I’m new to TRT and have some questions. I have a follow up with my doctor in a month but was hoping to gather some opinions now. A couple year ago I got my testosterone tested and a couple times after this. Here were the results
Nov 2019 - 21.2 nmol/L
Aug 2021 - 15.4 nmol/L
Nov 2021 - 12.4 nmol/L
Normal range stated as 8.4-28.8 nmol/L.
After the last test I was referred to a specialist to discuss these results and he mentioned TRT. I am 39 years old, bit over weight right now but I have a long history of training and sports; however, neglected this in past couple years. I have been feeling sluggish and slow lately and have a decreased libido. This could be from recent lack of training, alcohol or even the extra weight (30lbs).
On February 15th I did my first test cyp injection at 100mg’s. This is to be weekly. 4 days later on February 19th I had my test level checked again and it was 23.2 nmol/L.
My question: is 3-4 days enough time to see this increase from a first injection? Or has my natural production increased recently. I feel if I have increased naturally I maybe do not need TRT right now and should hold off and do more testing.
First of all you’re testing way to early, 4-6 weeks is the earliest you should be drawing labs. You are also stacking exogenous T on top of endogenous T, in a couple of weeks your natural T production will cease and your body will be reliant on exogenous T.
You’re not injecting raw T as there is a cypionate ester that has a half-life of 5-7 days and over the course of days T becomes bioavailable and gradually builds up in your system.
Thanks for the message. I am doing the labs as per my doctors request. I just have to follow what he’s asking for. My friend used the same doctor for TRT and had him do the same thing.
So after reading what I posted, should I maybe not continue this week and run a few more tests on myself? Would the one injection 3-4 days prior have bumped my test up that fast?
I thought it was the other way around, in this case your doctor isn’t a good fit to manage your TRT if he is running labs days after your very first injection and has no business prescribing TRT or male hormones for that matter because he doesn’t comprehend or have a basic understanding of pharmacodynamics.
As I stated before you are stacking exogenous T on top of endogenous T, so no one injection isn’t going to shoot your T levels up much.
It sounds like you’re already having second thoughts.
If I were you I wouldn’t have started TRT without first attempting to increase my natural T and then if I fail to increase it naturally, then commit to TRT.
Its difficult to advise you base on the fact I don’t know your medical history or pre-TRT labs including LH and FSH levels indicating secondary or primary hypogonadism.
A sudden drastic decline in T isn’t normal and is hinting at a problem.
Thanks for the message. I am completely comfortable with TRT, I just do not want to be on it if I don’t have to be. I think I am going to postpone this treatment and see what my bloodwork shows over the next couple months.
This would indicate a pituitary problem, being overweight can affect pituitary functionality through multiple factors such as excess weight, poor sleeping habits, lack of exercise and bad lifestyles factors and you have a recipe for low- T.
Thanks for the info. I think I am going to hold off on the TRT and test everything weekly for a couple months. It may give me a better idea if my test dropping was out of the ordinary or it’s now a lot lower than it once was.
It’s odd though that my test this week showed it was the highest in the past 2 years… I was wondering if that correlated with my injection but I didn’t think it would have bumped up so fast.
This isn’t odd at all. You literally injected more test into your body, which is in addition to your natural test levels for now. It’s like having 10 M&M’s in a cup, tossing a handful of additional M&M’s into the cup, then being surprised that you have more candies in your cup
If your T levels are within range, why go on TRT in the first place? I mean, if your goals are to be on the top end of the spectrum - then there’s your motivation, but if you don’t want to take it, many Dr’s wouldn’t even prescribe it while within range.
I’m not going to question anything @systemlord says - he’s far more knowledge than myself about pretty much everything in this realm
To my knowledge, this should temporarily increase your test levels for reasons above. Once your body stops producing T naturally, these numbers will likely drop to levels you would actually sustain on TRT.
So why not give TRT a shot? you’ve already been prescribed
No consensus has been reached regarding the lower TT threshold for defining testosterone deficiency. A lack of consensus follows from the fact that no studies have shown a clear threshold for TT or Free T that distinguishes men who will respond to treatment from those who will not.
Also the number of CAG repeats in androgen receptors diff in men and influences the androgen receptor activity. Hence testosterone sensitivity may vary in different individuals.
There are studies that show a loss of libido and physical strength below 430 ng/dL or 15 nmol/L.
Testosterone also increases the release of dopamine, which is responsible for feelings of pleasure.
Thanks for the information. My lab result last November showed in the 12 range and 3 month prior in the 15 range. This is what led to me being referred to a specialist who handles TRT patients. I was then prescribed it and took my first dose last Tuesday. I tested again yesterday and my test was 23.2.
My thoughts here are that perhaps my natural test levels have come back up and that TRT may not be what I need or want at the moment. I then thought that maybe it spiked because of the dose I took a few days prior.
Do you think I should not continue with TRT and continue with my labs and go back to the doctor with that information? My next visit with him is in April.
Let me ask you something, you’re 39 which is still young, now is the time to find out if you really need TRT at this point in your life, so is it unreasonable to attempt to increase your testosterone naturally first before going the replacement route?
That‘a how I feel. That’s what I was monitoring over the past couple years and it was declining. Now it’s spiked back up this week! I started using a CPAP machine a couple months ago and am feeling more energy as of late. That could have bumped it up also. I’ll take a step back and TRT will be there in a few months if, in fact, I need it.
Now that could explain a drop in T, a disruption is sleep cycles can affect testosterone and even growth hormone which increases during REM sleep.
Did you fast when drawing labs for your testosterone panel?
The reason for asking is there is a small percentage of the population that need to test T when fasting because eating prior to lab testing can drop T abnormally low in these men giving a false low reading.
I was wondering about the CPAP machine helping increase everything in the last couple months. I do shift work and long hours and am well aware of how important sleep is in life. I haven’t slept well my whole life and finally got tested for sleep apnea and it was moderate.
I didn’t have to fast for the T test but I did have to do it within 3 hours of waking up.
I’m not going to do the injection this week but am going to continue to do my labs each week and see if the last test was just a blip or my natural test is back to a higher normal.
Fun fact: I went for my T test the day after I injected this week and it tested at 29.9 which is above the 28.8 range high. It came back as abnormal so I had to redo it. Wonder what happened there?
Some history on me: when I was 19/20 my friends got my into steroids. We trained hard and I did a couple cycles. One cycle was very heavy for a young person. I was using 1000-1250mgs a week sustanon 250 for about 3 months. I used a couple other things around them too but I cannot remember what. I was absolutely huge…. I always regretted using at that age but I really didn’t know better and when I came off I just stopped. Big mistake.
I always wondered if using back then and that long high test cycle messed up my body somehow. I always wondered if it did permanent damage.
I did another test and my testosterone was 8.5. I came off a bad nights sleep though where I was sleeping off and on all night. Not sure if that would have affected it.
8nmol/l is my reality since at least 5 years ago. Been monitoring and it just very slightly fluctuated above and below. Unfortunately it will not improve in my case as i´ve tried increasing it using all the natural methods.
And i´ve never “cycled” anything ever. It´s just what it is. A few protein shakes (eventually tainted with anabolic steroids?) I know it may sound ridiculous but nothing else occurs me.
TRT will only work for you if you adopt great habits. Working habits, food habits, resting habits, nutritional habits. Since you´re comiting to a “for-life” medication, make sure you try to make it work the best way you can.
But first, i´d give a try to natural enhance it. Your body always improves itself when you eat, train and rest properly and accordingly to your age and physical condition. Even if it doesn´t direcly translate to better/highter Total T or Free T levels.
