Started Test C, Anastrozole and HCG 3 months ago and recently got labs done. Let me preface the results by saying I feel amazing. For the first time in years I look forward to working out, I don’t hit the proverbial wall and struggle to stay awake from 2pm to 6pm. Just all around feel great.
My dose:
200mg TestC once a week w/ Anastrozole infused.
50 units of HCG twice a week
My Labs:
Start - 315 Test / 14.1 Estradiol
Current - 1500 Test / 35.7 Estadiol
Even though I’m feeling amazing, I’m a nervous about being above the “normal range” for Test. Dr said it was okay, as long as I wasn’t feeling anxious, if I want to continue this dose and see if it settles down.
I wouldn’t change a damn thing. You said it yourself, you feel amazing. I can pretty much guarantee you that will stay the same and you will begin to lose bodyfat, increase muscle, and change your insulin resistance.
If you go read posts by physioLojik, he’s an Endo/bodybuilder who is on gear. He said that too many people dismiss how they actually feel. Just let it ride brother.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, appreciate it. That’s what my gut is telling me as well. I’m not schooled in any of this though, just a avg Joe who looked into Low T because of the recent surge in awareness / advertising.
What are your thoughts about healthy time to stay on? Is it healthier to suffer through, say 6 months off, then 6 months on… or… just keep going with no cycling?
TRT is for life. At this point your body’s (below average) production is pretty much gone. Cycling like that will suck. Just stay the course. Low T is just like any other physical issue. This is no different than needing insulin.
Are you self injecting? If not, I would suggest that you do. Much cheaper and you should be injecting a half-dose twice a week anyway to prevent peaks and valleys in your Test levels.
I am self injecting… T once a week and HCG twice a week. I don’t feel any peaks and valleys and don’t really enjoy poking that needle all the way down into my quad.
Also, I sometimes go a day late on the 2nd HCG shot as life happens, got a wife and a 3 year old daughter, and I forget.
Knowing that, would twice a week at half dose still be your recommendation?
Hey Phil, I don’t thing I can. The 2nd lab test is pictured in full. Do you recommend asking for these tests specifically the next time the Doc orders labs? If so, what are we looking to learn from them?
Definitely. My wife pins me in the glutes every sunday and wednesday. If she can’t, then I pin myself but probably not where you are. i pin way up high on the quad. See the pic:
Also, you don’t have to use HCG. Its not critical unless you are trying to stay fertile and have more kids. I’ve never used it and my balls are fine and I’ve ran super high doses before.
Thanks. I’m definitely injecting lower than the target in your image. Maybe I’ll ask the wife to start helping and go in the glutes twice a week. After all, I injected her for months while we she was doing a IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) cycles.
What would be the benefit of removing HGC from the mix?
One less shot. Less cost. Here are some posts by our resident bodybuilding, gear using Endo. They will help you alot. Do a search for pretty much anything physioLojik has written. It will go a long way towards your education.
I assume your labs were drawn at trough and if so, given the way you are feeling, I also would not change anything. I would not be concerned about the high total test number, the free is more important and if SHBG is high, you’re better with the higher total test level.
The once a week dosing seems to be working too. I’ve always done 200mg once a week and it works great for me. Not everyone requires more frequent injections.
Suggest using the correct estrogen test not designed for females, the LC/MS/MS method is designed for men and is more accurate. Your estrogen score of 35.7 pg/mL is likely to be lower than stated.
As long as hematocrit, RBC and hemoglobin aren’t out of control, higher levels are fine in your body can handle it without symptoms.
Thanks fellas! By “drawn at trough” I assume you mean a local lab. If so, yes, LabCorp to be specific.
Is it worth my while to get my own labs done outside of what my doc has ordered? It’s becoming apparent that I need to get a better understanding of the… I’ll call it chemistry, involved in this. Up until now, I’ve been treating it like any other visit to the Doc. He says do X,Y and Z, so I follow direction like a good sheep. So two questions:
1 - Worth time and money to get my own labs done?
2 - Whats a good resource for educating myself on the topic? Just high level understanding. Maybe with big pictures to help this intellectually challenged nimrod understand.
By “trough” I mean as far away from your most recent dose as possible. For example, if you are on a once a week injection schedule, and you take your injection on Saturday, you want your blood drawn on Saturday, before you get your injection.
Regarding labs, hopefully your doctor will handle this.
