Low Testosterone levels, help please

[alssa653]

Hey, this post isn't really about a cycle or anything. I've been feeling like shit lately putting it bluntly, always tierd, if i sleep for 12 hours straight i'd feel like i've only sleept for like 3 hours. No motivation, and no drive. Base line depression, like always feeling down for no reason, even in terms of gyming after the first set i just lose concentration and motivation. Sexually etc i'm fine. But i feel like absolute shit apart from that. 

I started looking around on the net to see the cause, we had a lecture on andropause at uni and i thought id look more into it. The more I looked at the symptoms the more they struck a note with me. I decided to book an appointment with a specialist, which will be on monday. I had to get blood tests taken aswell to see my testosterone levels before that. The clinic emailed me my results back saying i was within "normal" range (8-38) however on the lower end, mine was 14. 

The thing is i'm a 23 year old male, moderately active and not THAT out of shape i'm not fat or anything. I'm just wondering what are these ranges compared to? some 70 year old guy with all these medical conditions. I feel like this is really low for someone my age. 

Like i said i've got an appointment on monday, if the doctor recomends anything what should i do? What are the long term side effects etc? like does it risk having children in the future. 

Is anyone in the same boat as me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Just feel like shit about his

[Sibolovin]

Hey im Normal too apparently. Dont drink/smoke - workout (lifting heavy) eat right foods. Think I was around 14 as well. Im in my mid 30s.

He said all okay nothing recommended be interested to see what your Doc says.

[Murhf]

Pretty sure if you still have your sex drive your test levels aren.t that low. I.d say depression more than anything! Libido is the first thing to go for me if depression is moving in.

[alssa653]

Hey im Normal too apparently. Dont drink/smoke - workout (lifting heavy) eat right foods. Think I was around 14 as well. Im in my mid 30s.

He said all okay nothing recommended be interested to see what your Doc says.

hmmm, but i'm only 23! i read online that it declines with age. So i'm at where you are but 10 years earlier?

[pyro]

 

Hey im Normal too apparently. Dont drink/smoke - workout (lifting heavy) eat right foods. Think I was around 14 as well. Im in my mid 30s.

He said all okay nothing recommended be interested to see what your Doc says.

hmmm, but i'm only 23! i read online that it declines with age. So i'm at where you are but 10 years earlier?

And you might still be at those levels in 10 years time. Dont worry about it, you are in the normal range, nothing to stress over.

[Kalidane]

 

...

I've been feeling like shit lately putting it bluntly, always tierd, if i sleep for 12 hours straight i'd feel like i've only sleept for like 3 hours. No motivation, and no drive. Base line depression, like always feeling down for no reason, even in terms of gyming after the first set i just lose concentration and motivation. Sexually etc i'm fine. But i feel like absolute shit apart from that.

...

 

Well, being that this is the internet, here is another entirely unqualified opinion.

 

I think what you're saying is you're depressed and have functioning sexy bits.  This doesn't sound like a testosterone thing.

 

I don't much trust the randomly selected GP so I'm gonna bet your GP will diagnose with depression and prescribe an SSRI.  Sweet.

 

I suspect there is a good chance this will leave you feeling pretty similar but your sexy bits are likely to stop functioning.  Not so sweet.

 

Have a look at the following and see which words resonate with you:

 

 

I don't recall you mentioning anxiety which makes it hard for it to be a serotonin issue.  That is one reason I don't think a serotonin-focussed medication would be all that helpful...

 

The stuff you did complain of are a mix of the dopamine and norepinephrine stuffs.  Those are the two things addressed by bupropion.  Like any dopamine agonist (dopamine reuptake inhibitor in this case), it lowers seizure threshold, so if there are any concerns at all there, then no such medication is suitable.  In fact any concerns over psychiatric health should be discussed; particularly bipolar leanings and mania (anything suggesting your dopamine levels may in fact be too high already).  This is like really really important.

 

The last important thing: generally depression combined with low neurochemical levels are an _effect_ and not a _cause_.  Drugs are a little bandaid and not a solution.  The most effective solution is chatting with a professional, perhaps of the clinical psychologist-variety.

 

Okay the other last thing: when talking with a GP there is a basic checklist to tick off - (un)happy feelings, (de)motivated, (not) anxious, loss of enjoyment of activities you used to enjoy, so on and so forth basically from the 3 circles above.  Actually that's most/all of them.  It's important to mention any of those things that apply as the doc won't list all of them so whatever you don't mention will be ignored, diagnostically speaking.

 

Edit: oh, what kind of specialist?