Libido still low on TRT - is my SHBG low?
My first lab work on TRT came back and figured I'd post results here. Given I'm still new to this and working on dialing in my protocol - I want feedback. My libido is still kinda meh despite having high total T, which is why I am curious as to maybe something else is the issue. I also plan on starting topical finasteride soon as I have been thinning for a while, but don't want to start a new medication if there's something else I should work on first.
Here are my numbers:
Total Testosterone: 1101 ng/dl
Free Testosterone: 293.3 pg/mL
SHBG: 27.4 nmol/L
DHT: 57 ng/dl
DHT Free 6.84 pg/mL
Pregnenalone: 22 ng/dl
DHEA 598 ug/dl
Prolactin 15.5 ng/ml
Estradiol, sensitive: 37.8 pg/ml
THYROID:
TSH: 2.75
T3: 3.4 pg/ml
Why is my percentage of free testosterone not higher? I'm at like 2.6%
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I think we are looking in the wrong areas. The issue may be his partner. We need pics!
jk
I like where your heads at my man.
OP Tits or GTFO!
I have been having the same issue for years and cannot figure out how to increase my libido. I have none, zero. I was on 120mg test C a week 40mg Monday/Wednesday/Friday subq. I've upped it to 180mg test a week as of 2 weeks ago and no changes so far. Seeing my doc this week and getting a more comprehensive blood panel done. Hopefully this can be figured out soon cuz I'm going crazy as of now long I had no sex drive at all. So crazy I'm on antidepressants now too cuz of it. If anyone has any info they can share please let me know and if me and my doc can figure it out I will post up in here. Good luck to everyone dealing with this issue. I know how extremely frustrating it is.
Some of my blood work.
TESTOSTERONE, TOT.,S. 608.0
SEX HORM.BIND.GLOB. 16.6
FREE TESTOSTERONE 164.13 H
PROGESTERONE 0.09
ESTRADIOL 37.80
DHEA 1.5 L
DHEA SULFATE 156.0
CORTISOL, RANDOM 9.9
Any other prescription meds? Anti-depressants made me suicidal (never have been before) and caused absolutely no sex drive. Only used for a very short period of time. Pretty sure it was Zoloft.
Fuck SSRI’s for me. I just stay away from any meds that alter my mental don’t even take my ADHD meds I was on for over a decade and honestly feel better.
I would speak to a specialist if you haven’t! Implementing something like cialis may not necessarily increase sex drive, but may help with the pushing play-doh and increase her pleasure which in turn could help. I definitely feel more horny on cialis even my 5mg daily dose just able to get it up whenever I want.
Lexapro has helped me a lot actually. I feel much more normal than I did before I was prescribed it.
I'm on too many meds. Family history of high cholesterol and blood pressure. Plus I have a genetic clotting condition and have a DVT in my left calf right now. So I'll be on blood thinners the rest of my life.
Lipitor
Zetia
Benicar
Elequis
Lexapro is your culprit! It’s the worst medication ever created for sex, I was on it and had issues. And when I could get hard I couldn’t nitpick to save my life.
I think he said he was prescribed it BECAUSE of the libido issues though? I don’t see what doc would do that unless severe depression. Why not solve the ED/libido? Just my 2 cents.
Just from experience the lexapro is a sex drive killer.
Some SSRIs that are more likely to cause sexual side effects include: Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil), and Sertraline (Zoloft).
Oh yeah my man if you read my original comment I was prescribed Zoloft for a short time during recovery and it was the only time I had ZERO sex drive and was suicidal. Scary stuff!
That’s why I don’t understand why a doc would prescribe an SSRI so early for someone with depression caused BY LACK OF LIBIDO! Why not try to fix the core issue/causation?
They put my wife on lexapro for severe postpartum depression. Zero libido or desire or even thoughts of intimacy while she was on it.
Yea man, the shit is horrible.
Fuck ssri's for basically everyone. Almost every "mass shooter" in the last few decades has been on that shit. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to give a depressed individual something that is know to make them want to hurt themselves or others? Recent studies have shown they don't even do what they claim to.
Estrogen has to be controlled where if its too high, you will most likely lose libido. You may have wood but then you can't nut and that's frustrating. ED can also happen in a split second when you are into it with your partner and halfway later you lose your wood....frustrating.
ANASTROZOLE helped eliminate unwanted high estrogen. You do need a mix of some form of estrogen that's controlled but not high.
I use CABERGOLINE when my I prolactin is too high, it helps out at the pituitary gland. Cabergoline is powerful, so it should be used light dosage 1mg pill every 2 - 3 weeks only for a short 6 week run.
PROVIRON is a MUST especially with helping free up Testosterone and boosting libido.
