, and I was just angry 95% of the time. I was a truly awful person to be around and I felt so sorry for my wife and son having to put up with me. So I told him they're not working and we need to look at other ways of treating this depression and anxiety.

He sent me for a testosterone check I think as a bit of a way to just shut me up as I kept asking him what else can we do. He was surprised when it came back at 257ng/dL but as it was above the 249 bottom end he was like "it's a bit low but in the normal range". Thankfully I have a friend that is a doctor and they put me in touch with an Endocrinologist who agreed under 300 at least deserves some further blood work and check I don't have a pituitary gland issue which can cause a lot of my symptoms.

My symptoms are:

* extreme fatigue (to the point of falling asleep in my office chair)

* easily exhausted when exercising

* much longer recovery times from exercising, when I used to have maybe a day or two of muscle aches from pushing myself a bit more to build muscle it would now take me 3 to 4 weeks to recover.

* My concentration is garbage

* Cannot lose the weight around my abdomen. I managed to lose around 13KG back in 2020 yet put it back on thanks to the SSRIs mentioned above and doing the same things I did the first time just does not shift the weight

* Depression but it feels different to my previous experiences with depression not to mention it seems treatment resistant this time whereas before I found Sertraline was at least somewhat effective.

* Heart palpitations that are extremely uncomfortable

* Terrible sleep. It often takes me 2 hours to finally get to sleep and my sleep quality as measured by my FitBit is awful compared to a few years ago (first time the sleep tracking came in helpful)

* Very irritable and easily frustrated

I don't know how that compares to your list of symptoms but they have absolutely wrecked me the past few years. I am just hoping to god there is something of value found in my blood results so I can start working on improving things.

As I said I don't know if I will jump on TRT as it does worry me a little bit. There is no such thing as side effect free HRT after all but my wife has said I should keep an open mind and listen to my Endocrinologist who has said she would recommend it if my blood work comes back with levels in line with ~250ng/dL. I will see what the results are though, if I'm under 250 I think I will have to seriously considering just trying it for a few months. If I am around 300 I think I would rather try some natural ways and retest in 2-3 months and see if it has helped at all. If not then I will give TRT a try.

[JPws_Prntr_Fngr]

> I don't know if I will jump on TRT as it does worry me a little bit. There is no such thing as side effect free HRT after all...

Brother, it sounds like your life is made of horrendous side effects. I am just a random internet commenter, not a doctor, but I am a fellow man. And if there were ever a time to ignore your fear and roll the dice, it's now.

[satysin]

You're not wrong and my wife certainly shares your opinion too!

I am naturally a bit of a worrier about "big" medication regimes like TRT and I over research and over think everything which is obviously not a great thing when it comes to medicine as everything has side effects.

I am slowly starting to adjust my mindset with regards to trying TRT but I need to see what my results are to help me make a decision.

[mmh0000]

It is a decision, but, I wouldn't say it's a "big" one. It is possible to come off TRT, though it's a long ramp-down period. The TRT itself isn't really a hassle, I just poke myself in the butt twice a week. I've worked it into my morning routine: shave, shower, teeth, poke.

I was like you before I started TRT, super hesitant, and worried I would just be poisoning myself. A good friend of mine kept pushing me to try, and I can't say I have any regrets.

For me personally, I wouldn't want to come off TRT, I feel so much better consistently. IMHO, there are no downsides, at least none yet that I've experienced.

[satysin]

My level came back at 305 so they won’t offer any treatment.

[avion23]

Do your own research on that. Even endocrinologists oversee obvious reasons for low testosterone.

Usually, low testosterone is more a symptom. Better fix the underlying issue. Get somebody with expertise to look at your tests (i.e. not a government-paid doctor).

Look also into thyroid etc

[satysin]

Yes the recent blood work has all the diabetes, cortisol, thyroid and some other stuff being tested. Plus a brain/pituitary gland MRI in a few days.

Thankfully here I get all my results directly in accessible formats (so like a normal video for my MRI results) so I can easily research myself or go for a second opinion without the hassle of having to get my results like back in the UK.

Having said that the Endocrinologist I saw was highly recommended by a close Doctor friend so I have confidence in them.