I wanted to post my numbers after 30 Days on TRT to see if anybody had any thoughts. So far so good it seems.
I feel good since starting TRT. Energy levels and libido have been up. I feel stronger lifting weights and feel like I gained some muscle already. The last 2 days I have experience a small slump in both energy and libido but I think that’s just due to some other factors like my diet, I’ll be monitoring that.
I am currently on 180mg per week Test Cyp. I take it in two 90mg shots twice per week SubQ.
As you can see I have low SHBG, my total T is low but my free T and estrogen are high.
More info, I am 39, 6’ and currently 245 (gained about 8lbs since starting). I was taking statins but have decided to stop, since I was experiencing muscle pain in my legs.
Your levels are hardly stable, Test cypionate takes 42 days to reach a stable state, you have drawn labs too early and this tells me your doctor is new at this TRT game. Your levels are going to be swinging for another 12 days.
Your protocol isn’t the best, low SHBG men typically do better on more frequent dosing and smaller doses ED or EOD. The weight gain is water weight and is do to your protocol. You will not need very high Total T, about midrange will see Free T sufficiently elevated.
Free T3 looks good, no Reverse T3 testing? High Reverse T3 can deactivate a portion of Free T3 if elevated making you hypothyroid.
Thanks for the response. I know the EOD or ED protocol is probably in my future but I wanted to wait to see how twice a week felt first and would adjust based on symptoms.
Why do you think I need a dosage increase? My current free t is above the range.
You don’t need to change anything. Your free androgen number is great, your E2 is good, you feel good. Let it ride. I wouldn’t fool with it in any way for at least 3 or 4 months. Seriously.
You really need Free T tested directly, free androgen index isn’t normally tested unless the doctor isn’t up to date on TRT. Stay the course at measure Free T after 6 weeks. If you start to feel a decline in how you feel after 6 weeks, you will need smaller injections more frequently to do swinging hormone levels which is common among low SHBG men who inject once or twice weekly.
I think you’ll be fine with your current program. Unless you feel drastically different on day one vs day three following an injection, twice weekly is plenty. Interesting that SHBG dropped 30% so quickly, but that can fluctuate quite a bit so I wouldn’t put everything on one test anyway. If anything, maybe add DHEA.
Going forward, there is no need to test FSH or LH. Save your $. Doubt your weight gain is water, given your E2. Could be, you’d be feeling that in your hands and feet and see it in your face. Did that 8lbs come on at 7-10 days, or later?
like @systemlord said, you have to increase your T dosage, over 800 ng/dl is a decent number and go for EOD dose. your D lvls are very low. 10k IU /day solve the problem in 2 months. DHEA and pregnenolone will tend to drop caused by axis inhibition, consider supplement . your triglycerides lvls tells us that you have to adjust your diet. You are eating too much carbs, especially high IG
I would guess the weight gain is some water some fat and some muscle. I’m not sure when I gained the weight. I was travelling last month so my activity and eating was all over the place but both higher than normal. When I got home (around day 15 on TRT) I weighed exactly the same as the day I left. The next day I was up 5lbs and then gained another 3lbs that week but I think that’s mostly due to starting creatine and the water weight that comes with that.
Plan is to stay the course. Any issues and I’ll chat with my doctor. My next appointment is only in October, which I did think was a little long but the Doc said I could come in if there were any changes in how I felt.
My doctor said 800 ng/dl was the goal but with my low SHBG wouldn’t that give me really high Free T and Estrogen?
That last test was take just after a big vacation. Lots of sugary things were consumed Diet has been adjusted big time. I am trying to take advantage of this new me. Protein consumption is up, I am aiming for 150g per day. Carbs are down and I am working to avoid sugars.
I already take 50k D per week. It doesn’t seem to affect my total D much. I was also get a good amount of sun exposure and drink a lot of milk. I honestly believe I need to fix other things to get my D up i.e. weight and sugar.
wow! for how long are you taking? if more than 2 months you probably have a genetic mutation on gene RVD which cause bad Vit D absorption, ps: asma or rhinitis, auto immune disease ? anyway, dont worry. you can do a test for it) you can increase even more the intake, but avoid dairy products and supplement magnesium and K2 vit.and check calcium regularly.
I have had trouble remembering to take is consistently but have been trying to get into better habit since starting TRT (I have a pill box for all my supplements and meds now). I know I had taken it for at least 6 weeks prior to those bloods.
I’ll look up the RDV thing.
No asthma, no rhinitis. I do have mild Psoriasis, which I believe is auto immune.
Why avoid the dairly? I am currently trying to get my protein intake up with whey and I love milk and cheese. Avoiding dairy is very low on my priority list.
yes, that mutation causes also psoriasis. There is a cure for that, High doses of D vitamin.
But first find a doctor specialized on Coimbra Protocol.
IF, you ingest large amounts of D vitamin you have to supplement magnesium and K2, they are correlated with calcium, they drive excess calcium from the bloodstream to the bones.
D vitamin is connected with calcium metabolism and absorption.
But generally this kind of precautions should be taken just over 100
I realized that the Vitamin D number wasn’t updated at my 30 day mark, so the number doesn’t include the vitamin d supplements. Number could be higher now. I’ll wait till my next blood test to see where it is after consistent supplementation at 50K.
I’ll be seeing my PCP in 2 weeks and get updates on my bloods then. If the Vitamin D is still low, I’ll look into the above suggestions.
Any thoughts on my LH numbers? I saw a Endo before I started with my TRT doc and they diagnosed me with Primary hypogonadism. I never got my bloods from them and when I started with my current doc I didn’t review the number but is 1.2 (.8 to 7.6 range) low enough that I am possible a secondary hypogonadism? Doesn’t LH rise with to try and counter the primary hypogonadism?
You realize this is all nonsense, right? His D is low, but not harmfully so. Taking 10k IU a day would be more than overkill, and could actually make him ill. High triglycerides have many causes - mine for instance are just high and not diet related. It’s just the natural state for some.
Utter bullshit. Sorry to be so blunt. Calcium levels are controlled by PTH from the parathyroid glands and calcitonin from the thyroid. Vits D2 and D3 are inert, that supplement that you are taking is inert on it’s own. It has to be converted to D 1,25 to do anything. Having it at the low end can mean that you don’t get enough, but it can also meant that you are using it up too fast in conversion to 1,25. Calcium levels are good to know, but ionized calcium levels would give you a more complete picture of what his body is doing. And avoiding dairy is lousy advice. Unless he’s lactose intolerant, it is telling him to avoid a fantastic source of many vitamins and mineral that his body need.
I also think that the pre-TRT LH is indicative of secondary hypogonadism. No LH means the boys aren’t going to produce. Depending on why that is happening, it honestly might mean that you could actually pull off a successful restart with a PCT protocol.
