3 months later and still no acceptably knowledgable TRT doctor found thus no doc prescribed lab work either. I do have my sights on one but we know how that goes. It’s like trying to grab a greased pig.
However, 2 months ago to the day I threw my hands up in disgust and went in on my own.
First thing I did was give a double red cell count donation at a Red Cross for my slightly high hemocrit from before.
Ksman - I took your advice and used LEF/Life Extension to get labs on my own. Good company and easy to do & right now half price.
I have been injecting 60mg Watson cypionate twice a week using the injection protocol outlined in injection sticky section, # 29 syringe SC etc.
I have detailed logs of how I felt after every shot, how much Anastrozole used to get dialed in and the like.
So far overall: Feel great 95% of the time. Quality of life is transformational. A few days of “oh no” but they pass and I am back in business. Protocol:
60mg SC twice a week
7 drops Anastrozole (online research chemical kind) immediately after injecting
On and off with liquid Cialis but am finding I don’t really need it. If my BP turns out to climb maybe I can start using it again. Results:
Energy - 95% of time high/great
Morning Wood 95% of time yes
Libido 90% of time good to great
If I get shitty sleep or just flat out less than 5 hours, these percentages do start to decline.
Balls don’t ache and have not yet got much smaller if at all.
No acne
No loss of patience Lifting Weights
Getting stronger/bigger with increased endurance. I have not lost any weight though nor did my pants size really go down. My abdominal area basically remained unchanged (still holding fat there). Regular high protein/don’t eat like crap protocol
Labs after 2 months of injecting are attached: in a nutshell-
T Total 996 ng/dl (348-1197)
FT 35.8 pg/ml (High) (6.8-21.5)
Estradiol 25.9 pg/ml (7.6-42.6)
Labs say high cholesterol (triglycerides and LDL) Don’t recall having that problem before
SHBG looks low but not flagged as so.
Is this high FT something to be concerned about?
General impressions?
Everyone’s time is precious so I thank you for yours.
Those are awesome numbers! Between how you feel and those labs, I might toy around with the idea of slightly reducing the T dose and leaving the AI dose the same. This assumes you ran these tests half way between injections. I’d try maybe 100mg. of T total for the week and test again in six weeks. See if that brings down the FT a tad and the E2 closer to 22. Just a thought, I’m no expert!
Thanks Nashtide.
I hope it continues. I am nervous to change anything.
I ran my test just before my next shot.
Anastrozole can raise LDL I think and I probably don’t want to be on Anastrozole for the rest of my life if there is a way to avoid it or at a minimum reduce it.
I think I will try and lower my T dose back to 100mg like you suggested but also lower my Anastrozole to 4 drops which would put me at ~.5 mg/week. I will try this for a while and document the results. My E2 level where it stands now seems good for me as I feel great.
Total cholesterol is fine. Other components that are high might come down with some cardio. But fT4 is low that that may be impeding your mitochondrial burn of some lipids.
An update if anyone is curious.
I was doing just dandy self-injecting twice a week until my source of true Watson Test dried up.
So I went back to GP (gave up on finding knowledgeable TRT doc in my area - or going online for dubious concoctions) and asked if I could begin TRT there again but with injections this time around.
Now she is old school and said yes but I have to come in every 2 weeks for an injection.
Well we all know this is fraught with potential issues. By then though I had a decent bead on how my body deals with test and E2 and HCT for ex. She supplies the test, I supply the actual treatment of symptoms, issues etc. Seemed like a plan.
I drive right by the place on the way home from work so I said ok let’s give it a try.
I am through my first month and here is what has transpired and what I have learned. I also keep a log of what I think is important. If my morning wood is good and my libido is as well–I am feeling well in general too.
First–It seemed that after the initial shot, I needed to take larger amounts of anastrozole drops in order to avoid the listlessness and effects of rising E2. By now I am getting very good at detecting when it is out of comfortable range for me. If I get drowsy driving home–dead on indicator for my body that E2 is high.
Even after a few days I feel the amount of anastrozole needs to be increased more than when I was injecting 2X weekly.
I was averaging 8 drops (taken same day as injection) injecting twice weekly (100mg/wk) sub cu with E2 @25.9. But now take average of ~10.5 drops the day of IM injection, then every 3 or 4 days, with latest E2 at 24.
Below is a shot of my journal entries.
In general, I have felt pretty darn good this first month. I do feel when I hit 4 days left in the 2 week cycle, I begin to feel the effects of a sliding T drop. So the last day or two, I chuck some gel on I still have laying around and I feel good again.
So no real roller coaster of super highs then super lows. It is pretty steady aside from what I just mentioned, which I can tolerate.
So for the time being, this is how I am doing.
No side effects from the anastrozole yet.
My HCT will be fixed with a simple and quick blood donation. Which is probably good to do on general principal anyway.
Below is my latest blood test.
Total T is 492 and this was with only 3 days left of the 2 week shot. Funny thing, I had an extreme libido at that time and was feeling great. And E2 was almost spot on so that E2 appears to be pretty critical. Don’t know if I can do this the rest of my life–but hey, sometimes we just take it day by day.
It must be frustrating, after all that you know more than the doctor. But the law will not let you treat yourself. In the meantime the men at the gym (who are the “reason” that you can not buy testosterone) still have all the gear they want.
Thanks Verne. Trust me when I say I know what you mean about no lab work with out a script. Drove me nuts for a bit until I just went and used Lef.
Despite having to do a two week shot deal this go around, I am doing rather well so far.
If I can make this work and figure out a system, which I am sure I can do – I will be very happy pinning once every 2 weeks. And my testosterone will be good and pure coming straight from pharmacy (greater chance it would be anyway). I don’t think it is impossible to get a shot every 2 weeks and do fine.
I have already got a decent bead on my E2 management. We will see how this next month goes as this first month is obviously not enough time to make any serious conclusions.
I still feel great and that has been my main barometer and quality of life is what’s important in the long run.
Hey KSman,
I think my message was mistaken in my last post about my new once every 2 week protocol. I am doing great so far.
I already went through the iodine and temperature testing in extreme detail way back in the beginning of my post.
I actually felt really well the day I was recently tested. I have had no roller coaster stuff happening to me. Like I stated, near the end of the 2 weeks I feel a drop in my T levels but it’s not overwhelming.
And my morning wood and libido have been really good most of the whole month and occasionally over the top.
I think my E2 levels are near where they should be at least most of the entire month or I would be feeling the effects. I am getting pretty good on feeling E2 changes. I have had over a year of feeling these changes and what they mean. My E2 after one month of this 2 weeks shot deal was 24pg/ml.
If I can just keep this going. One month is not enough time to draw any conclusions. I need a few months of this to know if I have figured out the anastrozole dosages.
I am going to have to be more precise and take more detailed notes.
My goal is to try and taper the anastrozole dosages as the 2 weeks go by after the injection. Hopefully mimicking the decline of T.
I don’t think it is impossible.
Not only that – at this point it’s the only treatment available to me so instead of just letting it ride and hoping for the best or giving up on this whole T treatment and cursing out all the doctors (again), I am going to dig my heels in and see if I can figure this out myself.
The fact that almost every day of the month I felt great and near the end of the month, when my T was 492, but my E2 was spot on and I felt great tells me it is possible.
I may crash and burn but it won’t be for the lack of trying!
