KSman- from the small amount of information you have about me, do you think i will feel worse?
Another quick update-
On tuesday morning i had another telephone consultation with the Professor of endocrinology. After a bit of pushing he has agreed to give me a trial injection on the NHS. Unfortunately the protocol they use is not what is recommended here. They want to try me on a 250mg/1ml injection of Test E and then do labs and review symptoms after 10 days. If there is an improvement they will agree a prescription of 250mg ever 2 weeks.
After reading the stickies i have a feeling i will feel awful on this, but im tempted to try it to see it has any effect on my symptoms. I cant get anymore out of them until i have tried this.
Will the TRT shut down my HPTA after just one injection? Would i be better off trying the testogel instead to avoid the sudden spike in testosterone followed by the ācome downā.
I need to try something and at the moment just cant afford to go and pay a fortune to see another TRT specialist.
These doctors are morons, they do not realise it takes a lot longer to experience symptoms relief! It took me months to really notice improvements in mood, 10 days is no enough time. This protocol is going to fail you, youāre going to have supraphysiological T levels (steroid dose) and this will also drive up your E2 and when your T levels start to drop youāll be swimming in estrogen and that will feel horrible! It will also put suppression on your SHBG level dropping it possibly contributing to making you feel worse. These doctors really need to re-educate themselves, problem is until the hospital administration re-educates them, theyāll continue to work in blissful ignorance like a bunch of preschool kids who couldnāt tie their own shoelaces. This is what separates an endocrinologist from a hormone specialist, a hormone specialist is constantly re-educating himself and is able to adapt more quickly.
Personally my total T has always been around 12 and so GP turns me away despite my free 5 being <0.3 similar to yours.
Finally found a private GP who understands its my free T thatās important and my SYMPTOMS which was a great relief.
I was 40 when I noticed things going wrong and now at 48 finally I have some light at the end of the tunnel. Iāve had no libido or sex for 2 years and have been falling asleep during the day for the past two or three years. I was clinically diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue, which is a bull@#Ā£& excuse for not knowing what was wrong. Iāve lived with the GP using that as a response for the past 5 years, so I donāt bother going anymore.
Iād say you need to get your free T up.
My prolactin was 8 and SHBG was 55, but yours sound fine, in range.
Anyway thatās my 2p worth.
Split the dose, inject more regularly and get an Ester blend like Sustanon.
1500 HCG with 125mg Sustanon T is the protocol iām on per week at present.
And to be honest Iām glad I tried it.
Donāt fear change. Itāll take at least 6 weeks to affect the axis (rather to stabilise to make blood tests worth taking) and about 3 months for you to notice any big changes.
Donāt expect miracles straight away and take things slowly, the body adapts, donāt rush it. Give things a go before dismissing too soon.
Systemlord and Windsurfing007 - Thank you both so much for your input!
The big problem at the moment is fear. Ive been so desperate for so long to feel better that ive been pushing so hard for treatment. Now treatment is on the horizon im terrified. The implications are now becoming very real. Im realising that this is a big deal and that im starting something that i will need to commit to for the rest of my life!
Ive made a decision tho i think. Im going to ask my GP to split the injection dose. If they refuse im going to try it anyway. I may feel rubbish for a while but the whole process will have been started. Once its been started they have a duty of care to try and make it work for me. If i go back and tell them i feel so much better on TRT then they have to continue. Then i can inject at home and split the doses up. Once im going i can hassle for HCG (say im trying to get my imaginary partner pregnant).
Im also thinking i can try DIM to control my E2 whilst i fight to be prescribed an AI
What are everyones opinions on this?
This next comment is going to sound strange. I think im scared of feeling better. Ive been sick for so long ive got used to it. Its almost like i have an excuse for being a failure. If i get better and i dont succeed in life- well then i only have myself to blame!
Windsurfing007 - Thank you so much for posting. I feel i can connect with your experience. Infact you have inspired me to overcome the fear. Is your protocol working for you?
Something else i forgot to mention. Along with the multivitamin supplement that contains Iodine and selenium i have started using Iodized salt. Im also starting an Ashwagandha supplement today. This should help to support my adrenals. It also contains Iodine. Any opinions on this would be gratefully received? The last 3 days my waking body temperatures have all been over 97.3f- this is a big improvement for me.
Hi All, quick update;-
Yesterday at 2.30pm (GMT) i had my first injection of test-e. I was a bit worried about it beforehand but it was fine. About 4.30 i started to feel a bit strange, sort of like i had taken an ecstasy pill (tried it once when i was 21, didnt like it). I rode the wave and it was quite enjoyable- i felt happy for the first time in ages, calm relaxed, and in all honesty a bit horny. I dont see how this could be the testosterone so quickly, so must have been placebo.
Woke up this morning feeling the worst i have felt in a long time. Felt absolutely exhausted, with brain fog and i horrible headache. Felt like a quite bad hangover/ or drug come down. Still feel like this now.
Does anyone have any idea what may have happened? has anyone experienced this in the past after their first injection?
Any input from anyone would be appreciated.
Second day of feeling rubbish. So tired at the moment, feel like i cant get enough sleep. Is this normal?
What youāre likely feeling is your pituitary gland has shut down, this happens days or weeks after your first injection and is normal. Your pituitary regulates your testosterone and now it senses youāve got plenty so it shuts down, now you must wait a while and before you know it youāll start to feel a little better in a month or so. You wonāt feel 100 percent, over the next few to several months youāll start to feel like your old self again. Hang in there.
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Thanks systemlord- i really needed your reply. Tough times and the reassurance helps. Can the pituitary gland really shut down so quickly? the day after my first injection!
Absolutely, everyone seems to be a little different. My TRT honeymoon only lasted 3 days, I had incredible clarity of mind and then it waned. Slowly I started feeling exhausted and started feeling similar to before going on TRT, it can be frustrating. Iāve notice slow improvements over the first 8 months, mostly mood and personality improvements and erections seem to take the longest, it can take a little more than a year to get full erections to return. Iām wondering if this has anything to do with how quickly one can build muscle because around the same time my muscles started getting harder erections made a minor return with a period where libido/erections come and go periodically. About 4 weeks ago I was getting ready for work and couldnāt get my pants on do to my erection, it put a smile on my face.
Thereās another member who states for the past 2 years he has started and stopped TRT several times because he feels fantastic for about 3 weeks, then starts feeling exhausted and decides to quit TRT only to start again months later. The cycle has repeated itself for 2 years because heās dealing with doctors who donāt tell him about the pituitary shut down and that itās normal, he doesnāt understand why this keeps happening, so hopefully he reads my post soon. Being in Poland doesnāt help him one bit, most doctors outside the USA are subpar. Just realize everytime you make a small adjustment to your protocol whether a dosage increase or going from twice weekly to EOD it takes 6 weeks for blood levels to stabilize and longer to feel any changes, itās kind of a reset button where you can end up going back to the way you felt when starting TRT. Iāve felt this way on and off for the past 6 weeks, no dosage increase just more injections per week.
I didnāt feel as bad after I got a 25mg dosage increase and going from one injection per week to twice weekly, it was smoother than going from twice weekly to EOD. Iām in the 850 ng/dL range, perhaps Iām nearing my biological limit for T levels.