Getting Off TRT after 6 Months, Age 31

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hey guys i posted here a few months ago with doubts to my TRT and decided i want to remove myself from treatment in hopes of aiming to get a healthy baseline naturally.

Im 31 and have been on TRT for 6 months which includes 100ml (150 was to strong)Test Cyp, .25 HCG along with 1mg anastrazole per week. I have been struggling with low energy levels, mental fog, and anxiety for most of my adult life due to a bad LSD experience as a teenager that triggered PTSD and depersonalization. I have also been a vegetarian/vegan for 15 years off and on with a heavy soy diet, with minimal but increasing amounts of meats being reintroduced in my body over the years. I suspected all this combined put me at low T levels so decided to get checked.

Earlier this year i got tested and came back at 320 TT and 11 free test. I started TRT from a TRT managing service in my area (aka shady docs and not an endo) and decided to give it a shot.

At 3 months i tested 640 TT with 15 free T and just last week for my 6 month lab i tested 950 TT and 33 free test. The problem im having is, i do not notice any benefits really, and any i do notice are marginal. I am starting to suspect the reason my T levels were so low was in part due to my unhealthy lifestyle, not exercising, eating alot of carbs, sugars, and soy, and taking medicines like xanax every day 1mg a day to reduce stress levels. Im not really sure why i dont feel many mood or mental benefits besides increased muscle mass, not to say i dont feel better, but i cant tell if its placebo or not.

I know TRT is for life, but because i do not feel much benefit and know my doctor only cares about money and hence hand me bullshit there is no other way, i have decided to quit and try to restart my LH glands and go the natural route of increasing my low levels. But i am concerned I can return to baseline and function normally again. Could you guys chime in here?

I had a few questions.

  1. Would it help to take clomid as i taper off the HCG as is suggested?

2)Is 6 months of controlled use enough to damage my natural hormone production and balance glands?

  1. What should i expect in terms of feeling shitty and will i crash?

  2. Can someone confirm what eating a diet heavly based (but not exclusive) on Soy from age 14 to 31 to do the body? I am naturally athletic and at age 24 started eating meats and lost 65 pounds and gained 15 pounds of muscle in 6-8 months, so i know my test must have been healthy and i am hopeful can be again.

I am just thinking that I should rule out other things related to low T before taking any form of magic pills at such a relatively young age.

Any info appreciated, thanks!

2

I think my endo would say to me 6 months is barely enough time to tell if it’s the right treatment. Also, it seems clear that you know all the wrong things you’re doing and don’t want to change that. Diet, exercise, and getting off the prescription meds would be a minimum change. Personally I would get rid of the soy poison, what a nightmare! I’m curious if your labs were done at the same place? VERY weird that your free T is at the bottom even with TT at the top. Where is your SHBG?

3

Hey thanks for the reply,

So you think 6 months is not enough time to see the benefits of TRT? I figured for sure it be no longer than 3-6 months. I cant say i feel a ton better, but i cant say i feel worst either. Yes its true i have not been watching over my diet and exercise as much as i had hoped to, and im sure this has contributed to how i felt before and during TRT.

I’m curious though, if you think having a TT of 320 during my initial blood test is even remotely normal or healthy under my circumstances and more specifically, if my weight and lack of activity along with soy diet could be a root cause that could be corrected without TRT?

I do not want to be on TRT unless i feel its something i really need to function and strive.

My speculation that was because i was a vegetarian for so long, and found zero relief from anti depressants or other things, that my hormone levels were altered.

As much as i hate injecting myself with synthetic compounds and fall into the younger range of having low T, i also do not want to discontinue use only to find out that i did not give it enough time and watch my levels stay in the lower range leaving me feeling shit again.

My program ends in 1 month, and im dreading getting off TRT in fear of having my natural test pumping again, and than even if so, have low levels and fall into a low energy bad mood state. I have to much on my plate to have that happen as i have some critical career goals going on right now. I could really use some feedback.

To answer your questions, here is some lab work although i am not sure which exactly would show the SHBG. Thanks again.

