We are a cash pay clinic that acts in a manner to optimize men’s testosterone levels. We treat those who qualify on a broader scale than insurance would based on symptoms and total level combo, and aim to get our patients feeling the best possible within a safe range.
You can opine on what TRT is and isn’t, but in the end of the day, feeling better is the key thing, and for most guys (who do not have pre-existing health conditions), that comes from getting them to the upper level of the natural range, not just bringing them back towards the middle.
That’s all good but you can’t give people advice to chase a certain number. Being at the top end of the accepted range may be great for some but I would be willing to bet most would have issues and need ancillary drugs to mitigate them.
Nothing against what you are doing at your clinic. I think it’s great for those who want performance enhancement but I think the advice you gave while having good intent is not the correct advice for someone looking for symptom relief and quality of life.
If youbdont mind me asking, what alternative clinic did you opt for in the UK?
I am a pateint of optimale also and have had/am having a very similar experience to yours and it seems like you have found a clinic that “thinks” about and understands the complexities more.
So far they’ve been great. Very responsive, logical in their approach. The Dr’s never seem in a rush when you speak to them. And they start from a baseline and work up
Optimale seems to have gone to s*it. 3 weeks after being told to stop treatment, they them come back with a tail off protocol, take a very long time or don’t even bother replying.
Good luck and keep me posted how you go. Our Hormones are so important and not to be f*cked around with. So sharing insight on clinics, experiences etc I think is key. And there’s some belter of group of members on this forum
I really appreciate your response, thank you! And thank you for sharing your alternative clinic as well, I know i’ll be reaching out to them very soon!
I totally agree - hormones arent to be messed with. I completely believe trt is an amazing thing that more men should have access to. Sure would overcome a host of negatives guys see as they age a bit.
T nation is fabulous, it’s hard to find good forums these days!
Best of luck on your journey and I hope you get all the good stuff in your experience with your new clinic!
HCG has more benefits than just reproductive use. When the testes are shut down from extraneous Testosterone, the Pregnenolone that is usually produced by the testes is no longer made. Pregnenolone is an important hormone for attitude and general well being. Here is a well written explanation: Pregnenolone: Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage, and Interactions
Don’t think there’s a dispute that HCG has it’s benefits. But as pointed out on this forum in other posts, some don’t respond well to it, just like some may not respond well to test long term. Equally, HCG isn’t a must have as part of a TRT protocol. It might be for some, but not all
In my case, my first clinic straight out the gate had me on both test and HCG, then pretty soon after anastrozole. Their solution seem to be whenever I raised sides or lack of a feeling of benefit, to change meds and increase dosages. There wasn’t any kind of process to start more methodically 1 med a at time, and see how I responded. That resulted in them not being able to narrow things down. Instead, their answer after 8 mths was to just stop everything. Then 3 weeks later coming back saying, here’s a tappering off protocol, centered around HCG only.
Hence Ive moved clinics and dr, starting on test only. He’s not ruling out HCG, but he also said it’s not a requirement, especially into my 40’s, not being bothered by my spud size and I’ve not plans for kids. So we will see over the next 8 weeks how I go with test only, then go from there
Feels like a much more sensible approach than just loading me up on 3 different meds, hoping something sticks