Hi gents. I’ve been on TRT for 5 weeks and just got back my blood test results.
My protocol is 20mg Test-C EOD Sub-Q (that would be 70mg a week), and 100IU HCG every day also Sub-Q.
I’m 177 cm, 86kg with 22% bf.
My numbers before the treatment:
Oestradiol 86.6 pmol/L
Testosterone 16.3 nmoll/L
Free Testosterone 0.397 nmol/L
SHBG 21.6 nmol/L
TSH 2.31 mIU/L
Prolactin 282 mU/L
Here are my results after 5 weeks:
Oestradiol 154 pmol/L
Testosterone 15.6 nmol/L
Free Testosterone 0.383 nmol/L
SHBG 20.1 nmol/L
TSH 5.57 mIU/L
Prolactin: 186 mU/L
Cholesterol levels are also borderline. I understand that 5 weeks isn’t too much and that I’m aromatising quiet a bit (even with the EOD sub-q injections which is worrying me a bit) but see that my T levels actually decreased, it just makes no sense. The treatment certainly works as my LH FSH production is 0.4 and 0.5 respectively. The only good thing I can highlight is that my prolactin levels have decreased. I was also expecting the SHBG levels to increase to no avail. No high E2 symptoms to report either.
TSH levels are also a mystery, I have had history of slightly elevated TSH levels, but it has been stable sitting at around 2.5 in the last year or so.
I certainly feel better (but still not quiet “there”), depression gone, I lift heavy and can already see the difference in my muscle mass (nothing spectacular of course, but I can tell), lost a little bit of a visceral fat. There is absolutely no change in the bedroom department, no morning wood, no libido etc. I understand that finding the most optimal protocol will and should take a lot of time, but so far, looking at those numbers, it’s just a bit weird.
What do you think? Any suggestions / comment would be highly appreciated.
Actually it makes perfect sense. Your dose is so small, it’s just enough to shut down your natural production, but not quite enough to even replace it.
And why on earth would you want higher SHGB, especially since you have weak T levels?
Your thyroid is a mess. You need to talk to your doc about that specifically.
Actually it makes perfect sense. Your dose is so small, it’s just enough to shut down your natural production, but not quite enough to even replace it.
And why on earth would you want higher SHGB, especially since you have weak T levels?
Your thyroid is a mess. You need to talk to your doc about that specifically.
My doc wanted to see my SHBG around 30-35 (with optimised T levels of course). I’ll address the thyroid issues, but it’s so hard to find a good endocrinologist that doesn’t treat me as a number (I’ve been refused medication before simply because it is “only” subclinical). Thanks for the advice.
Test usually decreases SHBG, not increase it. The only way you will get it to increase is if you are insulin resistant and/or thyroid problem and you correct those than it may come up some. Unless I am mistaken on something, that is how I understand it.
Small EOD doses could theoretically bump up your SHBG levels ever so slightly, or at least this is what I’ve been told. Bigger weekly/biweekly injections will decrease it.
These levels are suboptimal, you need a dosage increase and you are still scoring in the ranges associated with cardiovascular disease, you need a minimum Total T of 22 nmol/L. I’m one of the few who see SHBG increase on TRT which is do to insulin resistance and being slightly overweight, in 6 weeks time SHBG increased 14–>22.
This is a problem, TRT attempts to restore metabolic rates and your TSH is indicating thyroid is struggling. TSH is stimulating hormone and not an actual thyroid hormone, you need to start testing active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Reverse T3.
Any doctor testing TSH only is quickly becoming irrelevant falling further behind in medicine and will be unable to provide proper diagnosis or properly dose thyroid medicine to patients.
Free T3 is the active thyroid hormone, and Reverse T3 needs to be <15 ng/dL which you haven’t been testing. Reverse T3 can block Free T3 and prevent it from working which would then increasing TSH.
HCG has a method of action that makes it pointless to take any more frequently than EOD. You’re wasting every other shot right now, and the dose is too low to do a lot.
I have high prolactin about the same as yours and I have a raging libido. I’ve seen a few others say the same as me. Who knows. My T levels are a lot higher than yours though.