Teen Steroid Use

Pharma
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Hello all, I’m new to the forum but I’ve been using this as well as numerous other sites to conduct research on steroid use because I want to hear from people who’ve had hands on experience as opposed to feeding in to all of the BS that is fed to us via pharmaceutical companies and the media (ironic that I can say this yet it is what is holding me back and the bulk of the reason why I’m here). Not to say that this is a vast amount of time spent studying the subject, but I’ve been researching steroid use for hours on end every day for the past 5 months and I think I’ve gained a decent bit of knowledge.

I’m about to graduate high school and turn 19 within the next couple of months and would like to (but likely won’t) run my first cycle in late July. My diet and training have both been pretty consistent and solid and I’m making sure I can remain consistent.

A little background information:

Like I said, I’ll be turning 19 pretty soon and am looking to run my first cycle come late July. Currently, I’m 170 lbs at 5’10’', 16% body fat. I’d like to think my genetics are pretty decent as I’ve always had naturally broad shoulders, a slim waist, and naturally big and strong legs. Overall, my natural frame seems to be pretty good. Hormonally I’ve had some struggles and set-backs that most guys my age don’t have to deal with. At the age of 18 I saw my testosterone level drop to 300 ng/dl and had an elevated prolactin level. My endocrinologist placed me on cabergoline and I’ve been on that for quite some time now and have noticed improvements in my mood and performance in the gym. I was even offered TRT but due to my “normal” testosterone level it would’ve had to come out of my own pocket. I credit my low-t to obesity in my elementary years and extreme dieting throughout middle school on top of my elevated prolactin level.

*while on that note, I personally find the testosterone ranges used in medicine to be complete and utter insanity. Why in the name of God should my testosterone range at the age of 18 be the same range as it is for my 80 year old grandfather. Sure, by those standards my testosterone is “normal” but it surely is not optimal. Also, why is there all of this reluctancy in giving young males TRT but when 14 year old teenage girls want to hop on birth control (which is basically just a female hormonal pill) we’ll just hand that out. I mean I suppose its great not to have teenage girls getting pregnant and what not, but come on low t can lead to some pretty crappy circumstances in life that no male should have to experience, especially one that is only 18.

Either way, another reason I did not decide to pursue TRT at the time was because my doctor basically scared me out of it; told me I would likely lose my natty function, would likely be infertile/sterile, would lose my hair… pretty much told me every bad thing that could happen to me was going to because I’m 18. After this, I decided to take matters into my own hands and to give up on TRT. I started researching and it has led me here today.

I would post my planned cycle, but I’m coming here for advice not on dosing or my PCT or anything, just some real hands-on experience that goes beyond researching. I think I’m a pretty responsible teenager, maybe even responsible enough to use steroids effectively and as safely as possible. Throughout high school I’ve maintained a high GPA as well as scoring high enough on the SAT to get into top-tier schools. I’ve always been very research-oriented and have dreams of one day being a doctor and would like to think research is something I’m already decent at… so I’d like to think my steroid knowledge is semi-decent in comparison to most people and extremely vast for my age.

My main problem is getting past all of the things my doctor said to me as well as all of the horrible horror stories I’ve read. I want to be a doctor and that makes it worse because I constantly think that its like going against the people I one day want to be, but then again steroids are so horribly and innaccurately portrayed. Also, I’ve even read on here not to begin anabolic steroid use until you’re at least 21-23 so your endocrine system is fully developed. It really sucks to have to live constantly thinking about whether I’m holding myself back or keeping myself in-tact and healthy. I feel like I have everything ready for a cycle… research, diet, workout regiment, cycle… everything except my mindset. Is diving into your first steroid cycle really just having to say f*ck it and to grow a pair and just do it or am I overly sensitive to the opinions of the media and medical professionals? The world outside of fitness forums says that they’re the devil… this world says that they’re not as bad as they’re made out to be and that using them at 18-19 will not drastically mess you up for life while others say not to begin use until your mid 20’s. I have extremely mixed emotions which probably means I shouldn’t run a cycle just yet… but I’d really like some advice on getting past this mindset and what everyone has said in order to one day begin my own personal journey with steroids.

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I don’t think anyone is going to encourage you to run a cycle, that is your decision, however I will say this. It is doubtful you will go bald from a replacement dose of testosterone, androgens merely speed up the process of going bald. infertility can be prevented by using HCG (provided your hypogonadism is secondary), you will lose your natty function, but at what cost? If you don’t produce enough T naturally then it doesn’t really matter if you lose your natty function does it. What is your current test level on caber? Have you ever gotten a pituitary MRI? The doc that scared you out of TRT, was it your GP or ENDO? If you want to run a cycle you need to be educated and be able to accept the possible long term affects of supraphysiologic doses of AAS on cardiac function, liver function (if using orals) etc. The side effects of steroid usage portrayed by the media and sometimes even by big pharma are (in my opinion), grossly exxagerated, however steroids aren’t inherently good for you either and there isn’t a whole lot of money in the marketing of these compounds, therefore I doubt the stigmitization will go away anytime soon. I’ll update this post soon

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Thank you for the reply.

I have blood work within the next few days to see what progress I have made, actually. I did have an MRI and it came back clear… oddly enough I still had a slightly elevated prolactin level. Hopefully its not micro and comes back to bite me in my lifetime. As for the doctor, he was an endocrinologist.

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Before you go down that path Google: “How I Doubled My Testosterone Levels Naturally and You Can Too”. I cant link the article because t-nation rules.

A quick synopsis is below. The sleep and stress parts are very important.

Eat a well balanced diet. Put an emphasis on foods with high saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, eggs.
Supplement with Vitamin D3, fish oil, whey protein, and magnesium.
Exercise. With an emphasis on strength training and HIIT cardio.
Don’t overtrain!
Get more and better sleep.
Manage stress.
Avoid Xenoestrogens and Other T-Lowering Chemicals.
Have more sex.
Take cold showers (maybe).

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When you met with your doctor did he talk to you about alternatives to TRT? Guys your age should use TRT as a last resort, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options. Younger men have responded well to Clomid monotherapy and have increased their testosterone to more optimal levels. Because it’s not a lifetime treatment you’d potentially benefit from it without any additional maintenance (at least for a while).

Here’s the issue with you running a cycle, age aside. Your natural level is low to begin with. After you’ve run a cycle and been shut down for 12-14 weeks you run your pct. But pct is there to get you back to your normal state. Your normal state is low. So you’d be going from very high while on cycle to pretty low post-recovery. That’s not a great way to retain size and strength.

Look into monotherapies and see if it makes sense for you. Talk to the doctor and see what he has to say.

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Aside from pituitary tumours, what causes high prolactin levels? Is dairy a factor in that, with all the hormones given to cows?

To the OP, I’d exhaust all the none TRT means of improving your natural T production, with loads of thorough blood work, find doctors with lots of experience in improving hormonal function.

Providing it’s not seriously affecting your mental health, I’d spend a couple years trying none TRT means.

Having to inject testosterone & HCG from age 19 for life is a long long time, 2 years of trying to improve natural T isn’t very long (though it feels like it at your age).

I’ll leave the ‘how’ on improving natural T to others, but the above is my suggestion.

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I think most would encourage you to try non-enhanced natural methods to build a healthy life that improves your test and other anabolic hormones. However, with that said you are your own man just make sure to do plenty of research and take full responsibility for your decision if you go down that path.

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