Testosterone, Serum 922 ng/dL
Free Testosterone(Direct) 32.5 pg/mL
Estradiol 24.2 pg/mL
Glucose, Serum 88 mg/dL
BUN 10 mg/dL
Creatinine, Serum 0.78 mg/dL
eGFR If NonAfricn Am 120 mL/min/1.73 >59 N
eGFR If Africn Am 139 mL/min/1.73 >59 N
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 13 1 8-19 N
Sodium, Serum 142 mmol/L 134-144 N
Potassium, Serum 3.9 mmol/L 3.5-5.2 N
Chloride, Serum 101 mmol/L 97-108 N
Carbon Dioxide, Total 27 mmol/L 19-28 N
Calcium, Serum 9.6 mg/dL 8.7-10.2 N
Protein, Total, Serum 7.6 g/dL 6.0-8.5 N
Albumin, Serum 4.7 g/dL 3.5-5.5 N
Globulin, Total 2.9 g/dL 1.5-4.5 N
A/G Ratio 1.6 1 1.1-2.5 N
Bilirubin, Total 1.2 mg/dL 0.0-1.2 N
Alkaline Phosphatase, S 57 IU/L 39-117 N
AST (SGOT) 21 IU/L 0-40 N
ALT (SGPT)

4

LDL Cholesterol Calc 102 mg/dL 0-99 H
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 26 mg/dL 5-40 N
HDL Cholesterol 28 mg/dL >39 L
Triglycerides 131 mg/dL 0-149 N
Cholesterol, Total 156 mg/dL 100-199 N

5

Can you edit your labs and post ranges ?

Soy is poison.
I was a vegetarian from 18-30.
My diet had a lot of soy protein and I never was able to
put on muscle when I did that. Not even with a lot of whey
protein each day.

1 A-bomb F’d you up for life ?

6

Yeah i got HPPD (hallucinogenic perception persistent disorder) from having a bad trip on acid in high school. Permanent visual distortion and depersonalization from that which led me down a spiral of depression and anxiety for a decade. Im just now coming out of the haze a bit thanks to keppra and Xanax.

Still looking for feedback. As of now im still considering a restart using Clomid and my estrogen blocker. I definatly think my hormones are playing a role in my shitty feels, but I am just not sure if TRT was the right choice for me or not without ruling out other things at my age? I have wasted tons of money on doctors who throw anti depressants my way and mood stabilizers. None of them have worked, so im not sure what to think.

I can say with certainty that around 6 years ago i went from 265 pounds to 180 pounds of lean muscle in about 6 months with proper diet and nutrition(including meat) and 5 days a week in gym. I had people in the gym asking me what i was on, but i was all natural, i just worked hard. This kind of makes me think my T levels must of been pretty healthy for me to have achieved that. I also still had anxiety and depression problems during that time though, but i always attributed that to something else.

Thinking the soy defiantly played a big role as well. I grew up playing tons of sports and being real social/alpha and I can recall myself becoming more passive and emotional as time went on. I defiantly feel like something at a deep level is off, i was really hoping TRT would help give me the push i needed to get me feeling like my old self again. Maybe I just did not give it enough time?

Sorry to ramble, i am just really confused on which direction to go. I can say I think i notice a bit more aggression and some improved composure and sleep patterns. Otherwise i expected to have more benefits since my T levels were so low…

Thanks

7

You should definitely have felt something within 6 months of starting TRT if you were gong to get any benefit from it.

It is possible that if you were on antidepressants or other psychoactive medications during this time, that they could have prevented you from feeling the benefits of TRT.

Xanax could also have been cancelling out any benefits of TRT.

8

I was also on a benzo up until just over 3 months ago. I had reached a point of tolerance withdrawal daily on the xanax. I truly believe that almost every symptom that I thought was related to lowish T was actually from the xanax. Going on the TRT did not correct things, but coming off the meds over the period of a year has shown many improvements. I am now once again battling depression and anxiety, but most of the symptoms I had before and attributed to low T have begun to clear up (low libido, ED, severe weakness, exercise intolerance, etc). The benzos work great in the short term but just be aware that they can bite you.

9

Yeah I think i am going to cut my dose back to from 100ML to 50ML or so and start making stronger lifestyle changes to help trigger the TRT. I feel deflated right now from not working out, and i cant help but think more exercise could help get my hormones going again and get the Testosterone flowing better. Just a guess how that works, but thats what my body tells me.

I have definatly come to rely on Xanax more than id like. I went from taking every 2-3 days to taking every day and i noticed recently i have to take 2mg instead of 1mg to notice the buzz. Your post actually gave me the idea to start weaning off, the last thing i need is a full blown benzo addiction.

