Return to HCG Mono After Short Term TRT?

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

In a nutshell I’m 22 years old and was diagnosed with low T earlier this year (360 TT). My doc prescribed 500iu hcg 3x/week and TT increased to 1061 after 2 months. He then lowered my dose to 300iu 2-3x per week and my test dipped into the 400’s. From there he added test cyp @ 50mg per week and 250iu hcg twice a week which I’ve been on for 8 weeks. My latest blood work shows my test even lower (465 TT compared to 495 on 300iu hcg mono).

My symptoms of low t are still lingering (poor erection quality, lowered sex drive, stressed easier, lowered strength, lower immunity) and I felt 100x better when I was at 1061. Is it possible to just simply go back to 500iu 3x a week at this point? Or am I stuck using test injections?

Labs:

Before HCG monotherapy

[quote]TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 360 (250-1100 ng/dL)
TESTOSTERONE FREE: 33.2 L (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
TESTO, BIOAVAILABLE: 68.3 L (110.0-575.0 (ng/dL)
SHBG: 49 (7-49 nmol/L)
ALBUMIN, SERUM: 4.5 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)[/quote]

2 months into HCG monotherapy

[quote]TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 1061 (250-1100 ng/dL)
TESTOSTERONE FREE: 162.3 L (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
TESTO, BIOAVAILABLE: 333.9 (110.0-575.0 (ng/dL)
SHBG: 35 (7-49 nmol/L)
(ALBUMIN, SERUM: 4.5 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)
ESTRADIOL, ULTRA-SENSITIVE: 79 H ( OR = 29 pg/mL)[/quote]

All of my symptoms improved tenfold. My libido was through the roof, my strength shot up, my muscle mass was regained and then some and I felt great all around.

From there my doc lowered my dose to 300iu 2-3 times per week and 0.25mg of arimidex per week and this was my test result 2 months later

[quote]TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 495 (250-1100 ng/dL)
TESTOSTERONE FREE: 58.5 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
TESTO, BIOAVAILABLE: 125.4 (110.0-575.0 (ng/dL)
SHBG: 38 (7-49 nmol/L)
(ALBUMIN, SERUM: 4.7 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)
ESTRADIOL, ULTRA-SENSITIVE: 14 ( OR = 29 pg/mL)[/quote]

At this point my symptoms had returned, although not as severe. Still, strength plateaued/slighty dropped, erection issues, sex drive lowered, immunity, etc. My doctor then decided to add 50mg of test cyp/week into my regime and we decided on 250iu of hcg 2 and 1 day before the injection. 8 weeks later my blood work (this week):

[quote]TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 465 (250-1100 ng/dL)
TESTOSTERONE FREE: 64.2 (46.0-224.0 pg/mL)
TESTO, BIOAVAILABLE: 129.1 (110.0-575.0 (ng/dL)
SHBG: 32 (7-49 nmol/L)
(ALBUMIN, SERUM: 4.4 (3.6-5.1 g/dL)
ESTRADIOL, ULTRA-SENSITIVE: 29 ( OR = 29 pg/mL)[/quote]

2

Well for starters 50mg a week is probably not enough. It will shut you down but not provide enough test or roughly the same you can produce on your own.

At least trying HCG you found out that your boys are able to produce. So you are probably not primary.

You had a very high SHBG value in your first test. What about LH and FSH values those are missing in your tests.

You need to run more tests and find the cause. Read the stickies and get the appropriate tests.
Definiltely look into Lh and fsh you might have a pituatory issue.

Sounds to me you have a good chance getting back on track and finding your root problem and you are only 22.

Check your E2 values that you gave you write 29 for 2 tests but the values look different?

3

When you went to 50 mg/week, was that only one injection per week? When was the labwork done in relation to your last T dosing?

You appear to be a good candidate for a SERM restart…talk to your docctor about this…the idea is to use a SERM for 4 weeks in a Post Cycle Therapy style (for AAS users) in which your pituitary starts increasing your LH/FSH and your testicles respond accordingly. This could essentially “reset” your HPTA and when you discontinue the SERM, ideally you maintain testicular and pituitary output.

If that doesn’t work, then you should consider going back to HCG only…I’m not sure why you and your doc moved to Test Cyp instead of just fine tuning your HCG dose a little more…you know 500 iu 3x/week is slightly too much (althought it seemed you were fine at this dose, so why did your doc want to bring you back down?) and 300 iu 2-3x/week is too little, so you should have tried somewhere in the middle…

You need the correct E2 test…get the 4021x from Quest…or the 3-70 range one from Labcorp…this is what we are used to using here and it makes identifying your E2 sweet spot a bit easier…