Was told it can be SubQ, he didn’t specify; this was going to be my preference anyways.
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What was the explanation for such a high starting dose?
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There wasn’t an explanation. I made it clear i have aesthetic goals along with seeking low T symptoms resolution. This is what he chose to go with.
Got ya. I’m all for cranking it up, but some guys don’t do well on too much so IMO dial yourself in first before flirting with higher T. That way you have a safe place to return should things go awry on a higher dose.
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E2 improves lipid profile significantly
My wife has very high e2 and her ldl is very low
3 Month Update
Dose: 182mg/wk at 26mg/day Test C.
Haven’t needed any AI.
Pre-TRT Blood Tests:
Dec '21
June '22
TRT Results:
Sept '22
@mnben87 @blshaw @tareload @anon18050987 @lordgains @systemlord @highpull @Madagascarspirit @monstermmorpg @pettersson
- Any reason why DHEA would have risen so significantly?
- Cholesterol didn’t seem to do anything despite switching entirely to E.V.O.O and taking fish oil/omega 3 capsules daily.
- Anyone have some insight towards Hemoglobin A1C? Blood was drawn fasted.
- Also hoping for insight towards my Prolactin levels. I take Adderall XR 40mg/day (prescribed) but I didn’t find anything on this causing elevated prolactin levels. I haven’t been taking anything else - unsure why else I would have elevated prolactin.
Not keto, just low-carb (typically less than 100g/day).
Yeah, really not sure why - I’m eating all the right fats and adding none of the bad ones. 90% of my meat consumption is lean protein with trace fats and EVOO used for cooking… Even added fish oil capsules.
I’ve thought this for some time, now I have some evidence to prove it. Was considering going Keto for a month or two to attempt correcting it - although I’m already quite low carb.
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What ARE your fat sources? Or, specifically, do you intentionally pick any fats to eat, or just let yourself naturally obtain them through food choices?
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Remind me your age again? Do you have any familial history of heart disease? The high testosterone dose is not doing you any favors with the cholesterol levels. Whether you need to be highly concerned about that is another story. I recently posted that my cholesterol has, and always has, been shit. I’ve had a CAC, echo, and stress test recently and everything came back perfect. My Dad has had perfect cholesterol levels and 5 heart attacks. My mom, shit levels, no heart issues. Point being is if you are approaching 40, I would get a CAC done. Its cheap and effective at seeing if you have potential for blockage.
No idea on the DHEA.
I was going to ask if you fasted but I see you already answered that on the A1c. Prolactin doesn’t appear that high for concern. Lots of meds can cause slightly elevated Prolactin. IGF looks great!
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I usually just go with trace fats + EVOO for cooking purposes. For example, I eat a ton of pan fried chicken breast where it’s a thin layer of flour and cooked in EVOO. I do intentionally take fish oil capsules, but only 2 a day. To directly answer your question, I do not intentionally eat ‘extra’ fats.
28 and no heart disease from either of my parents or their parents.
I do eat an average of 200g protein on a daily basis though, mostly from chicken breast, 2-4 times a week will be beef (some lean, some fatty).
This is fine with me. I went for TRT specifically as I had enough symptoms to justify (to myself) shutting down my balls - and I do feel consistently better on TRT/TOT.
The reason I was most concerned about beginning TRT is the same reason I had stayed away from steroid abuse for >10 years despite being aware of where, when, how and why. Since I pulled the trigger on TRT, I am less concerned with the dose and more concerned with quality of life, relative longevity and gains (in that order). If I would happen to feel better on a lower dose as @blshaw posted about recently, I would lower dose; will consider this when I have less lifestyle variables to impact ‘measurable’ results.
Dr. Mike asked me about prolactin - he asked if I felt “meh” most days, and frankly I do. I don’t get excited for anything … he said this is typical high prolactin behavior as elevated prolactin is known to mute dopamine. Concerning? No. Would probably be a good quality of life improvement to have this fixed though - just unsure what is causing it. Adderall is the only medication I take; nothing goes to show that Addys raise prolactin - if anything, it’s more likely to lower it.
Would like to read more into this when I get time.
