@sublimeprince32
200mg helps but not much. Makes me feel a lot better though. If you want muscle then 12 weeks of 500mg does the trick. Then go back to TRT for 3-4 months. You see the new guys in the pharma section running 250mg blasts. I’m sure they gain muscle but the difference between 250mg & 500mg is night and day and with basically the same side effects during.
1 Like
party like its 1999
Lol i could’ve swore you posted this in another post but i said to myself “that can’t be right, must’ve been an error”
Is your free test above range as well? Was this the only dose that made you feel better?
From this site, “You may have considered doing a steroid cycle in order to get faster results in the gym, to go beyond your natural genetic potential, or to offset the effects of aging. A lower dose cycle (250-300 mg of testosterone a week) may give you the best of both worlds: significant results with lower risks of side effects.”
The study:
1 Like
I love the .1
1 Like
TRT Road To Recovery Log Week 18
Blood work is done and the 100mg e5d protocol is over.
It took 2 separate visits to quest in order to get the blood work done. Im usually well hydrated and primarily only drink water. On the 3rd i went in and the blood just wouldn’t come out. I went to 3 separate nurses and it took 2 1/2 hours to get 40% of my vials done. I even drank a bottle and a half of Aquafina and nothing came out still! My arms were killing me afterwards.
I was approved to come back on the 5th. I made sure to drink plenty and workout, even getting a few push ups in on the day of. Still took a bit of effort but we got it done. I hope the results aren’t too skewed or unusable. I had to take my shot on the 3rd to keep up with the schedule, thus resulting in some tests coming at my peak instead of trough.
After i got home this thursday it was time to change things up. I took a 75mg shot and settled on 150mg weekly split Monday & Thursday.
My supplement list is as follows:
Vit D
Vit C
B12 sublingual
Milk thistle
Al-Car
ZMA and Taurine along with Melatonin on some nights. Now that i’ve quit cannabis for over a month, going to sleep isnt as difficult of a task so i forget to take these supps sometimes.
I’m so fucking sick of living like this. I hope this is the last major protocol adjustment i need to make.
We’ll see how this shit goes, keeping it positive!
Till next week.
@darkdescartes
What’s the reason for the issues with giving blood?
No fucking clue.
I’ve never necessarily been an “easy” blood draw but I’ve always gotten it done.
Just this past june i had about 60 vials drawn in a single session without a single problem.
I always drink water too, i drink directly from the poland springs themselves.
One nurses things its because my muscles are blocking the blood flow from my veins but i dont believe that.
Maybe it was just a bad week. 1 of the nurses on the 3rd said my hands were unusually cold which was true. My quest labs is also located next to a deli and when i went to buy and bottle of water and came back, i couldn’t stop shivering.
Shit happens i guess. Anyways i’m hopeful ill be able to post bloods next week.
I have issues for other reasons. Sometimes it takes hours for them to find a vein so I know the feeling. I found opening and closing the hand for 10 min straight can make it easier.
