DO NOT POST YOUR CASE AND PERSONAL DETAILS HERE.
CREATE YOUR OWN THREAD.
NOTICE: [11/09/12] We are seeing that a many guys who find there way to this forum have thyroid problems and/or iodine deficiency. Please pay attention to the content below that addresses such issues. See: Thyroid Basics Explained - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation
[Sept 2015]
There are 7 sticky threads in this forum at this point in time. You can also see thread https://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_training_performance_bodybuilding_trt/hormones_and_health which discusses how several issues are interconnected affecting your metabolism and energy. Again, we do see that most guys who come to this forum have some tyroid/iodine issues. Do not ignore the 1st paragraph in this post!
[Sept 2015]
Note that the forums have stickies, but there are none of the expected icons that identify the stickies.
[Sept 2015]
Created a thread re HPTA restart here:
https://t-nation.com/t/hpta-restart-for-trt-w-application-to-gear-pct/211723
[Sept 2015]
Is your doctor an idiot?
https://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_training_performance_bodybuilding_trt/stupid_things_that_docs_do_and_say
Oct 2015
The body builders have to do Post Cycle Therapy to safely get their HPTA working right after a cycle and typical practices are stupid. See my thoughts here: The PCT SERM dosing in this forum is wrong - Pharma - Forums - T Nation
This site has a lot of valuable information that you need to study. And there are a lot of dedicated guys here who provide extensive input and recommendations. While we want to be helpful, explaining the following issues over and over again gets old and frustrating. These recommendations will help us help you and will maintain the value of this forum.
There is a huge learning curve. Most seem to be able to absorb this material easily, but it takes time.
You may have found your way because you have low levels of testosterone [hypogonadism]. However, you can have other conditions that make you feel unwell. The can make the condition of low testosterone worse, or can be why your testosterone levels have dropped. We try to help sort that out so you can identify and treat root causes and not be simply covering up symptoms.
Jan 2016:
Is TRT safe? TRT improves lifespan and quality of life [QOL].
There is no connection between TRT and heart disease. Actually, TRT lowers CV risks.
Harvard Study: More Test is Better, Healthier
and
Study of 83,000 Veterans finds cardiovascular benefits to testosterone replacement
Recommendations:
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When you open a thread [post] for your situation, you need to be using that same thread forever to maintain your ācaseā. So choose the title with some care, you need to live with it.
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Put all of your updates and questions into that one thread which is your case. We can then have complete context to best interpret and respond. If your case is all over the place, we canāt do a very good job and we really are not interested in searching for your mess of different threads.
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Read the stickies. There are basics in the āprotocol for injectionsā sticky TRT: Protocol for Injections - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation that apply to all forms of TRT [testosterone therapy]. The Estradiol [E2] thread Estradiol: Why You Should Care - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation is a must study for any form of TRT.
Some do ask: Stickies are threads that are stuck to the top of the forum because they are important and should not be overlooked. Threads are the collection of posts that are collected under one topic.
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Read the posts of others. You can find guys with similar issues and you can see how the threads progress and you can learn a lot from that.
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Please do not inject your ācaseā into other threads. If the thread is a sticky, you are off topic and you reduce the value of the sticky. If the thread is someone elseās case, that would be hijacking. You will not want others taking your case on a tangent either.
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Your doctor is probably an idiot. If he/she is an endocrinologist or urologist you will probably have one of the worst idiots. This means that finding a good TRT doc is somewhere between difficult and impossible. There is a sticky for that: Finding a TRT Doc - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation
6a) Also see Stupid Things That Docs Do and Say - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation
and add your own stories
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We need you lab work in your case WITH LAB RANGES. If you doc tells you that something is normal, we still need the numbers because we see docs missing problems all of the time. There is also a sticky for lab work: Lab Work, Blood Testing and Symptoms - Testosterone Replacement - Forums - T Nation
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Do not accept ānormalā from your doctor concerning any one lab reading or the whole report. You need to understand things deeper. Most of the time ānormalā means that a particular result fits into a statistical measure derived from test subjects. āNormalā typically does not mean healthy or optimal. In a few cases, the ranges have been changed to recommendations such as fasting cholesterol and fasting glucose [blood sugar]. Doctors are really bad for thinking that lab normal means normal state of health.
