Would the less frequent dosing work for those of us with low SHBG though? Mine fluctuates around 14-20 normally, and have always been led to believe that I NEED daily dosing because of this. Would say, a twice or three times weekly administration be okay with lower SHBG?
That is not accurate. There are plenty of low SHBG guys who do just fine with once weekly dosing. There are also plenty of gym guys doing underground TRT with once weekly injections doing fine, these guys do not even know what SHBG is. You may do better with more frequent injections, but your SHBG has nothing to do with it.
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Thanks for the reply. I have only ever been on dailys due to being told this is what I needed. May need to experiment with this
Jatenzo mimics natural test production on a daily basis, correct? Like higher test levels after digesting itā¦ then they lower rapidly throughout the day, yes>?
Whatās your protocol, now? I was looking at a thread from two years ago and you were considering doing 300 mg every 14 days, recounting how you felt/functioned better when you were injecting less frequently.
My urologist has no preference for injection frequency or the method of injection and heās been prescribing testosterone for about 30 years. I find that when I was doing weekly IM, 100 mg, I would feel flat by day 5. I switched to EOD several weeks ago, 34 mg, IM, and feeling a bit better, energy wise, but you and many of your patients have success with weekly. I donāt mind injecting, yet I like the simplicity of weekly.
Also, Iāve found that if I inject around noon, I sometimes get a strong erection about 9 or 10 hours later. Take it at 6 or 7 a.m. and nada.
You answered my question about your current protocol. Why not give twice a month, 200-300 mg another try? You sound like youāre a biochemical outlier, as am I and that means there arenāt any rules or right way to do something. Having a sometimes libido/erections is better than nothing.
Yes, but some do better with twice weekly. Some that tried different injection schedules found no difference. Go with what works best for you.
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Quite an absolutist statement that does little for your credibility as a contributor. Yes hormones are a highly probable culprit when messing with them but stress and low self-esteem among many others will equally wreck ones libido. If nothing else, we know that what works for one man doesnāt necessarily work for another. Itās a relatively drastic measure to decide to inject oneself every week for the rest of ones life. Thereās typically a multitude of reasons that drives that decision. Maybe some of the time its hormone imbalance but often symptoms can be attributed to other issues. When those cases are wrongly diagnosed as hypogonadism and the unaddressed symptoms resurface, the protocol seems to become the target.
Thatās how Iām approaching it. By the time I see my urologist it will be about six weeks. As Iāve written, Iām his problem patient. Well, maybe not his only one, but maybe one of the few who present a challenge.
Iāve been in this predicament before. Tried numerous compounds and protocols to address it. Whether we like it or not TRT changes the body in ways we donāt yet understand and it affects us all differently.
I came off TRT last year for a number of months. I needed to reset. I had been changing protocol and compounds for over a year to no avail.
Iām convinced (a reasonable level of professional experience along with literature) that e2 affects veins and arteries that contributes to ED in some men. Following this, it only takes a few self esteem shattering ācanāt get it upā episodes for that ED to turn into anxiety, stress and sex avoidance.
Anyway, as of this month, Iām currently back on TRT. One injection of 125mg/week. Absolute barebones.
Feeling pretty good. Will give it at least 12 weeks before any bloods and potential additions of Adex or HCG. Not changing test dose.
Erections were great while off TRT. The feeling of not having to touch my junk at all and it still staying hard was almost foreign after a year of wrestling with a sex life similar to what you describe. Timing viagra etcā¦
My advice to anyone in this vicious cycle of failed protocol changes would be to get off TRT, reset and go again when you have reevaluated. Coming of Test after years on, isnāt particularly bad in my experience. HCG/tamoxifen do their job pretty quickly.
A productive post, clearly these issues are widespread
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This is really interesting. You are not the first person who claims to have had improved erections when you come off TRT. But yet, I clearly needed TRT (my levels were on the floor and was suffering ED), but TRT hasnt helped as of yet. Maybe I need to come off, never know my erections may returnā¦
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@equel makes some valid observations in the context of how we functioned when we were younger and what happened as we get older(40ās/50ās). I worked evening and overnight shifts, stayed up late when I was off, watched lots of late night television, slept easily, skinny, and had erections day and night. For me, up until 2003, I could work hard, go to sleep, easily get erections, my weight was low. Then in mid 2004, I relapsed back into bipolar illness and life, once again, blew up in my face and Iāve never recovered my health, sleep or sexual function.
