Got Testosterone?

[WillBrink]

For some light reading

The Effect of Special Operations Training on Testosterone, Lean Body Mass, and Strength and the Potential for Therapeutic Testosterone Replacement: A Review of the Literature

Descriptive Note : Technical Report,03 Aug 2015,29 Jan 2016

Corporate Author : U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Wright-Patterson AFB

Personal Author(s) : Linderman,Jon K ; O'Hara,Reginald B ; Ordway,Jason ; Swanton,Stacie

Full Text : http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1012006.pdf

Report Date : 01 Jul 2016

Abstract :

Special Operations Forces (SOF) are routinely exposed to physically demanding missions that result in significant changes in body composition, work capacity, and endocrine function. These changes primarily result from of an energy deficit and sleep deprivation, which are independently known to decrease levels of testosterone. The use of exogenous testosterone has been shown to increase lean body mass (LBM) and muscle function in healthy males and reverse cachexia in diseased populations.

Therefore, the primary purpose of this review is to summarize and contrast literature in both SOF and non-military personnel on the relationships between a negative energy balance, sleep deprivation, and decreased testosterone.

A secondary purpose is to summarize the effects of exogenous testosterone therapy in healthy males as well as to reverse the effects of muscle wasting diseases. A search of the literature from 1975-2015 utilizing search engines (i.e., PubMed) found 45 out of 70 relevant sources that directly addressed the primary or secondary purposes of this literature review.

Data from these publications were summarized into tables providing mean observations. SOF raining results in decreases in testosterone (-6.3 percent), LBM (-4.6 percent), and strength (-11.7 percent), which appear to be associated with an energy deficit (-3,351 kcal/day) and sleep deprivation (3 hours/day). Exogenous testosterone therapy increases LBM (6.2 percent) and strength (7.9-14.8 percent) and reverses cachexia (2.0 percent) and decreased strength (12.7 percent) in those suffering from diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and human immunodeficiency virus.

Therefore, the use of testosterone supplementation in SOF may attenuate changes in body composition and muscle function during SOF training or sustained operations.

[BadDogPSD]

Apparently I'm experiencing some side effects from testosterone therapy. Seems my body is producing too many red blood cells now.


Hematocrit 6/17 - 46.9% 10/18 - 53.5%
Hemoglobin 6/17 - 16.0g/L 10/18 - 17.8g/L

I'm experiencing some hypertension as a result (at least I think this might be the case)

Estradiol j6/17 - <20pg/ml 10/18 - 48 pg/ml

Bun 6/17 - 13.0mg/dl 10/18 - 25mg/dl

Bilirubin 6/17 - 1.1mg/dl 10/18 - 1.6mg/dl

Doing labs again in a couple of weeks.

Dosage for T was 100 mg of 1000/mg/10ml May 2018 - July 2018. This was increased to 125 mg in August as my T levels were still in the high 200's at the 100 mg dosage.
T levels jumped to 690 with the 125 dosage and I felt like superman for the first 2-3 weeks. Then the hypertension kicked in (BP 160/100) and I started feeling like crap started retaining fluid, weight jumped almost 20 lbs in a month... I didn't want to take any BP meds, so we reduced my testosterone to 75 mg (weekly) for now. I also stopped drinking bomb-proof coffee for now (trying to reduce water retention).

I don't have 100% confidence in my doctor as I don't think he has much experience in testosterone therapy (didn't know if a vial would last 3 months without going bad for example 1, didn't think it was necessary to monitor estrogen levels example 2). The good news is the doctor that I've been seeing is leaving, so I'll be choosing another soon.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[WillBrink]

Apparently I'm experiencing some side effects from testosterone therapy. Seems my body is producing too many red blood cells now.


Hematocrit 6/17 - 46.9% 10/18 - 53.5%
Hemoglobin 6/17 - 16.0g/L 10/18 - 17.8g/L

I'm experiencing some hypertension as a result (at least I think this might be the case)

Estradiol j6/17 - <20pg/ml 10/18 - 48 pg/ml

Bun 6/17 - 13.0mg/dl 10/18 - 25mg/dl

Bilirubin 6/17 - 1.1mg/dl 10/18 - 1.6mg/dl

Doing labs again in a couple of weeks.

Dosage for T was 100 mg of 1000/mg/10ml May 2018 - July 2018. This was increased to 125 mg in August as my T levels were still in the high 200's at the 100 mg dosage.
T levels jumped to 690 with the 125 dosage and I felt like superman for the first 2-3 weeks. Then the hypertension kicked in (BP 160/100) and I started feeling like crap started retaining fluid, weight jumped almost 20 lbs in a month... I didn't want to take any BP meds, so we reduced my testosterone to 75 mg (weekly) for now. I also stopped drinking bomb-proof coffee for now (trying to reduce water retention).

I don't have 100% confidence in my doctor as I don't think he has much experience in testosterone therapy (didn't know if a vial would last 3 months without going bad for example 1, didn't think it was necessary to monitor estrogen levels example 2). The good news is the doctor that I've been seeing is leaving, so I'll be choosing another soon.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

It's rare to have elevated hematocrit and BP from such low doses. If usually a transient effect that self corrects, but not always. What's your BMI? Exercise regular? Supps and meds taken? Your E2 is also elevated. Some strategies as smaller doses more often (2x week or more at lower dose but data lacking as to optimal...), losing weight, giving blood periodically and such, and improve the hematocrit numbers in some. Lowering dose is an option, but 125mg per week is far from a high dose and your TT not high. If you feel OK subjectively and your lab labs better at lower dose, then that may be easiest approach. I don't see free T in those labs, and that's a must in a TRT lab panel.

