Bloodwork...Low Testosterone and Depression...

scottywor
scottywor Posts: 140 Member
edited December 21 in Motivation and Support
Hello all,

I was debating posting this but I have stepped up and wanted to…

I went to my Doctors yesterday to followup on some blood work (was done fasted at 10am) I had done a week ago. I found out that I had Low Testosterone, low Iron, and slightly elevated liver enzyme ALT. I am scheduled to do more blood work again tomorrow. Just wondered if anyone has had this as a result of , say caloric deficit. Now I know most of us are not doctors, so im not looking for a answer just, incite, opinion, similar experience.

Im 36, 6ft. 190lbs

Now, without getting into my life story, I have been depressed lately, just admitted it, to myself, the other day and was going to mention it to the Dr., but he actually mentioned it to me first. I was told and I have read that low T can cause this as well the flip side, that depression can cause low T. So we are doing a few more series of blood work to rule out a physiological or psychological cause. I also, have a decreased Libido, lower energy, although I fell physically great, I have never felt better, Im a t my lowest weight since I don’t know when, no physical symptoms. Mentally I am having some problems since March, ie, over thinking, sweating the small stuff, and not being perfect enough, down on myself for my diet Which has been bang on, I have lost over 60 lbs since Jan 1st, and Im still going.

Now I wonder, could a bout of depression, while doing a constant caloric restriction since January, cause depression to worsen, therefore dropping my T. I have moved to maintenance calories as of today. Maybe this is my bodies way of regulating itself, to say enough is enough. From January to April all I was doing to drop weight was 45 min of moderate to intense cardio, five times a week, and eating around 1300 calories. Could a restriction this low for such a prolonged period cause this, has anyone else experienced it? Since smarting up in May and eating better, I started lifting heavy. I should also mention that my wife and myself are 2 months pregnant. So the swimmers still work fine!

The low Iron, I don’t have a problem with as, it wasn’t that low, and I am always able to give blood when I go. I only eat fish and chicken, maybe red meat once every couple months. I eat a lot of non heme iron.

Onto the Liver enzyme ALT, this was slightly elevated at 72 and ranges vary from lab to lab. I have always been a binge drinker, I don’t drink regularly, I never drank during the week, and only did on weekends, I wouldn’t get smashed every weekend, but more than enough. Now since January I have pretty much only had 3-4 beers per weekend. That was until May 24, and the long weekend. Annual fishing trip… I managed to drink 2.5 cases of beer, wine, rye, and indulged in mushrooms. The following weekend I went to a buddy’s and drank to drunkenness again. I had my initial blood work done 10 days from the fishing trip and 5 days from my buddy house. Could the elevation be d/t acute alcohol ingestion? Would it remain for that long, considering I haven’t drank that much in such a short period of time for 6 months?

I should mention all my other blood work was great, in fact better than normal HDL and LDL levels, and CBC panel was great.

I eat around 220g of protein daily, my only supplements are Whey protein, Xtend (BCAA’s), Fish Oil 3g daily, also I added Creatine this week (before I had blood work). I have been following this for about a month and a half.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated, sorry for the long-windedness, but I sincerely thank all of you who made it this far!

Thanks all

Replies

  • Nailrep
    Nailrep Posts: 966 Member
    Low T is common among men. My hubby had the same problem. Having low T CAUSES depression, sluggish behavior, reduced muscle mass, low sex drive, and many other issues (to include high cholesterol). You need to be treated as you would for any other ailment, and I'm sure you will feel better. I'm no doctor but I have doubts that your caloric deficit had much to do with it.

    Stress (among other things) causes lowered T, so take a look at your lifestyle to see if any stress can be reduced.

    JMO - good luck!
  • vaneguz87
    vaneguz87 Posts: 74 Member
    Hi, I'm no doctor, but as far as I know testosterone plays a big role on your energy levels. My mother in law takes T shots (at her Dr's) once in a while to maintain it on a healthy level. And she's double my age and works out like a maniac. Have you read about "Eat More to Weight less". Maybe it's what you need since you work our regularly and have been in a calorie restriction diet. Take a look at it. They have several groups here.