Yes, when we were young, all of our hormones, neurosteroids and peptides were a perfect symphony. We didnāt even know they existed. We were enjoying our lives(for the most part) and trying to get laid or were getting laid. There was nothing conscious about it. Our bodies functioned as they were meant to do. Is low T always the culprit? For some, it is, but if the pituitary/hypothalamus is malfunctioning, which is common in secondary hypogonadism, the feedback loops for the thyroid and adrenals arenāt receiving signals. Our bodies arenāt synthesizing youthful levels of DHEA, pregnenolone, GH. For me, at 71, Iām not about to say, āFuck it, Iām done. My life is over and Iāll sit here until I dieā. Right now, if I can turn the clock back to my 40ās, with my wife complaining about me being horny all the time, thatād be cool.
All valid points that I wouldnāt write-off. Hormones are the obvious culprit if we are manually messing with them. We also canāt write off other changes as we get older, the additional responsibilities we take on all add stress and change the dynamic of life massively. Itās not the first time @equel has disregarded valid alternative causes of symptoms which I donāt agree with and donāt think is helpful especially to readers new to the subject looking for answers to their on issues.
SSRI meds and similar can also be the culprit for sexual disfunction.
Generally itās best to keep an open mind! Hormones are a piece of the puzzle. Iāll fully admit I donāt NEED TRT itās more of a lifestyle. Everyone has their own evaluation to do I feel.
TRT has side effects that vary from person to person. If TRT is a net positive on i your life and you can afford it. Great. If itās a net loss then stop beating the dead horse.
Sexual function aside, which has been extremely hit and miss even with injections, I do experience mood benefits from testosterone. When my TT was below 300, I felt like I was dying; quite tired and despondent, though on T, I still experience mood fluctuations from bipolar, but the feeling from low T is distinct.
A few weeks ago, I added 25 mg of DHEA every morning to assess if it can restore more reliable erectile function. Usually takes about 6 months. Iāve experimented with it many times but this time, it clearly lifted my depression and contributed to consistent daytime energy and better mood. I tried not taking it and my mood did go into negative territory. Unless my PSA goes sky high or I have other issues, Iāll stay with it. I discussed it with my psychiatrist and she was okay with me taking it, though she knows Iād do it anyway, even if she voiced concern. One of the eminent researchers in DHEA,Dr. Etienne-Emile Beaulieu, MD, PhD, 95, recommends 25 mg, daily, for good health.
Since I have treatment resistant bipolar and have consulted with some of the foremost psychiatrists/researchers and they had nothing to offer or it didnāt work, Iām on my own, so I have PubMed and my urologist. Iām like a high wire walker, 1000 feet up. My life is in my hands. Iām okay with that.
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Honestly, I actually agree with him. When youāre a teenager with normal hormone levels it doesnāt matter how low your self-esteem is, how much sleep youāre getting or how shitty your diet is. Your sex drive is through the roof 24/7.
Michael Jordan used to win games after staying up all night gambling, yet sleep is supposed to be the end all be all.
The truth is lifestyle choices have less impact than weād like them to. Most people donāt like this idea because it takes too much power away from the individual to change his life for the better, but itās just the truth. Life is unfair and genetics is 90% of the battle
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Hope you find a solution man all the best! Sounds like youāve got some good professionals on your side!
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Again respectfully, this seems like a very simplistic view. Iām not disputing the benefits of being young. Iām merely highlighting that when a man presents with symptoms, hormones are not always the cause.
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Thank you.
In 2003, when I was 53, I was in Miami in February visiting family and friends. Iād brought my jar of raw honey and was eating it by the spoonful. Now, my erections were still present, but that honey supercharged my libido, along with giving me more erections. I know a bit about the properties of raw honey. And yes, it boosted my histamine, which is a key player in libido and erectile function. I recall how during springtime in Maryland, with the high pollen count, I was like an animal during mating season. My wife and I werenāt always on the same page, libido wise, but during those months, when we clicked, it was rockinā.
In the ensuing years, I never found the same response to raw honey or to high airborne pollen, just discomfort, but itās still something I ponder. Iāve always had pollen allergies and donāt know if itās coincidental but I do wonder how much my histamine sensitivity contributed to my extremely strong libido and corresponding erectile function.