Hello T Nation. Lurked here for a while, first off thank you to all who read these posts and reply. I understand we are not doctors here, but sometimes you guys are way more knowledgeable then the doctors I have available near me, and give a good starting point . Figured id make my first post now now that I have a blood test. Needing your thoughts on what you make of these blood tests, and what your opinion would be if you were a doc looking at these.
A little about me
31y/o Male
210lbs 6’1"
12-15% bf depending on cut/bulk
been lifting weights and gym for 14 years
Been cycling for 10 years. Over 15 cycles.
I eat very clean.
Normal male facial hair, arm pits, ect. Not much body hair
Waist is 31
Carry fat in the usual areas, recently i started losing my usual cut and fluffing all over
Testes do not ache. in fact i feel as if they arent even there anymore.
No current health issues, taking no prescriptions
only injury is 2 knee surgeries over the last 12 years.
Currently taking Vit D3 5000 per day
My current symptoms -
No sex drive
No energy
Lack of desire to do anything
Sleepy
Havent had morning wood in 3 months
My last cycle ended in October. it was a run of Test/Tren/HcG
I did a 60 day PCT of Nolva and Clomid 40/100 first 4 weeks 20/50 last 2 weeks
I cleared my system for about 3 weeks and felt like crap so decided to hop back on Nolva 15-20mg per day. I was on nolva when i took these blood tests.
Each cycle the last few years I have ran has been harder and harder to bounce back from. In fact when I am not on cycle I never have regained my sex drive in the last 2 years.
Please tell me your thoughts. I see I am type 2 (correct me if i am wrong)
I would like to be able to continue cycling, but i feel i have 2 choices. either stop and hope a restart works and not cycle again or make the plunge into TRT.
That was horrible, but typical BB approach. Doses way too high, LH/FSH would be very high, risking LH receptor desensitization. T–>E2 inside testes would be very high and serum E2 high as well. Liver would produce more SHBG in response. When you quit, LH receptors saw a huge drop in LH/FSH and that is not a signal to get to work, quite the opposite. LH receptor stimulation should not be exceeding what your pituitary will be able to generate. You are a victim of bro-science. [yes, I have an attitude about that]
You did not refer to use of any AI. SERM’s only protect Selected tissues, brain and liver still exposed. Elevated E2 also limits anabolic response and libido.
Your LH/FSH levels on Nolvadex are quite low and T as well. FSH is often a better indicator of LH status than LH itself as LH is pulsatile and a short half-life.
At 31YO, you should try a restart, but you are probably going to face this problem again when cycling. Perhaps TRT with blast and cruise makes more sense with your objectives. Fertility is also an issue. You should be on 250iu hCG SC EOD all of the time. You will not be doing any PCT.
There is more of concern than testosterone. Thyroid function is very important. Thyroid hormone fT3 regulates mitochondrial activity that produces ATP as part of the body’s temperature control loop. ATP is the universal currency of cellular energy. You can eval overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky - the two are related. Many have a problem created by not using iodized salt, needed to support thyroid hormone production.
Yes sadly my approach to PCT has been weak. I just this year started using HcG during cycles. Bro science can be a killer, I respect and hold your opinions in high regard. After reading your stickies and thoughts on high dose SERMS, I can say I agree.
I have never ran an AI. I will order some if I go with TRT, depending on blood panels after about 3 months of starting TRT.
Do you feel I would be “pissing in the wind” by trying a restart as i have plans to cycle again in the future?
Do you see many in my shoes able to have a good recovery with restarting or is it a slight chance type thing?
From your personal thoughts, what would you suggest I do from here? In other words, what would you do?
HPTA restarts often do not. If it works it probably will not survive future cycles. I think that you understand this. You can also set aside the problems of PCT.
You should do labs and try to manage E2 near 22pg/ml. Anastrozole dose needs to be increased to match higher serum T levels.
You can follow TRT now and improve your quality of life quite rapidly.
75mg T cyp twice a week, use 1/2" insulin syringes
0.5mg anastrozole at time of injections
250iu hCG SC EOD
Do E2 lab testing in two weeks.
Target is 22pg/ml
New anastrozole dose = old dose * lab result/22pg/ml
hCG EOD works better with its half life. Twice a week will get the job reasonably done.
The dose-response of anastrozole is quite predicable, barring the issue with over-responders and 1mg/week gets the job done. Aromatsin requires a lot more mg’s. Depending on how you get your meds, anastrozole may be more cost effective. Because aromasin is used so infrequently in this forum, I do not have any experience in working with it - a self sustaining situation. Some have tried aromasin and simply did not find that it worked for them. Anastrozole is now an generic in USA and costs have really dropped, also many get as a research chem.
