Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Malibu
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Malibu » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:47 am

Yes.

Many total blood work syndromes.

If your number was 233 then my guess (and I'm not a doctor) would be no supplements are going to raise your T level to an acceptable range.

My lab uses 300 to 1200 as an acceptable range. 233 was equal to a 100 year old male. Make sure free and bio-available are checked also as my doctor said those if incorrect compared to the total T could indicate other problems.

Mine were all on the low end.

tlewis303
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by tlewis303 » Wed Nov 12, 2014 10:36 am

did you have anxiety issue with low T as well? For me its like adreneline running through my veins at times, weird.

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead Software

Malibu
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Malibu » Wed Nov 12, 2014 4:02 pm

No, just a fatigue that wouldn't go away

Being ultra tired (not fatigue) can be a source of anxiety as your brain isn't functioning well

While starting cpap was a good thing health wise it didn't fix anything.

Mason

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Mason » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:47 pm

My low T is due to another medication I took. I took finasteride and it totally ruined my life. Has anyone else taken this drug?

tlewis303
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by tlewis303 » Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:09 am

wow, I'm sorry, no I've never taken that one. I just started to with 1.62 androgel. I'm excited and hoping it will work and get rid of this fog and just odd waves of not feeling well. Do you guys use it? Did it take a while to start seeing results?
My hope is with this therapy and cpap therapy things will start to improve.

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead Software

Mason
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:51 pm
Location: TN

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Mason » Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:40 am

Finasteride is actually not a drug used to treat lowT. The brand name is Proscar or Propecia. If someone has low T and they have taken either one if these drugs there is a good chance T therapy will not work. I've tried Testim and HCG and neither one helped. I've been on CPAP for 3 months and I am happy to say that I sleep better but I still have what I call brain fog. If anyone is taking Proscar or Propecia please do some research. It will all start to make sense.

cmhflyguy
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 4:31 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by cmhflyguy » Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:53 am

Wow I'm glad others are talking about this. I'm 31 and my T levels are about 300. My doctor has me on Testopel (10 pellets 3x/year). Due to my age and symptoms I'm lucky in that my insurance covers all but an $80 copay (pellets are normally $100 each). I know I've read that Testopel does make apnea worse, but for me the benefits outweigh everything else.

tlewis303
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by tlewis303 » Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:46 pm

I just got my labs back. I've a 4.6 level (normal range 7.2-24.0) of Free T and 243 (normal range 348-1197) on T serum. I've started on Androgel 1.62% and believe it or not starting to feel a bit better and only on day 4 of drug. I haven't noticed and more OSA issues even with cpap therapy.

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead Software

Malibu
Posts: 136
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:15 pm
Location: Illinois

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Malibu » Sun Nov 16, 2014 7:31 pm

Just curious about what dosage your doctor has you on???

Sleeprider
Posts: 1562
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 5:57 pm
Location: Murrysville, PA

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Sleeprider » Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:48 pm

I have been treating OSA since 2008, and was experiencing many of the issues discussed earlier in this thread with fatigue, fog, motivation etc. Finally asked my doctor to test for testosterone this year, and got a total of 176. Follow-up test showed 191. One month of Androgel 1.62 only raised the T to 195, so I was switched to testosterone cypionate 100 mg/wk injected IM.

That kind of woke things up, and recent blood results show T in the 880 range, but high hemocrit and hemoglobin. So I donated blood, and dropped back dosage to 70 mg/wk. Overall benefits seem to outweigh the risks and side effects for me, but I hope the blood levels show improvement next time.

I don't know if low T preceded my OSA or vice versa, but it is clearly a factor, at least in my life. Any of this needs to be done under supervision of a doctor (preferably urologist or endocrinologist), with an understanding of the risks and benefits. My sleep apnea treatment continues to be effective, and I recently dropped minimum and maximum pressures, based on what I was seeing in the data. For those with treated OSA, hormone replacement shouldn't affect your treatment. For those with untreated OSA, testosterone can cause worse symptoms.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Just changed from PRS1 BiPAP Auto DS760TS

bv1800
Posts: 118
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 6:30 pm

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by bv1800 » Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:57 am

Sleeprider wrote:.... For those with treated OSA, hormone replacement shouldn't affect your treatment. For those with untreated OSA, testosterone can cause worse symptoms.
Men who are being treated for OSA may need an increase in pressure (see links for CPAP users who report pressure increases; a search will provide additional accounts). This does not appear to be the case for most men.

viewtopic/t71534/Low-T-and-apnea.html

viewtopic/t82812/Anyone-here-on-Testost ... erapy.html

_________________
MachineMask

Sleeprider
Posts: 1562
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 5:57 pm
Location: Murrysville, PA

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by Sleeprider » Mon Nov 17, 2014 8:42 am

bv1800 wrote: Men who are being treated for OSA may need an increase in pressure (see links for CPAP users who report pressure increases; a search will provide additional accounts). This does not appear to be the case for most men.
I should have been clear, that those being treated for OSA should not be significantly affected as they have the option to change pressures, while untreated individuals may experience increased severity of OSA. YMMV.

Perhaps we can agree this thread suggest that men being treated for OSA that do not feel relief in mental alertness, fatigue, and possibly E.D. would be well-served to at least look at their T levels as an underlying problem.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Just changed from PRS1 BiPAP Auto DS760TS

tlewis303
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by tlewis303 » Mon Nov 17, 2014 9:15 am

Malibu,
I'm using 2 pumps daily of the Androgel 1.62%. I will get labs checked in about 4 weeks to see where the levels are per Endo.
I'm soooo ready to lose this fog as its been over 4yrs now. I looked at my labs from 3 yrs ago and my T was at 464 in range but on the low end.
Another Endo at the time didn't feel the need to start treatment since it was still in range. I'm just wondering if that level was enough for the brain fog to start and stay with me everyday and as time went on the level was dropping to a point that I physically started to feel waves of being sick inside and fatigue. Crazy stuff.

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead Software

User avatar
carbonman
Posts: 2526
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:57 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by carbonman » Mon Nov 17, 2014 12:11 pm

Some random thoughts on low T.
Last year, as I watched my father dying, I tried to will him to live.
Still not accepting the death of my sister, it was almost too much
for my body to take. In spite of excellent cpap therapy, I was not sleeping well.
Just too much stress.
The day of his funeral, without my wife, I would not have been present.

2wks after, I finally went to a doc. T lever was 71. They said I needed to start
therapy immediately. I hesitated. I read all I could find. It did not sound good to me.
I already deal w/BPH. I waited. I continued to struggle.
A month later, I went to another doc (my regular doc was out). She said, if you don't
have to, don't take the supplements. I waited. I read more.
Everything I read pointed to sleep, less stress and exercise to create higher T levels.
Through the fatigue, I started to exercise, stretch, ride my bike again.
It was not easy. I fought everyday to take my life back.
A month ago, I had a physical. T level was 541.
I am still just a shadow of my former self...but I prevail.
Life is better. I fight everyday to take it back.
"If your therapy is improving your health but you're not doing anything
to see or feel those changes, you'll never know what you're capable of."
I said that.

tlewis303
Posts: 132
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Sleep Apnea and Low T for Men

Post by tlewis303 » Mon Nov 17, 2014 1:27 pm

Wow, Did you feel better once the level was up?

_________________
Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: SleepyHead Software