Higher dht spikes countering some of the estrogen
My libido came back after ~2 years on TRT and has been consistent for 1.5 years. Iām 45 now, and had near-zero libido pre-TRT 3.5 years ago (hypogonadism) and it slowly came back after a very frustrating 2 years on TRT. I was very athletic in the past and am lean and have been weight training/running/etc. for over 20 years. I train now just for health and not muscle per se.
I take ~130mg/week split into 2 doses, which gives me balanced libido (sex 3x-5x/week and that buildup feeling that I need to bang if I go 2-3 days with nothing), morning erections 2-3x/week, and a sustained erection for the entirety of sex (30-45 mins). I donāt use any other hormones (AI, HCG, etc.), no prescription drugs (SSRIās, etc.), and donāt use PEDās much anymore (Cialis) unless i want to for fun. I also donāt take any supplements except for protein post-workout.
If I go higher in TRT dose my libido and morning erections go up (especially above 150mg/week), but I hold way more water and piss way more which is annoying. I also look more like a bodybuilder with more puffiness in my body and face and am squeezing into my suit for work. I tried 200mg/week at one point during the 2 years (strict 3 month minimum protocols for all my dose changes to assess impact) and after 2.5 months i felt my blood thickening (weird lethargy spells, dizziness, and erections stopped working during sex). I also tried lower at 100mg/week and everyone was asking me if I lost tons of weight, which is likely the water effect, plus libido was blah.
My theory is the same as @equel, where when we were all young we didnāt take anything, slept whenever, partied, and had raging boners/sex drive all day, so i dumped all my supplements and everything else and let things naturally find their way, only changing TRT dose.
I have also noticed I aged more on TRT. I also watch porn, fap, and bang my g/f (not necessarily all at the same time but hey, maybe Iāll try that sometime). I get mediocre sleep hours as well and def. not 8hrs/night (sleep quality is ok).
2 Likes
Wow, thatās definitely longer than usual, and this beats the record of 13 months reported by a other member from years ago.
1 Like
What is your TT, FT, and E2 at 130mg???
1 Like
I hear that āive aged more on trtā alot.
I also thought so. However, when I went down to very low levels (40mg a week dude), I looked very āyoungā again.
Essentially, testosterone will make u hold more water, that will make u look āolderā in the face, the wrinkles will become more apparent etc.
Drop the T, or reduce to very low doses and u will see how suddenly you look way younger again.
Kinda interesting.
On high dosages, I look fucking 10-15 years older kid u not.
4 Likes
At 130mg/week T dose, TT was 712ng/dL (Labcorp range 264-916), FT was 18pg/mL (range 6.8-21.5), and E was 37 (range 8-35). I probably actually sit a little higher than these numbers at 130mg/week as i skipped a bi-weekly dose prior to blood test to make sure i was comfortably within range so i donāt get in trouble by the doc (they donāt like it when i run over the ranges and its no big deal for me to just skip a dose every 6 months when i do my bloodwork to show iām playing within the boundaries).
I do feel that my T-level is higher than it needs to be to have libido. I have way more muscle than iād like, and my body other than libido feels more balanced/natural around 100mg/week, but Iām not giving up libido for that feeling.
@systemlord I thought it often takes people a while to get libido back? I mean, tons of guys on these boards (not just this thread) have issues. I also get that it is selective reporting here (mostly guys with issues come to these boards), so maybe the general population on TRT sees libido benefits faster?
I should add anecdotally that i pretty religiously drink an entire vitamix blender of raw vegetables/fruit 5-6 days/week which is a ton of raw food (being careful not to eat to much oxalates or sugar). I found that really helps rebuild things and definitely gives me energy, including probably helping erection strength/blood flow/etc. I have done this for well over a decade but find it really has helped more past 40 years old (i feel way more dragged down and start pounding tons of coffee if I skip it for a few weeks, even being on TRT). Random addition but figured if we are telling whole protocols here, thatās my form of key āsupplementsā.
1 Like
I hear you on the water retention angle. When i drop down to 100mg/wk people ask me like crazy about whether iāve lost weight. When I tried 200mg/week for 2.5 months i was a fcking balloon and couldnāt fit into my clothes. I get that maybe my body would have balanced out over time? But even being on 130mg/week all this time Iām still holding water 1.5 years laterā¦so waiting for that to happen.
1 Like
More water retention will HIDE wrinkles better. Not show them.
Hell no dude, u go on 1g a week and see ur wrinkles become so fucking apparent its insane. It will make ur skin āhangā because its so heavy (full of water), every little wrinkle will show.
Go off, and ur skin will be smooth and tight like a babys again.
Done it again, again, again and again.
2 Likes
Doesnāt this have something to do with the androgenic effects of T (more male than male)? Thinking about the YouTuber Merjin, who flirted with TRT, and he aged SO MUCH while he was on. But he does seem to look younger again now that heās off
1 Like
I do believe its mainly water retention.
1 Like