My total T is in range at 579 Ng/DL. I just don’t have enough freeT
Is your SHBG high? How about estradiol or thyroid levels? Do you do resistance training?
Keep in mind that bioavailable testosterone may be a better measure than free T alone, some testosterone is bound to albumin, but it’s still usable by the body.
Also worth noting: the combination of metformin, empagliflozin, and dutasteride can significantly raise SHBG. That could explain why your free T is disproportionately low, even though your total T looks solid if your SHBG is elevated.
SHBG - in range, but on the low side of optimal.
All thyroid markers are in range or optimal. Albumin is optimal.
I don’t do regular resistance training (but I should).
I feel like my blood report is a detective mystery. What lowered (killed) my free Testosterone, and which medication(weapon) is the culprit? 
If you have your albumin values, you can calculate your bioavailable T. That gives a clearer picture of how much testosterone is actually available for your body to use.
It’s also worth noting that calculated free T is usually more reliable than directly measuring it. I’m not sure if your low free T was calculated or directly measured. Check your lab panel to see which method was used.
DHT normally competes with testosterone for SHBG binding. Lower DHT may indirectly raise SHBG and reduce free T. Do you have any testosterone panel results from before starting dutasteride? That could help show whether the changes in free T are related to the medication.
Unfortunately, I started testing testosterone with this panel, so I have nothing to compare it with.
I believe it is the calculated free T score.
Here are a few links you can use to calculate bioavailable testosterone. They’ll give you a clearer idea of what’s really going on with your levels.
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DHEA boosts testosterone considerably IN WOMEN. But for men it’s supposed to be a drop in the bucket. I don’t pay as much attention to how to do it for men but I still recall hearing of far more effective supplements such as Tongkat Ali.
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Pregnenolone is upstream in the hormone sythesis pathway from DHEA, and thus tends to have more equal impact for both women and men.
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Took my DEXA Bone Density scan on Monday, February 16. Cost covered by insurance for every 2-years.
My first DEXA scan ( Dec, 2022) shocked me to discover I had osteopenia - despite regular resistance exercise, TRT and supplements of Vitamin D & Calcium.
I read on this forum a news article about Taurine as having potenital to reverse bone degeneration.
September of 2022
I started putting a full teaspon of Taurine in my coffee every morning for a year and got these results.
So here is an overview of improvement for the past 4-years.
DEXA scan Jason current T - score Normal.pdf (625.5 KB)
So I am curious guys… why would anyone over the age of 50 years old – not add a teaspoon of taurine to their morning coffee or other drink? It is a cheap supplement found on Amazon. My brand is Bulk Supplements - costs $24 for 1 years worth.
One of the better finds on this longevity site.
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Reactive gastritis, since you ask.
If your stomach has decided that it’s had enough of various sorts of irritant powders, taurine may well be among them. I am off high doses of taurine until my stomach says I can resume.
It appears that a body can change in what it will tolerate. Bodies. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them…
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I see. that sucks!
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I started taking 6g of taurine daily over a year ago and my osteoporosis is holding fairly steady.
It either does not have this same effect on my bones, OR I might have been much worse off without it… will never know…
I also started rapa, calcium, ldn, and serious resistance training.
Because it’s a progressive disease, I do consider not worsening a success, but thought I’d share my N=1 that I’m no Agetron!
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My mother also gets gastritis from taking Taurine. Taurine is supposed to help lower triglycerides and reduce senescent cell formation so it’s a shame that my mother can’t take it due to the gastritis.
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I have been taking 3g of taurine per day for the last ~8 months (since July 2025).
No change in my T-score (based on heel ultrasound) from Feb 2025 to Feb 2026 (today). Still around -1.5 in both heels.
There’s no logical reason I should have low bone density- I’m 39, male, hormones/androgens are all good, good diet, and I do resistance/strength training. Yet I always score consistently badly on this test.
Either way, adding 3g of taurine didn’t have any dramatic effect for me.
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Relaxed Meatball: you might consider getting bone markers tested --blood test that measures four substances – that tell whether your bone remodeling is balanced.For example it will tell you whether you are resorbing too much – this frequently shifts in older women as the osteoclasts burn hotter and the osteoblasts are not working as well as they used to. So, bone markers may give you some clues.
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Yes I probably should, since I keep consistently getting low scores on this test. I’ll look into it, thanks.
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@Deborah_Hall can you talk more about bone markers.
And once you have the information, are there specific ways you might address things differently other than you would if you simply know you have osteoporosis?
Yes absolutely. One of the four bone marker tests tells you if you are resorbing bone at a higher rate. This often happens as we age but not always. My test showed that I was not resorbing bone at too high a rate, therefore an anti resorptive drug such as any bisphosphenate is absolutely wrong for me. Unfortunately I had taken Fosamax for years before knowing about bone marker tests.
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I just skimmed this thread so perhaps I missed it but why is nobody talking about estrogen for bone health? Estrogen can be started at any age for bone benefits and is helpful in stopping bone loss even at low doses. We have a study on 75+ year old women with frailty who improved BMD by >4% in 9 months. Testosterone is likely additive to that. And, although its benefits are less clear, progesterone is pro-bone as well.
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Great point. My doc started me on hrt in my mid 50’s, pre-menopause, for the sole purpose of building bones and muscle.
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