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If you are here trying to find sources for gear or someone to prescribe large doses of testosterone, go someplace else, we cannot help you in this forum. Do not post sources of drugs. Do not request that others post sources. What you do in PMās is your business. Bro-speak, bro-knowledge and bro-science will get you far on this forum.
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You need to actively manage your own health care. Do not be a passive patient, which rarely has a good outcome when TRT is involved. Review your health conditions, symptoms and drugs your self. Many here will assist you. You also have to be proactive about your diet and supplements. You need to review drugs, Rx and OTC. Some make you feel worse, some make your hormone worse or cause the hormone problems. We can also review your meds.
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Do not present what you know unless you are very certain of the facts. If you post crap, we will crap on you and we have to refute what you state so it will not mislead others. If you are not authoritative, donāt be. Link to outside sources if needed. Be prepared to support things that you state. Otherwise, contribute!
In your case/thread opening post:
-age
-height
-waist
-weight
-describe body and facial hair
-describe where you carry fat and how changed
-health conditions, symptoms [history]
-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever
ā real dangers! see this http://propeciahelp.com/overview
-lab results with ranges
-describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets]
-describe training [some ruin their hormones by over training]
-testes ache, ever, with a fever?
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed
Note that you can edit all of your posts. In the lower RH corner, click āeditā make changes and submit.
The language:
idiot -see doctor
T - testosterone
E - estrogens in general
E1 -estrONE
E2 -estraDIol - our main interest, you can basically ignore E1, E3
E3 - esTRIol
aromatase - enzyme that converts Tā>E2
aromatization - action of aromatase
AI - aromatase inhibitor, reduces/modulates Tā>E2 aromatization
anastrozole - AI
Arimidex - Brand/marketing name for anastrozole
DHT - dihydrotestosterone, a metabolite of T, mission critical for libido
5-alpha reductase - an enzyme that does Tā>DHT
5-alpha reductase inhibitor - as implied, in hair loss drugs, very dangerous for a few
libido - sexual desire
T4 - thyroid hormone containing 4 iodine atoms
T3 - what you get when you remove one iodine atom from T3, the active form
rT3 - a non functional form of T3, creates serous problems if elevated
fT4 - amount of T4 that is not bound to thyroid binding protein
fT3 - guess
cholesterol - the starting point for all steroid hormones
mitochondria - ancient bacteria within cells that is symbiotic in most life forms
pregnenolone - made from cholesterol by mitochondrial bodies in your cells
CoQ10 - made in liver, reduced by statin drugs, essential for mitochondrial function
progesterone - made from pregnenolone [adrenals]
cortisol - made from progesterone [adrenals] - dead without it
ATCH - signals adrenals to make corticosteroids Adrenocorticotropic hormone - Wikipedia
DHEA - made from pregnenolone [adrenals]
T, testosterone - made from DHEA, mostly in the testes
Estradiol [E2] - made from testosterone in the testes and in the body
injected T: vegetable oil with dissolved testosterone esters and BA [~1%]
testosterone esters - chemicals that can be dissolved in oil
bio-identical testosterone - same molecule that occurs in the body
esterase - enzyme that removes esters, in this context, from testosterone esters
BA - benzyl alcohol to prevent bacterial growth
iu - international unit, definition varies with the drug/vitamin involved
vitamin D3 [vit-D3] - an essential vitamin
Vit-D25 - vit-D3 converted into the active steroid hormone
hematocrit - part of a CBC, fraction of blood cells that centrifuges separate from liquid.