TEST PROP 50mg twice a week brought out the beast in me AFTER steps 1-4 .
This worked for me, but do your own research. I've been on TRT , tried Testosterone Pellets as well.
Yikes what’d you think about the Pellets?! My Aunt had the little ones for a while for menopausal reasons I believe, but I haven’t heard of a ton of anecdotals from guys! How did you feel on it? What were your bloods like? Was it the same approx. rice sized small pellets? Was there Multiple?
I am currently in my 2nd set of Pellets, the amount I was given and inserted were I believe 2000mcg. That's a high end strength. I told my Dr I need to be at optimal levels, sure enough I
measure at 1200 on my levels. It's good for about 5 months, really made for TRT purposes, pros are their inserted once and they are suspended throughout your daily lifestyle. $750 is the con, pricey.
You can choose to pin every 4 days with Testosterone or choose the high side of only inserting once every 5 months. It's really preference both Pellets and Self injections.
2000mcg are several small rice like Pellets that are inserted in your lower back area, small insicion andnp.worse then intramuscular injection pain, small pinch pain, easy.
Good summation about needing the right amount of estro. Not sure why alot of folks tend to think estro is the bad guy. Besides that...sexy info!
Right on Deeman, estrogen is part of that balance and after so many trials and experiences....I can pinpoint with blood work and see culprits.
Yeahhh buddyy
Not uncommon, I’ve blasted a gram of test and had low libido. Turned out to be a blood flow issue. Meaning my RBC and HCT were super high. I had and still have monthly phlebotomies. Could be a reason as to why this is the root cause. Re-run bloods could be a multitude of things. Estradiol and test are not working well together there always needs to be a sweet spot. Are you taking any sexual enhancement drugs, hcg always helps. Look at your cbc and report back. See if we can get you back to breaking gym Hos backs,
I’m almost positive that’s not true… can someone else weigh in?
If anything, low hemoglobin would cause ED.
High leads to high bp and ed.
Yes but then the issue is high BP. Not directly high HMT or RBC. I have higher hmt 53.8, but my BP is fine
Keep us updated
Edit...nvm...26
No your shbg isn't low. Lower range would be around 10-12 nmol/L. You're pretty much double that. This isn't the first time I've heard of your situation. Prolactin is ok
Whats your opinion on low shbg? Mine is around 7.7. I have people telling me all diffrent things.
Curious what you think.
That's low. Gotta understand shbg has a job to do. It's a needed transporter. The liver produces it. In my opinion that's too low. Folks will tell u differently but know that shbg is essential
Ofcourse. I like everyones input.
Yeah IDK why libido is just not as high as I thought it would be getting on TRT. Any ideas? Prolactin isnt too high? I'm lowering the dose a bit because my estrogen might be too high which could be causing libido issues.
The body can be strange man
Not 100% sure but yea try lowering dose. See how you feel. Even on full cycle some folks have no sex drive. Now elevated e2 can trigger prolactin but yeah it can be a bit strange. These things tend to happen to everyone. I've heard all kinds of bro science theories.
Man - I just hear so many people say "oh you need more bro" or "150 mg isnt a lot"
This lab pull was me at 6 weeks on 150mg. Since then I've dropped to 90mg. I 100% feel like this dose is more sustainable as TRT. And for the libido stuff, I'm sure it will come back as my dose has been fluctuating the past few months. worst case scenario if it doesn't, then I just keep increasing slowly over time. Go to 100 mg, then 110mg, then 120mg. etc.
Truthfully I just really want to be stable first and make sure my labs are good before increasing dose (if I feel like I need to)
And let me be clear... I'm not a trt guy. I'm just trying to help a bit. But like Greg
said below there could be a few contributing factors to lack of libido. In fact lack of sleep dropped my natural test levels on my most recent bloods.
Less is more. More is more BP, e2, cholesterol, RBC, etc... all which can contribute to ed, as well as lack of sleep, fatigue, stress, diet, weight et al.
Yup agreed.
I want to find my cruise dosage. We’ll see what my labs are when I’ve been on this 90mg for a long enough time.
How would I free up more test if I decide to do that?
It took around a year doc my TRT doc to dial in my dose. You start low and work up. You measure your LOWEST level (Morning, day of, before pinning) which should be in the mid-range --NOT high end of normal.
There's a natural rhythm to your T levels. You DO NOT WANT to be at the high end all the time or to spike above normal.
If you want to check your upper end, do it a day or two after you pin. Your results will never be consistent. one of the reasons it takes so long. You want a dose that will put you average where it needs to be.
If you are consistent at staying within normal range, you will not have all the sides. You will not feel like superman, but you won't feel old either.
