Hi folks. I just gave myself my first TRT shot last night after a battle to get the prescription. For a brief background, I’m 30, 6’2", 205, been suffering from low T for a few years before I realized I wasn’t just depressed. I had ED, difficulty gaining muscle, depression, poor response to stress, and fatigue. My levels were at the bottom of the range before I started treatment, never higher than 320ng/dL (scale 240-1080). SHBG and E2 were normal before starting treatment. LH and FSH also in range, so I guess I have secondary hypogonadism.
I tried Androgel first. 2 pumps/day made me feel better mood and energy-wise. I got some relief from ED symptoms and felt better in the gym than I had in years. My levels never came up particularly high and the endo I was seeing at the time suggested we try 4 pumps/day. I started having some symptoms of estrogenic side effects-- flushing around the face/neck, fat deposits around my chest (always been lean there), water retention, etc. My levels still never got very high and so the endo suggested shots. He gave me a 200mg shot of cyp on 7/12, to which I had a terrible reaction. I got major water retention, fatigue, and mood disturbance. I gained about 10lbs of water in the first 3 days and felt like absolute crap. The endo was not helpful when I called to complain about sides. They told me they weren’t related to the shot (ridiculous) and were not receptive to smaller/more frequent dosing and so I essentially fired him and went back to my regular physician, who at least is reasonable. The endo even told me that measuring E2 was not important! My physician gave me a 100mg shot, which made me feel a bit better but I still had some sides-- water retention, brain fog, and lethargy. I finally got a prescription for cyp and picked it up yesterday. Victory!
I guess what I’m wondering is this: I have always been sensitive to medicine and seem to metabolize things very quickly. I always need smaller doses of meds, and the 2 pumps of Androgel was way better than 4. Since both larger shots didn’t work for me, should I assume that 100mg/week is the right amount? Or should I try less? I did some looking on half-life calculators, and since I felt better 10 days after the 200mg shot and about 5-6 days after the 100mg shot, am I right to hypothesize that whatever is left in my blood then reflects a pretty good sweet spot for me? After looking at those calculators, it looks like about 70mg/week would get me to those levels once blood levels stabilize. I have insulin pins and am planning on a Monday/Thursday injection schedule. I just did my first shot of 35mg last night into my delt, and on a side note, insulin pins are SO the way to go-- easy and quick and infinitely better than the 1.5" needles the docs use in the office.
If I’m not thinking about my sweet spot correctly, what other considerations should I keep in mind? I don’t want to have to use an AI and would like to find the smallest weekly dose that gets me feeling good. Where have some of you found a sweet spot? What tips can you offer me?
Thanks!