Resolved question:
I am writing because I am at a loss for what to do for low testosterone and the accompanying symptoms. I have written a background below and attached several recent lab tests.
==Current Stats==
• 31 year-old male
• 245lbs
• 6’1”
• Non-diabetic
• Non-smoker
• History of corticosteroid use for Psoriasis
==Background==
In 1998, I lacerated my scrotum while climbing a flagpole; I was fourteen. I was told that everything would heal as normal.
My wife and I had a son and a daughter. In 2005, I got a vasectomy because we didn’t want to have more children.
In 2011, I started experiencing the following symptoms over the course of a year:
• Weight gain
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Mental fog/forgetfulness
• Irritability
I went to my family doctor and a physical was performed. I was given anti-depressants and told I was likely depressed.
Eventually, my personal trainer at the time recommended that I get a hormone panel, so I ventured to the Low-T center in Colorado. There, I was told that my Total Testosterone was abnormally low (under 300) and was given HCG injections, which proved temporarily beneficial for my levels but only for several days at a time.
I relocated in 2013 to California and consulted with an endocrinologist who ran a battery of tests and concluded that I was not dealing with some secondary form of hypogonadism. In the end, he told me that I just needed to lose weight.
In the course of visiting my primary care doctor in 2014, she re-tested my testosterone levels and they were still under 300 ng/dL. She recommended I see another endocrinologist at the same office.
After seeing Dr. Kaye, I was placed on Clomaphine Citrate last year and have been taking it ever since. However, as recent tests show, my levels are not going up. Despite diet and exercise, I am unable to lose weight. I am still fatigued, on anti-depressants, and dealing with erratic emotions.
I have been following a low-carb, gluten-free diet (I’m a celiac, unfortunately) for the last 18 months. However, despite this and focus on other good habits (sleep, moderate exercise) I am not seeing change.
==Goal==
I would like to alleviate my concerns that I may be dealing with some primary testicular failure based on physical trauma. But, more importantly, I need to find a way to get to the bottom of this. It started in my late 20s and I don’t know what more I can do to raise my levels.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Urologist
Dear sir,
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
You are obviously having low testosterone levels and that explains all your troubles. I want my patients to have at least levels of 450.
It is very difficult to exactly ascertain the exact cause of your low testosterone levels but it appears that you are having primary testicular failure. You can confirm the same by having FSH, LH levels.
You are doing everything right to get normal testosterone levels naturally. You can probably add some zinc supplements to your diet and see how things go. If testosterone levels still don't pick up then you should start yourself on testosterone replacement therapy under the care of your doctor.
Take care
Sincerely
Rajiv Goel