Low testosterone.

I’m hoping someone here can give me some advice.
In thirteen days I have a doctors appointment; I never go to the doctor. I’m almost positive I’m suffering from low testosterone. I have all the symptoms; low sex drive, ED, no energy, and general lack of wellbeing.
After reading up on the subject I found that the normal range for T is around 300 to 1000. From what I’ve read, just because someone is above 300 does not mean they don’t need treatment for low T. I am terrified that the doctor I’m going to see is going to be one of the many who’s not real familiar with treating low T symptoms, and try treating me with Viagra and anti-depressants.
Something has to give, because I can go on like this. I have a great life, but I’m letting it slip away. I have a gorgeous wife, but I’m neglecting her needs because I can’t perform.
I’m 30 years old, 6’8” and 250lbs, but I feel like I’m 70!
I don’t want to come at the doctor like I know it all, but there is little doubt in my mind that it’s low T.
So my question is how do I discuss this with him?
Hopefully he’s knowledgeable in the area and all my worry is for nothing.
Sorry for the long thread, I just don’t really have anyone to talk to about this.

Thank you!

What’s your free T level?

If you think your doc is not familiar with the subject, you could see an urologist; those should know the subject better.

I found some useful information here:

www dot boost-your-low-testosterone dot com

Since you don’t have a baseline from before, from when you were feeling well, it’ll be difficult to determine whether your T level is lower than it was before. I concur that visiting with a urologist is the best bet. I’ve discussed with my doctor the insanely wide range of “normal”, but that’s what they use. Just tell your doctor your concerns, have him do a complete blood workup and a complete physical. I was convinced that I, too, had low T and when the results came back “normal” my doc kept looking. The upshot? I have a heart condition that was causing my tiredness, lack of libido, etc. Now it’s fine and being treated with medication. I’m certainly not saying that you might have a heart condition, just that there could be other causes for your symptoms. Good luck.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my post.

I’m just not used to doctors and have a certain level of distrust for them. I’m going to try and be open minded to the whole thing.

If it is some other condition causing my symptoms, that is defiantly something I need to know.

So I guess I will find out after the 12Th.

I truly believe that your relationship with your doctor has to be based on trust, and mutual respect. You may have to shop around to find a doctor that fits the bill, but it’s worth it. Remember, the doctor works for you. Good luck!

I suffered from low T in my mid to late 30’s. I didn’t know it and yeah it felt like being 70. Cloudy mind, poor mood, zero erections. I couldn’t exercise longer than 2 minutes.

Then I lost the wife who was giving me stress, got fit and ate well. At 45 I am fitter than I have every been in my life. I don’t use any kind of T therapy. I’m wishing you good luck and hope you get a great doctor.

Your doctor may be reminded of this, I had to remind mine. Sometimes, doctors will do as little as they can to get you out the door, and a bill in your mailbox. I wasn’t satisfied with a diagnosis and told her (my doctor) so. Sometimes you have to firm with them, if they are not giving you the explanation that you are happy with. They do work for you, you do pay them, often that gets forgotten.

There are a number of products that naturally boost testosterone levels. Horny goat weed, cordyceps, tribex, tribulus terrestris and one of my favorites, forta, which is a combination of the aforementioned plus several other things.

At 51 I’ve been through the low T, especially when training hard for sport and playing soccer 3 times a week in the summer and it can be awful for one’s marriage unless you are able to talk with your wife about it and take steps together.

Discussing your issues with your doctor is a simply a matter of speaking with him, and if you don’t get what you feel to be the correct response, get another opinion. Try some of the products that I mentioned above and you may find they help and may give you more of a clue as to how your body operates, or it could be psychological.

I stopped being able to be with my ex because she was an evil bitch, and I went as far as talking with my doctor about erectile dysfunction and he said straight up that I didn’t love her any longer. He was right, and I was so grateful for his insight.

Now, I’m not making comparisons between your wife and the dick-shrinking harpie I was with, because in my instance all the viagra in the world wouldn’t have helped, but I do empathize because my new wife is the sweetest an sexiest woman, and sometimes things just don’t work between us.

