I first suspected that I might have low testosterone  a few years ago.  It was the beginning  of  2016 and I had just celebrated my 29th birthday when I started to notice several changes in my overall sense of well being.   Things just didn’t feel right any more and I couldn’t make sense of it. I worked out every day,  maintained a well rounded diet, and took the right supplements.

However,  I constantly felt lethargic, couldn’t focus, my quality of sleep had suffered, and I felt gassed out early in to my workouts.  And although I wasn’t having any issues with erectile dysfunction,  the sexual drive I once had just wasn’t there like it once was.

What Caused Me To Have Low Testosterone?

Most guys start to see a drop in their testosterone levels  around the age of 30. And I honestly think that much of my issue was actually stress related. I had a lot going on at a  increadibly demanding  job, we just had our second kid, and I was remodeling my very first rental that I just purchased.

Yes, high levels of stressed can absolutely take a toll on your endocrine system and I’m sure we will see more studies on stress induced Low testosterone in the coming years.  There is a catabolic, or muscle wasting hormone, called Cortisol. It is released in the adrenal glands in response to stress.

Cortisol levels rise in the blood stream once the body is exposed to physical, mental, or emotional stress. This hormonal imbalance can cause serious side effects such as weight gain , increases appetite, and even cardiovascular issues.  Cortisol is the culprit behind people who ‘stress eat’.

Cortisol directly competes with testosterone. Therefore, high cortisol levels can completely sabotage your natural Testosterone levels. But there are  other things that can cause  Low T.

  • High estrogen levels,
  • Environmental pollutants
  • Poor diet
  • Vitamin D deficiency
  • Genetics
  • Hormonal imbalances

My Horrible Experience With My Doctor

I live in more rural area of the United States where most doctors aren’t very forward thinking  to deal with symptoms of low testosterone. Nor are any of them very willing to give you a prescription for testosterone. Unfortunately, my  general practitioner feel into this category as well.

I told him about all the issues I was having and the first thing he did was have me com in the next morning to provide fasted blood samples. You see, this is also an issue because your testosterone levels are the absolute highest first thing in the morning which is why guys get morning erections. However, your  testosterone levels decline rapidly throughout the day. So, the number my doctor got was kind of like my all time best instead of my normal functioning numbers.

Things did NOT go well when I went back for my follow up appointment.  we went over my blood work to find both my vitamin D levels and estrodial all looked within range. But I could tell that my testosterone levels were  complete shit .

My total Testosterone was only at 375 ng/dl.

To put this in perspective, the average level for a 30 year old man is around 700 ng/dl.  I was certain my doctor would give me a prescription because my levels were almost half of what they should have been.

Well…..that shit didn’t happen.  In fact, he told me, ” Your levels aren’t that bad Scott, your still in the functional range. My testosterone levels are probably less than 150 ng/dl and I still get around OK.”

Guys, my doctor is a 75 year old man. And besides, I don’+t want to just be ‘functional’. I want to live my life, not just simply exist.  With the multiple doctor visits and lab tests, I spent over $200 and wasn’t any better off than before.

I found out I had low testosterone but my doctor made it pretty clear that he wasn’t going to help me out

I spent the next 6 months trying to come to terms with what my doctor had told me but my continued decline in sense of well being was getting worse.  Then I had started getting symptoms of depression  and  just felt weak in both body and mind.

So I took a chance and ordered and online blood test that I could take to any labcorp location, without having to go to my doctor. This time I went in the middle of the day because I wanted a more realistic number for my testosterone levels. When  I got the results in the mail, I was shocked to find that my total testosterone was right at 275 ng/dl.  No wonder I felt like shit ….I had the test levels of a 60 year old man!

I took the blood-work to my doctor and told him  about my quality of life going further down the drain and showed him the  blood-work.  He basically told me the same thing and recommended a good therapist that could give me ’emotional counseling’.

I was pissed and told him that the only counseling that needed to take place was him going back and taking a course on  basic endocrinology. And that was the last time I ever saw that Doctor.

But the key here is that I now possessed multiple blood tests proving that I had Low testosterone.

So I spent the next two months going to different doctors until I found someone who was willing to give me the treatment I needed.  A urologist that  was almost an hour away finally gave me a script for testosterone enanthate. I was absolutely ecstatic!

The point here is that it is becoming more and more common for younger guys to be diagnosed. And if you are finding yourself in the same predicament with doctors who aren’t forward thinking enough to deal with this issue…DO NOT GIVE UP.

I had to shop around with several other doctors until I got what I needed. But I’m glad I did because using a simple steroid like testosterone completely changed my life for the better. And Im very concerned that ther are guys out there who may even be at the point of severe depression or even suicide because of Low T.  Low testosterone in no fucking joke and it can ruin marriages and destroy careers  if gone untreated.

Please get blood-work and see a qualified doctor if you have any of these symptoms:

  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Lack of sex drive
  • Depression
  • Weight Gain
  • Trouble focusing
  • Feelings of Lethargy
  • Lack of Motivation
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Feelings of anxiety
  • Trouble putting on muscle or losing body fat

Here is what taking testosterone has done for me

Ive been using testosterone for a couple years now.  And When I ‘m just wanting to run a  ‘cruise’ level I  just take 200mg per week. But there are times where I bump it up for a duration of time if I want to put on some more size, or what is referred to as ‘blasting’.

But just riding 200mg per week makes me feel like a million bucks compared to what I used to.  My sex drive is great, I have a great sense of well being,  sleep better, and actually feel like there is a point to lifting weights again.

If you are interested in learning more about Testosterone.

CLICK HERE to read a extremely detailed article I wrote which will tell you pretty much everything on doing this safely.

I’m not advising people to go out and illegally buy drugs. What I wanted to do with this piece was tell you  things to consider to help elevate the quality of your life if you find yourself in a similar boat as I did.