Just putting this out there because I’m sure I can’t be the only one to have experienced this…
Healthy 39M here. I was on TRT for about 15 months. The first 6 months were good (not great), and then things gradually took a turn for the worse. High BP, dead libido, acne, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Every side effect under the sun on 100mg of Test and 1,000iu of hCG per week that progressively got worse as time went on.
I tried fiddling with dosage, frequency, other AAS, but could never seem to dial it in. I tried Proviron, Mast, hCG, Caber, and most recently Synthroid. Each of them would work really well for a few weeks and then stop completely.
After 9 months of suffering, I decided to PCT off using hCG and tamoxifen. PCT was pretty painless and most of my side effects started resolving themselves pretty quickly. Within a week I was comfortably sleeping 8 hours a night. Within 2 weeks my BP dropped 10 points.
It’s been almost 6 months since my last pin and, although I feel great overall, the only thing that hasn’t returned is libido & dick sensitivity. I’ve always been healthy and my bloodwork is back to normal. My total Test is actually 15% higher than pre-TRT. I don’t have ED, but there’s almost no sensitivity, orgasms are dull/pleasureless, and semen volume is almost as low as during TRT. I’m starting to worry if a year of AAS use might’ve caused permanent damage. Just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.
PS: Before people jump in with “libido can be affected by stress” or some other factor, I’ve had enough sex in my life to know this isn’t related to stress or sleep or lack of sunshine.
While I appreciate your help and completely understand your doubts, I promise you I’m one of the idiots who didn’t need TRT; I asked for it. I’ve lived a pretty healthy lifestyle since HS. This photo was 2 months before ever touching hormones at age 38. This photo was about a year later. In hindsight, hopping on TRT was probably the dumbest decision I ever made.
Got my Thyroid tested 3 weeks ago because I’m at my wits’ end:
TSH: 2.02 (0.4 - 4.5)
T4: 7.0 (4.9 - 10.5)
Free T4: 1.2 (0.8 - 1.8)
T3: 114 (76 - 181)
Free T3: 3.4 (2.3 - 4.2)
T3 Uptake: 35 (22 - 35)
T3 Reverse: 12 (8 - 25)
Pretty much all down the middle.
Out of desperation, I got my hands on 25mcg Synthroid to lower my TSH. Before TRT it was at 1.3. Like all the other meds I tried, consistent morning wood/sensitivity/orgasms/semen volume returned for about 10 days before fading away practically overnight. Other than slightly high or low e2 during TRT, my bloodwork has generally been good for the past 2 years. It’s a real mystery I’d give anything to solve.
This is your problem. Where is your supporting bloodwork show that you would need any of these extra drugs?
My guess is you had high estrogen from the start and instead of dealing with that you just started taking shit without knowing why.
I’m not going to post a year and a half of old bloodwork, but I didn’t have high estrogen. The highest my e2 ever got was 50 when my TT was 1100. I’m not a high aromatizer. I added an AI for a little bit but that only made me feel worse.
I started taking shit trying to fix symptoms, not chase numbers.
I read about people having persistent libido sides after quitting AAS, but that’s after hardcore use. I barely ever went over 120mg Test and never touched Tren or Deca.
Come back with those panels when you have them. We then can see how you are progressing.
Couple additional questions:
What drugs/supps are you currently taking?
Did you take the synthroid before the 3 weeks ago or since?
It’s my first time taking Synthroid. It’s the only thing I’m taking, and even now I’m wondering if I should continue just to see what impact it’ll have on my bloodwork.
Everything worked so good those first 2 weeks and then went away like turning off a light switch. Same thing happened when I tried caber to bring down my prolactin from the top of the normal range.
I’m not even taking the basics right now…zinc, boron, d3, etc…Trying to clear out everything.
About 3 weeks ago. I haven’t taken post-Synthroid labs yet.
The reality is I’ve never had anything out of wack in my bloodwork. At this point I’m just throwing shit at a wall and hoping something sticks. I’m ready to inject uranium if there’s a chance it’d bring my orgasms back.
I’m not sure why you would have even went there. Your thyroid labs are fine. Now they will
Prob not be.
Not saying this is your situation but I had some erection issues and it got in my head and caused a lot of anxiety which translated to more erection issues. Just something to consider.
Also if you masterbate a lot when it comes to show time you may have difficulties as the sensation may not be the same. Just another thought. I know how frustrating this is.
I get what you’re saying, but the fact that this is so consistent and persistent. Every man alive has had stress induced sex issues at one point or another. This isn’t it. I don’t have “good days” and “bad days.” I can go weeks without the desire to rub one out. I just do it once in a while to make sure the pipes are still alive.
Even when I started the Synthroid, everything returned to normal within 72 hours. Morning wood, normal arousal, desire, normal semen volume & consistency, etc… Every day for a week and a half and then POOF. It’s as apparent as waking up in the morning and realizing your color vision is gone. There’s no showtime necessary to realize something is off; I can tell something is off just holding my dick as I pee in the morning. No amount of anxiety will make your cum disappear just like that lol.
I know the average person on these forums has no idea how their own body works, so you always gotta rule out the basics. Kinda like “did you try unplugging it and plugging it back in?”
I had low Free Test before ever trying TRT and it was never an issue. I guess I could try low dose Proviron.
On TRT, I didn’t notice any correlation between my Free Test levels and how I felt. Don’t get me wrong, I was like the Incredible Hulk when I bumped up my dose to 150mg and FT went to 28, but side effects only got worse.
