Hi Guys, I’ve been on TRT for almost 2yrs now, and it hasn’t really worked out for me. All the promises of TRT, both physiological and psychological, have not been delivered. I started my protocol at 175mg per week and have slowly raised the dose every 4 months or so and nothing. I keep asking myself if i’m just wasting my $$. Long story short, I raised my dose to 350 mg and I feel great. Is this too high? Is this sustainable? Also I most likely have PFS, not sure if others with PFS require higher doses…
Thank You,
1 Like
Maybe. What are your actual test levels at that dosage? Estrogen? What are the benefits you feel VS the lower dosages?
Keep HCT and shit in check, blood pressure, and I do believe 350mg is fine long term. I mean, Its either that or feel like shit? Ima go with 350.
2 Likes
Not uncommon.
depends on where that puts your numbers. got any labs from 175mg and 350mg?
Jesus H Christ this subforum.
High-dose testosterone is known to induce feelings of well-being, even euphoria. Thus, the fact that someone feels better at the absurdly supraphysiologic dose of 350/week cannot be taken as indicating this is the ‘right dose for them.’
OP, the fact that you have
strongly suggests your issues (whatever they may be) are not related to low T.
7 Likes
Or maybe he just hasn’t found the right protocol FOR HIM yet.
Yes. This isn’t TRT.
It is sustainable with health implications.
What doctor prescribed you this?
1 Like
Serious question: Is there any level of T usage that would give you pause? If OP had said, ‘I finally feel good at 500/week,’ would you have given it your blessing as an appropriate TRT dose? How about 750/week? A gram?
1 Like
Ok so as others stated… this is not a wise path. They’ve already elaborated but I will add that if you choose this path please get more comprehensive labs to evaluate your health on such a high dose regimen.
3 Likes
First, it seems like you read something into my reply, that I didn’t say. I’m not sure why you assumed that I think he should take more testosterone. He started at 175 per week. Not knowing the op’s health, I couldn’t say if he needs more or less than what he’s taken.
As for your question, I know personally of one person who needs 300mg per week, to relieve all of his low t symptoms. Anything less, and he still has symptoms. Anything more, and it’s no different that 300. I honestly don’t know if there are men who need 500mg or more, per week to get symptom relief. Since I think TRT should be about taking the minimum amount to relieve symptoms, and shouldn’t be about specific numbers in a certain range, then hypothetically I’d agree that in certain, rare instances, 750mg per week may be acceptable. I just don’t know. I’ve heard of people who only need 50mg per week to get symptom relief.
1 Like
Do you know what the T values were at a dose of 300? I cannot understand how any man’s body is so unique that he needs that for normal function.
What symptoms were there? I’m asking seriously, not to argue.
2 Likes
So to answer the question: 750 is the upper limit for you?
Since you (apparently) don’t believe in blood levels as an arbiter of treatment response, what in your opinion counts as a ‘low T symptom’?
Edite: I see @BrickHead had the same question.
1 Like
To your first question, no, i have no idea what would be an upper limit.
Second question, low t symptoms are all the typical symptoms. Not everyone experiences all of them. In the particular case of the guy I know who needed 300 mg per week to fully relieve symptoms, I recall that it took 300mg for him to have proper erections. That was his last symptom to be relieved. He also stated that his free t needed to be above 30.
Yes, I also believe some of these symptoms are from other conditions which have symptoms that overlap.
I also believe many men do not wait for TRT to do its job. It actually took me six months to feel totally like I did pre-hypogonadism. My libido and sexual function were the last to return.
I don’t recall his total t. Only that he stated that his free t needed to be above 30, which 300mg/week got him to.
Proper erections was the last symptom to get relieved, which took 300mg/week, to happen.
It’s weird how one guy, like myself, can get a total t in the 800’s at trough, on 200mg per week dosed e3.5d, and a friend of mine can only get his total t in the 400’s, with the same weekly dose.
Correct. I am in the 800s to 900s testing early to mid week with 100 mg per week for the past year. @cliteastwood
1 Like
how were you splitting that 300mg up? were you taking it all at once?
1 Like
So, to summarize your position:
–Low T is solely defined by symptoms. It doesn’t matter what his lab values are–if a pt feels he has low T, then by definition he has low T.
–There is a wide array of symptoms that can be legitimately attributed to low T. There are no criteria regarding which or how many symptoms a pt must have to qualify as low T, or how severe they need be.
–Response to treatment is solely defined in terms of those symptoms. It doesn’t matter how the lab values change–if a pt feels his low T symptoms are inadequately controlled, then by definition they are inadequately controlled.
–The T dose should be titrated up, without limit, until the pt deems his symptoms are satisfactorily controlled.
2 Likes
I agree. it’s pretty crazy how different we all are, and how this medicine affects everyone differently even at equal doses. I imagine this doesn’t make any docs job easier when someone comes to him with low T symptoms and blood work to back it up
1 Like