Short story…
I have been on Test C for almost 1 yr… 150~160mg split into 2 shots / wk. Got divorced in Oct at the same time started HCG, after a few weeks Libido went from a 5 to a zero.
In retrospect I believe the depression from the split from my wife as well as adding HCG played a significant role. I stopped using HCG after 8 wks (I never tested while on HCG) things got a little better but still a 1 to 2 on the libido side.
Moving forward in life with a new GF with and now dealing with malfunctioning pecker was really getting me and my GF distraught and I was at wits end… Now my mental issue is focused on the fear of getting / maintaining erection which you know how self-defeating that is
I finally decided to move to 180wk (split into 2 shots/wk) Steady improvement to finally having many days where I may have been a 5 on the libido scale. Pretty happy and relieved.
Now it came time for my doc ordered labs. I did not want to fight a battle with my doc over my T levels being high as my hemocrit levels had been on the high side. Foolishly I skipped my last weekly injection and tested on day 7 instead of 3.5 thinking the half life would have me somewhere in the high side of the normal T levels… To my surprise labs show a huge T drop, which makes me question the real half life of all of my built up T. Also, now my hemoglobin is high so I know I have to get my T dose down.
Anyhow… after my lab draw I immediately went back to my 180/wk routine and immediately had the best libido I have had in years. — was this caused by the boost in T from skipping my last injection and E not catching up??. A few weeks later being quite content libido wise I decided to try HCG once more to up my game. I have now been on HCG for 3 weeks and libido has decreased to almost a 1 and can’t maintain any erection for too long either. Of course now I am once again MF’ing myself as well. I am stopping HCG again but am wondering if weekly’s are better for me or EOD given how fast my body eats T up??? I say weekly as when I was on pellets there seemed to be only a few weeks of good libido shortly after I had them inserted and they are a steady state.
Constructive comments please!
Your SHBG is actually kinda high, surprised to see that. It does support your need for a higher dose to get your FT up into that 25-30ng/dL range most guys feel good at. I’d stay on 2x weekly shots but just pay attention to FT rather than TT. E2 is lower as well but you didn’t mention an AI. SHBG binds to that as well, so could probably get away with running it a little higher.
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No Ai, never even tried it. I also find it coincidental that my SHBG remained identical from my last lab despite my t dosage change. Trying to reason if/why HCG is crushing my libido, and what else to try to get dialed in. At 180 my hemoglobin is above the range so I believe the doc is going to tell me to go back to 150/160. I read that low shbg guys do better on dailes, but higher guys do better on weekl’s. While on pellets, which was the ultimate stable release, there seemed to be a window where I did better, but I don’t know exactly when. My hcg and hemoglobin were much better on pellets, but I will never do them again.
That is not accurate. There are low (extremely low) SHBG guys that do fine on weekly injections, and high SHBG guys that do better with more frequent dosing.
You have erythrocytosis, not polycythemia vera. Millions living at 7500 feet altitude with erythrocytosis and do fine. Make sure you are well hydrated prior to labs.
There you go. Stay at what worked, 90mg twice a week.
Thank you for the input and for clarifying that more frequent injections are generally better for the high SHBG group. My Dr. apt is not till the end of July but the Dr. office just recommended a blood donation or phlebotomy… I of course would much rather get my Hemoglobin down a little so I can do the donation route so I need to research how long it will take to come back down, but I would also guess I have to reduce my T dosage… They also suggest fish oil supplements and Bromelain… Overall I am in great shape, active and exercise daily so this is a little concerning to me.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry so much. Like highpull said, your increased HCT is just because of your injections and aside from one questionable reading isn’t jumping out as a concern. Assuming platelets are in range, I’d just hydrate more, continue exercise, try Nirangin, low dose ARB, enalopril, and if you really want, donate blood.
You probably got the surge in libido at the beginning then it levels off.
Yeah. Yeah go back to no hcg.
I apologize, I did not mean to imply that injection frequency has anything to do with SHBG. More frequent injections are better for some high SHBG guys, not so for others. There is no generally accepted injection schedule relative to SHBG, either high or low.
Well, I quit the HCG, last shot with it was 4 days ago and feeling more libido already. I have no idea what it can be doing to effect me that way, I have read it helps some in the libido dept and others just said it did not agree with them, but did not elaborate further.
RE: my Hemoglobin… this number was a surprise to me as I have been able to keep my hemocrit in range and I read that your HCT is generally 3 times your hemoglobin, which has been close for me in the past, but not now. wondering if I ate or supplemented with something that caused this reading… I do not take an iron supplement… I plan on supplementing with fish oil and Bromelain, reduce my T back to 160 and then try a donation to see how I feel. I would love to stay at 180/wk, but donating blood every 60 days is a bit freaky for me as I don’t enjoy needles in my veins… I may change my mind later after my first blood donation.
Personally I would reduce my dose to avoid donations.
You need to take the least amount of t to resolve symptoms. And if you do that, most don’t require ai or donations.