The specialist (assuming an endocrinologist) is right about T levels varying. Just like many of your bodies hormone and chemical secretions, testosterone productions pulses. Several clinical studies have shown that T levels are highest around 7-9am. If you want to see your peak levels, your bloodwork should be done around then. That's because the majority of T production is done during REM sleep. In my opinion the part you're misunderstanding from your specialist is the low between production doesn't just drop to zero. between hormone pulses. There are plenty of charts online based on 24-hr T testing available for you to see, but the summary is if you're testing your levels late in the afternoon, you're probably seeing your peak value cut down 30-50%.

Another myth - once on TRT always on TRT. Simply not true. You can stop at any time. There are different treatments to speed up the process (usually a regimen of Clomid and sometimes HCG) but your body's natural systems will take back over. I've personally quit cold turkey after 3 years and had my natural levels come back to what they were before I started.

Symptoms - just because you don't have ALL the symptoms of low T doesn't mean you don't have it. That's a ridiculous statement. Nothing in the medical field works like that or we wouldn't need doctors to help diagnose issues.

Absolutely, your doctor should be testing more than just your total testosterone. There are many other factors of diagnosing low T issues. Free testosterone, Estrogen, LH, FSH, SHBG, PSA should all be checked on a standard male hormone panel. If your doctor isn't checking these things, he/she is half-assing your treatment program. Just because your one doctor didn't check these other things, I don't know why you would automatically assume "most" aren't checking them and just trying to scam you. My Testosterone without using any insurance costs less per month than multi-vitamins.

By the way, anyone can get their own bloodwork done any time without a doctor prescription. You pay the fee ($74) and there are labs all over the place you can take 5 minutes and get your results in a couple days. The results will show you all the normal ranges compared to what your are, if any. Link Here

I think I have low T and my endo has asked me many times if I am tired or run down but I've always said no. Type 2 diabetic 5'7 160lbs don't exercise but am on my feet all day ( auto repair business). Was talking to a friend of mine that several of his friends

had been diagnosed with low T and put on various meds and it has made a world of difference for them.

Old thread but for about a year I have been irritable, super fatigued, hanging on to belly fat even though I eat good and don’t drink, and have low libido. Recently had full labs done at the family doc and he went over 4 pages of results from labcorp. My test is 249.

He started me on once a week injections and a pill to take 12 hours after the shot (estrogen blocker).

Gave myself the first shot last night (after about an hour of internal struggle lol). Shot wasn’t bad at all.
Hopefully It helps.

36 y/o in a week btw.

Did he offer any insight as to why it was so low?

That seems like a extremely low number for a 36 year old male.

He did not. Everything else was normal though. I’ve got my lab results here in front of me but I don’t know what a lot of It is.

Low T counts can be genetic, environmental, diet or lack of exercise. 36 actually is around the age range where the first big drop offs occur. TRT will change your life for the better. All that you are doing is restoring what living has taken away from you. If you really want to feel the boost, start working out regularly. It will jump starts everything.

I’m looking forward to It! I’m marathon training now (which has been kind of struggle with low energy). Run quite a bit.

Doc said it’ll help with recovery on my runs as well.

That it will. It is a dirty little secret that TRT therapy use to be the standard in the UFC, but it was eliminated. It doesn't take huge doses of Test to make you feel 21 again.

I'm sure it is in here, but what are the negatives? I have heard could lead to enlarged prostate/prostate cancer?

Your doctor should also be checking your PSA levels when you get your blood work done. The biggest risk is an increase in red blood cells. As long as your doc is checking that , you should be good to go. If your count gets too high, they will have you donate blood, as it can make your blood thicker and can cause all sorts of problems.

Luckily you can just do this

As Kevin said, have your blood work done and become a blood donor. And one way to prevent enlarged prostate is Cialis (what the medicine was originally intended for). Increased libido and unlimited erections...definitely a win/win...lol.

https://www.webmd.com/men/news/20111006/fda-approves-cialis-to-treat-enlarged-prostate

Cialis and the other one felt like they hurt my vision with each dose and it's been permanent. I got the low T, I think losing weight might help it. We'll see.

One thing that has sucked is my back keeps breaking out. I’ve never had pimples in my life. It’s wearing me out.

I take the testosterone gel daily. Never experienced skin breakouts. Dr just said the Feds are more strictly regulating it now so I will need testing every 6mo vs yearly now. Same with my sleep meds, Sounds like a money grab.

What is your level now? How regular are you tested? The time of day can make a big difference in your T level. Morning, before 10:00 AM can be substantially different from later in the day. What dosage are you taking?

I’m taking 1ml every Thursday night. Getting tested every 3 months for now but only been back once so far.

Initial bloodwork was 200s
There months later was about 1200 but I did It wrong and scheduled by bloodwork just a few days after my shot. So they rescheduled It for 3 months later and told me to make sure a week had passed since my last shot.

I’m due for that now.

What time of day did they draw your blood? How are you feeling? What kind of doctor is prescribing for you? You should be getting checked more often until a good solid baseline measure can be established. I got an initial loading dose of 2ml and then I injected 1ml, once a week. I felt like hammered chit. The measurement stops at 1600 and mine was 1600. I have no idea how far above 1600 I was. Big mistake. Once it goes in you can't get it out. That's why I'm not a big fan of the pellets. Everybody is different in how their receptors accept the dose. I figured out you need to have some patience. Start at lower levels and work your way up to find what works for you. There are too many doctors on the T replacement therapy bandwagon and there are those that don't really know what they're doing.
The pimples on your back is a symptom of too much T. Have you been short tempered/irritable? Be careful about what you put in your body. I'm convinced my kidney issues started with the excessive dose I got.

Yes I have been irritable. And not sleeping as much.
I don’t know that I feel much different than before as far as better except I’m less tired.

I had the best results with Axiron. It's a liquid made by Eli Lilly. I'm not sure they still make it. I never could get the shots to work right. I quit using testosterone when I developed prostate cancer. T therapy doesn't cause cancer but many doctors will tell you that it feeds it. I don't want to risk it at this point. I did the creams, gels, liquid and shots. I've forgotten way more than i know at this point. I had a retired airline pilot buddy that researched the crap out it looking for the holy grail and he never found his happy place either.

My best THF diagnosis for you is to start lower and work your way up on the injections. Try the gels/liquids. They were a bit cost prohibitive for me at the time. You could get coupons from the manufacturer but once they quit giving those, man it got expensive quick. 2-300 hundred a month. Monitor your PSA levels and watch for spikes. Develop a baseline graph for your T levels and PSA so you can really track them. Note the time of day they draw blood. If your doctor tells you it doesn't matter, find another doctor.

You want it 800-1000. Over1000 get hairline loss and your back

High test means high Estrogen. Need a prescription estrogen blocker or order some DIM(vitamin) and take it everyday day (100-300mg)

Problem with the weekly shots is your levels are up at the time of the shot but steadily decline in the week before your next shot. Daily gel keeps things level. I do 5 grams one day followed by 10 grams the next to keep my level in the 500's..