It’s a combination of overdoing the PE, too many soccer games in a row and heavy weight training sessions with my stepson that will tire me out to the point where sex is out of the question. Red wine will kill things, but scotch is fine.

And another thing I almost forgot about. My step-daughter is the strongest cock-blocker I’ve ever run across, she seems to know exactly when to disturb us to make her mother forget about cock and enjoin her daughter in some trivial distraction like finding her favorite socks or whatever..

Well, anyway, I hope this has helped somewhat and that you find a solution to being with your wife.

Cheers, A.

I have been going through a low T evaluation process for quite a while. (You can guess the drill: run a limited test, find something (but less than definitive); repeat/expand testing under more rigorous conditions; find unusual results and get referred to endocrinologist for additional consult; more extensive testing, waiting for results).

I totally understand (and to some extent share) your concerns that the broad range of “normal” values - both for total and free T - could lead some practitioners to be overly conservative about treatment. In my case the jury’s still out I suppose, but I wholeheartedly concur with those who said a trust relationship with your doctor is critical.

I would read as much as possible about low T, free T, various parameters that might be tested, (including total T, free T, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, estradiol, sex hormone binding globulin, thyroid hormones, etc.), lab reference ranges for parameters being tested, as well as information about treatment options. Even if patients may not develop a perfect understanding of the complex systems involved, I think good doctors (who get admitted to my circle of trust), are not threatened by patients who bring some knowledge to the table and seek an explanation of the doctor’s conclusions. I think you should just be very open with your concerns and questions and see what happens. If you are met with dismissive or defensive reactions, you can always run in the other direction and find somebody else.

There are a number of folks here who seem both very knowledgeable on this subject and very level headed. Sta-kool comes to mind, but I’m sure there are others as well. They might be great resources for you as you go forward. Good luck!

Two after thoughts:

As others noted, there are supplements you can take that can influence levels of T and other parameters that affect T. I would be wary about taking them until you are pretty confident you are dine with your lab work. (At the very least I would try to get good information about how long these supplements might affect your lab data.)

Low T can produce many effects, and is well worth treating if present. However, from what my endocrinologist indicated, it is frequently not the whole picture when it comes to ED. Although testosterone replacement therapy is sufficient for one class of patients, for many guys, TRT and Viagra are not either/or propositions.

Well today was the big day!

I had my appointment at 9 this morning and found out that I picked the best doctor I could have hoped for.
We discussed my ED problems, lack of sex drive and energy, and all the other symptoms I have.
He listened to everything I had to say. After the physical exam he said ” I’m thinking we might be dealing with low T”. He told me that he is not satisfied with the “normal” parameters of the test and that we are gong to see what my free T is and then try to come to an agreement on what it should be for someone my age and size.
He is also checking my thyroid and did a chest x-ray to rule out a heart condition.

Thank you all so much for your advice and support. It made the visit allot easier for me. Most of all thank you to Thunder for building a forum for men to come together and provide advice and support on sensitive issues.

I’m glad that it’s working out for you! Just remember that a lot of heart conditions can not be diagnosed with an x-ray. An EKG or an echo cardiogram might be necessary.

This thread can help.

Treatment options for Hypogonadism

Also, try, "Testosterone for Life," by Abraham Morgentaler, M.D. It’s very easy to read and informative, and will help arm you with the questions you’ll need to give to your doctor.

Marinera is right when he says if your doctor isn’t knowledgable about the topic, ask to be referred to an urologist.

I don’t know anything when it comes to medically treating low testosterone, but I’m a firm believer in naturally increasing testosterone with some simple changes to your diet and overall lifestyle.

Do the following before considering any drugs, “herbs”, or generic testosterone boosters:

*AVOID SOY AND ALL OF ITS KIND AT ALL COSTS* (this is a HUGE one)
Eat more animal fat/saturated fat
Have more Zinc
Eat more broccoli and spinach
Lift HEAVY weights regularly
Do short, intense sprints once in a while (HIIT)
Get more sleep (naps are included)
Eat more in general if you’re eating little (low calorie diets decrease testosterone)
Take cold showers
Take L-Arginine (get the powdered form from NOW Foods on Amazon)

Try these and see what happens before considering medicine, injections, and so on.

I have no doubt those suggestions will help you.