Mid Week Update
Blood work is in:
Metabolic Panel
Glucose 90 (65-99 mg/dL)
CREATININE 1.27 (0.60-1.35 mg/dL)
UREA NITROGEN (BUN) 15 (7-25 mg/dL)
eGFR NON-AFR. AMERICAN 77 (> OR = 60 mL/min/1.73m2)
eGFR AFRICAN AMERICAN 90 (> OR = 60 mL/min/1.73m2)
SODIUM 137 (135-146 mmol/L)
POTASSIUM 4.5 (3.5-5.3 mmol/L)
CHLORIDE 100 (98-110 mmol/L)
CARBON DIOXIDE 27 (20-32 mmol/L)
CALCIUM 9.9 (8.6-10.3 mg/dL)
PROTEIN, TOTAL 7.4 (6.1-8.1 g/dL)
ALBUMIN 5.1 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)
GLOBULIN 2.3 (1.9-3.7 g/dL)
ALBUMIN/GLOBULIN RATIO 2.2 (1.0-2.5 (calc)
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 1.4 H (0.2-1.2 mg/dL)
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 98 (40-115 U/L)
AST 31 (10-40 U/L)
ALT 30 (9-46 U/L)
Testosterone
TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, MS 1274 H (250-1100 ng/dL)
ESTRADIOL,ULTRASENSITIVE, LC/MS 106 H < OR = 29 pg/mL
SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN 24 (10-50 nmol/L)
DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE, LC/MS/MS 61 (16-79 ng/dL)
Lipid Panel
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL 171 (<200 mg/dL)
HDL CHOLESTEROL 63 (>40 mg/dL)
TRIGLYCERIDES 58 (<150 mg/dL)
LDL-CHOLESTEROL 94 (<100 mg/dL (calc)
CHOL/HDLC RATIO 2.7 (<5.0 (calc)
LDL/HDL RATIO 1.5 (<2.28)
NON HDL CHOLESTEROL 108 (<130 mg/dL (calc)
Thyroid & Iron Panel
TSH 1.87 (0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
T3, TOTAL 96 (76-181 ng/dL)
T3, FREE 3.2 (2.3-4.2 pg/mL)
T4 (THYROXINE), TOTAL 6.0 (4.9-10.5 mcg/dL)
T4, FREE 1.1 (0.8-1.8 ng/dL)
T3 REVERSE, LC/MS/MS 15 (8-25 ng/dL)
FERRITIN 94 (38-380 ng/mL)
IRON, TOTAL 146 (50-195 mcg/dL)
IRON BINDING CAPACITY 324 (250-425 mcg/dL)
% SATURATION 45 (20-48 %)
THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES <1 (< or = 1 IU/mL)
THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES <1 (<9 IU/mL)
CBC
WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT 3.3 L (3.8-10.8 Thousand/uL)
RED BLOOD CELL COUNT 5.84 H (4.20-5.80 Million/uL)
HEMOGLOBIN 16.6 (13.2-17.1 g/dL)
HEMATOCRIT 49.4 (38.5-50.0 %)
MCV 84.6 (80.0-100.0 fL)
MCH 28.4 (27.0-33.0 pg)
MCHC 33.6 (32.0-36.0 g/dL)
RDW 14.5 (11.0-15.0 %)
PLATELET COUNT 205 (140-400 Thousand/uL)
MPV 10.5 (7.5-12.5 fL)
ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS 1561 (1500-7800 cells/uL)
ABSOLUTE LYMPHOCYTES 1383 (850-3900 cells/uL)
ABSOLUTE MONOCYTES 257 (200-950 cells/uL)
ABSOLUTE EOSINOPHILS 79 (15-500 cells/uL)
ABSOLUTE BASOPHILS 20 (0-200 cells/uL)
NEUTROPHILS 47.3%
LYMPHOCYTES 41.9%
MONOCYTES 7.8%
EOSINOPHILS 2.4%
BASOPHILS 0.6%
VITAMIN D, 1,25 (OH)2, TOTAL 68 (18-72 pg/mL)
MAGNESIUM 2.1 (1.5-2.5 mg/dL)
HS CRP 0.7 <1.0
DHEA SULFATE 211 (85-690 mcg/dL)
PROLACTIN 7.7 (2.0-18.0 ng/mL)
CORTISOL, A.M.14.5 (4.0-22.0 mcg/dL)
PSA, TOTAL 0.4 (< OR = 4.0 ng/mL)
VITAMIN B12 731 (200-1100 pg/mL)
PROGESTERONE 0.5 (<1.4 ng/mL)
SED RATE BY MODIFIED WESTERGREN 2 (< OR = 15 mm/h)
SELENIUM 109 (63-160 mcg/L)
PREGNENOLONE, LC/MS/MS 98 (22-237 ng/dL)
ALDOSTERONE, LC/MS 3
ZINC 80 (60-130 mcg/dL)
I’ve noticed that my T3 has been normalizing, probably both due to the fact of being on test for as long as i have and my levels being in a steadier state even though they aren’t even yet.
