First Follow Up Three Months In

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Not looking for any specific advice here, just posting some numbers that others may find useful when looking at their own journey.

Personal details: 36yo, 6’5", 240lbs, 20%BF. Used to have a swimmers body (I was a swimmer), but packed on weight in my 30s, energy level tanked, libido tanked.

Initial numbers: Total T 339ng/dl, free T 12.2pg/ml, estradiol 10.9pg/ml, SHBG 21.3nmol/L

Dosages: Test cyp @ 150mg/week (50mg x 3), HCG 900iu/week (300iu x 3), anastrozole 0.375mg/week (0.125 x 3).

HCG is to maintain fertility.

After 3 months of religious compliance to the above regimen, my new levels are:

Total T 535ng/dl, free T 19.0 pg/ml, estradiol 28.9 pg/ml, SHBG 14.3nmol/L.

Changes being made are: increasing to 210mg Tcyp/week, daily injections rather than 3x. Going to try a different carrier oil due to nodules after subQ pinning (currently grapeseed, going to try cottonseed). HCG and anastrozole remaining same.

Any other lab numbers you’re interested in, let me know and I’ll post them.

My experience has been a marked increase in end-of-day energy, perhaps a small increase in libido.

2

Any reason you didn’t lose the weight first before hopping on the hormone train?

3

I did, 20-25lbs into my weight loss so far, another 20 to go before I think about bulking again. It’s a combined effort, diet, exercise, getting my hormones right. I call it the ten year plan, I want to look better, feel better in my mid forties than I do now.

1 Like
4

My only point is that TRT is not a magic bullet. You may not have needed it to bring up your energy level with proper lifestyle changes. Since you are ‘on it’ now there is no point in my bringing it up further as its now a moot point.

I’m not a fan of sub Q injections for a product that was intended to be intramuscular. You can still use a very small pin and hit shoulders with it amongs other areas. But pinning as often as you can is better for low SHBG guys.

1 Like
5

You levels don’t seem very high on SQ, I bet IM would produce much higher levels at the same dosage.

1 Like
6

I’m open to switching to IM, I mostly use subQ because it’s very convenient. I have an inch of pinch in my lateral umbilical fat pad, which makes it easy. I don’t particularly want to stick a one inch needle into a quad, but if I could use a shorter needle into a deltoid or elsewhere I’d consider it.

I agree that my levels seem low for the volume I’m injecting.

7

Subcutaneous Injection of Testosterone Is an Effective and Preferred Alternative to Intramuscular Injection: Demonstration in Female-to-Male Transgender Patients - PubMed (nih.gov)

8

Who said anything about having to use a 1 inch needle in your quads?

I used 1/2 29 gauge insulin syringes in the quads and shoulders, it is called shallow IM and it works.

10

I do this too but with 0.2ml max, how much have you managed in volume with these shallow IM injections?

11

This is definitely doable for these areas. Good suggestion. I prefer 5/8 for a little more wiggle room. It’s pretty painless to me. I still stick 1.5” 23ga for glutes and barely feel a thing.