    I wish you good luck and stay positive! (this is also for myself) :flowerforyou:
  • MisterOtter
    MisterOtter Posts: 25
    Don't fret until you have the follow-up blood test. Four years ago I had a routine checkup where my liver enzyme was elevated. The doctor immediately send me in for an MRI and cautioned that I might also have to get a biopsy if the MRI was inconclusive. Needless to say, I got very depressed and worried about the worst case scenario. Flash forward two weeks later after the inconclusive MRI and second round of blood work and my doctor says, "Well, everything looks good, see you again in a year!"

    The liver enzyme, as I remember it, can fluctuate between a wide gap of numbers, like a good rating can be between 300-700. I guess my first test came in at 702 which set the doctor into motion to sending me for all the scans "out of precaution". Two weeks later my second blood test came back and the enzymes came in at a normal 400ish.

    On to the other parts. Low T in guys is normal, despite what television, magazines, and movies may say. There are a wide range of supplements out there that you can take. I can personally recommend High-T Black from GNC. It's a natural testoserone booster with a bit of caffeine and other herbs and spices that do help get you out of a funk. I've been on it for two months now and between that, the dieting, and the exercise, I feel a million times better.

    Good luck to you man.
  • Napjeeper
    Napjeeper Posts: 36
    Congrats on bringing it up. When my doctor first found out that my T levels were in the tank it was by accident and was a shock to me at 32. After I came to terms with the fact that I had levels that were half that of a 70 year old, the doc put me on HRT (Hormone replacement therapy). Within two months I felt like I was 21 again. Libido that I didn't realize had slowly diminished over the years came back much to the wife's delight. My depression symptoms faded to a manageable level, I was even able to reduce my anxiety medication by more than half so far. That's just the tip of the iceberg, I also found it easier and more productive to workout. For the first time since high school, I have muscle definition... it's kinda awesome.

    If the second round of bloodwork comes back that you do indeed have the low T situation, and the doctor puts you on a program, know these two things. There are two predominant brands out there, Androgel and Testim. I've had better luck with Testim, though the formula leaves a little to be desired and it takes longer to soak into the skin. I tried switching to Androgel about 2 months ago and my T levels tanked. I'm assuming it's merely the delivery systems working differently on me. I switched back to Testim 4 days ago and am already starting to feel 'normal' again.

    Second, both brands usually have some sort of program you can sign up for and get a year of free or virtually free prescriptions with your insurance. Testim has the best deal right now and gives you 12 months no copay if you sign up for their program.

    As far as the iron issue is concerned. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless your doctor expresses concern. The low iron can account for sluggish feelings and even depression. I am a WLS patient and have to keep an eye on my iron levels. I chew a Flintstone's vitamin once a day to compensate for my iron needs. That's an easy one.

    I can't help you on the liver question, I don't know enough on the subject, but like the others would tell you not to worry about it until the next round of bloodwork comes back. You never know what might effect those results. :)

    Hope all that helps!
  • scottywor
    scottywor Posts: 140 Member
    Just wanted to jump on here and let you guys know i got the results from by latest blood work, and everything cam back great. Liver enzymes (ALT was back to normal 42, must've been from the 2 weekends of binging, considering i haven't drank like that in some time!) Also AST and GGT were great.

    Testosterone, had risen to 10.0, which is still lowish, but not flagged! (<8.4 = low) I have started with a counselor regarding my depression, and I feel much better, for having started that, and admitting that I need some help!

    Also LH, TSH, Zinc, and Folate were great as well!

    Looks more and more to me that, this recent bout of depression led to the low T. I am going to try and raise it naturally for the time being. I am already feeling better having talked to that counselor, I was able to get a lot of my chest, there is more work to do, but I am already sleeping better and feeling less stressed, anxious, and depressed, and this can only impact my T levels in a positive way! Im a but leery on using T supps, d/t prostate cancer Hx in my family. i mean i would rather be in the low healthy range, then in the upper d/t a supplement, which may or may not affect my longevity!

