Thinking of TRT

[Borolad 0]

Hi, 

I'm 33 years old and I've been thinking about doing TRT for a couple of years.  I've been taking the hairloss drug  finasteride for about 7 years and it has served me very well. Over the last few years I have suffered with low energy levels which in turn has been affecting my mood. My libido is overall fine but it is lower than before however this is not an issue. The major issue is being lethargic. I have done 3 cycles of testosterone 500mg-750mg  and anavar for between 12 to 20 weeks about 4/5 years ago.  I did experience feeling tired pre gear but it wasn't as bad then and has got worse over the last couple of years. I was assuming that my side effects are a combination of steroid use and finasteride because  my testicles are smaller than before.  

 

Anyway, last year i decided to get my bloodwork done and I was quite surprised that my test levels were good. My SHGB levels though were through the roof which therefore affects my free testosterone. Finasateride is known the raise SHBG due to blocking DHT. Below are the results. As you can see my free testosterone is 22.9 nmol/l but my SHGB is 83.3 Nmol/l Ostradiol is 130 pmol/l and free testosterone is 0.255 nmol/l. SHBG seems to be the massive issue here. After this I had my liver and thyroid checked and they came back fine.

 

I've been taking a supplement called boron to lower levels of SHBG. I got my bloodwork done recently and  the supplement has helped a little. (Results below) My SHBG is down to 63.6 nmol/l but it’s still too high. My free testosterone slightly increased to 0.296 nmol/l which is the normal range but its the lower end and I still feel tired all of the time.  Boron has done all it can and I can’t get it down any lower as I’m taking the recommended dose. 

 I feel probably slightly better than last year but overall i'm still very tried throughout the day regardless of how many hours sleep I get. I really need to do something for a better quality of life.  I feel I can’t go on like this anymore. I have messaged TRT clinics online but they said i'm not suitable under guidelines. I really don't want to stop finasteride. Even lowering the dose on finasteride doesn’t work for me I still feel tired and I’ll lose hair.  So I was thinking of doing low doses of testosterone to get my free testosterone higher. I’ll aim for the high normal range. I’ll also take 500iu of hcg per week to keep the balls going. (I'll take hair loss topicals to prevent any hair loss if i get any) It really would be nice to have my energy levels back also if i could add a bit more muscle it would be a bonus. I'm unsure if this is the right way to go though. Does anyone have any experience in this or does anyone have any other recommendations based on my blood work?

 

Cheers!! 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by Borolad
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[Pez189 786]

I see you mentioned you had your liver and thyroid checked after these results, but have you ever had an MRI/pituitary gland checked? I Only mention it because of the high SHBG level, that and the DHEA can both be signs of an issue with the pituitary. Might not be of course... but maybe worth checking?

Certainly no need for TRT With any of those levels.  Your diet all good? Stressful lifestyle? 

[Borolad 0]

I haven’t had an MRI before. I took my results to my doctor last year and they just recommended my liver and thyroid to be checked. They done some other checks with my blood but I can’t remember exactly what they were.  When everything came back fine the doctor just said it is finasteride that is causing the high SHBG levels and to come off. I wasn’t given any other option. So I’m pretty much at a dead end.  I could try the doctor again but I really doubt they will agree for me to have an MRI. I think they will just tell me to come off the drug. It’s a lot cheaper for them lol!! Yeah my diet has always been spot on and my day to day life is stress free at the moment. Energy levels just started taking a hit after a year on finasteride. 

[JDOG. 6]

Send me a pm if you can, ive been on fin for a few years and decided to self TRT a while ago.

[Youdontknowme 928]

Not sure why you think trt would help when your levels are already decent?

[Borolad 0]

8 minutes ago, JDOG. said:

Send me a pm if you can, ive been on fin for a few years and decided to self TRT a while ago.

I’m trying to send a message mate but it says I can send 0 messages per day for some reason. I’m new to this forum. 

[Borolad 0]

4 minutes ago, Youdontknowme said:

Not sure why you think trt would help when your levels are already decent?

My levels are good but my SHBG is making my free test low which in turn is making me tired.  Although it’s still in the normal lower range genetically I must require more free test than what others require with me having low test symptoms. I’ve tried everything natural for over a year but sadly nothing has worked. 

[Youdontknowme 928]

2 minutes ago, Borolad said:

My levels are good but my SHBG is making my free test low which in turn is making me tired.  Although it’s still in the normal lower range genetically I must require more free test than what others require with me having low test symptoms. I’ve tried everything natural for over a year but sadly nothing has worked. 

I’d be looking to resolve the root cause mate. You will effectively ruin a decent natural test level and potential not fixing what you set out to 

[Borolad 0]

Just now, Youdontknowme said:

I’d be looking to resolve the root cause mate. You will effectively ruin a decent natural test level and potential not fixing what you set out to 

You’re right mate. That’s why I’m not a 100% about doing trt. But I am certain it’s the finasteride is the root of this as finasteride is known to raise SHBG levels due to the feedback loop from lowering DHT and these effects started after a year or so after taking the drug. The side effects did go whenever I was on a cycle years ago and felt great so that’s what made me think about trt for some time.  

[Muskopia 3]

On 10/6/2020 at 7:39 PM, Borolad said:

You’re right mate. That’s why I’m not a 100% about doing trt. But I am certain it’s the finasteride is the root of this as finasteride is known to raise SHBG levels due to the feedback loop from lowering DHT and these effects started after a year or so after taking the drug. The side effects did go whenever I was on a cycle years ago and felt great so that’s what made me think about trt for some time.  

Very interesting. I didn't know it could raise SHBG. 

After 6 months of taking Finasteride, mine was 45 (35-50). I'm sending off my blood test at the 9-month mark to check again.

