Starting TRT when in normal range a bad idea?

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Would starting TRT when my bloods are in a normal range be a pointless exercise?

My latest 3 blood tests over the past 18 months have come back with two readings in the low 400s and one in the high 500s. E2 came back just slightly higher than normal on one test and high-normal on the rest. FSH and LH were low-normal on all 3. In my late 20s for reference. I've suspected I've had low T based on symptoms for a couple years -- lower libido, no morning wood/random erections, huge energy crashes in the afternoon, brain fog, timidness/lack of confidence, difficulty getting below 15% bf despite being very active, and difficulty putting on muscle despite having above average lifts for the typical gym-goer. In the past, my bloodwork has shown T ranges in the 200-low/mid 300s but I suspect this was due to taking blood tests later in the day past 10am.

I work a stressful job with a very irregular sleep schedule and I'm considering DIY TRT to keep pushing my fitness, improve focus/confidence, and improve energy/libido. Would a "TRT+" dose of 150mg/week yield little results if on paper I am within the normal range? I'm hesitant to start if it will do little more than crash my natural production and get to more or less the same levels with exogenous hormones.
 

JeffGoldblumLips

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Since you don't need it from a urological standpoint I would hold off. It's not something you'll want to stop once you start so consider delaying starting until you're comfortable using this for the rest of your life.
Also I have yet to see any trt bros actually just stay on trt. Having muscles is very addictive.
 

CJ

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Fix your sleep, and there's a high likelihood that your testosterone levels, and the symptoms you're experiencing, will get better.
 

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Your issue is your health habits; such as sleep, stress, the fact that you describe these things as irregular makes me speculate that your diet isn't as good as you may think it is either. Chances are your training isn't either.

Contrary to what social media tells you, it's very unusual for someone in their late 20s to have low T issues already. It can happen, but it's not common. Even if someone here says "it happened to me" does not mean it's common or that you should use that to justify your own decision.

Work on fixing yourself instead of slapping a bandaid on it by committing to a lifetime to sticking a needle in you. You're still a young guy, and yes... Injecting does get to be a pain/annoying as time goes on.

Choosing to hop on testosterone doesn't sound like a good idea for you IMO.
 
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Fix your sleep, and there's a high likelihood that your testosterone levels, and the symptoms you're experiencing, will get better.
The sleep schedule is because of my job (military) so there's nothing I can do about that. I still can get 5-6 hours on my worst days but it's at unusual times outside of a natural circadian rhythm. I sleep very well when I can, and during good sleep stretches I don't really notice much of a difference.
Your issue is your health habits; such as sleep, stress, the fact that you describe these things as irregular makes me speculate that your diet isn't as good as you may think it is either.

Contrary to what social media tells you, it's very unusual for someone in their late 20s to have low T issues already. It can happen, but it's not common.

Work on fixing yourself instead of slapping a bandaid on it by committing to a lifetime to sticking a needle in you. You're still a young guy, and yes... Injecting does get to be a pain/annoying as time goes on.

Choosing to hop on testosterone doesn't sound like a good idea for you IMO.
Health habits are dialed in, there's really not much I more I can do to improve there unless you count Tik Tok bs like cold plunges and fad diets. I'm completely acknowledging that I don't NEED testosterone replacement and my question is more geared towards whether I will feel the mental and physical benefits of a cruise dose as someone who is not blatantly hypogonadal. If the answer is yes then I'm willing to take on the risks and inconvenience for the opportunity to increase my work and gym performance.

I know the "magic pill" sentiment surrounding TRT is overblown and really only pertains to people that truly need it from a medical standpoint, which is why I'm curious if someone with average levels will perceive any benefit
 

CJ

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The sleep schedule is because of my job (military) so there's nothing I can do about that. I still can get 5-6 hours on my worst days but it's at unusual times outside of a natural circadian rhythm. I sleep very well when I can, and during good sleep stretches I don't really notice much of a difference.

Health habits are dialed in, there's really not much I more I can do to improve there unless you count Tik Tok bs like cold plunges and fad diets. I'm completely acknowledging that I don't NEED testosterone replacement and my question is more geared towards whether I will feel the mental and physical benefits of a cruise dose as someone who is not blatantly hypogonadal. If the answer is yes then I'm willing to take on the risks and inconvenience for the opportunity to increase my work and gym performance.

I know the "magic pill" sentiment surrounding TRT is overblown and really only pertains to people that truly need it from a medical standpoint, which is why I'm curious if someone with average levels will perceive any benefit

What happens if you're caught with testosterone and needles, while in the military?
 

Send0

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The sleep schedule is because of my job (military) so there's nothing I can do about that. I still can get 5-6 hours on my worst days but it's at unusual times outside of a natural circadian rhythm. I sleep very well when I can, and during good sleep stretches I don't really notice much of a difference.

Health habits are dialed in, there's really not much I more I can do to improve there unless you count Tik Tok bs like cold plunges and fad diets. I'm completely acknowledging that I don't NEED testosterone replacement and my question is more geared towards whether I will feel the mental and physical benefits of a cruise dose as someone who is not blatantly hypogonadal. If the answer is yes then I'm willing to take on the risks and inconvenience for the opportunity to increase my work and gym performance.

I know the "magic pill" sentiment surrounding TRT is overblown and really only pertains to people that truly need it from a medical standpoint, which is why I'm curious if someone with average levels will perceive any benefit
We've told you our thoughts; that you should not take TRT and instead you should solve your underlying issues. Believe it or not your response to that feedback is very typical, and it comes off as someone who just wants to be told "great idea.. go hop on drugs you don't need and ruin your natural testosterone production".

In case you aren't aware, once you get on TRT it's for life, and your natural production is pretty much guaranteed to be much less than what you have now. The fact that you can hit over 500ng/dl is a good indicator that testosterone is not your problem buddy, but you do you.

Fact is, you don't know that testosterone is the reason why you feel like you do. By your own admission your sleep is weird, and that alone can mess up all the things you listed. Yet you're still here trying to push us to say that TRT is a wonderful idea for you.

You're an adult, you don't need us to tell you what to do. We've given our advice. If you still want to take TRT then you don't need our approval or anything for that. Just do it and move on.
 

buck

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Low T symptoms can be caused other things besides low T. I would suggest getting your life/health habits in order first. And if being in the military is the reason how much longer will your present lifestyle remain that way. I have known many in the military that have regular schedules.
When you talk of getting good sleep are we talking for a few days at a time or months at a time. As short-term changes don't make long term benefits.
 
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How were your free testosterone levels? Some of the better trt docs adjust based off your free test rather than total.

I'd only do it if you're ok comitting to a lifetime of pinning test.
 
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