Risks of testosterone substitution?

MacBain · 05-16-2005, 11:27 PM

Hi!
Is anybody here who might tell me something about the risks of testosterone substitution? My T-levels are pretty damn low for my age. I'm only 23 and my levels are already at 250ng/dl which is the lower edge of the "normal range".
This normal range applies for all men, which is already complete nonsense. It's logical that a man at my age should have more T than a 70year old man...
Anyway, what are the risks of taking a replacement? I mean I'm pretty pissed at my docs. They didn't wanna give me replacement even though I suffer from this. I'm tired,depressed,I lack energy and my stamina also sucks big time. And I also have a hard time gaining muscle mass.
So I thought why not simply try it and see how I feel with normal T-levels.
If I dont feel any better I can still stop taking it and start my balls with clomid, that's no huge risk is it?
And no, I'm not only trying to get some T to gain muscles faster. The thing is that somehow I have always thought that I might have low T-levels. I also have not much body hair and somehow I have always been weak, no matter wether it was in junior high or in high school. I always sucked at sports and as a kid I also became sick all the time and got colds. And another thing which made me suspicious is that my ringfinger is shorter than my indexfinger. Usually males have ringfingers which are longer than the indexfinger, but not in my case and this also shows that something isn't right. So I went to the doc and had it checked and my assumption was right. The levels were really low. Since that time I have had the levels checked few times and they were always low. :(
What I'd like to know is wether you might get hair loss or acne from testosterone substitution, does anybody know this? Or there other risks? Do you have to have your prostate checked every month or something like that? Cause that would suck.... :~punching

Living_Cartoon · 05-16-2005, 11:35 PM

I can tell your not ready for drugs, you need to do more research. Yes steroids will give you sides like acne, hair loss (only if your genes are predetermined to have it, it will speed it up,) water retention, gyncomastia and prostate problems. This all depends upon dosage and genetics. Do a lot of research on it. And find a doc to prescribe it for you since you already have the problem. There's no need to waste your time and money, or risk your health buying from drug dealers off the streets or internet. Go to a life extension center clinic if you can. They offer test, hcg, nolvadex and HGH. Good luck to you.

18inchGun · 05-16-2005, 11:41 PM

definitely dont do steroids, that will just make your situation worse. as far as body hair goes, i don't think that has much to do with testosterone. Third of all, just get a good routine down in the gym, eat right, work out legs hard, your natural testosterone will rise substantially , just watch

Ironslave · 05-17-2005, 12:16 AM

Try ZMA, also keep exercising big, these will help naturally raise test levels

MacBain · 05-17-2005, 11:33 AM

You got me wrong, I dont wanna take steroids!
I tried ZMA and Tribulus it did nothing for me.
I am thinking about getting testosterone replacement from the doc.
But I dont know if it's the right thing to do. I mean depending on injections also sucks, even though there is this new testosterone injections kind of a thing out there (nebido) which lasts 3 month.
I dont know wether testosterone, when you take it as a replacement, to get high physiological levels, causes prostate problems,hair loss and acne.
I mean somehow I'm a bit scared of getting injections, but on the other hand I also don't feel well the way it is now. I mean what I have is not normal.Everything simply fits together. My low T-levels, the fact that I have ringfingers which are shorter than the indexfinger, the fact that I have a bad stamina, low libido,not much muscle mass everything fits together. And also putting on fat on the legs is not normal for men. Men get fat guts but not fat legs but my doc simply didnt care. :(
I have been told by different docs that I am very thin...meaning very skinny. But I'm not even skinny. I'm skinny but still not even lean. I simply don't have much muscle mass. On the chest for example I can feel the single rips! And I'm not even lean, I have fat on the chest.This really pisses me off. I have been working out over a year and I spent a lot of time for this and also took a lot of protein and also creatine and after 1 year of training I couldn't even benchpress 135lb! Everybody in the gym could do more than me.

I talked to somebody about getting a replacement and he made it look like it was totally dangerous and a huge risk.... I mean come on. Which risk?
Do low dosages which you get as a replacement also harm the liver? I always thought getting a replacement was safe.