I've been taking Boron, reduced my protein intake, and switched to a high-fat diet to help lower it (and increase T levels). Have you tried any of these?

[Borolad 0]

On 08/10/2020 at 9:14 AM, Muskopia said:

Very interesting. I didn't know it could raise SHBG. 

After 6 months of taking Finasteride, mine was 45 (35-50). I'm sending off my blood test at the 9-month mark to check again.

I've been taking Boron, reduced my protein intake, and switched to a high-fat diet to help lower it (and increase T levels). Have you tried any of these?

Looking back it  would have been good if I got my bloodwork done before finasteride but at the time I was scared taking and felt better not knowing what it was doing to me. You do get some people that come off the drug because they get too scared of the potential sides or even think they have side effects but it’s all in their head. It took me 5 years to make the decision to take it lol! 
 

i can 100% say boron does work. It reducedy SHBG levels by 20 nmol/l I didn’t take anything else, kept my diet, weight and  amount of hours slept the same. So I can attest that it does work.
 

In regards to diets to reduce SHBG there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. I’ve also read high protein is good to lower shbg. I’ve read high carbs and low carbs increase shbg . I’ve been on various diets in the past when I used to take the gym serious and I’ve always felt the same.  I feel diets may help but I really don’t feel they will significantly reduce SHBG. Especially when you’re trying to fight a drug. 

[Muskopia 3]

On 10/10/2020 at 2:19 PM, Borolad said:

Looking back it  would have been good if I got my bloodwork done before finasteride but at the time I was scared taking and felt better not knowing what it was doing to me. You do get some people that come off the drug because they get too scared of the potential sides or even think they have side effects but it’s all in their head. It took me 5 years to make the decision to take it lol! 
 

i can 100% say boron does work. It reducedy SHBG levels by 20 nmol/l I didn’t take anything else, kept my diet, weight and  amount of hours slept the same. So I can attest that it does work.
 

In regards to diets to reduce SHBG there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. I’ve also read high protein is good to lower shbg. I’ve read high carbs and low carbs increase shbg . I’ve been on various diets in the past when I used to take the gym serious and I’ve always felt the same.  I feel diets may help but I really don’t feel they will significantly reduce SHBG. Especially when you’re trying to fight a drug. 

I'm glad Boron helped you Hoping for the same.

If you're considering TRT as I was, you might want to check out 'Anabolic Doc' on YT.  I have certainly been put off the idea, and my FT was .225.  Hence coming off the cut, implementing a high-fat diet, supps etc.

Good luck!

[DeeeZr 0]

no doctor in the world is going to prescribe you trt lol your well above average its your free t thats the problem because you take fin which has got your hormones all out of wack cant expect to nuke DHT by 70% without repercussions you don't have enough free t in your system to regulate the functions that DHT normally would hence the side affects your getting,  get off the fin and let your hormones return to baseline which could take upto 6 month 

Edited October 19, 2020 by DeeeZr

[Thedynamitekid 27]

On 04/10/2020 at 7:55 PM, Borolad said:

Hi, 

I'm 33 years old and I've been thinking about doing TRT for a couple of years.  I've been taking the hairloss drug  finasteride for about 7 years and it has served me very well. Over the last few years I have suffered with low energy levels which in turn has been affecting my mood. My libido is overall fine but it is lower than before however this is not an issue. The major issue is being lethargic. I have done 3 cycles of testosterone 500mg-750mg  and anavar for between 12 to 20 weeks about 4/5 years ago.  I did experience feeling tired pre gear but it wasn't as bad then and has got worse over the last couple of years. I was assuming that my side effects are a combination of steroid use and finasteride because  my testicles are smaller than before.  

 

Anyway, last year i decided to get my bloodwork done and I was quite surprised that my test levels were good. My SHGB levels though were through the roof which therefore affects my free testosterone. Finasateride is known the raise SHBG due to blocking DHT. Below are the results. As you can see my free testosterone is 22.9 nmol/l but my SHGB is 83.3 Nmol/l Ostradiol is 130 pmol/l and free testosterone is 0.255 nmol/l. SHBG seems to be the massive issue here. After this I had my liver and thyroid checked and they came back fine.

 

I've been taking a supplement called boron to lower levels of SHBG. I got my bloodwork done recently and  the supplement has helped a little. (Results below) My SHBG is down to 63.6 nmol/l but it’s still too high. My free testosterone slightly increased to 0.296 nmol/l which is the normal range but its the lower end and I still feel tired all of the time.  Boron has done all it can and I can’t get it down any lower as I’m taking the recommended dose. 

 I feel probably slightly better than last year but overall i'm still very tried throughout the day regardless of how many hours sleep I get. I really need to do something for a better quality of life.  I feel I can’t go on like this anymore. I have messaged TRT clinics online but they said i'm not suitable under guidelines. I really don't want to stop finasteride. Even lowering the dose on finasteride doesn’t work for me I still feel tired and I’ll lose hair.  So I was thinking of doing low doses of testosterone to get my free testosterone higher. I’ll aim for the high normal range. I’ll also take 500iu of hcg per week to keep the balls going. (I'll take hair loss topicals to prevent any hair loss if i get any) It really would be nice to have my energy levels back also if i could add a bit more muscle it would be a bonus. I'm unsure if this is the right way to go though. Does anyone have any experience in this or does anyone have any other recommendations based on my blood work?

 

Cheers!! 

 

 

Keep the Boron at 9mg a day until SHBG comes back in range. 

5000iu Vitamin D3

1000mg Ashwaganda KSM-66

250mg magnesium bisglycinate 

2000mg Fenugreek 

 

Re test in 3 months 

 

No need for TRT with those numbers. 

[Gymrat12 55]

But really how did you recover above 21nmol/l that is great!!How long did you wait until you have recovered like that? @Borolad