Testosterone questions.

I have been experiencing ED over the years. I went to my GP and he referred me to a urologist. This was maybe 5 years ago.

The urologist tested me and determined that my testosterone level was low. He started giving me testosterone injections. I felt great and my libido improved. After a few weeks he said that he is stoping the injections and putting me on 50 mg of viagra.

Everything was going along fine for a few years. Then I noticed that the viagra wasn’t working. Come to find out you are not suppose to eat or drink grapefruit with this drug. I didn’t know this and I was eating grapefruit every day.

Well things haven’t been right since. I feel as if my testoserone level is low again. He took a blood test and called me up and said that my testosterone is “OK”. I don’t trust this dude any more so I started doing some reserach on the internet.

On a site I found it said that a normal level of free testosterone is between 300 & 1100 ng/dl. I went to my GP and he looked at the test results. I was at 290. I said,” that is low”. He said, “No because the lab that they use has a range of 280 to 900 ng/dl.

I would think that since I feel like shit that they would bring me up to at least 400 ng/dl.

Does anyone have any experience with this problem? Should I get a new doctor(s)? The urologist said that he didn’t want to give me injections because it could cause heart problems. I have not read anything on the net to support this assertion.

Have you seen this thread, monument?

This has helped my erections more than anything

Even if the lab they use suggests that 280 is within a “normal” range, you are near rock bottom of that range, and things change over time. Three years ago you might have been functional at 290 or whatever it was then. Now maybe not because you are older and may or may not be in the same general health as you were back then.

There is nothing in the (now) extensive literature of studies on Viagra use to indicate that it loses effect over time, UNLESS the base cause of the ED worsens.

I’d suggest to you that you find a urlogist who specializes in the treatment of ED and get checked out stem to stern with him. Get a full hormonal panel done (early in the day for the blood draw), including prolactin, FSH, “free” T, and the whole shmear. He will evaluate the results of that.

And that you shift from Viagra for now and over to Cialis and see if you get a better result from the C. If you do, you may then be able to go back to the V at some point, finding that it works as well again as it used to. But don’t mix the two without talking to your doctor first. The half-life of C is far longer than that of V.

I went thru a similar thing with my doctor. I was still getting good erections but I felt groggy and in a fog half the time except first thing in the morning. My testosterone was at the bottom of the fucking scale in the lowest 1% of normal and she would do nothing about it because “it was in the normal range”. I decided to do a bunch of research take my blood test results and went to an online ED doctor who prescribed Androgel for me. The dose was one 5 gram 1% Androgel pack a day for thirty days. Well HELLO!! That was over $300 a month over the internet. I think not. So I decided to re-adjust the dose to 3 paks a week. Well I noticed that I got rock hard erections, the fog lifted, I was stronger but I was cranky as anything and I was hungry all the time. I think not. I had already fought a weight problem and had it under control and I was a hard body. So I adjuted my dose again to one pak a week. This seems to keep me on an even keel, no anger, no hunger, no fog, no ED. I then had my testosterone levels taken again and I was floating at just about the midway mark on the t scale. At this rate I have about another years worth of Androgel left.

So much for the non-responsive doctors.

Good luck.

789

Good stuff here thanks.

Would you guys say that the 300-1100 scale or the 280-900 ng/dl is the correct one? Also my LH is low which they both agree. I can’t even get to see this urologist again until May 17 th !!!!!!

Pineapple juice would help with V rather than hinder it, since Pineapple blocks an enzyme that degrades orally absorbed ‘stuff’ (including viagra).

From what you have said the issue is more likely from testosterone levels (or specifically lifestyle issues affecting testosterone levels). The range you mentioned sounds very wide compared to what I’ve read, but personally I’d be more interested in what was causing the drop, as reading between the lines I suspect your body is working fine, but is in an adverse environment.

I read somewhere (Dr. Al Sears maybe) that around 600 ng/dl is optimum.

Would an endocrinologist be better at this stuff than a urologist maybe?

Either one works. You have to look at relative levels, where you fall on which scale.

Meanwhile, check into finding another uro, if you can.

Endo’s are great, but uros can have as much knowledge, if they make a specialty out of this branch of medicine.

There’s a book by Dr. Pezzi, Science of Sex, where he talks about free testosterone and testosterone to estrogen ratio. I recommend that book if you’re doing any kind of self-diagnoses.

You can also increase testosterone by excercise and weightlifting.

Yeah buddy :)
Heavy deadlift and squat can do wonder for this. (only attempt if you are more experienced)

Be careful. Yesterday, I had too much testosterone pumping through my body. I flipped out and punched through some glass shit. That’s not normal for me.

I use “vitamin V” occasionally, and found it has worked 100% of the time. I have to pop a pepcid ac and some aspirin beforehand, or I can get a massive head ache.

I was going to suggest Cialus, but I see Mr Avocet did already. I dont get quite the headache from that, and it works just about as well.

There’s also Levitra (like you haven’t seen the 100 commercials they run everyday), and a spray mist (Palatin Industries (PTN on stock market), or ICOS (symbol on stock market) might make it?).

Maybe your body is getting used to it and you need to change things up a little.

Get an endo doc. That’s really low…