So I’m an n=1 here, but I was able to really turn the ship around when I addressed this. I was the same way: my only fat sources were animal fats and whatever I picked up along the way. I started really focusing on getting in monounsaturated fats and trying to get in a good amount of omega 3s and plant based fat sources and, IF I got animal fats, it was from animals fed their natural diets (grassfed, pasture raised, etc). I like avocado oil vs olive oil, but that’s just a personal thing.
Keeping carbs low helped as well.
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This is really good news. Assuming you are a non smoker, light on alcohol use, and stay fit I wouldn’t even worry about it for another decade. I’m not saying “give up”. Keep on trying to get that HDL in the 40s but its not the end all be all.
As far as your dose goes, I would personally lower it a tad bit. Thats a high number to have since you are always peaking with ED injections. At the end of the day though if I were to pick a fit guy with 1200-1300ng/dl test levels versus someone with a Dad bod I would dare say the fit guy is gonna outlive him with all other variables being the same,
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Agreed. Definitely a choice each individual needs to make for themselves.
@Andrewgen_Receptors Are you getting positive results in mood, energy, libido or body composition?
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Yes.
6/12/22
7/27/22
I don’t have any more recent pictures and some of the honeymoon phase has worn off, mostly due to significantly increased work/life stress, but I’ve gotten most of the results I wanted from TRT. My worst days now are infrequent and still better than many of my best days when not on TRT - I don’t regret this decision at all.
Weight went from like 217lb all the way up to 230lb, then tapered back down to around 220-222lb after normalizing from the TRT/E2 bump. I look bigger and leaner as well.
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I am very likely going to be on the Test / Stimulant stack as well (meet with shrink on Monday). I am hoping that the combo is synergistic for me. I really only got the body comp benefits from TRT, I think.
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The more people focus on TRT benefits, the less they realize. Just forget about it. Take it as you need, and enjoy life.
Just like a natural person, they feel good and bad depending on life circumstances.
We take Bio identical t, its just more consistent in the blood stream. This makes us partly optimized. Finding the right dose is what really gives us the energy and focus / health we want.
i felt better at 6 nonths, 1 year and even more around year 2.
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I mean yes, bio-identical in the sense that I take something which raises my testosterone levels; BUT it raised my TT 4x over and my fT 5x over lol. Far from identical in that sense.
I’m aware TRT isn’t a magic pill and that I will have ups and downs; they have been more up than down since starting though, and my ‘downs’ haven’t been as low =)
Will need to work on this over time - waiting for less life variables to start adjusting dosing and frequency so I can accurately compare the outcomes.
Dopamine and estrogen influence prolactin, dopamine restrains prolactin and estrogen increases it.
That’s why some guys see the high estrogen and blame their sexual issues on the high value.
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Strange but should you really worry? It might be back in range next time, probably heading south for the foreseeable thereafter.
Since your lipids are still shit, your diet might be a worthy focus at this point not your TRT protocol. With that being said though, I doubt you’d notice a difference between 125mg and 180mg per week in how you feel, assuming daily injections. Your free T will still be sky-high but your e2 and prolactin could come down.
Not really, maybe bolsters the case for a low carb diet though.
There’s much disagreement on whether high carb low fat or low carb high fat is best for heart health.
There seems to be some general agreement that it’s worse to eat high carbs and fats together oppose to a diet with one high and one low. Theres a strong case for insulin being the root cause of sclerosis and not high cholesterol. Also, credible research has emerged on saturated fat from dairy being good for heart health.
Message being- don’t be afraid of cholesterol but be afraid of inflammation + cholesterol.
I’d be leaning towards trying a strict keto for 6 weeks and retesting. Absolutely no wheat/rice/oat derivatives. Mostly eat veg and good fatty meats and fatty dairy.
Could lower your TRT dose a bit too without complicating the interpretation of results. As above, lipids were shit before with “low” T and now shit with high T. I’d happily bet that they would still be shit with mid T.
Elevated prolactin and e2 are a common duo for me. Also, amphetamines increase/recirculate dopamine. With dopamine not “passing into” the receptor as normal and being “reused” this could be simulating a lack of dopamine downstream increasing prolactin. Plausible.
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