I have to get my blood drawn asap because my hemoglobin and hemocrit are to high. This tells me my dosing is to strong, and just incase by end of year im still not feeling much from TRT i will discontinue.

The only other thing i can think of a to why im not feeling much from the TRT is my cholesterol is very low and has been for a whlie now. My doc told me more exercise would help that but after reading here i noticed how important it is with TRT.

With all that said, what do you guys suspect it will take to get a restart? Its been 6 months and i feel like im playing with fire if i continue any longer when it comes to a restart… Thanks!

10

My hemoglobin and hemocrit are to high. This tells me my dosing is to strong

I’m no expert and no disrespect intended – just a bro in bro-science – but I’m not sure I agree with that statement.

An on-label use of T is to combat anemia – low hematocrit. That suggests to me, stick T in your arse and your blood gets thicker.

Not sure if that has to do with “too high of a dosage” or T just doing what it’s supposed to do.

Whatever the case, as you pointed out, go give some blood. Tell 'em it’s deluxe blood – full of RBC.

When I donate, they love me – I have babies blood.

You may have heard someone say â??Iâ??m a baby donorâ?? or â??I donate for the babies.â?? What does that mean? It means they are CMV negative â?? the person has not been exposed to the cytomegalovirus, or CMV. This is important because in low birth weight infants the consequences of such infection may be severe or even fatal.

What is CMV?

CMV (Cytomegalovirus) CMV is a complex flu-like virus that most adults are exposed to at sometime in their lives. It is a double stranded DNA virus belonging to the herpes virus family.

Who gets CMV?

Almost everyone is susceptible to the virus, although males ages 18-26 seem to be the least likely to get it. As with other viruses, once youâ??ve had them, your body retains the antibodies.
Why is CMV Negative Blood Preferred for Pediatric Transfusions?

CMV can persist in infected donor white cells and is often transmitted by a blood transfusion, but rarely causes disease. However, in the case of low birth weight infants the consequences of such infection may be severe or even fatal. Because the immune systems in these infants are not fully developed, every precaution must be taken to avoid infection. Scientific studies have shown blood lacking this virus (CMV negative blood) is safer for pediatric patients. Therefore, hospitals prefer to use CMV negative pediatric units to ensure the safety of blood transfusions to newborns.
How is Donor Blood Tested for CMV?

The downside of babies blood is that I can’t give double red cell donations. Seems the machine used to separate the red uses some chemical to do its job. And that chemical is no good for the little ones.

11

Good idea getting off the benzo if it isn’t critical. I never felt a buzz when I took it and I only took 0.25-0.5mg per day. My doc said I would never have issues at that dose. He was wrong. Felt like I was dying every day until I took my dose. It took me a year to taper off (there are other sites for that stuff).

As far as your restart. I’m no expert and I am in the middle of one myself. You have been on HCG so your testes shouldn’t be shutdown as long as you weren’t primary. I think you will find many different versions of how to restart. Taper the T, Taper the T and use a SERM, use HCG for a while then add the SERMs, just stop the T and add a SERM, etc. It boggles my mind. I wish there was a clear cut answer. Personally I stopped the T and used HCG to get the testes going again and have now added Clomid and Nolva.

As far as what you will feel - I think it varies. Some feel great during a restart, but personally when I tried it before I felt like I had the flu and had lost all strength and was emotional. This time I am emotional again and kind of dragging but not sure if it is the restart or just my anxiety/depression.

Good luck.

12

Still wondering about the range on your free test lab.
You stated Free Testosterone(Direct) 32.5 pg/mL but gave no range.

Don’t want to pile on the xanax, but that stuff is complete shit.
It slows every process in your body down, and has rebound effects of anxiety.
Benzo have their place and it’s for an anxiety attack, but it’s not for long term anxiety management.
The sooner you can get off it, the better.

13
LDL Cholesterol Calc 102 mg/dL 0-99 H
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 26 mg/dL 5-40 N
HDL Cholesterol 28 mg/dL >39 L
Triglycerides 131 mg/dL 0-149 N
Cholesterol, Total 156 mg/dL 100-199 N

Cholesterol Values not the best either. LOW LOW HDL and LDL outweighs it brother. Triglycerides could be better too less than 100. Total Cholesterol number is okay though 156.