CBC - complete blood work
FSH - a gonadotropin that is needed to make sperm
LH - a gonadotropin that is needed to make T in the testes
hCG - a gonadotropin that has one part that is identical to LH, weakly acts like FSH
peptide hormone - FSH, LH, hCG and growth hormone [HGH], amino acid based
prolactin - a peptide released by orgasms or in high amounts from a pituitary andinoma
adinoma - another word for a behign tumor
steroid hormone - based on cholesterol
doctor - see idiot
EFA - essential fatty acid, fish oil, nuts, flax seed etc, good for endothelium & more
endothelium - lining of blood vessels Endothelium - Wikipedia
endothelial dysfunction - a mechanism of arterial/heart disease
Clinical research - yields info that can guide diagnosis, treatment and dosing
medical research - yields info about processes, very often misleads, may not be human
in-vivo - research based in living organisms, sometimes useful
in-vitro - research in āglassā as in test tubes etc, rarely of practical use
SERM - selective estrogen receptor modifier, leads to more LH. FSH, T, and E2
clomid - a SERM that is old with many functional research studies
nolvadex - a newer SERM that is better than clomid, but old research distorts the truth
transdermal - drug delivered through the skin, typically very inefficient and costly
QOL - Quality of Life
endothelium - lining of blood vessels Endothelium - Wikipedia
endothelial dysfunction - a mechanism of arterial/heart disease
HPTA - Hypothalamus Pituitary Testicular Axis, feedback loop for release of LH and FSH that causes the testes to make testosterone. T, estrogens, progesterone are negative feedback signals that reduce LH and FSH. Estrogens are HPTA repressive and reduce T production and levels.
T+AI+hCG - a protocol that includes those three items
EOD or E2D - drug dosed every other day
E3D - guess
half life - how long a drug takes to fall to half of its peak level
clearance time - how long it take for a drug to be basically gone from your system
serum - pertains to blood levels
saliva - pertains to levels in saliva
tissue levels - canāt do that on humans, saliva levels are thought to be similar to tissues
Rx - prescribed meds
OTC - over the counter meds
HPTA - Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis, regulates levels of steroid hormones. T and E inhibit the HPTA leading to less LH and FSH peptide release from the pituitary. E is much more repressive than T. Prolactin and progesterone are also repressive.
Hypogonadism: Your HPTA is broken or weak.
Primary hypogonadism: Your testes [testicles] are weak or failed.
Secondary hypothyroidism: Your pituitary+hypothalamus are producing little or no FSH & LH
Adrenal fatigue: AKA hypoadrenia or adrenal dysfunction. You will see this and other adrenal issues been discussed. Your adrenals can be weakened by long term stress, loosing your job, a death in the family, auto accidents or other trauma, chronic infections, chronic inflammation [like gum disease], parasitic diseases and more. This book is a really good reference: http://www.amazon.com/Adrenal-Fatigue-Century-Stress-Syndrome/dp/1890572152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books One of the signs of this is general weakness and feeling that stressful events wear you down or make you feel physically weak. Many docs do not believe that this condition exists, partly because there is no billing code for it.
Injections: Testosterone injections can be IM [intramuscular] or SC [subcutaneous] sometimes written as SQ. Injectable testosterone is most always 200mg of T ester per ml. To inject 100mg/week, you would inject 0.5ml/week. But report your dose in mgās, not mlās. The two most common T esters are testosterone cypionate and testosterone ethanate, also known as cyp and eth. As the dose also includes the weight of the ester group, once the ester group is removed in your body, the mgās of testosterone is less than the mgās of T ester injected. The result is around 70% bio-identical testosterone. There is more T in a T eth dose than a T cyp dose as eth ester groups weigh less, leaving more T per unit dose. T ester injections are time release delivery systems. Heavier esters release more slowly and lighter esters faster.
To read more, Google [term wiki] to easily find Wikipedia articles. While there explore the many links in the articles. IE Steroid hormone - Wikipedia
If in doubt, Google and read.
A good first read: But predates use of hCG, anastrozole and has antiquated understanding of how T should be injected: http://www.amazon.com/Testosterone-Syndrome-Critical-Sexuality-Reversing-Menopause/dp/087131858X
Info about hCG that might influence your doc: