Well, stuck in Tesosterone cycle hell here.

Found my Testosterone to be low (total of 266 with normal being 350 to 1100) in mid September of last year. No reason was found.

Started T replacement, androgel 1 packet a day, and at four weeks I was up to 850 total. Felt great.

By mid-November, I had fallen to total of 250.

I just retested two weeks ago and I am at total 450 and free of 111 estimated.

The doctor says she wants me to stay at this dose but I am not sure why. Is she waiting to see if it comes back up over time? I am telling her that this level is enough to chase off the ED but libido is back down, energy is kaput, drive is gone, and I am dumb as a box of rocks...foggy headed. When I was at the upper ranges, I felt great even though it was fleeting as my body shut down.

I just simply do not feel good at this level.

I am wondering if I should schedule with an endocrinologist to get a better handle on this or stay with my general practitioner. I just don't see that this is the right level for me, especially in light of the symptoms.

I am a 36 year old man, I should be in the upper ranges not the lower ranges.

Thanks,
OC9

The first doctor I had thought anything over 300 was good enough. He prescribed based on the labs and not how I felt. I would find another doctor. You level is not that bad now at 450 but likely you need to be closer to 550 or 600 or maybe even higher depending on what your SHBG is.

That's what I am thinking....all of this was translated through a nurse so I am not sure she pleeded my case enough to the doctor. She has been very open to me going up in the past so I think I will make an appointment and then give her another shot.

I am kind of bothered by the numbers. Do you think that after 5 months I would be leveled off or will it continue to climb?

This up down up down thing is odd.

Thanks,
Oc9

I think you should be pretty stable after 6-8 weeks on the same dose. I don't understand why you level dropped and then went back up to 450, or did you change you dose making it go back up to 450?

Nah, hay, that's the bewildering thing.

I have been on one packet of 5 mg Androgel since mid-September. I wonder if the darned lab the doctor is using isn't screwing up. They had some sort of problem with the machine this time that made it take two weeks to get the results back.

I shouldn't be bouncing around, which is why I am thinking that I might just go see an endocrinologist and get everything tested again with him/her.

I am as confused as you are but I do know that I don't feel very good at this level and should be in the upper ranges at 36 years old. I can, however, appreciate my doctor's desire to supplement as little as she can as long as I feel good. I don't think the nurse did anything but go in and say "he wants to know what he should do".

Oc9

After yout testosterone got to 850 your testicles shut down production & the body started converting testosterone into estadiol E2.
850 total - 250 testicles = 650 androgel, then conversion to E2 leaves you too low.

This is the normal path for testosterone gels & patches.

Get your Estradiol E2 tested along with your testosterone.

Self injection of 100mg testosterone cyp once a week & self injection of HCG 500iu 2 or 3 time a week will help.

The HCG will usually make testicles produce testosterone & the E2 will not be as high.

DIM with zinc will help lower the existing E2.

Arimidex tablets, expensive like androgel, will stop the conversion from T to E2

Saw palmetto will reduce the conversion of T int DHT..

Well, this is what I am trying to figure out....should I go see an endo and discuss all of this, stay with my GP and try to get them to increase my dose because I am not feeling great, or what.

I feel like a yoyo and it still makes no sense why November's total was 250 yet last week was 450.

I am thinking that if I go to an endo and establish some new baselines on thyroid, testosterone and related numbers, etc. and find someone who can manage everything at the same time, I will be in better shape.

OC9