New Labs are in… My T is still low and everything else is in range.
all labcorp and I’ll post the ranges when I get copies of the paperwork
TT= 227 (348-1197) low
FT=9.6 (8.7-25.1) borderline low
E2=7.1 (7.6-42.6) low
TSH=2.13 (.45-4.5)
FSH=5.2 (1.5-12.4)
LH=2.5 (1.7-8.6)
T4=8.6 (4.5-12.0)
FT4=1.49 (.82-1.77)
T3=123 (71-180)
FT3=? (I asked for this test but they didn’t do it)
RT3=22.4 (9.2-24.1)
DHEA-S=189 (31-701)
Cortisol=54 (0-50) high
Progesterone=0.6 (.2-1.4)
Pregnenolone=81
I’m very disappointed my iodine reload, Pregnenolone and DHEA supplementation didn’t affect my T numbers at all. It would seem like my testicles are just not able to perform well anymore. I have done all the testing and home remedies I can do, so going back on the TRT probably forever. I had hoped I could find the cause and treat it.
On the bright side I have felt better, and fixed the ED with the Preg, DHEA and Iodine replacement
I have restarted TRT, I guess for life. I have been back on T-Cyp at 100MG week for a month or so and I was hoping for a sex drive boost but nothing yet. I do feel better and my muscles are harder, more energy, but my erections are not so great though and morning wood is non-existant, and last few days my left testicle is killing me. I started HCG hoping it will help with the pain.
I have one question… Being 38 and of normal overall health and having sex regularly(I do almost daily) should I still expect nighttime or morning wood?
Update after a year. I did a lot of experimenting with AI’s doses to fix ED issues. My TT levels have remained constant all year around 800 in each blood test. What I found out was that I do not need an AI at all, and if I take an AI, I am an over-responder.
Without monthly blood tests it took a while to figure out what was going on. Over the past year I’ve only taken maybe 3. I’d have a few good “hard” days then a bad “semi” day. I would take more or less AI a few weeks at a time, adjusting dosage. I can say with certainty that AI is not needed for everybody on TRT. My erection difficulties after going back on TRT were most definitely because I didn’t need an AI at all. For now I only take about 3 drops if I have a bad day, and that is only maybe once a month. For the most part I have nocternal erections, morning wood, daily sex and everything is working well. My TRT is
50mg T-cyp x2 wk, so 100mg week
.35ui HCG twice a week.
Jan 2015 test
TT 850
FT 23.7
E2 20.2
One interesting thing I have noticed… a fluctuation in E2 level seems to get me good wood… If I have a couple weaker days in a row, I will take a few drops of AI and I’ll be good to go for week or more. Even though my E2 never gets above the low 20’s, with no AI, sometimes that fluctuation down to 15ish then rising back to the low 20’s gives me a good punch.
I just wanted to share this for people who may view this thread.
RT3=22.4 (9.2-24.1)
Suggests lingering effects from stress. see the thyroid basics sticky.
Your body temperatures could be low.
What was your iodine replenishment and what maintenance intake?
[quote]KSman wrote:
RT3=22.4 (9.2-24.1)
Suggests lingering effects from stress. see the thyroid basics sticky.
Your body temperatures could be low.
What was your iodine replenishment and what maintenance intake?
High cortisol not good. Are you sleeping OK?
can be stress related
[/quote]
KS, Those test were a while ago now. I have been wondering if I have adrenal issues. I did have low body temps, and I did the iodide for about 30 days and it went back to normal. It is still pretty much normal after a year or so. Occasionally I take a 50mg pill, maybe once a month.
I need another cortisol test to see if its still high.
I think I had sleep apnea because of my sinuses closing up at night. I’ve had two nose surguries, but still can’t breath well. I sleep with a CPAP machine for the last few weeks and my afternoon drowsiness has vastly improved. I never had a sleep test. I actually found a CPAP from a family member that quit using it so figured I would give it a try. I roll back and forth a lot at night, even with the CPAP… That damn thing with that hose kinda wakes you up when you roll over…
Jdeck I Had tried to PCT and everything for a year. I did Dr. Scally’s HCG protocol I have done clomid nolvadex everything all prescribed by doctors so I know it was real. My main problem I’ve had for a year and a half now is my libido and ED. I resulted to TRT about 5 months ago and it has made me feel overall 100 times better.
I have never stopped building muscle or strength or lost muscle and that only got better with trt. My problem is that my libido and ED havent changed whatsoever. For a year and a half now my libido has been non existant compared to how i used to be being literally basically a sex addict. It has caused severe depression and has been the hardest thing Ive ever dealt with.
