Hello everyone,
I am a 47 year old. Workout regularly and good diet about 15 percent body fat. Have had a ton of trouble dialing in my protocol.
I have tried various things including reducing dose, splitting up injections. As well as sub q. I get what feel like estrogen sides. Bloating, back and leg aches, pressure in head, cramps. Severe carb cravings. Overall just don’t feel well. I don’t take HCG and I would prefer not to take an AI but I am prescribed Anastrozole .5 twice a week. Wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what might be causing my problems given my pre TRT numbers? Wondering with my SHGB would weekly injections be better than twice weekly?
Any help is greatly appreciated. I also have any other numbers anyone may want to look at. Thanks again.
Free T 4.4 Range 6.8-21.5
Total T 292 Range 264-916
SHGB 60 Range 16.5-55.9
Estrogen 20 Range 7.6-42.6
T 3 67 Range 71-180
TSH 1.080 Range 0.460-4.500
Cortisol 15.8 Range 2.3-11.9 PM
IGF 1 66 Range 67-105
My prescribed protocol is 200mg once a week IM injection. Plus 50iu HCG twice a week .5 Anastrozole twice a week. I haven’t been able to follow that due to sides. Plus not wanting to use HCG or AI if possible.
Been doing around 120mg a week. Twice a week sub q injections. This worked quite well for awhile, but over the last few weeks sides have started coming back and are getting worse.
I guess I am wondering if I do indeed need an AI even at lower doses? Not sure what else I could try other than lowering the dose down even more. I am just trying to come up with a solid protocol to follow that makes sense. I posted the ranges. Thanks!
Those are your numbers before TRT?
Got any current labs? Hard to know what advice to give without them
No, I don’t but plan to get some soon. Thank you.
Well, from your list of sides, I get crazy carb cravings when my e2 is too low. Could also cause aches & pains generally, you haven’t been taking the AI tho right?
No, only when I have absolutely had to. It’s not aches and pains. More like back pumps. Legs are like the leg ache you get when you are a kid, if you got them. Except worse and all the time. I’m definitely bloated. I had E sides basically from first dose on.
Hmm bloodwork, lol. How long have you been on this current dose & schedule? If less than 6-8 weeks, stick it out and get labs done once things stabilize.
Well, like I said I’ve had to change the dose etc a lot because of the sides. I’ve been on TRT almost 4 months. Thank you.
Gotcha. I’d stay on 120mg weekly, once a week or split into 2, for 6-7 weeks without making any changes, no matter what sides you feel, then get bloodwork. That’ll give you insight into what steps you need to take to feel better and dial in.
Ok, sounds good. Thanks again.
There is your problem, your estrogen is health with testosterone low, so I expect estrogen sides on weekly and twice weekly, you may need injections daily or EOD.
If you keep changing your dosage too often you’ll never find out what works because it takes a minimum of 6 weeks for your body to adapt to your dosage changes.
Stick with a dosage and don’t tough it for 6-8 weeks, once levels become stable then you start to see benefits on TRT, you change the dosage and hit the pause button on progress.
Everyone gets side effects after changing their dosage, you just have to deal with the these sides until levels become stable.
I don’t get side effects on daily dosing because my free T levels are pushed up and stay there rather than decline 48 hours after injections which is what causes sides.
My estrogen is also lower on a daily protocol than any other protocol before it, <30 on a daily and 70 on twice weekly.