Hormone Tests - What to do next?

Member Stories Lab Tests
#1

Results from the doctor today:

Serum Sex Hormone Binding Globuline: 18 nmol/L (15-55)
Prostate Specific Antigen: 0.82 ng/mL (0.0-4.0)
Serum Testosterone: 14.7 nmol/L (10.0-30.0)
Serum TSH Level: 0.77 mU/L (0.3-4.2)
Serum free T4 Level: 14.5 pmol/L (9.0-26.0)
Plasma FSH Level: 3.2 IU/L (1.7-8.0)
Serum LH Level: 3.7 IU/L (2.0-12.0)
Serum Prolactin Level: 234 mU/L (75-375)
Serum Cortisol 441 nmol/L (160-550)
Serum Oestradiol Level: 92 pmol/L (0-190)
Serum Progesterone: 1 nmol/L
Haemoglobin Estimation: 17.0 g/dl (12.5-17.0)

All “within parameters”, though as an amateur at this a lot of this seem on the low side for a 32 year old man. Is there anything any of you guys with more experience with these tests could identify as being a specific cause for concern? I now have a referral to an Endo and wonder what I can use as ammunition in my discussions with him.

Been off Fin for 18 months, most side effects were manageable as I went travelling for a while to take my mind off the whole thing. As soon as I got back I started back in the gym and am very active as part of my coping strategy, and I take the following supplements:

Fish Oil
Nettle Root
Digestive Enzymes
Creatine
DIM
High dose Vitamin D
Sports Multivitamin
High dose Vitamin C
Alpha Lipoic Acid
ZMA

I’m able to put muscle on again; my hairloss has resumed, as has the slow expansion of my body hair.

However, I still suffer from:

Low libido
Reduced ejaculate
Lack of motivation/no ambition
Anxiety/depression
Confusion/difficulty with words

Since starting gym/supplements the following symptoms have occurred/got worse:

Abdominal cramps
Digestive problems
Abdominal fat (can’t get rid)
Moderate fatigue (gym is much harder than it should be)
Shortness of Breath
Dizziness
Bleeding gums
Sudden contact lens intolerance

I went to the optician about the contact lenses, as I didn’t really make a link to my other symptoms. He asked me if I was on any kind of hormone therapy, which piqued my interest and I looked that up.

Estrogen side effects:

"The most common side effects include enlargement or tenderness of the breasts (both sexes), swelling of the ankles and legs, loss of appetite, weight changes, retention of water, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and feeling of bloatedness.

Less common side effects are bleeding gums, mild diarrhea, jaundice or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, rash, loss of scalp hair, and development of new hairy areas. Lesions of the eye and contact-lens intolerance have also been associated with estrogen. You may experience migraine headache, mild dizziness, depression, and increased sex drive (women) or decreased sex drive (men).

Rare side effects include stroke, blood-clot formation, dribbling or sudden passage of urine, loss of coordination, chest pains, leg pains, difficulty breathing, slurred speech, and vision changes. Men are at a greater risk for heart attack, phlebitis, and blood clots in the lungs."

#2

This is exactly what I am having, especially “swelling of the ankles and legs, loss of appetite, weight changes, retention of water, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and feeling of bloatedness. bleeding gums, mild diarrhea, jaundice or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes,”

what is the source. could you paste the source?

Have you tried acetyl L cartinine and Carnosine? Please do some google and you will find what they do.

#3

Any website that discusses Estrogen replacement therapy will show that estrogen can have these side effects, I got this from: http://www.premarin.org/estrogen.html

I know nothing of endocrinology or how estrogen works in men, but the symptoms of exposure to extra estrogen seems very familiar with much of what is discussed here.

Indeed, after doing some subsequent research, it seems that my more recent worsening of symptoms could be attributed to taking a DIM supplement with a low-range SBHG count.

From http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C623078.html
“Recommendations and treatments for Low Sex Hormone Binding Globulin:
Not recommended:
DIM (di-indolmethane)/I3C (Indole-3-Carbinol) Aromatase inhibitors such as DIM, I3C, and Chrysin should be avoided, as they will enhance any preexisting androgen/estrogen dominance.”

#4

Pickle,

Be aware that both Nettle Root and DIM act as suppressors of 5 alpha reducatse type 2, the enzyme finasteride inhibits.

Before taking either of them I would get 3a-androstanediol glucuronide tested to see where you are.

There is a wealth of information on this site, take the time to take some of it in.

Your testosterone calculates to 423 ng/dL, a level of 400 is considered borderline for hypogonadism - what time of day was that taken? Your FSH is below 4, on the low side and may be connected to some the conditions you indicate. Check inhibin B.

Welcome - kazman

#5

I’ve stopped taking both; this supplement melarkey is really hit and miss - I thought these two were obvious choices in my position, but I do feel better since stopping them.

The test result was taken 09:30 in the morning - so at my peak! I now have an appointment for 15 Nov with an endocrinologist, unfortunately not one at the renowned Charing Cross teaching hospital, but one closer to home. I’ll be taking the following with me:

Blood test results;
The Post-Finasteride Syndrome explanation from the front of this site;
Dr Alan Jacobs blog entries;
Diary of my symptoms.

Anything else I should consider?

#6

OK, so I saw my Endo with all of the paperwork on Finasteride side-effects I could find to get him to believe me. Surprise, surprise! He actually did. However, he said that there was nothing further he could do for me. He offered to get my blood work re-tested and to potentially start TRT if it came back low (outside of parameters), but he said the best thing to do was probably to think about coping strategies and counselling.

He did give me a lecture on how many more people are now taking Finasteride than when it was first deemed to be medically safe. He also pointed out that many of the men who first trialled the drug did so as prostate cancer patients and would probably have been happy for the drug to have assisted in their recovery rather than complain about long-term side-effects.

I’m lost. Is there some kind of direction that I should be asking my Endo to take in attempting to fix this? I thought that TRT should not be the first resort when looking at this problem? Should I just give up on the UK health system and get one of the US doctors to consult with my GP?