So I am new to TRT, as of friday I have taken my 5th injection. I am on .8ml of 200mg testosterone cyp. I not really felt a huge difference, especially in the ED department (though the want is certainly there) and was wondering if you guys thought it would be reasonable to ask for a higher dose. And how you guys would approach that.
(I am also on 10units of HCG daily and taking Anastrozole 1 and 3 days after injection)
Thanks guys!
Could you provide your initial labs and some history? Anastrozole dose?
I don’t have my numbers in front of me, I remember my TT being in the like 510. and my Anastrozole is .5mg 2x/wk
I would cut the ai way down. I was getting low (15 ng/dl) on .375 mg per week. Now I’m going to .25 mg per week. May end up dropping it or going even lower.
To answer your question, you could go get your tt and ft measured before your check in. Then you know what your levels will be at your check in if you do what you are supposed to do. I think you know where this is going…
Your protocol is actually a pretty good dose. You are on 2x per week right? If so, give it more time. You are not even done with 3 weeks. It can take 6 weeks for some to feel much different, and months to get all the benefits.
I am actually on .8ml 200mg once per week. should I break that up myself and go twice a week>?
What was your shbg? If mid range or lower then yes. Test C has a roughly 7 day half life, so once weekly is not ideal. If shbg is high some men need a big dose of test all at once to get their ft up.
My shbg was 33, and I’m doing 50mg 3x per week subq.
We need more than just pre-TRT Total T, we need Free T, estrogen and more importantly SHBG. If these were never tested, then this is a sign of trouble ahead as this would indicate you doctor doesn’t know what he’s doing.
There are some guys who feel a crash or low after 4-5 days after an injection, this is why some inject every 3.5 days, but if SHBG is very low this may not even be enough.
It’s going to take 6-12 months to see major changes, 5 weeks is still very early in treatment to be expecting change. TRT isn’t fast acting like prescription drugs, it takes time to heal tissue.
My SHBG is in the low 20’s and feel best injecting 20mg every 2 days, an every 3.5 day protocol shows no benefit for me. My muscle growth takes off when going from every 3.5 day injections to every 2 days on smaller doses.
believe my Pre-t SHBG was 44 nmol/L
free t was 9.45
prolactin was 4.2
tt was 569
I don’t remember the rest currently.
If estrogen was already high before TRT commenced, that would change my recommendation. Your erection quality is tied to your estrogen levels, if estrogen is low or high, erections may be difficult to maintain or not be possible at all.
Taking an AI 3 days after an injection is not ideal, estrogen would have peaked by then an the AI wouldn’t be much good. I have never heard of taking an AI 3 days after an injection considering your estrogen peaks alongside testosterone within 48 hours after an injection.
Your erections can take up to 6 months to see changes, longer is a few cases. For all we know your estrogen levels could be crushed, we don’t know you AI dosage.
would you say take my AI with my injection, then one day after or?
I had a feeling my AI dose was too high (.5mg) for twice a week.
Most people do take their AI with their injection, some do find it better to take the day after an injection.
My doctor always starts guys out at .125 mg 1-2x per week since some men are over-responders to AI’s. A 0.050 AI is enough to crush my estrogen.
Yikes, yeah I had a feeling, I will start taking it with my test and talk to my doctor about it…
I have always had terrible Depression and Anxiety and being on test has helped it tremendously which is amazing for a guy like me. and has even helped my sleep. just frustrating that I am not seeing it translate to my performance abilities. the drive is there just my body is like “uhh… no…”
Be patient this takes 3-4 months for some Of us. For others they have a fast healing process.
You could jsut be having too much dose for your body. Best thing to do is wait 6 weeks and take bloods.
I personally would try to stay away from ai if my only sides are minimal. But one needs a doc and understanding of why.
The thing about injecting large infrequent doses is you could be inviting more estrogen to come out and play, injectable testosterone can cause large spikes in testosterone and estrogen in some men.
That’s the reason why I inject smaller doses every 2 days, more frequent dosing could eliminate the need for AI’s.
I will see about just injecting twice a week. my doctor shouldn’t care if I did that on my own, so. I suppose I will get my trough bloods tested then see were I am at. though I can totally see my AI being too high a dose. Id like to do away with it all together. though I already am predisposed to gyno and am worried itll get worse.
Predisposed don’t mess with it until you find a doc whose competent.just stay on top of your bloods and pay attention to it.
Should be getting my labs done end of this weeks, so we shall see how this goes.
This is very concerning.
What is concerning about it?
The ai most likey kept your e2 too low.