48yrs old Coming Off TRT. Help?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hello All,

My very first post here.

48yr old, put on TRT this past April (so on for ~6 months now). Was having some symptoms of low T, so got tested, doc put me on TRT (~100mg/week test cyp).

The fact is, and in hindsight, I don’t think i should have ever gone on TRT, but I knew little about any of this and trusted my doc. Long story short as possible, my total T came out to 700(!), but my free T was in the toilet (below lowest number in ref range). So my doc’s thinking was that if we increase my total T (I can’t believe he thought it was good to go over 700!), my free T would also increase.

Needless to say, here I am 6 months later, my total T is 350(!), and my free T is still in the toilet. So things are worse!

What I should have done is just tried to find a way to raise my free T, not go on TRT. Hindsight 20/20 :frowning:

So, enough of this, I want to try and get off TRT. Not sure if it will be possible at my age to restart HPTA, but I would like to try. Might be on TRT for life now, but I hope not.

So I need help from those that have successfully come off TRT, especially those that are in your 40s and older. How did you do it?

Thanks much everyone, really appreciate your help. This has really been a nightmare for me.

2

TRT is the only method of raising free T, a restart at you age isn’t likely. You need a dose increase as your levels are still in the low T range. Your doctor’s were correct in giving you TRT.

3

Are you saying it has been a nightmare because your symptoms have continued/worsened, or did you experience unwanted side effects after starting TRT in April?

Having low free T with total T in low to mid-range is not that unusual. What were your SHBG and E2 levels when total T was 700?

The simple answer is that you have not yet optimized your TRT to the point where free T is increased and symptoms are improved.

4

It was already said, but SHBG is the biggest factor when it comes to FREE testosterone.

5

Put going off on the back burner to see what you can learn here about getting TRT right for you.

Post all labs with ranges.
TT
FT
E2
CBC
hematocrit
AST/ALT
PSA
SHBG
TSH, fT3, fT4

TRT typically needs to be.
T - injected twice a week, SC has smoother levels than IM
anastrozole to manage E2 near E2=22pg\ml
hCG to preserve testes that otherwise will shrink - if you care.

We do see some guys who are T hypermetabolizers who need 300mg T to be where others are on 100mg. Then then should inject T EOD as their T half-life is short too. You should be prepared to ignore high TT results and focus on FT or Bio-T at high normal or above. Then T may force SHBG down.

High E2 can drive up SHBG, E2 management is mission critical.

Your doc will probably be unprepared to deal with these concepts. Most doctors are rather clueless about hormones at the best of times. There is learning material here that you need. It is not that difficult.

Do not ignore thyroid, iodine, iodized salt and oral body temperature issues below. These are not minor concerns.

Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys - need more info about you
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc

Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.

KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.

I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab number and ranges.

The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.