I won’t post the countless bloodwork panels I’ve had drawn in the last two years. Instead, my main goal is simply to share a success story. I think a lot of guys (including myself) get discouraged when they first come on these boards and find that the majority of posts are guys dealing with problem after problem as they attempt to dial in their TRT protocol. It’s important for the guys who get it dialed in to come back and share. These boards (especially KSman’s posts) have given me tremendous amounts of helpful knowledge over the last two years.
Quick Background:
- 22 y/o male
- Former college football athlete
- 6 surgeries in the space of two years due to football injuries
- SYMPTOMS (beginning in summer 2015)
- Massive fatigue
- Apathy. Didn’t care about shit. Lifeless zombie.
- Anxiety. Even going to the grocery store made my heart rate skyrocket.
- Depression. Developed a very cynical, angry outlook towards life.
- Low libido. Lost multiple relationships because of this.
- Brain fog. Literally felt like I was living in a never-ending hangover.
- Inability to gain back muscle/strength after my surgeries.
- BLOODWORK:
I have a great doctor who is willing to test for whatever I want. Over the space of two years, I had around 15 very comprehensive blood tests performed. The overarching theme remained the same:
- Sluggish thyroid
- Skyhigh SHBG
- High total testosterone (falsely elevated by my SHBG), low free testosterone (thanks to my high SHBG)
- Low Cortisol Levels
There were other minor deficiencies here and there, but nothing major.
- Treatment History:
- Began Naturethroid and Iodine in June 2016. Felt a little better, but not much. TSH went down, but FT3 and RT3 remained bad. Indicated that my thyroid meds weren’t being absorbed properly.
- Spent over $3000 of my own money on natural supplements, leaky gut diets, home-made probiotics, stool testing, and every imaginable supplement you could think of. Little to no improvement.
- Spent another $4000 and on a world-renowned homeopathic/chinese medicine doctor. The treatment did help some, but only for a short period of time.
- After thousands of dollars and little success, finally broke down and went to a local general physician who is known in my area for being good with hormone treatment. He put me on TRT.
- TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
- This new doctor reviewed my bloodwork extensively with me. He listened carefully to my concerns and suggestions. He was very open and very helpful.
- In the end, he agreed that my very low free testosterone made me a candidate for TRT.
- He put me on 100 mgs T-cypionate twice weekly, 500 IU’s of HCG twice weekly, and .25 mgs of arimidex twice weekly.
- TWO MONTHS (TODAY)
- My libido was maybe at 15% before starting TRT. It is now around 75%. I have morning wood 5-6 days a week, and often wake up with wood at night.
- My apathy is gone. I love exercising again. My motivation in my college studies has increased tremendously. My parents and classmates have all commented on the change. I enjoy DOING things now. I don’t just want to sit in my room all day.
- My anxiety has dropped from 100% to a manageable 40%. I still get anxious in social situations, but thats about it. And the anxiety I do get, I can handle. It doesn’t crush me anymore. It doesn’t make me avoid hanging out with friends and family.
- My energy is incredible. I’m no longer sleeping at every chance throughout the day.
- My mood/depression has improved. My friends and family have always known me to be very cynical and pessimistic. Lately, they’ve all been commenting on how much more optimistic I seem.
- My brain fog took the longest to resolve. But around week 6, I woke up and realized I could suddenly think clearly. I can handle math more easily now. I can remember things better. Still not like I could in high school, but it’s slowly improving.
- I’ve barely worked out in the last 8 weeks due to my busy schedule with work + school. All my friends and family have commented on how I’m looking bigger and healthier. Sure enough, I checked my weight and I’ve gained 15 lbs and still have my abs.
- PROBLEMS:
- I’ve had almost no side effects from TRT. The only issues I’ve had are with arimidex. I found that .25 mg twice a week was crushing my estrogen and making me feel horrible. I lowered it to .25 mg once a week and that resolved the issue.
- My eyebrows are beginning to fall out on the edges. I have a feeling I may be one of the unlucky few whose thyroid is WORSENED by TRT. That being said, I’m currently in contact with my doctor about it and will be making some changes to my thyroid protocol next week when my bloodwork gets back.
- Insomnia. I already had insomnia before TRT, and it has pretty much remained the same while on TRT. I’ve already tried melatonin, sleep aid, Benadryl, doxylamine, valerian root, meditating, tryptophan, etc… All the natural stuff. I’ve also tried ambien, sonata, and belsomra with little success. Next up, my doctor is going to put me on either trazadone or seroquel. I don’t want to be on drugs, but dammit, I have to sleep.
Overall, TRT has been a major success for me. I’m sure there will be some bumps in the days ahead and maybe even some bad times as things continue to even out. However, I’m constantly amazed as I look back each week and notice small, subtle changes. TRT didn’t hit me like a lightning bolt. It’s been a very slow, but positive change. I can’t wait to see where I am in another month. I can’t thank everyone on this board enough for the information I’ve gleaned over the last two years. So much valuable stuff on here. A special thanks to KSman as well. That guy is a wealth of knowledge. I’m sure I’ll be back here for more info in the future as I continue to optimize my health. Stay strong fellas.
-Dabah2014