Johnny Bravo · 05-17-2005, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacBain

You got me wrong, I dont wanna take steroids!
I tried ZMA and Tribulus it did nothing for me.
I am thinking about getting testosterone replacement from the doc.
But I dont know if it's the right thing to do. I mean depending on injections also sucks, even though there is this new testosterone injections kind of a thing out there (nebido) which lasts 3 month.
I dont know wether testosterone, when you take it as a replacement, to get high physiological levels, causes prostate problems,hair loss and acne.
I mean somehow I'm a bit scared of getting injections, but on the other hand I also don't feel well the way it is now. I mean what I have is not normal.Everything simply fits together. My low T-levels, the fact that I have ringfingers which are shorter than the indexfinger, the fact that I have a bad stamina, low libido,not much muscle mass everything fits together. And also putting on fat on the legs is not normal for men. Men get fat guts but not fat legs but my doc simply didnt care. :(
This sucker!
I talked to somebody about getting a replacement and he made it look like it was totally dangerous and a huge risk.... I mean come on. Which risk?
Do low dosages which you get as a replacement also harm the liver? I always thought getting a replacement was safe.

Go and have good long talk with your doctor about this :)

MacBain · 05-17-2005, 11:43 AM

I already have!
I have been to 2 endocrinologist and both said that I'm okay. They didn't take me seriously. They checked my balls and said that I dont have a lack of testosterone even though my blood tests revealed that my levels are low!
It's not a problem to simply go to another doc who is willing to prescribe me testosterone injections but somehow I am also a bit scared of this. If I had a doc who said to me that I should take them then it would be different but if I simply go to a doc and convince him that I need it then I feel kind of guilty or even filthy, I dont know. I'm simply insecure. I would feel a lot better if the docs had admitted that I need injections. I'm 23 and already have these low levels, it's only a matter of time until my levels decline even more and then I'm not even more in the normal range. Already now I'm at the bottom of the normal range. So why should I wait until I'm 30 and then get the injections?
Then I can already get them now and put on some muscles and get a better quality of life. That's what I think.

Ironslave · 05-17-2005, 03:06 PM

Im not a doctor, so i dont feel that it would be reasonable of me to give you advice on how to get test replacement. But i am on my way to being a physiologist, and i know training can naturally raise test levels. I dont believe you are training well and eating enough. I can help you with these, and reccomend supplements such as fish oil which will also raise testosterone, but this is not the best place to seek medical advice.

GoingBiG · 05-17-2005, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdogg345

Im not a doctor, so i dont feel that it would be reasonable of me to give you advice on how to get test replacement. But i am on my way to being a physiologist, and i know training can naturally raise test levels. I dont believe you are training well and eating enough. I can help you with these, and reccomend supplements such as fish oil which will also raise testosterone, but this is not the best place to seek medical advice.

Well training raise test level.. But not still if his test level is low training won't make it normal... And it the release from the training isn't lasting for very long.. But else i agree with you...

MacBain · 05-17-2005, 04:59 PM

I have been eating enough and I also trained hard. I became fat cause I ate too much. I also ate enough protein, this is not the problem.
I really do not believe that training raises my levels. I had been working out for month when I had the tests done and they were still low.
I'm simply tired of this.

GoingBiG · 05-17-2005, 05:19 PM

It seems like you want an answer like this: Inject 250 mg og testosterone enanthathe every with 3 weeks space... That's how they do it in denmark...

MacBain · 05-17-2005, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoingBiG

It seems like you want an answer like this: Inject 250 mg og testosterone enanthathe every with 3 weeks space... That's how they do it in denmark...

would such a dosage have side effects?

I dont think I would wanna get an injection every 3 weeks. I think i would try this new injection called Nebido which lasts 3 month!

18inchGun · 05-18-2005, 06:06 AM

you should definently do something in terms of T injections, if you have been trying everything in terms of diet and working out , but still not getting results. and if your quality of life is being effected, you might as well give it a shot (no pun intended)