Hey guys- 34 years old here, been training on and off since high school but very consistent the last 4 years with training and nutrition. Dont drink at all, smoke a little pot here and there. Been experiencing low T symptoms for years but chalked it up to working alot, stress, 2 kids etc, but what really made me question what was going on was watching some other guys my age join my gym and do less than optimal workouts and talk about their partying and shitty eating habits but watching them make more progress in a year than I have in 4. So I got levels tested at the GP and came in with total T at 219 (264-969) and free T at 7 (8.6-25.1). Went to a urologist who specializes in TRT and he did a more comprehensive hormone panel and confirmed my low levels as well as that my thyroid and everything else seemed good and wasn’t an underlying issue.
He seems very knowledgeable and open to trying different things, but wanted to start me on Xyosted, which is an auto injector, with 100mg Test E once per week. Last night was my first injection. He is open to HCG and AI use if required. I have 4 weeks of the xyosted and then go back to him the day before what would be my 5th injection so he can do bloodwork during the trough.
Has anyone used this stuff before? Does this sound like a shit protocol? I’m looking forward to feeling better but also just am generally nervous about committing to TRT for some reason. I’m also not sure yet about being cool with my balls shriveled up lol, but HCG makes me nervous too because it seems so hit or miss for guys on whether is helps or makes things worse. He is also 100% open to going to Test C in regular injection form, which I may ask for when I go back so I can do 2x per week vs 1x. Anyone have any input or want to help put my mind at ease lol
Just do test right now. One variable at a time makes it easier to get close to optimal. Don’t do the AI unless you need it (symptoms, not blood work). At 100 mg/wk your chances of needing an AI are close to 0.
I’ve never heard of it, but if it is Test E, I have used that. It sounds to me like a company found a way to make a lot more money off of a cheap drug that can’t be patented by making a novel administration device (which is patentable). If this stuff costs you a lot of money, just ask to switch to Test E in a vial. Maybe insurance covers it all, if so, it doesn’t matter.
This is normal. It is a life long decision. To me it sounds like you need it. I think the reward will be better than the commitment of pinning, blood work, and appointments.
This is less common than what people think. Mine are maybe 15% smaller. This will be individualistic, but I think most get a small amount of atrophy. Most women I don’t think would be able to tell. If anything it makes your dick look bigger, so take that as a win.
2X a week is what I would do compared to 1X. Many are fine with 1X. An advantage with just doing regular injections is you aren’t stuck with 100 mg doses. You may find you feel a lot better at 150 mg/wk than 100 mg/wk for example.
Thanks for the reply and helping relieve some of my nervousness. Right now insurance covers these 100% so thats not an issue, but like you said, I may want to get away from the auto injection because its a 1x use, so my only option is dosing the 100mg once a week. Its definitely an option to go to just regular test E/C and drawing up injections which is the way I may go after I use my first 4 weeks of the auto inject. My insurance only covers 400mg test/month, so that’s my 100mg a week. I’m not sure if the doc would go higher than 100mg a week, we didn’t discuss a higher dosage yet, but I’m assuming if he did up it, I may just have to cover the difference beyond what insurance covers? And if it was regular Test E/C that you draw up, I’m guessing it would be fairly cheap anyway?
Should be. If not, GoodRx can usually get you a bottle for under $30 without insurance. It is about $6 bucks a month for a membership to GoodRx.
IMO, 100 mg/wk will get you benefits, but the way I see it, a bit higher has some added benefits. 200 mg/wk usually makes a lot more impact on the physique for most people. Not everyone is good with that dose (get E2 symptoms, high HCT, high blood pressure, water retention, etc.), but some are just fine at that dose. I think if everything checks out, that is what I would do (and do). That is personal opinion though. I don’t care about the ranges, I care about getting a good benefit out of the treatment, without any discernable difference in risk.
Yeah I mean as long as I’m healthy and not having any sides, I don’t particularly care about numbers, just about feeling good.
My doc is in NYC and was recommended as well as being an active poster himself on some TRT boards. That’s why I chose him, bc everyone seems to say he’s very open to getting you to feel good and not just making your numbers “good enough.”
Thanks man, that was very confidence inspiring! I am secondary.
And I definitely think he liked the auto injectors to start as almost a break in period.
Funny side story, he was going to give me a lesson on the auto injector at the office but was having trouble finding his sample. I told him, don’t worry about it my wife is a paramedic so she is great with needles and all that. Well, let my wife do the first administration and she ended up having to poke me 3x since she wasn’t pressing the injector in hard enough, the needle would poke me but not dispense the T. I proceeded to make fun of her… “oh look at me, I’m a paramedic ”
Thanks again man, hoping to get dialed in and feel great over the next few months. I’ll try to keep some updates going here and I’m sure I’ll continue to have some questions for you TRT veterans.
Stay the course for about 6-8 weeks. You will have ups and downs till your body gets used to the
new testosterone levels.
I personally would not change anything until then. If dr doing labs at 4 weeks, try to push to 5 weeks. Then go over results and see how you feel at about 6 weeks.
Test E pen made for subq only. No preservative (alcohol) since it’s sealed cartridges instead of vials. Yeah, probably a money maker but also represents the only test I know of specifically made/authorized for Subcut.
In a way it’d be nicer than dealing with all the empty vials and syringes, but I don’t think it’s all that big a deal either way IMHO.
Yeah just heard from my insurance they won’t be covering it. First month was free as a promo from the company but looks like I’ll be going to regular injects after the first 4 weeks and most likely test C instead of E.
Just wanted to give you guys an update… I’m just about 6 weeks into TRT now. The first 4 weeks were with the xyosted auto injector at 100mg Test E/week, which I incorrectly reported was covered by insurance. Not a big deal, switched to Test C @ 100mg/week, but the last 2 weeks I started splitting my dose to 50mg/2x a week.
I’ve been keeping a log since I started TRT for myself, just recording how I feel etc… and since splitting the dose I’ve seen a noticeable difference. I was doing the auto injector Thursday nights, Fri-sat generally felt great, by Sunday night I would always feel a little bloated and some sensitivity in my chest… definitely not gyno but could feel something going on there… then by wed/thurs I would be feeling less than optimal until my next injection.
In 2 weeks now with the split dosing, I’ve seemed to have avoided that bloat and chest sensitivity issue. Most importantly, I’m feeling “even” as far as energy, mood and libido throughout the week.
I believe I’ve had low test for a few years now, and aside from the improvements above, I finally feel like I’m making the progress I should have always been in the gym. My wife and a few family members commented this weekend that my arms and shoulders were looking big, and I definitely seem to have lost a little bit of my love handles so far, without changing diet or workout. I’ve done a few very mild cycles of the andros/11kt/Anavar in the past, so I can say TRT doesn’t compare to those, but compared to the progress I was making without TRT to now there is a noticeable difference.
Other big thing to note is recovery. I’m running a 3 day/week full body strength focus, so fairly heavy workouts. From when our gyms opened in August until I started TRT in Oct, I was consistent with my workouts but definitely feeling beaten down. Sore muscles/joints/fatigue basically all the time. Since TRT has kicked in I notice I may be a little sore the day after a workout, but by day 2 I’m feeling good and ready to lift again.
I know I’m only 6 weeks into this journey, and this honeymoon period is going to end soon enough, but just figured I’d provide an update.
”