Afraid to Start TRT. Share Your Experiences?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Before I describe my problem, I wanted to say hello to everyone on this forum. I recently started reading it, and I learned a lot of valuable things.

I’m 29 years old now and about 4-5 years ago, I started to feel worse, weakened, libido problems, poor results in the gym, unhappy, etc. After many visits to doctors, one of them said that we should test testosterone. The test was performed on 2019-11-20 and showed a value of 3.38 ng/ml. Of course, my doctor said everything was fine, and I have no cause for concern.

Already at this point, I was leading a healthy lifestyle, and I was surprised that my testosterone is so low, in comparison my older brother (35 years old), who has never been to the gym, loves sweets, alcohol and has a testosterone level of 6.50 ng/ml, unfair.

After reading many articles and books on what to do to raise my testosterone levels, I have implemented some adjustments to my lifestyle:

  • No alcohol
  • Zero sweets
  • Sleep for at least 8 hours a day
  • Training in the gym at least twice a week
  • Cardio 1-2 times a week.
  • Supplements, creatine, zinc, selenium, multivitamins, Panax ginseng, ashwagandha, etc.
  • Cold showers
  • Meditation

On September 22, 2020, I did another testosterone test, and the result was 2.96 ng/ml. I lived a very healthy life, and my testosterone decreased. Needless to say, how disappointed I was.

My doctor still told me that I’m normal but decided to check my testicles for varicoceles with an ultrasound examination. No varicoceles were found, my testicles are perfectly fine.

After all this, I lost my tone a bit. Although I continued to lead a healthy lifestyle, I repeated the tests on March 11, 2021, and the testosterone result is almost the same as the first time at 3.37 ng/ml.

At one point, I realized that I only had two options, live like this so far, or try testosterone therapy.
I would like to have libido the way it used to be. I wish I had the motivation and strength. I used to feel like life is slipping through my fingers.

I am afraid of testosterone therapy, but on the other hand, I do not want to live like this…

Here is a full list of my blood tests:

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Could you please share your story with testosterone therapy:

  1. What’s your protocol?
  2. How do you feel?
  3. How did you feel before testosterone therapy?
  4. What’s your libido?
  5. How long have you been using testosterone?
  6. Did you have children before you started using testosterone?
  7. What are the disadvantages of testosterone therapy?
  8. Do you regret starting therapy?
2

Looks like your lh and fsh low. Secondary hypogonadism.

To confirm you can try clomid 25 mg eod. This should raise you lh and tell the testicles to make testosterone.

Though it appears even if clomid raises your t and start feeling good initially… Clomid sides kick in.

Some believe clomid May restart your hpta axis. Then you can get off clomid and see if levels maintain.

This might be a good process if you are not confident in starting trt. Cause then you may second guess yourself that you should have tried other stuff.

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3

Have you ever take:

  • Antidepressants?
  • Accutane?
  • Finasteride and similar drugs like that?

If the occurance of these symptoms correlates with that intake of drugs, there is your answer i would say.

Try HCG 250iu 3x before trying TRT and maybe do a PCT with Enclomiphene Cit. after that HCG cycle. Other than that, your issue may not be related to your T levels. Check out for other health problems and symptoms. And it seems it is surely not related to your hormones. Depression can decrease T levels for example. That LH, T and FSH is still normal for your age.

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4

Enclomiphene Citrate is a better option. Yeah. It doesn’t have the bad estrogenic Zucl. isomer Clomid has.

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5

I didn’t take any of these drugs. I only used minoxidil for a short period, but I don’t think it should break my testosterone levels. According to depression, I’m fine. I have a great girl, a nice job, and don’t have a reason to be depressed.

The problem with Enclomiphene Citrate is that it is super hard to get in my country.

6
  1. Protocol: 18mg TCyp and 112 mcg of levothyroxine daily
  2. How I feel: Good
  3. Prior to TRT: I felt horrible. I limped down the stairs every morning because my joints hurt. I was falling asleep at work and felt like I was going to fall asleep driving home from work. My commute is 5 minutes. Was getting no where in the gym and had to force myself to go but just went through the motions while there.
  4. Libido: Libido is good. Never was an issue for me with low T though.
  5. How long: 2 years
  6. Disadvantages: Only disadvantage to me is I have to pay for it the rest of my life.
  7. Do I regret starting: Not at all

*Edit Missed the question about children. Yes I had children prior to starting.