I can’t believe they never ordered a test for free testosterone! AGGHHHHHHH. And keep in mind my testosterone and estrogen were taken 48 hours after injection. I wanted to do the trough but a blood drawing mishap forced me to go back to quest twice to draw full bloods.
I’ve never seen my estrogen that and I KNEW i had high estrogen. My symptoms wreaked of it.
I never felt like my body was able to catch a rhythm unfortunately. It did feel like i was spiking my estrogen on each shot. Seems like the twice a week split was necessary and should help stabilize things.
Opinions?
Whats your protocol again?
it was 100mg E5D
First off, you should’ve waited until trough to get bloods.
Tough to make comments when you tested peak.
I said in the above post that I couldn’t.
I went in on the 3rd to take blood at trough but the blood just wouldn’t pour out that day and I couldn’t even get half the vials filled. I had to come in 2 day later to draw the rest.
Regardless, I know I didnt feel good at all doing e5d so we’ll see how I feel on Jan 20th 50 days into 75mg e3.5d.
Yeah. Not liking the higher E2
See how 75mg e3d works.
For the first time in a long time I feel hopeful
Can’t believe my estrogen got this high but regardless, I feel a lot closer to the end of my pain than the beginning.
Cautiously optimistic, fingers crossed
@darkdescartes
Don’t take aromasin (looks like you deleted the post but I’ll still reply). There’s a few folks here who blame their issues on estrogen and try to scare you into the same beliefs but there’s plenty of folks here that finally get to the promised land by being patient and adjusting their dose after enough time has passed. Looking for a quick fix will have you here a year from now no better off and asking the same questions.
Here’s the map to success:
Adjust dose, wait 8-12 weeks, assess then adjust dose if needed. Once you get close but not quite there you can adjust things like injection frequency and follow the same rule. How you feel between weeks 1-8 is meaningless so don’t make changes based on that.
3 Likes
@dextermorgan how do you find your gym gains on the 28.6 mg daily? How old are you btw?
@sublimeprince32
Just turned 36. TRT itself definitely helps but I don’t think there’s much of a difference in terms of gains between doses of 100-200mg. I haven’t noticed much difference in gainzzzzz at any dose myself in that spectrum.
Just got off the phone with Dr. O’Connor.
Went over my bloodwork and stressed that I’m a healthy guy. Everything looks on point.
He proceeded to ask how I’m feeling and I told him I still feel fatigued, no real libido (yet) and what not.
He then proceeded to say a “young buck” like me and the average fellow, you give them testosterone and check back within 2-3-6 months and they say “doc I feel great”
I did ask about the high estrogen but he never really directly addressed it. He said that for me not to improve much with these test levels mean something else has to be going on in the CNS.
He REALLY stressed, once again, that he thinks I have unaddressed depression that’s blocking my ability to use testosterone.
I kinda raised my eyebrow and said really? You don’t think the high estrogen has something to do with it.
He stated that most guys feel better on the higher estrogen and such.
I stated be in relation to my testosterone, it has to be pretty high, right?
He was really adament about being depressed however. He said he went through something similar and that it affected his libido to until he addressed it.
I was pretty sure a dosage adjustment wasn’t necessary and he obliged. He wanted me to do 75mg e4d and retest in 8 weeks.
However he REALLY wants me to shell out money for a psychiatrist. That’s not going to happen.
However I can give meditation another try and stick with it. I’ve always been on and off with it but I’m sure I can stick with it for 90 days and see if this is the keystone habit that rights the ship.
Before we hung up he said my bloods look perfect, we can try to lower your dosage and be see how things work out. However he said that if things didn’t improve, that it has to be in the mind.
Idk, guess we’ll see.
In the end: he thinks it depression causing my symptoms. I’m inclined to believe it’s the symptoms of being out of homeostasis causing depressive symptoms