Hi All,
Im after i bit of help please. Im 46 years old, based in the UK, and have been on TRT for 6 years. Im receiving TRT on the NHS - 250mg/ml Testosterone Enanthate injections every 2 weeks. Over the last couple of years things have gone downhill quite alot. I started to get a constant daily headache that just kept increasing in intensity. Then on top of this the Migraines started and constantly got worse until i now have 3-4 a week. I then started to put on weight, and no matter what dietary changes i make i cannot shift it. Then the ED started, then heart arythmia, anxiety attacks, depression, not being able to sleep properly etc etc.
Now i spend most of my time bed bound with exhaustion, dizziness, and horrendous headaches/ Migraine.
Ive had 2 head CT scans, all clear, and multiple examinations and blood tests. My migraine specialist suggested i relook at my hormones so recently i decided to test exactly what happens when i have my testosterone injection. Ive put the data into a table and was hoping you guys could take a look. Could these fluctuations explain some of these symptoms? Have any of you here been through anything similar?
Sorry to hear about your troubles. First off your injection frequency is suboptimal, to put it mildly. According to your bloodwork two weeks after injecting your total T and free T return to your pre TRT numbers. However oestradiol stays above range. Your prolactin also is twice the maximum range after injecting.
High estrogen can lead to fatigue and weight gain, low mood…
I don’t know about the migraines but I had lousy libido when my prolactin was high. Taking cabergoline cured this problem for me.
Basically that protocol has your hormones all over the place and this can be causing several of your symptoms. Ask if you could inject at least once per week with twice per week being accepted as the standard.
This protocol leads to supraphysiological levels by 2-4 days, followed by subtherapeutic levels by day 10-14, known as testosterone crash and a reoccurrence of testosterone deficiency symptoms.
A kind of roller-coaster of hormones and 50% of the time do you have healthy hormone levels. The NHS is notoriously bad at treating testosterone deficiency and slow to change, as with any government funded healthcare system.
These every 2 week protocols see higher rates of erythrocytosis.
I’m surprised it took 6 years for this bad protocol to start causing problems, or maybe you never responded optimally from the beginning.
Balance My Hormones in Dorset and The Men’s Health Clinic are cash only clinics if the NHS refuses to adjust your protocol.
Thanks Rusty. I know current protocol is far from good. I asked my GP whether i could split my dose and they told me i needed to ask my endocrinologist. Last time i asked my endocrinologist the answer was a resounding no. Im either going to need to split the dose myself, or go to see someone privately. How high was your prolactin?
Thanks Systemlord. its good to speak to you again - i think you were one of the first people i spoke to when i started my TRT journey 6 years ago!
I dont think the protocol has ever felt optimal, but when i started i was lean and active. I think as ive become less active and put on weight the cracks have started to show through.
I don’t recall my prolactin number exactly but it was a bit over the range. Not quite as high as yours.
Do you draw and pin yourself? If yes then divide the dose however you see fit.
No i dont. Im supposed to go to the doctors surgery every 2 weeks and the nurse gives me the injection.
Im sure i could probably learn tho. My testosterone comes in small glass ampoules that are supposed to be single use only. How would i go about storing the remaining solution once the ampoule is open?
Surprised the NHS started you at those levels, I was lower 10 years younger and still got prescribed Viagra and anti depressants! Went private instead. Lucky you got test-e and not undecanoate instead!
If you have the medicine yourself, happy days, a few YouTube tutorials on injections and you’ll be fine. RE storing just split the dose in half draw up 0.5ml in each syringe and store the syringe with a needle and cap on in a dry clean cool cupboard.
As a masculine man I would never put up with this sort of treatment, for 6 years! This is nothing more than a society knowing or unknowingly feminizing men.
A grown ass man can take care of his own business and inject himself.
One option is you can purchase sterile 10ml vials and transfer the content of the ampoules into the vial.
Second option, if the ampoule contains 250mg of test E, you can draw 4 syringes with each containing approximately 60mg of test E. If pinning 120mg/week this would be enough for 2 weeks (60mg Monday/Thursday = 120mg/wk). The syringes can be stored in a dry place, like a medicine cupboard. No need to refrigerate.
This is a decent TRT dose and you can draw bloods after 2 months to see where your levels are at.