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7

These levels aren’t normal for a 29 year old, maybe for an 85 year old. The issue is a lot of doctors has zero to little education in sex hormones as its completely ignored in traditional medical schools and residency.

Why are you afraid of a hormone your body produces naturally?

My protocol is 50mg twice weekly, this produces around 697 ng/dL and Free T at 30 pg/mL ( ranges 8-25.5). So slightly above the ranges for the Free T.

I feel much better than I did pre-TRT, I could barely get off the couch without wanting to collapse to the floor. Pre-TRT numbers was 91 ng/dL, LH 3.6 and SHBG 12.

Libido is high.

I will start out by saying the disadvantages of remaining low-T are grim health wise, TRT the disadvantages is infertility, but this can be dealt with by a course of HCG and FSH injections in conjunction with TRT or clomid.

Most regret not starting TRT sooner once on TRT, I resisted at first and suffered needlessly. My thought was I didn’t want to shut down my natural production even though it would never be enough to sustain me.

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8

Could you please share your story with testosterone therapy:

  1. What’s your protocol? 60-70mg twice weekly to 200mg once weekly

  2. How do you feel? good

  3. How did you feel before testosterone therapy? I guess OK. I knew I wasn’t 20 years younger.

  4. What’s your libido? good

  5. How long have you been using testosterone? 8 years

  6. Did you have children before you started using testosterone? yes

  7. What are the disadvantages of testosterone therapy? time, doctor’s visits, lab follow-ups, and money

  8. Do you regret starting therapy? I regret not doing it 10 years sooner, at least, maybe 20.

I would deal with this before starting, dependent on your specific fears, I suppose. If I sense any hesitancy or fear with potential new patients, I try to talk them out of it. I have found that those overly concerned with side effects will usually have them, because they focus on looking for them. You tend to find what you look for in life.

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9

I self treat (after getting screwed by Drs for years) I take 250 mg test/week and 200 mg mast/week

Awesome (especially for being 56)

Like shit. Weight gain, depression, ED, poor libido, etc

Crazy high. Wife has to put limits on our sex life

15 years

yes

Few, but things like high RBC and blood pressure issues.

Hell no!

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10

  1. 100mg test cyp twice a week

  2. Good, but tired. (Possibly I’m in too much of a caloric deficit and am currently one week into a diet break)

  3. Like absolute shit for 4-5 years… anxiety, brain fog, poor concentration

  4. Before trt I had a high libido, now it is effing rendonkulously high. (Giselle is a happy camper)

  5. 9ish weeks

  6. Yes

  7. Too early to tell

  8. Not yet

As far as your brother having higher testosterone than you I wouldn’t worry about what others situations are.
I had my highest pre trt tt 3.5 months removed from a diet and 8 months removed from the gym. I managed to gain 40ish lbs in 3.5 months and went from a tt of 413 to 630…but my ft has always been low and no matter how I tried to diet or workout or say eff it, I always felt like shit.

As someone with anxiety, high pull is on point. I’ve finally started getting comfortable administering my shots, but I was completely inside my head about it. It took to my 3rd shot for me to do it. Just continue looking at the pros and cons of trt and don’t make a decision until you are 100% sure it’s what you want. For me, I felt like such shit that I had nothing to lose.

