Hey everyone,
I would first like to thank everyone that is willing to take the time to read this, give me their insights and answer some of my questions. I value each and every one of your responses and appreciate your help. I tried to provide as much information as possible for accuracy, so I apologize in advance for the length of my post.
I'm a 20-year-old male with a very active, healthy lifestyle and no prior health concerns. For the last two years, I've been experiencing a lot of the symptoms with low testosterone. This includes long muscle recovery time, low libido, sleeping problems, fatigue, and trouble gaining muscle mass. These symptoms are reducing my quality of life, so I decided to go get my hormones checked. The first time I was checked my total testosterone levels were 143ng/dl and my free testosterone levels were 21.7pg/ml. Afterwards, my doctor had me recheck them since they were shockingly low. I was instructed to not work out for 2 days prior to getting my blood drawn and the results came back very similar at 242ng/dl total and 29.2pg/ml free. I was told that males in their 20’s typically have total testosterone levels around 1000ng/dl and free testosterone around 140pg/ml, so I am even out of the “normal” reference range.
As to why my testosterone is so low, I don't have a definite answer. But, I thought that it could be related to one or more of the following:
- I ran a topical prohormone cycle for nearly 8 weeks at the age of 16. It was Primordial Performance 1-T Tren. Here’s a link to the exact product: http://centurysupple...-1-t-tren-210ml Following the cycle, I didn't run a proper PCT. Although I didn't notice any effects while on cycle or off, I wonder if this could be a contributing factor to my low testosterone.
- I was prescribed Xanax (short-acting benzodiazepine) for 2 months during a real tough time in my life. This was 6 months ago. I experienced a mild withdrawal upon discontinuing them and no longer take them. I know that both stress and drugs in the benzo class can have a big impact on your endocrine system. My sleep patterns were very inconsistent during this time frame as well.
- I was slightly overweight all throughout high school, but still very healthy. I went from 225lbs. to my current weight of 150lbs. over the course of 2 years. I lost the initial 60lbs. quickly and felt like I severely over trained my body. I was consuming approximately 1300 calories a day and doing a mix of cardio and strength training at high intensity for 3 to 4 hours. I simply didn’t know any better and like the results I was seeing.
Do any of these factors provide a reasonable basis as to why my levels were so low? Or should I be questioning other aspects of my lifestyle?
In my opinion, my diet and exercise routine are spot-on right now and I’m doing well mentally. Otherwise, I would put those to question too.
I was prescribed bioidentical testosterone cream at a dosage of 50mg once a day, applied in the morning after bathing. I've only been taking it for three days, so I can't attest to its effects yet. I do have a couple questions and concerns using it:
- Will I permanently shut down my natural production of testosterone by taking this?
- Should I explore other alternatives to boost my testosterone first?
- Does anyone have experience using bioidentical testosterone cream? If so, what should I expect? Do you have any tips to reap the greatest benefits?
- Does the fact that this could have been the result of an improper PCT mean I should take a different course of action?
Thanks again for your responses.