Keep in mind, you are shutting your body down. You are opting to do manually what your body usually can do automatically. Remember, life is a long road. TRT gets old really quick. You won't be young and stupid forever Yolo, one day you'll wake up older and full of regret.
Yes you’re right. I think I feel OK here at 90mg/week. Just gotta let it stabilize in my body for a few more weeks. And check labs again soon. I’m almost certain the super high estrogen is what caused my ED.
Will I be missing out on gains being at 90mg as opposed to 150mg?
You'll be missing out on your naturally high levels of T by playing this "biohack" BS game of yours.
WDYM biohack?
Before TRT my levels were 350 (I even had two levels at 280) when I was 22 years old. I’m 24 now.
I just want to feel good and have libido which I haven’t had in a while. Dick just feels dead
Then see an endo doc and stop throwing darts.
They have zero clue what they’re talking about. Every endo I see has told me my previous 300 ng/dl testosterone level is normal
They do, It is, and you have no clue about your libido and ED issues.
For a non-obese male (BMI <30) between the ages of 19 and 39 normal is between 264 and 916 ng/dl
That's not hypothetical, that's statistical.
As I said, if you're pushing for 900 as a baseline, you'll be in a world of hurt.
Really? How would I be in a world of hurt
And so, what should my baseline be?
I currently pin M W F, splitting my dose up into 3 doses. My last blood draw I was at 1101 ng/dl at 150mg/week. I am taking your advice and dropping this by a lot. I will do 90mg 3 times a week and re evaluate.
That said, if I wanted to run a “cycle” with the leftover testosterone could I do that? Like do 8 weeks at 150mg, then drop back down to my 90mg?
Look, you're throwing darts at a problem and looking for solutions in areas where none will be found. You are taking an incredibly complicated machine with a delicate balance of automated systems and think you can manually override and do better. At a pace that doesn't allow for sustained results or change. You will wreck this machine; you can't trade it in for another, you'll be stuck with it.
As for blasting, where are your priorities? Your vanity or your sex life? Your extra test will keep.
I am 66 years old this year. My T levels (Tested at their low point) is 539
During the course of the day T levels can fluctuate up to 35% higher. Meaning my high T level during the day can be as much as 730.
I'm well within the normal range, I have no sides, BMI is normal, sleep is good, BP et al normal, I'm retired with no stress. And guess what. My libido is good, and my dick works.
You should stop what you're doing, (PCT if you need to) wait for your body to rebalance (6 months to a year) then get tested to see what your true baseline is. In the meantime, focus on diet, exercise, stress management, hydration, and sleep. Your dick will thank you and so will your great grandkids
I just have been battling this issue for so long... multiple years, multiple low test numbers. My D didn't work well before TRT so that's why I decided to get on. I was exhausted all the time. Going to work, then the gym, was so exhausting for me.
You are 66 with a total test level of 539 natural? I was 22 years old with a total test of 268 - no smoking, clean diet, exercise, not overweight, etc.
I can see your point though. The body is complex, don't add in other variables.
I'm on TRT (with an endo doc) and it took years to get dialed in. I had T levels at around 175 at one point. Before going on TRT I tried being more active, dropped fat, gained muscle, and did everything I could to naturally raise my levels. Nothing is going to change with you sitting on your ass. Even taking testosterone.
Making those life changes brought my levels up to 250-275 as the low. but eventually, age did catch up and I went on TRT. Which is not a cruse (what you're doing) TRT is for life, and it got old quick.
Sitting on my ass?
No dude maybe theres some confusion. I was doing everything in my power to boost testosterone naturally. It still was low and I still felt like crap. The issue was that IN TRYING to do everything I could to be healthy, I was overtraining. Cardio 3x a week, Lifting 3-4 x a week, eating right, GREAT SLEEP, no smoking, it was still low
and youre right. i am keeping my TRT dose at 90mg
sitting on your ass (generally speaking)
You are thinking wrong and working backward (high to low)
You need to drop to 50mg wait for the long ester half-life to get out of your system (4 to 6 weeks) get tested (early morning before your next pin when your levels are at their lowest), and work from there.
If your levels test within normal range, say 400, you can add 35% to your results to get your hypothetical high end (540). You don't ever want to be over 900. You can adjust your dose up or down incrementally and test your levels every 6 to 8 weeks.
THIS IS A SLOW PROCESS DON"T RUSH
Keep in mind just because your T levels are normal doesn't mean other factors are normal yet. (stress, sleep, diet, blood work, etc.)
This is bulletproof advice!!! This makes sense!!!
Ok. Let me get my labs at this 90mg dose and then see where I’m at. If I’m still high, I will start at 50mg and re start. Again , THANK YOU for the help. You are doing gods work.
Idk why the stupid TRT clinics start you off so high.
$$$MONEY$$$