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11
  1. 100 mg per week with added HCG for fertility I used in past for 1000 IU thrice per week. Now it’s just 100 mg a week.
  2. I feel normal. That’s it.
  3. I felt awful.
  4. Libido is fine.
  5. Almost 20 years.
  6. I had children after with HCG.
  7. Doctor’s visits.
  8. Absolutely no regret. I have hypogonadism, a medical condition, and a medical condition should be treated, in the way diabetes and hypothyroidism are treated. TRT is nothing more than medicine for me. It’s not used as a PED or physique enhancement. In medicinal doses T isn’t a PED; it has one functioning as a normal man.
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12

Seriously consider testing the hypothesis that T deficiency is your issue with a fast acting testosterone application that can simulate the diurnal variation in T levels throughout the day:

There is nothing physiological about using a testosterone ester for TRT. With fast-acting testosterone preparation you can pulse your T levels once or twice a day with minimal impact to your HPTA. Take a look at the research and Natesto would be the highest priced option; you can get either compounded nasal gel or testosterone troches to do the same thing for much less cost.

If I was to go back and do it again, I would strongly consider this route first given your blood work.

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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/andr.12137

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14

The OP stated he was afraid of T therapy. He didn’t state he was afraid of testosterone. There is a distinct difference, especially with the way T therapy is done for many men today.

OP has no idea what his issue is. If you start taking long acting Test ester and no benefit, you are on a long journey to get back to square one with your HPTA.

You have zero basis to state this T level isn’t normal for a 29 yr old. Please provide data to support this statement.

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  1. What’s your protocol?
    200mg cyp per week inject 50mg or 25units every other day subq
  2. How do you feel?
    been getting stronger at the gym , little bit more mental energy for the day, not bad overall
  3. How did you feel before testosterone therapy?
    not terrible , just kind of depressed,
  4. What’s your libido?
    not a big difference honestly, though my natural test in the afternoon was 800ng/dl… lol
  5. How long have you been using testosterone?
    about 3 months
  6. Did you have children before you started using testosterone?
    not having kids
  7. What are the disadvantages of testosterone therapy?
    $200 a month…money well spent though i think
  8. Do you regret starting therapy?
    i was gonna do it eventually, it was inevitable. trt seems like a no brainer. its pretty easy .
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Reference Ranges for Total and Free Testosterone Levels

Vermeulen, A. (1996). Declining Androgens with Age: An Overview. In Vermeulen, A. & Oddens, & B.J. (Eds.), Androgens and the Aging Male (pp. 3-14). New York: Parthenon Publishing.

Age Total Testosterone Average (ng/dl) Free Testosterone Average (pg/ml)
25 – 34 616 123
35 – 44 667 103
45 – 54 606 91
55 – 64 562 83
65 – 74 523 69
75 – 84 470 60
85 – 100 376 54

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17

Thank you very much, unfortunately Natesto is not available in my country :frowning:

18

So it seems that I have the testosterone of 85-year-old men despite leading a healthy lifestyle. I’m afraid what my levels would if would drink alcohol, eat junk food, etc…

19

  • What’s your protocol? 160mg test cyp EOD, hcg 1x a week and dhea.

  • How do you feel? Good. Normal. I have energy again and the soreness is mostly gone.

  • How did you feel before testosterone therapy? Total shit. Tired, low energy and ALWAYS sore. My soreness was soft tissue aNd not joints. I believe i was losing muscle mass despite working out 3x week. My issue was high shbg and next to zerp free test.

  • What’s your libido? It was fine before and fine now.

  • How long have you been using testosterone? 9 months

  • Did you have children before you started using testosterone? Yes

  • What are the disadvantages of testosterone therapy? Money for gear and tests but its worth the money to feel normal again.

  • Do you regret starting therapy? I regret starting so late. I went thru 6 years of feeling bad which kept getting worse. Despite tons of blood work and labs every doctor i saw said it wasn’t test issues. I should’ve trusted my instincts sooner and trusted docs less. I wish I found my current doc and this board sooner tho.

20

Nope. That wouldn’t be a particularly solid conclusion to draw from the information presented and goes back to the distribution of Total Testosterone for males vs age. Everyone thinks they should be above average but thats not how it works.

https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/26/6/833/2355179

There is absolutely nothing abnormal about your Total Testosterone level:

Find yourself on this plot in terms of percentile vs age:

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What is the percentile?

Whether you will experience symptom resolution with T therapy is another question entirely and you will have to do the homework to determine if there are fast acting T preparations you can access (if you decide to go that route). I mentioned other options besides Natesto.