    Iron was not repeated, and Dr. wants me to maybe use a supplement and have it checked in 3 mths. i am also a regular blood donor, and before (never had a problem, regarding iron, always able to donate) I have read regular donors can have lowish iron as well.

    jus thought i would let ya know how things went. Thanks to you all who helped me get through that! :)
  • 1Lancelon
    1Lancelon Posts: 1
    I am 26 years old and I was first diagnosed with low t when I was 24. My energy level is really low Im always tired and Suffer from severe anxiety and depression. I started a year ago taking injection because none of the gels would work. Just a couple of months ago my testosterone spiked high (1200) and I felt better than I have ever did in my life. I had no depression and I was finally able to loose weight well my low t came back (88) and now I'm back to feeling like crap and now I'm back on my injections. I just wanted to tell my experience and to let you guys know who are going threw this to never give up and try to stay positive.
  • JBcat123
    JBcat123 Posts: 211 Member
    I don't have what you have but I do go to blood work every week and do suffer from mild depression and high anxiety. I don't have much to say to this because I am not experiencing what you are experiencing, but I hope you make the best out of things and eventually feel better. Good luck!
  • inside_lap
    inside_lap Posts: 728 Member
    Just wanted to jump on here and let you guys know i got the results from by latest blood work, and everything cam back great. Liver enzymes (ALT was back to normal 42, must've been from the 2 weekends of binging, considering i haven't drank like that in some time!) Also AST and GGT were great.

    Testosterone, had risen to 10.0, which is still lowish, but not flagged! (<8.4 = low) I have started with a counselor regarding my depression, and I feel much better, for having started that, and admitting that I need some help!

    Also LH, TSH, Zinc, and Folate were great as well!

    Looks more and more to me that, this recent bout of depression led to the low T. I am going to try and raise it naturally for the time being. I am already feeling better having talked to that counselor, I was able to get a lot of my chest, there is more work to do, but I am already sleeping better and feeling less stressed, anxious, and depressed, and this can only impact my T levels in a positive way! Im a but leery on using T supps, d/t prostate cancer Hx in my family. i mean i would rather be in the low healthy range, then in the upper d/t a supplement, which may or may not affect my longevity!

    Iron was not repeated, and Dr. wants me to maybe use a supplement and have it checked in 3 mths. i am also a regular blood donor, and before (never had a problem, regarding iron, always able to donate) I have read regular donors can have lowish iron as well.

    jus thought i would let ya know how things went. Thanks to you all who helped me get through that! :)

    Good for you! That first step into a counselors office is super scary for a lot of people but it sounds like you have a lot to want to feel better for (yourself, your wife, and the new addition). Congrats by the way!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    On the iron, I know a lot about this now since my hemoglobin actually got low! For good iron absorption, don't take (or eat) it with dairy or other calcium-rich things. Coffee (or was it caffeine itself?) reduces absorption, too, which was a huge one for me! Vitamin C aids absorption. So does eating different kinds of iron together.

    If you take certain ulcer or acid reflux medicines, they can limit absorption very much. There may be other medicine ones, but basically you want to get your iron many hours away from taking most anything (except Vitamin C).

    If you do have to take a supplement and it hurts your stomach, there are kinds that don't do that as much. Don't take a supplement with food if you can help it; it's better to switch forms so the absorption is still good.

    My hemoglobin is back to a normal level now, but I still have to take the stupid mega-iron pills for 6 months to get it in my blood marrow or something. Yuk ;)

    You didn't mention this at all, but your vitamin D levels might be low from the change in sunlight. You might try some Vitamin D at a nice, reasonable amount and see if that helps, too :) Or one of those SAD lamps, but I believe studies have shown that vitamin D supplements work just as well (and they are much cheaper, lol). I started taking it very recently and it helped a lot!
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