HCG and the Good Old Days

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Good morning gentleman, long time no post. The long time between posts only means things were going well. Im back because there are some hiccups again. Quick update on my case for those interested.

38 yo (now), diagnosed low T with a TT of ~138 back in 2021.

Had some trial and error in the beginning but settled on .07 cc test C Sub Q 2x per day for roughly 200 mg per week (on the higher end, but im a big guy and not very test sensitive). This kept me at 700 TT rock steady with no ups or downs. I backfill 31ga .3 cc insulin syringes. 100% painless, and i can avoid the red lumps i got with larger doses. Also on 3/4 of an anastrazol tab per week (1/4 tab M,W,F) and my E2 stays at 25.

For the good of the cause, i can reuse the same 31 ga syringe about 10 times. It is still sharper on the 10th use than on the first use if i poke it through the vile rubber stopper. For the guys not back filling, it was night and day for me. I do not recommend reuse of syringes, the things are dirt cheap, but it seemed like such a waste to toss them out when still sharp. YMMV.

Now on to the issues. After a bit of experimenting i added HCG to my Test C last summer and things went from good to great. I settled on .1 cc per day (yes thats 3 injections per day, you can see how the syringes were piling up) (also, dont mix test and HCG syringes, they dont inject as well and grt gummy) back in Feb or March my HCG ran out and things have not been the same.

Energy is down. My immune system is horrible again, like it was pre TRT (vit D is good, last test was 70ish) and I’ve been sick almost 30-40% of the time since off HCG with me catching every little cough and sniffle anybody i come in contract with has. Nothing major, but basically 3 or 4 days of symptoms then maybe a week of normal, then 3 or 4 days of different symptoms etc. Kinda how I used to be. Additionally, I’ve put a little fat back on (some of this is likely do to my sick days of inactivity), testicular shrinkage (i wont hide my vanity here) and a return to some of the sexual health issues that drove me to checking my test levels to begin with. Not as bad, but libido, erection quality, and orgasm quality are down. Not all at the same time, and its kind of sporadic. Its not horrible like it was pre TRT, but its definitely not as good as it was.

Last bloods were in Feb when i was only a few days off HCG. Ill get new ones done soon as i can to check them without HCG. I suppose TT could be lower again with less natural production. But I’ll have to wait for that result.

But from August last year until the end of February this year i felt amazing. Better than i knew was possible. Energy was huge, sense of mental well being was great, sexual health was great, i never got sick, I even got back into fitness and was in the best shape I’d been in in 15 years. It was great, i just want to figure out how to get back there.

Just curious what the community has experienced coming off of HCG, and what guys are doing to replace it. I’ve done gonadorelin in the past, it may work for fertility, but there are too many ups and downs for it to be a long term treatment IMO.

Also, feel free to ask any questions about my experience or routine, or anything really. I don’t in general respond to other threads, but try my best to reply to any posts made on my thread.

Cheers!

2

One quick thing I would add about my experience of the last year and a half, as this is a question i get from time to time. About hair loss on TRT. I did have a small amount of thinning when I started TRT, but i added generic Minoxidil as soon as i started to notice the thinning and it stopped it in a couple weeks of use and i have had no issues with hair loss since then. I just use the cheap bulk liquid and its easier to apply than the foam and dirt cheap. Just my experience. If you are worried about it, if I started the Minoxidil a couple weeks or months before starting TRT i probably would have had literally zero hair loss. As it is, I’m probably already back to pre TRT levels, but I didn’t have a history of hair loss from before TRT. Again, YMMV.

3

I feel fine without HCG, the times I have used it were to correct overuse of AI and when I first started treatment I thought HCG was making all the difference, and it was then, but my test dose/schedule was all over the map and never dialed in.

In your case I’d look at what HCG does (increases TT/e2) and in some increases adrenal hormones. Have those tested while off the HCG. If they are low, experiment with replacing them and see if you get that feeling back.

4

Thanks Swoops. Definitely going to get TT, FT, and E2 done as soon as i can. Which adrenals do you recommend? Cortisol, DHEA, and adrenaline come to mind. Any use to FSH, LH, SGBH? Im pretty low on SGBH, was low pre TRT, part of why i went 2x a day injections. I had pretty much gave up on keeping track of those though, maybe i shouldn’t have.

I know HCG was upping my E2 a bit. Getting my E2 dialed in was as important for me as TT when i felt so good last fall. A tiny bit more Test C (10%) and a tiny bit less Anastrazol (1/8th pill per week) has helped, I’m better now than a month ago, but not where I was.

5

hCG still quite available through specialty pharmacies throughout the US. Approx 115 USD per 10,000 IU (Pregnyl, Fresenius, etc, etc). Only compounded hCG supply has been affected by FDA decision. Lots of guys appear to be getting inaccurate info from their Docs.

6

I had heard it was still available, but had heard it was only available through a urologists and outrageously expensive. $115 is plenty affordable for me. Can my HRT doc still write the prescription?

This is super frustrating. I’ve had two phone conversations about it with my HRT provider and neither time has this been mentioned (especially the price, i was under the impression it was going to be in excess of $1000). In general the last two appointments have not gone well anyway. Much more rushed and they don’t take time to listen anymore. Maybe it’s time to look around for a new one?

7

Which begs the next question, should I wait to take new bloods since I’ve been off HCG? It’s a good opportunity. But i won’t be able to get tested for a couple weeks. I don’t want to delay getting back on HCG if I don’t have to. I don’t really need to change anything from how I was last fall.

Work towards both ends and follow which one comes first?

8

Yep any provider can write Rx. Whether they will or charge for Rx is another matter (many cash pay clinics obviously upcharge on the compounding products). Good litmus test on your provider if they arent getting you the facts since no financial incentive for them.

May need prior authorization if you use your own insurance. Work with specialty pharmacy (not corner CVS or Costco).

9

I had to look up what a specialty pharmacy was, haha. Looks like I have a couple in the area, so I should be ok there.

I figured the clinics make an up-charge on the scripts. I don’t mind paying a bit extra for that part to save the effort. I’ll still look around to compare new clinics or docs. (Northern Illinois area if people have suggestions)

I do cash only so far. Most of the clinics are cash and my old insurance was crap. My new insurance is better coverage but a real bear to work with so I’ve stuck with my cash clinic.

10

There is no good replacement for HCG, nothing even comes close.

11

It is really looking like that for me. Just glad to know its still within in reach.