Did you start this because of low levels or as part of the supplement list?
And do you have dosages etc. of these you take and why you think those will help? (Not judging as I really can’t cast the first stone! Please see any of my other posts!)
The anavar (Sorry @readalot , oxandrolone…) especially stands out as even in low doses many people experience damaging cholesterol levels on this.
I talk a little bit about the anabolics I’m taking here:
RE Anavar: I just started recently. I have a blood test in the next few weeks and will see if there’s any negative impact. Even if all is OK, this isn’t something I’m planning to run continuously forever. Regardless of test results, there’s enough bro science that says running continuously is a bad idea.
You are probably a stud with no hit to your lipids. Both 15 and 50 mg/day knocked mine to the point i was not comfortable. May try a stanozolol experiment next.
I don’t have a medical reason to get GH. My IGF-1 before starting any anabolics was already over the normal range and continues to be very high at every blood test.
I’m getting my first bloodwork with Anavar soon and will see where I’m at. I’ve had no side effects that I’ve been able to notice after using for about three months straight.
Wow, quite a list. My approach to training and nutrition, as I turn 50 in three weeks, has been different than yours. I minimize supplements and interventions while striving to keep my body self-functioning as well as possible as long as possible. It’s not that I won’t use pharmaceutical intervention, just that I see that as a last resort. My free testosterone is 806 ng/dl, my resting hr was 47 at my last visit (after climbing a flight of stairs to get there), and my blood pressure was 115/75. I’m at 16.2% BF (as of my last reading), and my Vo2 max is an all time high of 50. My supplements are (being consistent with what you call a supplement):
Whey protein (typically concentrate. I use ProMix, which is the least processed I can find and has no artificial sweeteners)
Creatine
Vitamin D and Vitamin B (I use Garden of Life)
Kombucha/kimchi (I believe gut health is very important for overall health and brain function)
Surge Workout Fuel (this is typically the type of thing I wouldn’t use, but have really enjoyed the convenience and effectiveness of this for my early morning workouts)
Medicinal mushrooms (I’m a big believer in these and have done a lot of research, but I’ll spare you all that. I tend to use Cordyceps, Chaga, and Reishi as my main three but also will use Turkey Tail and Lion’s Mane occasionally).
Pharmaceutical intervention was a last resort for me. I went almost 8 years trying to figure out why I felt so awful all the time. I knew my hormones were a bit messed up starting in my late 30s through blood tests. Symptoms got bad enough that I couldn’t just fight my way through it anymore in my mid 40s. It’s when my brain started to not work right anymore that was the final push for me.
I’ve gotten into the mushroom thing the last year. It’s honestly hard to tell what most of these supplements are actually doing. Most don’t make me “feel” any different. I just have faith that they are doing something based on the research and hopefully are neutral at worst.
The only thing that has made a significant noticeable change in how I feel/look is testosterone and the other anabolics.
Sounds like you definitely made the right call, and I would have done the same thing if I were in that situation.
Mushrooms are adaptogenic, and contain a potpourri of bioactive compounds and other beneficial molecules such as specific types of beta glucans. The problem, as is often the case with supplements, is that many of the products are low on quality and high on claims. Many mainstream brands are mostly myceliated biomass rather than extracted mushrooms. A cost effective brand that is still good quality is RealMushrooms. I’d also recommend buying individual mushroom extracts rather than blends, because with blends you are likely not getting the effective does (~1 g of extract per mushrooom). This, in my opinion, is also a problem with many greens and superfood powders. They will claim a huge number of exotic ingredients in each scoop, but if you took that scoop and divided into 80 equal parts (or however ingredients they claim), you’ll see you’re really getting only a few specks of anything. My preference is to research any individual ingredient you’re interested in, and buy that separately so you can take an amount that is potentially beneficial and in-line with any research.
I started taking this recently from RealMushrooms. I already take so much crap I try to find blends of things, but I usually take more than the dose on the bottle to deal with what you said on non-effective doses.
And it’s all a crapshoot on if the bottle actually contains what’s on the label. I try to only buy standardized stuff, but even that could be BS. So I usually only stick with known brands, not the cheapest garbage on Amazon, if it’s not a Biotest product.
