Testosterone Deficiency

[modjazz]

hi everyone,

i am looking to this website/ forum because i am not getting the info i need. i am a very frustrated guy here.

a little about my situation: i have been diagnosed with low testosteone and have been apply androgel daily for about a year.

my goal is to build muscle and to lose fat. currently i weigh 250lbs., am considered obese on the BMI index, and my body fat is 30%. i am a 43 year old male.

i am no slacker. i work out 4-5 days a week. i eat right and i get enough sleep. i am doing the art of strength classes at my gym and i love them and they kick my ass. i have worked with a personal trainer.

now here's the kicker: i am seeing no results at all. really. my weight is the same and my bodyfat has not budged. also after my workouts it's like my body has no "muscle memory." i feel like a big blob.

it is so frustrating because i have invested so much time and energy and money into changing my body and putting in the time for workouts and eating right.

so my question: even though i am taking androgel, should i be looking into HGH and injectible Testosterone? i very much want to change my body and i don't want to give up but it just ain't happening for me.

please please please offer any advice if you have any ideas.

thanks,

michaael

p.s. i have a doctor appointment with a new endocrinologist next week. are there any questions i can/ should ask him?

[RANDO88]

I have had excellent results taking self injections of 1 ML per wk. of testosterone cypionate dosed at 210MG/ML on the vial. At first my MD said I was in the normal range for my age (54 yr. male- 193 total T--2.20 free testo) After doing some research the "normal" range for my age varies widely. After seeing another MD, who put me on the self injections, I am feeling much better. I think sometimes Dr. are reluctant to prescribe testosterone (STEROIDS) but it helped me tremendously. Good Luck!

[modjazz]

thanks for the info. i'm going to see the doctor on tuesday and will bring up the points you covered. maybe injectable T is what i need.

thanks,

michael

[RANDO88]

Hello Michael, I sure hope your MD will follow through. One excellent site you need to ck. is [moderator note: website address has been removed] This has lots of information, in fact, I had my MD take a look. This may be one reason he was more receptive to the therapy. All the Best, Rando88

[modjazz]

so i just got my blood test results back at the doctor's today...

everything was normal EXCEPT my Testosterone. based on a scale of 0-1000 it was a 64.

a )#^&!ing 64!!!!!!!!

no wonder i cannot gain muscle. wow.

so the doctor is putting me on the maximum dose of androgel per day and i go back to see her in two weeks to see if it is working.

i am so grateful i now have an answer and a plan.

[forrest_and_trees]

ModJazz,

Glad to hear you've identified a likely cause. I must say though your situation raises some concern. I'm 41 and been on the 1% Gel for about 6 weeks now. I too used to be *very* active and worked out regularly however, at about 29, I started gaining weight for no apparent reason. In retrospect, it's likely attributed to my struggles with LowT; which began in my mid twenties. I went from 185 to nearly 360lbs. I've not be able to exercise regularly for roughly 10 years now due to the constant weight gain and other LowT related issues. I'm hoping the testosterone replacement therapy will help address all this.

I'm only just now, within the last couple days, beginning to feel like I can get back out there and be active again. [I pray it continues.] My goal is to be in your position in about a years time, i.e. down to 250lbs, working out regularly on my way back to 185lbs. So my concern is this, how is it that after a year of being on the daily gel, your T level is *still* only 64?! What dosage has your Dr. prescribed going forward?

I've been doing some research of my own and I'm curious, did you Dr. check your thyroid and cortisol levels? I'm scheduled to have my thyroid and t-levels checked after I've been on the gel for 90 days. Based on what I've read, I'm also considering cortisol inhibitors. I'd be interested to get another point of view on that. Even though the cortisol inhibitors are OTC, I want to consult with my Dr. before I begin them, due to the gel. From what I've read, it sounds as if they should actually compliment the T-Gel but I'd like to be certain. I'll let you know what I find out.

Please keep us posted. I'd be *VERY* interested to here about your progress.

Best of luck!