I have been reading the massive low testosterone/hormone replacement thread on GD
GD thread

At 53 my levels are in the low normal range for 50+, but less than ideal based on all the information in that thread.
Testosterone therapy is something I would like to try for 2017.
My current doc says no to prescriptions as I am still in normal range for my age.  Rather than try to convince him, I would like to find a doc experienced in HRT and willing to help.

Google gets a ton of results, but difficult to tell the scams from legit clinics.
Any local guys have experience with this?
Any recommendations for docs in the SE Mich area?  Anywhere from westside Metro Detroit burbs to Ann Arbor would be ideal for me.

Thanks for any help.

I'm going thru the process of getting my levels corrected thru my urologist. I'm 44 and was having Prostatitis issues that got me a referral. While in his office waiting I picked up a pamphlet and found out I had about 10 of the twelve symptoms listed for low-T.

You don't mention what your motivation is for getting on testosterone-people have different reasons for doing so and there are doctors out there that will work with you for say... sports reasons, but if you don't have a legit medical need make sure you understand the ramifications first. There is an increased risk of heart problems, which is probably a lot of why your doc won't play ball. The big one is that your body stops producing testosterone when you take it-your natural production doesn't stop over night, but generally speaking once you are on it, you are on for life. And you won't produce viable sperm anymore so you shouldn't if you still want kids.

I think doctors are generally uncomfortable prescribing things outside of their specialty or their general practice. At the end of the day though, you are paying him to work for you-he's looking out for your bests interest and is doing his job. Finding a more liberal/permissive doctor that supports bodybuilders isn't hard, and in my experience people that are in those circles will direct you to those guys once the conversation opens up about t stosterone use. I mentioned to a friend about my situation and he hooked me up with the names of a few docs that he deals with or knows of. I was interested because I didn't feel like my urologist was being as aggressive as I thought he should be in getting my levels mid range and it was costing me money and time to do all the blood tests and office visits out of pocket.

All it took was one visit where he saw me tired in the middle of the day to realize I wasn't playing around and I wanted my problem fixed. He upped my dosage what I thought was a little and I got pissed again so the next time I visited his office I cornered him and pressed him for some information about my levels, and the amount of Androgel or Natesto I was slapping on every day..... turned out it was a very high dose already and that my body is metabolizing it quickly. Adding more creates complications like having to take different meds to counter the natural Estrogen your body produces when your testosterone levels are high.... you don't want to grow tits, this shit is real. One of my buddies cycles high doses and has to do injections as well as pills to offset the side effects of the testosterone he takes for bodybuilding, that's just too committed.

If you are not getting results from your doctor, ask for a referral to a urologist. Or just find one, mine's name is Greg Oldford, and he has two Offices in Commerce. The urologist will probably balk at your request for HRT, so look up the symptoms and be ready to articulate a case for why you think you need it. 40% of men over 40 have low-T, it just comes with a bad connotation from people that abuse it for bodybuilding in traditional medicine where doctors are worried that they will get sued when you have a heart attack. My response to that was that I was going to have heart problems from not having the energy to get off of the  fucking couch anyway... t worked.

For the guys who are reading this, if you have low energy, low sex drive, no enjoyment of the things you used to like to do, feel like the hours of sleep you get are unproductive, and generally feel like you just aren't like you used to be and are in a funk, get your testosterone checked. I put a cream on my arms or sides once a day and it has been a big change for me. Costs about $50 a month. Totally worth it, but momma won't be able to touch your application area for 7 hours after you put your Androgel on. There are more convenient ways to get testosterone in your body, but they are eye wateringly expensive. Hell, I'm on a generic now, the name brand is $1,000 a month!

ETA: Bonus benefit-Testosterone helps joint swelling, and my arthritis in my hands went from being an 8 out of 10 to 2 most of the time.

Heartbeats Gentleman's Club, Battle Creek, MI

Without having time to type as well written of a response as TheOtherDave, I will simply say that HRT has drastically changed my daily life.  Before the therapy, I had the above mentioned issues with energy/sex drive/mental clarity.

I will say that looking into the injections is/was a better option for me and alot of guys that can get them as opposed to the creams.   No issues with contacting the applied area, and substantially cheaper.  With insurance, my bottle of T costs me $15 which lasts me approx. 1.5 months, plus the cost of needles, which is minute, I think for 100 needles and the needed parts to complete the package it runs me approx. $50-70, so substantially less than the creams, and with much better results for me with no exposure worries.  And the results from the injections are far better that the less than impressive results from the creams I tried.

Watching as I go in for blood test this week.

https://www.genemedics.com/

shit - just saw myself in the commercial on the site - I'm the last guy.  That aired on Channel 7.

Been with Dr. George for maybe 7 years now.  Life changing.

There's another doc around there too - Dr. Lichten I think?

Come to the hometown get-together and you can talk to TheOtherDave and me.