Thyroid/Adrenal/Sex Harmone Disorder - HELP

[shiningapple1]

Dear Dr.,

I am glad I have found your website as I have been struggling to diagnose my condition which I suspect is related to thyroid/adrenal/sex harmone disorders. Through self help and research, I have done some lab tests but I am struggling to interpret my lab results. My GP has not been of much help in diagnosing my condition or getting my tests so I have done everything privately and need some help to interpret results.

Gender: Male
Age: 29
Location: UK

Lab Results with Normal ranges as on the results report received

ENDOCRINOLOGY                
THYROID PROFILE 2    
                                                                                                            
TOTAL THYROXINE(T4)           88             nmol/L    59 - 154                  
THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE   1.63           mIU/L     0.27 - 4.2                
FREE THYROXINE                14.4           pmol/l    12.0 - 22.0              
FREE T3                       5.7            pmol/L    3.1 - 6.8                

IMMUNOLOGY                    
THYROID ANTIBODIES                                                                                                                


Thyroglobulin Antibody        13.5           IU/mL     0-115(Negative)          
                              Method used for Anti-Tg: Roche Modular                          
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 9.7            IU/mL     <34  (Negative)          
                              Method used for Anti-TPO: Roche Modular                          

BIOCHEMISTRY                  

A.C.T.H.                      22.7           ng/l      Up to 46                  

ENDOCRINOLOGY                

Calcitonin                    3.2            ng/l      Less than 8.4

ENDOCRINOLOGY                


FOLLICLE STIM. HORMONE        2.6            IU/L      1.5 - 12.4                
LUTEINISING HORMONE           5.0            IU/L      1.7 - 8.6                
TESTOSTERONE                  8.9            nmol/L    7.6 - 31.4                
                              Reference Ranges apply to adults                                
SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOB      25             nmol/L    11 - 52                  
PROLACTIN                     157            mIU/L     86 - 324                  
17-Beta OESTRADIOL            66             pmol/L    44 - 156                  
CORTISOL                      423            nmol/l                              
                              Ref.ranges: 9 am 171 to 536 : Midnight <140                      
Time of sample.               07:40                                                                                              
Thyroglobulin Assay           17.5           ng/ml     1.6 - 59.9                
                              Method used for Thyroglobulin: Immulite 2500                    
Thyroglobulin Antibody        14.7           IU/mL     0 - 115                  
                              Method used for Anti-Tg: Roche Modular                          
                              (Interim Report)                      

Can you please help me to interpret what all of this means please? My symptons are listed below:

- Fatigue, weakness, tired and exhausted all the time
- Non Existant Libido, complete lack of sex drive
- Mild or not good enough erections
- Weak Muscle, little strength
- Sleepy all the time and need more sleep despite good night's sleep
- belly fat which just doesnt go despite exercise
- Exercise makes me more tired rather than helping me
- Feel colder than others, body temp stays 1C below normal all the time
- Good healthy food, regular exercise, vitamins or supplements doesnt do any good for me
- Decreased immunity
- Stomach problems like gas

Thanks very much.

Shining Apple

[Brucergoldberg]

Exactly.

I am personally on testosterone replacement therapy and have tried most kinds and feel the best on the injections.   I am on a very strict regimin of injections, I inject every 3rd and 4th day and test every 5 weeks with my thyroid to make sure I'm not too high or too low.

I also test my estrdial (ultrasensative lab on quest), and both TST free and total.

[Ericamegan]

I found I have low testosterone and low DHEA .  My dr has me on DHEA to bring up both levels.  You might want to look into that or ask your dr about it.

[stella5349]

Your labs of a male gender - clearly point to a Vit D deficiency as a strong possible culprit here: Especially at your age factor and lab report..

You may want to look at the material on these supplements Vit D3 and DHEA(5)

Another point to address: if you are an alcohol drinker in addition to lacking DHEA and Vit D - affecting your Testosterone and SBHG.... QUIT. Stop now.


Hypogonadism, can cause symptoms of decreased muscle mass, breast tissue development, osteoporosis, fatigue, low libido and erectile dysfunction in adult males.

According to the website Musculardevelopment.com, researchers reported on a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology that investigated associations between

testosterone, vitamin D and SHBG

in over 2,000 males.

SHBG is a compound binding testosterone in the blood resulting in inhibited interaction with receptors meant for androgens. This study found that men having optimal an vitamin D amount in their system also had higher testosterone levels but lower SHBG levels. In comparison, men who were considered vitamin D-deficient or vitamin D-insufficient had lower levels of testosterone but higher amounts of SHBG.

[Brucergoldberg]

I can tell you my thyroid numbers are in the toilet, but my testosterone numbers are great.  I think that the good testosterone is what has been carrying me through this.  I have friends that have had good thyroid labs (with hashimotos disease) but it wasn't until their testosterone was optimized that they finally started to feel much better.  

[goolarra]

I'd just like to add that your thyroid numbers look good.  Both antibody tests are negative, so you don't have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashi's).

FT4 is a little on the low side, but since you're not on thyroid medication, that isn't too much of a concern because your FT3 is nicely up in the top third of the range.  FT3 is the thyroid test that best correlates with symptoms.  Your symptoms sound like hypothyroid symptoms, but wih your FT3 that high up in the range, that's almost an impossibility.  

I'd pursue other possibilities as suggested above.

[Brucergoldberg]

So over in the UK , there is no Free and total testosterone?   In that case your level is very low.  Its in range but very low.  I would find a good urologist or testosterone person over there and explore the possibilities of testosterone replacement therapy.  Even if your thyroid levels are low, the testosterone being raised will add to your libido, your energy level, and possibly aid with other issues as well.  You need to consider whether or not you want to have children, if so, you may also want to look at adding some HCG in with the testosterone to aid in the atrophy and keep the sperm count within normal ranges.   Lower testosterone can also add to weight gain (the tire around the stomach) heart disease, lower bone density as well.  I realize this is med help and you are in the thyroid forum but there is a really good forum on Facebook run by Nelson Vergel who is a very nice gentleman who would be happy to answer any questions you may have specific to T replacement only.  I am unfamiliar with the UK protocol so can only suggest based on my own experiences and failures using the US standards.

[Red_Star]

A good article is from Life Extention Magazine: "Startling Low Testosterone Blood Levels in Male Life Extension Members" by William Faloon. The key point is your levels are too low in the "normal" range regardless of lab measurements. You have testosterone deficiency and your symptoms are stating that loud and clear.  

"The number of men who suffer testosterone deficiency is so high that laboratory reference ranges accept ridiculously low levels as “normal.”

We at Life Extension suggest that men maintain their free testosterone in the range of 20 to 25 pg/mL of blood.35 Others with expertise in this area believe free testosterone as low as 15 pg/mL is adequate.36

Conventional blood labs, on the other hand, say aging men are alright with as little as 6.6 pg/mL of free testosterone in their blood—an absurdly low level!

Mainstream medicine’s ignorance regarding the need to maintain free testosterone in the higher ranges is a significant cause of premature disability and death in aging men.

(Note: Free testosterone is the biologically active form of this hormone measured in the blood. Total testosterone blood levels are not as reliable an indicator of an aging man’s testosterone status as free testosterone.)"

[Brucergoldberg]

This is not a doctor forum,  this is a patient forum.   I did have a question for you on your testosterone.  These ranges are different than ours over here and i wanted to know if this is testosterone FREE or TOTAL>?   can you find out?  The total is the important once, but free still needs to be within an acceptable range.  This may also help contribute to the libido issue.