Optimal is obviously a relative term. I’ve been lurking on the nation for about two months now, and just want to share my experience thus far and get some outside perspective.
I’ve been taking meds now for PTSD and depression, but even after modifying doses and even combining multiple meds I still felt bad. Exercise has always been my outlet, and not being able to drag myself out of the chair to work out was making matters worse. That’s when I decided to get my T checked.
The VA tested me first, and I fell within "acceptable guidelines at just over 300 ng/dl. Anyone who knows the VA knows its difficult to accomplish anything, and by this point I was determined that my T levels were the root cause of these issues. I found a civilian clinic online, and had my first panel done.
The panel revealed my total T was 224ng/dl, free T @ 5.1, and my estrogen was too low to register (<5.0)…so I started my first protocol in May:
Test C - 200mg / 0.5ml IM twice a week (Mon, Thurs)
HCG - 0.25ml SubQ twice a week
Along with the Sertraline/Bupropion, I’ve also been taking Cialis (6mg) daily to combat the ED the other meds are notorious for causing. I also have Viagra through the VA, but its limited and timing/half life are always a factor, so I decided to try the daily Cialis.
The first couple weeks things were great. I had my energy back, I was lifting 4-5x a week and even lost a little bit of weight. However, around week 3-4 I noticed my right ankle was swollen. I fish often, and figured it was just hot and I had been standing on the boat all day. I continued to watch it, but it gradually just got worse. Now both of my feet/ankles pretty much stay swollen, based on the amount of time I’m on my feet. I’ve also noticed my face is bloated, and overall I just look bigger. My diet the first month was pretty good, but then I got covid and started having the ankle issues and now it feels like that progress is gone. I know water retention on TRT is a thing and my water intake could always be better too, but I’ve always struggled with it.
I decided to get a second panel done this week, and I’m still waiting on those results to be reviewed. I understand everyone is different, and I know these things take time…but staying motivated and mentally healthy is very important too, and these issues are gonna bug me until I can draw some sort of conclusion.
Apologies for the long winded post, but any comments, criticism or words of encouragement would be appreciated. TIA
Mako