It seems as if you have figured out a regimen to keep you libido and erections good apparently. I personally dont even care about having to be on TRT if it makes me feel better but I am really young and have a lot of women i want to be with and this completely kills everything for me. What should I do to maintain libido and erections with the TRT.
What is your exact current regiment does it keep you from gettting gyno and are you normal with libido and erections. I’ll do anything for your help man this has completely ruined a year and a half of my life I need my sex life back so badly. Please help
I think the AI was killing my libido and erection quality. My body does a very clean conversion of T>E2, without spiking my E2, so I really don’t need AI. I found although I don’t need an AI to regulate E2, if I take a few drops every two weeks it really boosts my erection quality, which helps with confidence and libido. In a Non-TRT normal man, we would have spikes and valleys in FT and E2, which I believe is helpful to brain and body chemistry. On TRT our T levels should be fairly constant if we inject twice a week, therefore the E2 will remain pretty steady as weill. So taking a few AI drops every week or two, mimics the natural up/down hormonal cycle your body should go through.
I’ve learned a lot about my body. First thing I’ve learned is that higher T does not equal better wood. When my TT is up around 1000, which is where it stays when I take 100mg wk, erections aren’t as predictable or stable. Next, AI only wrecks my erections. Based on repeated tests my E2 has never tested over 23. Low E2 is probably much worse than low T FOR erection quality, so be careful using AI. You may not need one. Especially if you dial back your T dose like I have. I run very well on 60-80 mg wk with my TT around 4-500, and FT within range, and no AI. It’s taken a while to realize that a really don’t want super high T and I don’t need an AI. For the past year I have sex daily and the soldier is working perfectly and never leaves more hanging anymore. My biggest concern right now is repeated high cortisol. I have no answer for that issue.
Well, I am so glad you have finally reached your goal and reached a point of satisfaction. However, are you taking any HCG? what are you doing to prevent testicular shrinkage? Any problems with libido?
I’ve stopped TRT since July 2015. That’s almost 8 months now. I am not 100% well. I am trying Clomid 25mg/day and have been on it for over a month. I am not like you in T-> E2 conversion. I think my body converts a lot of T into E2. I don’t have labs yet, but I feel the sour nipples and the accumulation of fat around my midsection. I’ll do labs soon and might make adjustments to my Clomid dose or even go back on TRT.
I did a nolvadex restart at one point and it worked great until it wore off. I think I could manage just fine on clomid or nolvadex as a treatment option instead of TRT, but haven’t really gone that route. The good part of serm treatment is no testicular shrinkage. I had gotten off HCG for about a year or so, and my boys did shrink a lot, in fact I have started using it again this week to try to get the boys going. They were pretty pathetic, but HCG didnt help with my erection or libido. I really think low E2 was my main problem with ED symptoms. When my TT was 250, my FT was still on the lower end of normal because my E2 was 10. Basically all my hormones were low, but I think the low E2 was more of the cause of joint pain and poor erections. When I first started TRT I used 100mg wk, and used an AI regularly because I was worried about my E2. It took a while and several tests to realize I was driving my E2 so low it was making me feel bad and causing ED. It took a while without an AI to get my E2 back up into a more normal range. I believe E2 is the key to a healthy sex life, it needs to be in the normal range, if its low your erections will suffer. I had shared some of this information with Hakrjak and he had good success reducing his AI to half a pill every 10 days. Frankly I believe on TRT (80-120mg wk) doses we really don’t need much AI if our bodies are converting T>E normally, which most people do. I also think some guys with high E2 (bad conversion rate)don’t need TRT, they just need to experiment with AI to reduce E2, and their FT number will go up. FT and E2 are key numbers, and should be in the normal range. Forget TT numbers, they are worthless. My TT was 800, but my FT was 10 points higher than normal. This affected my erection quality, so I cut back on the T dose. Sorry I don’t have my exact numbers to share, but I hope you get the point.
one other point Activator, you should check into nolvadex as a serm, because it blocks E2 since you believe your E2 is too high. What are your numbers?
actually I did Nolva before but didn’t feel it got me anything. I am on Clomid now as I said for over a month on 25mg/day. but just started lowering the dose to 25mg/2days. so one day on , one day off. i am doing this to try to lower E2. I haven’t done labs yet but I feel E2 floating around. I have the sour nipples and some water retention. I noticed that morning wood is not consistent. even on 25mg of Viagra, erection is a problem. it is not as firm as it should be. Yet i still notice libido bursts every now and then.
it also seems i have thyroid issues. my body temperature is averged at 36.4 in the morning and almost never gets to a full 37 in the afternoon. I have supplemented with Idoine 25mg/day for the last 2 weeks, but haven’t seen any improvement.
Do you know how long should i be on that new regime (25mg clomid/2days) before i do labs?
