So, I got Total T and E2 labs yesterday. I am probably going to re-run them somewhere else as they are weird.
Upped my dose to 200mg.week from 185mg/week, probably 2 months ago. I’m on twice a week.
The numbers are:
Total Test 6.76 ng/mL range 2.49 - 8.36 ng/mL
E2 62.56 pg/mL range 6.1 - 91.9 pg/mL (standard test, not sensitive)
Unless I am missing something, that means my Total Test is only 676 on 200mg/week. It was around 833 on 185mg/week before. The units are different though, they’ve never given me test numbers in those units before.
Read that. It is an eye opener. Of 10 compounding pharmacies (I think I am reading that right, it might only be 8 if excluding the big brands androgel and testim which were accurate) only 2 achieved +/- 20% concentration of testosterone to the desired dose. This is with creams and gels, but I have heard that the oils are not too much better in regards to dosing accuracy. The study found that within the same compounding pharmacy the accuracy varied batch to batch as well.
If you had a +20% batch on 185 mg/wk, you would get much more test than -20% batch at 200 mg/wk (222 mg vs 160 mg).
It’s Testex brand Pharma test. I buy it at the pharmacy, and it is what I was on for the other test and has been what I have mostly used since starting. Haven’t used anythin else but this brand of Test C in at least 6 months, maybe a year.
I’m twice a week. I feel pretty good most of the time. I bumped to 200mg expecting the labs to show me above range but just wanted to see if it made any difference. None that I can tell. If the other lab says the same thing I’m bumping again and see what happens.
I am trying to stay within “Range” for the most part. I certainly don’t feel like I need more for training, my numbers are steady increase and I’m honestly too old for that to really matter. It’s not like I’m planning a comeback going to Masters competitions.
That said, I apparently have plenty of leeway.
@hardartery by any chance were you getting your blood drawn at the same place and using the same lab to get the results? I have seen a variance of up to 30% using different labs. Always use the same place to get a good comparison. Also, was the test taken at the same time of day at the same point of the week?
Guys, keep in mind that the timing of the blood draw will dictate the results you get. Want a low result? Test immediately before your next shot. Want a high result? Test a few hours after your shot. This is why numbers can be somewhat meaningless. “The guy had 900 total T”. When was it measured?? This is important.
Initially I only used one lab. Last Monday I used a different lab that we have been using for a year or so, today I went to the original lab. The second lab has changed something - their equipment or something - and it was obvious from the ranges and units that something weird was up with them this time around. There are three choices of lab in Managua, and two of them have now given me weird results.
And obviously the blood draw is consistently at trough, and usually on Monday. Sometimes I get blood drawn on a Thursday, but that’s my other dose day. Dude. I’m not Vonko.
