Help - Maybe I need to quit TRT at this point

Pharma
1

Don’t know what to do, it’s been 3 years now and it took me almost 8 months if I remember correctly to dial in at 45mg 2x per week Test Cypionate IM. Felt good for 1.5 years then not so great, then bad, then really bad. I’m 51 now and never feel good… ever for 7 months now. Pressure headaches every day, fatigue, major depression because I don’t know how to fix this anymore and I can’t work.

I reduced my dosage to 40mg 2x per week in January then again to 35mg 2x per week beginning of June. My T has gone down which I thought would reduce Estrogen if that’s the problem, but it keeps rising. And I’m not even sure it’s that high compared some functioning people I’ve seen on other boards. I’ve started taking Calcium D-Gluconate 500mg 2x per day with food but not taking DIM.

The men’s clinic told me to stick at the TRT dosage and add HCG which I did my first shot last night at 100IU and I feel messed up today or a little worse than I normally feel if that’s even possible, they wanted me at 0.45ml (450iu) 3x a week which I’m not doing because everyone I’ve asked said start low and see what it feels like. So I’m doing 100 ius 3x a week. From what I’ve read though, HCG makes Estrogen increase. And I don’t know if it’s placebo or if I actually feel worse today because I’m so frustrated and depressed about this that I don’t know what’s causing what.

I’ve felt like crap for 7 months and I think I have to try to come off of TRT. I originally went on TRT because my levels were really low, but I was also in protracted Benzo withdrawal (prescribed) which could have had a major negative impact on my hormones. So possibly I could get back to a normal level without the headaches?

Someone told me to try the HCG protocol for 4 weeks but I don’t know if I can do it if it’s just going to make Estrogen go up and I’ll feel worse… I’m just holding on now. And of course I’m scared that I’m going to feel worse than I do without TRT, but I’m not sure that’s possible with these daily chronic pressure headaches. I’ve had MRIs, sleep studies, use a cpap for snoring, bloodwork, nothing can tell me why I’m having these headaches. The only constant is TRT and the last year or so has been a mess. Thyroid markers are fine.

Diet is clean, exercise, no drugs (smoked cannabis 2022 - 2024, nothing since Dec 2025), no alcohol, no caffeine or sugar, I drink water and avoid dairy and gluten. I’m doing everything right or at least by the book. But the head pressure, heaviness comes every day without fail.

Any insights, comments, guidance, I would be very grateful for.

Thank you for your time.

Jul 05 2025

Estradiol - 188 pmol / l (Range <162)
Testosterone - 27.7 nmol / l (Range 8.4 - 28.8)
***Reduced to 35mg 2x / week 6 weeks prior to this test. Testosterone going down but Estrogen going up?

Apr 05 2025

Estradiol - 136 pmol / l (Range <162)
Testosterone - 31 nmol / l (Range 8.4 - 28.8)
Free Testosterone - didn’t measure
SHBG - 32.5 nmol / l (Range 10.0 - 70.0)
DHEA - 3.5 umol / l (Range <9.7)
Pregnenolone - 10 (Unsure of measure or Range)
***Maybe DHEA and Preg low is why they wanted to introduce HCG?

Jan 14 2025
Estradiol - 145pmol / l (Range <162)
Testosterone - 37.2 nmol / l (Range 8.4 - 28.8)
Free Testosterone - 715 pmol / l (Range 179 - 475)

Jul 13 2024
Estradiol - 133 pmol / l (Range <162)
Testosterone - 33.2 nmol / l (Range 8.4 - 28.8)
Free Testosterone - 690 pmol / l (Range 179 - 475)

Dec 9 2023
Estradiol - 80 pmol / l (don’t remember why it came down so much)
Testosterone - 39.9 nmol / l
Free Testosterone - 878 pmol / l

Jul 8 2023
Estradiol - 113 pmol / l
Testosterone - 33.1 nmol / l
Free Testosterone - 648 pmol / l

Jan 24 2023
Estradiol - 130 pmol / l
Testosterone - 35.1 nmol / l
Free Testosterone - 738 pmol / l

2

Your T levels are very high so it’s normal for your E2 levels to be high as well. hCG seems like an odd choice for a solution. Aside from lowering dose you could try micro dosing Arimadex. Have you considered it may not be T related?

1 Like
3

I’m leaning toward what @blshaw is thinking.
How do you know it’s your hormones? Taking exogenous test will give you a steady hormone profile.
What is your injection frequency? Have you changed anything in that last couple years?
After being on this long it’s gonna be pretty hard to recover any decent amount of natural test if any.
What do the rest of your bloods look like?
Stress and sleep play a huge role in mental/physical well being. How are these factors for you?

4

Just a shot in the dark but maybe consider checking blood volume. It gives me erythrocytosis and if i let it go too far I experience similar symptoms. A quarterly blood donation keeps everything in check, while being a good deed.

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5

Thx… been doing that already every 2-3 months. No changes.

Decided to try ED subq, 10mg per day as a last kick at the can.

Day 2 still feeling really down. Don’t know ho long the transition will take or if it will make anything better.

6

You may want to get some neurological testing done. Maybe you have an imbalance.
I don’t really see this as a TRT issue. IMO something else is going on.

7

Yes but I’ve done MRIs and therapy and all kinds of stuff for diet and exercise. Nothing seems to help. I know I have depression but last time I had severe depression symptoms, TRT got me out. I wasn’t able to tolerate psychotropic medication.

8

Hope you’ve found some relief. Reading your post felt like reading mine here back in 2013 when I was going through protracted benzo withdrawal. I don’t know that I ever found any answers to feeling better other than time. It was almost 3 years after I stopped a very low dose of Xanax that I felt sort of normal and like my system was functioning normally. In the meantime I was trying to control and “fix” everything I could. Sex hormones, thyroid levels, vitamins minerals everything. I started TRT and then tried to stop 3 times and realized that was also pure hell. And nothing really worked but time to heal.

Not saying don’t keep searching and looking but also don’t overlook benzo withdrawal or some other related factor. Good luck.