I am in the process of being worked up for low T and the tests I have seen to date shows subnormal FT and low normal TT and very low E2 and elevated FSH and high normal LH. Still waiting for more results and will see the doc late next week to discuss. I already know I will be started on injections and possibly HCG and an AI (but my E2 was low so not sure if it is needed.
My issue is the use of these medications and competing in sports events. I compete both nationally and internationally (in my over 50 years age group) and in the international competitions there is the chance that I may be tested for “drugs”. The sport uses the same anti-doping rules as the IOC and WADA.
If (when) I go on these meds, how long must I stop and be “clean” before a competition so that I test negative and I don’t get disqualified. If one member of the team tests positive, the whole team is disqualified. This can not happen.
If I have to come off for weeks or months before the competition is there a way of using a shorter acting medication (e.g. soluble testosterone and not using the AI or HCG) so as to not lose any gains I may have made.
I intend to have my T levels in the high normal range (like a 25 year old’s level) and not in a supra-physiologic range. I am not trying to cheat but rather to just level the playing field where I am not feeling so tired etc.
Please, no Bro science! This is very important to me and if you are knowledgeable on the topic of half life of medications and their clearance from the body then your input would be most welcome. Thanks.
After 5-7 days following an injection of Testosterone Cypionate you’d be well within normal. How they catch anyone is beyond me actually and I’m interested in what people ‘in the know’ about sports testing can add. I can imagine however how they catch ‘doping’ but even then they wouldn’t have definitive ‘proof’. If someone is ‘doping’ ie going supraphysiologic in their dosing, they would likely have elevated hematocrit and possibly E2 even if they stopped taking T in time for the event and testing. If you stay in range of normal I can’t see why there would be any markers that could be used to incriminate you unless you took the dose a day or two before.
This graph shows the resulting serum levels following Test Cyp injections of 200mg in 4,3,2,and 1 week intervals. You’ll notice that no matter how far apart the administrations are you go supraphysiological for a short period with a 200mg dose. Every 2 weeks a 200mg dose is above range for approx 3 days.
At a weekly 200mg it’s constantly above. This shows you why 200mg/2wks is a crap way to dose. Weekly, twice weekly, or EOD is much better and less likely to produce high hematocrit which incidentally is dangerous as far as stroke and other cardiovascular events are concerned. If you have any existing blood coagulation or vascular problems AND you want to run test at the high end, a daily 81mg extended release ASA might be a good idea
They do not test you by your T levels alone. I’m not sure what relevance those graphs have since we are talking about someone using TRT doses of Testosterone here (supposedly) not someone on an AAS cycle. So their levels should ALWAYS be within range.
Your question is impossible to answer since we have no idea how rigorous or consistent your sport’s drug testing policy is. Urine? Blood? Hair? Saliva? Each methodl will have different detection times.
The most common test done is the T:E test, where T is obvious and E is epitesosterone. This is made in conjunction with your normal testosterone. When someone takes exogenous T, the T:E ratio becomes skewed. I think most organizations call 4:1 a pass/fail criteria but it SHOULD be 1:1 in the great majority of men. It is not clear to me if exogenous testosterone also shuts down Epitestosterone production or not, because I can’t find any good literature on the subject as of 6 moths ago (haven’t tried since then). So it is possible that even if you are in the middle of normal range, your E could be 0 and you would automatically fail the test.
What I suggest is pursuing a Therapeutic Use Exemption. I use a TUE to compete in 100% RAW, but USAPL wouldn’t grant it. It is hit or miss on federations and I’m sure amongst sports as well.
[quote]17chester6 wrote:
I am in the process of being worked up for low T and the tests I have seen to date shows subnormal FT and low normal TT and very low E2 and elevated FSH and high normal LH. Still waiting for more results and will see the doc late next week to discuss. I already know I will be started on injections and possibly HCG and an AI (but my E2 was low so not sure if it is needed.
My issue is the use of these medications and competing in sports events. I compete both nationally and internationally (in my over 50 years age group) and in the international competitions there is the chance that I may be tested for “drugs”. The sport uses the same anti-doping rules as the IOC and WADA.
If (when) I go on these meds, how long must I stop and be “clean” before a competition so that I test negative and I don’t get disqualified. If one member of the team tests positive, the whole team is disqualified. This can not happen.
If I have to come off for weeks or months before the competition is there a way of using a shorter acting medication (e.g. soluble testosterone and not using the AI or HCG) so as to not lose any gains I may have made.
I intend to have my T levels in the high normal range (like a 25 year old’s level) and not in a supra-physiologic range. I am not trying to cheat but rather to just level the playing field where I am not feeling so tired etc.
Please, no Bro science! This is very important to me and if you are knowledgeable on the topic of half life of medications and their clearance from the body then your input would be most welcome. Thanks.[/quote]
You are at a cross road my friend. I can offer you the easy answer but you may not like it. Enter non-tested meets. You can address your low T and continue to train without fear of failing a test; problem solved.
My understanding is that if you are taking something like Tcyp, even though the level of T drops quite quickly once you stop dosing, the metabolites can be detected for up to 9 months after. I’m not sure if gels can be detected by this method.
hCG should be quicker to clear and I believe you can self-test using an over-the-counter pregnancy test.