[BadDogPSD]

It's rare to have elevated hematocrit and BP from such low doses. If usually a transient effect that self corrects, but not always. What's your BMI? Exercise regular? Supps and meds taken? Your E2 is also elevated. Some strategies as smaller doses more often (2x week or more at lower dose but data lacking as to optimal...), losing weight, giving blood periodically and such, and improve the hematocrit numbers in some. Lowering dose is an option, but 125mg per week is far from a high dose and your TT not high. If you feel OK subjectively and your lab labs better at lower dose, then that may be easiest approach. I don't see free T in those labs, and that's a must in a TRT lab panel.

Hi Will,
Thanks for the quick reply. Free Testosterone is 162 pg/mL, Testosterone % Free is 2.4%, Sex binding globulin is 21 nmol/L.
6'3" 262 lbs about 20% body fat, around 32 on the BMI scale. The only other medication I'm taking is Levothyroxine for thyroid, 75mcg daily. Thyroid numbers are still a little high at 7.9, but I have side effects (anxious, irritable) at higher doses. As far as other supps, I take a multi-vitamin, B-complex, D3, and a calcium/magnesium tablet at night. I also normally take creatine & L-Tyrosine using your bomb-proof coffee recipe.

[WillBrink]

Hi Will,
Thanks for the quick reply. Free Testosterone is 162 pg/mL, Testosterone % Free is 2.4%, Sex binding globulin is 21 nmol/L.
6'3" 262 lbs about 20% body fat, around 32 on the BMI scale. The only other medication I'm taking is Levothyroxine for thyroid, 75mcg daily. Thyroid numbers are still a little high at 7.9, but I have side effects (anxious, irritable) at higher doses. As far as other supps, I take a multi-vitamin, B-complex, D3, and a calcium/magnesium tablet at night. I also normally take creatine & L-Tyrosine using your bomb-proof coffee recipe.

I'd focus on getting the BF% down to 15%, which is far from lean but may also drop BP as well as other strategies mentioned above. Losing fat will also help lower the E2 levels. I doubt dropping the BPC will impact anything, but see what happens there.

[WillBrink]

Good intel here. One thing to note was "TT doses greater than 500 mg per week were associated with greater symptom reduction" is an odd finding, as that's way above any TRT dose a responsible medical professional would ever prescribe. Sure, high doses of T will make a man feel like Super Man, but that's unlikely to be healthy long term, so that must be accounted for if true TRT is the goal:

Testosterone Therapy May Ease Depressive Symptoms
Renal and Urology News

Testosterone therapy (TT) moderately relieves depressive symptoms in hypogonadal and eugonadal men, according to researchers.

The Testosterone Trials and other recent studies indicated a potential mood-enhancing effect from TRT, so Andreas Walther, PhD, of the Universität Dresden in Germany conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis including 27 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published 2000 to March 2018 comparing TT with placebo. Some of the 1890 men included in the studies met the definition of hypogonadism (total testosterone 345.82 ng/dL or less), whereas others had normal testosterone levels.

TT users were 2.3 times more likely to experience reduction in depressive symptoms (variably defined) compared with placebo, according to results published in JAMA Psychiatry. TT doses greater than 500 mg per week were associated with greater symptom reduction. Purported effects did not vary by age. Acceptability of TT did not differ significantly from placebo.

Cont:


https://www.renalandurologynews.com/...HKoGehBb-ntgAY

[Averageman]

https://www.sciencealert.com/testost...ression-in-men
The idea of a possible link between testosterone and depression is not a new one: testosterone has long been associated with changes in mood and changes in appetite, and for several decades scientists have been looking at whether the hormone could be useful for treating depression too.

With the new meta-analysis, covering 1,890 men in total, researchers from the Technische Universität (TU) Dresden institute in Germany wanted to try and find a definitive connection between testosterone treatments and the symptoms of depression.

"We wanted really to clear up the picture and try to find out what is really going on, and is testosterone something that might be one day interesting for clinicians for treatment of depressive disorders or not," one of the team, Andreas Walther from TU Dresden in Germany, told the Guardian.

[Averageman]

I really need this information, because I want to get to Fit Stream in a year, competitions .... and the form has not been formed for 3 years already enough ... I don’t know what to do ... I was advised to try the tester with T-boost

You need to visit a urologist, you can shop for one that will work with you. I suggest that without some guidance you're throwing some loaded dice.
I will let Will take it from here.

[WillBrink]

I really need this information, because I want to get to Fit Stream in a year, competitions .... and the form has not been formed for 3 years already enough ... I don’t know what to do ... I was advised to try the tester with T-boost

Basics are, you get tested to see if you're a candidate for TRT, and proceed from there, working with your doc. OTC "T boosters" are a waste of money.

[WillBrink]

More reasons to limit those nsaids boys! use of nsaids may be one of various factors we have seen a drop in T levels in men over the past decades. Use them sparing and only as needed:

Ibuprofen alters human testicular physiology to produce a state of compensated hypogonadism

PNAS January 23, 2018 115 (4) E715-E724;

Significance

Concern has been raised over declining male reproductive health in humans. Our study addresses this issue by extending data showing antiandrogen effects of analgesics and suggests that such compounds may be involved in adult male reproductive problems. Using a unique combination of a randomized, controlled clinical trial and ex vivo and in vitro approaches, we report a univocal depression of important aspects of testicular function, including testosterone production, after use of over-the-counter ibuprofen. The study shows that ibuprofen use results in selective transcriptional repression of endocrine cells in the human testis. This repression results in the elevation of the stimulatory pituitary hormones, resulting in a state of compensated hypogonadism, a disorder associated with adverse reproductive and physical health disorders.

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/4/E...dP2h_gn5Wma_fE