My blood test showed my free T at 6 ref range 10-30. My total T was low but within the ref range.
The Dr. put me on a 75 mg soft wax troche which I take one time per day.
I am 30 and have been so low on energy that I have not been working full time in 7 months.
previously I was installing granite countertops, so I was functioning fine with a strenuous job.
So after starting the Troche’s the first thing I noticed was that I was not feeling anxious or cold as much. I was feeling both on a regular basis before.
The 2nd thing I noticed was not feeling the calf muscle burnout just from standing or walking that I was feeling before (I felt like I had just finished 100 heel raises all the time)
3rd and final thing I noticed after being on the Troche for 5 weeks was that I was no longer breathing hard from walking or climbing a flight of stairs. I felt pretty good, and it was a night and day difference in the first 5 weeks.
Now the bad news. I have been on a steady and consistent decline since the 5 week point which has been 3 weeks. I am almost as low now as I was before starting, but not quite.
I am unable to see my Dr. for 3 weeks so I am wondering if this is really low T I am dealing with? It seems odd to feel the same for 5 months and then suddenly get a significant boost after starting the replacement therapy only to lose the benefit after 8 weeks.
I will appreciate any input or advice while I am waiting to see the Dr. again.
Sounds like oral testosterone, oral testosterone has poor bioavailability. Time to find a real hormone specialists, regular doctors are the reason why men feel no better on TRT. It’s because they don’t normally do hormone therapies, there filling in on what’s missing in the medical community - hormone specialists.
Do you think the oral method isn’t working as well as it did the first month? I could change the input method if you think that’s the problem. I’m just stumped why it worked for the first month? I called my boss to tell him I was coming back to work, that’s how good I felt after a month on the wax troche’s but I didn’t expect a huge drop off after that.
If you read through the posts in this forum you will read about the honeymoon period for TRT. It usually ends around the 5-6 weeks point and then slowly ramps up again. Its the disruption of the HPTA system (hypothalmus pituitary testicular axis).
@NH_Watts actually a good way - yet not liked here - is to change dosages every other week. Nothing drastic. Say 150 mg a week to 175 to 150 to 180 etc. we use this with great efficacy. It prevents homeostasis.
I don’t have much experience with troches, but my understanding is that they are in you quickly and out of you in 4-5 hours. They are used for a quick boost, just prior to a workout or maybe before sex. I used them about a half dozen times before late night workouts (when particularly tired) and about half the time I felt they helped a lot and the other times maybe somewhat. I’m pretty sure some of the dose gets into the GI tract and not all is absorbed through the buccal membranes. They’ve been around for quite a while and I can’t believe they are an effective way to administer TRT. If so, they would be used a whole lot more than they are.
I assume you mean it helps get back to feeling better after the axis has shut down?
I have noticed, when I play with my dosages slightly like physio mentions, I get huge libido bursts.
I haven’t done it consistently yet, but I always heard about people experiencing boosts in mood and libido when they either slightly dropped or increased their dose.
I had read a long time ago that the changing of the hormones levels is beneficial, instead of the homeostasis we all continue to shoot for. Super interesting…
I’m going to continue experimenting with splitting my dose into 50/40 and then back to 45/45, then try 50/40 again…
Am gonna to the same after my bloods Monday morning. I will post how I feel on lowered dose (spoiler alert- I feel very good) and labs towards end of next week on my thread.
That is v v interesting. It makes sense as well? As in endogenous healthy testosterone production fluctuates according to what you’ve exercised, eaten & drank on any particular day?
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What’s wrong with homeostasis?
Your balls don’t produce the exact same amount of testosterone everyday.
This just mimics that natural high and low.
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I agree but even though we are taking exongenous t, other factors I believe affect it’s daily numbers. Like alcohol, training, sleeping or lack of , supplements, etc. Or even the various spots we inject in the absorption can fluctuate.
But I still like the idea of injecting an extra 6 mg or less here and there
Yeah I get that. I’m enjoying the stability right now of 50 mg cyp eod. Looking at the graph there are small peaks for some flux in levels.
Honestly, if your feeling good, stick with it.
I had noticed that whenever I made an adjustment to my dose, my libido would go insane for a day or so.
I think once your zeroed for a while and know what you are doing, there is no harm in mixing up your dosing a little.
If your not zeroed though, definitely wait.
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Exactly. When the body gets used to a dose it naturally puts the brakes on. We use this idea with our patients constantly
@anon10035199
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Correct and it prevents your body’s natural speed limit braking system to come in and fuck you up. Laymen’s terms haha.
@mrmeeseeks
@physioLojik Not to high jack this thread, but would you consider starting a thread with your general protocol and guiding principals? Your insight into E2 and AIs have been awesome, and the modulating treatment sounds very interesting (I’ve never head of it before). You have a lot to add, and we have a lot to learn.
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Not a bad idea. @azwildcats. Thanks for the compliment. The trick is that it’s super individual. But yea I’m down to post my basic beginning protocols for new patients here 
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Yeah, great idea @azwildcats.