Så yeah, im 38 y.o. Been lifting for a long time. Not a BB but i like maintainkng good physic. Done some cycles with pcts ofc with good results. I’ve done only test cycles and none above 500mg/week.
I have Hypothyroidism and use t4 pills daily.
I feel realy good while on cycle (no surprise there) and pct feeling is good as well. But then the crush comes and i couldnt wrap my head around it. My blood work was ok, test lvls were ok and i produce total testosterone normaly after pct. BUT last time i did better blood work and my free Test is right below norma, SHBG i sky high. The thing is that, and i had to dig deep to find this, T4 that i take in my dossage raises SHBG and that lowers my free testosterone. So i got normal total testosterone levels but i feel like crap, gains gone, libido crap, energy lvls are low. So my doc wants med trt.
I mean cycling was ok and i actualy was wondering if cruising on trt and blasting woth higher dossage some times is better for me. But is it worth it? I mean trt is big decision.
I am on my 10th week of test e, this time i did only 250mg week and results are still awesome. Should i just go on and jump on trt or enter the pct and crush right after? Family and 3 kids here, might wanna have 1 more some time in the future and doc says it wont be an issue.
Sorry for a mess of a question and apretiate the help.
Well, “better” for you? No. But would produce more gains at the cost of health.
Why restart your HPTA if you’re just going to shut it down again right after? Straight to TRT… 250mg isn’t that much higher than TRT doses anyways.
For most, it won’t be an issue; HCG does wonders at restarting HPTA (fertility, among other functions) for most, but some never recover that function.
Definitely have that discussion with the Mrs about whether you want to roll the dice on that one.
Problem is not me shutting it down, but shbg skyrocketing because of t4 use, im on 150mcg a day and cant go lower. Almost no free test to use, no energy, no gains, crap libido. I guess i know the answer as i feel realy good even on just 250mg a week, and trt 150-200 a week will do wonders for me.
Any feedback on cruising on higher trt dossages? Like 200mg/week? Im not trying to be a arse or anything, just geting every bit of information i can get as trt is lifelong decision.
This is a pretty typical ‘cruise’ and the highest end of TRT dosing that could really be called “medically needed”, although that is pretty subjective if we’re being honest here.
Running high doses like this will likely result in some harm in the long run, but it’s hard to know how much that really is… hard to replicate a study that would take decades while also reducing variables in any meaningful way, ya know?
I suggest not veering out of these zones for purposes of TOT “Testosterone Optimization Therapy”, just be aware that medically justifiable TRT isn’t going to put you at supraphysiological TT or fT levels - which you are guarenteed to be at right now.
This graph has quite a bit of data in it for reference, if you’re interested in reading a bit.
Expect your dose response to be along the blue line (the average dose response).
Man now that i wrote down everything down here i see that normal TRT is what i need. I guess im just postponing it because its a big decision. Higher dose trt is what im doing now anyways. I feel good once or twice a year when im on T and on pct and than eveything goes down the hill untill next time.
Calorie intake and diet is ok. I dont count them no more and im not that nazi on my diet as i used to be. As i said im no bodybuilder so sub 10% fat isnt my goal. But I do martial arts 2-3 times week and hit weights 4 times a week, so i take enough calories to keep med going and keep mye protein intake 1-2 gram/kg body weight. Im on 14-16% bodyfat year round, maybe 12% summer.
First of all thanks for the answer, apretiate it!
Long tirm im thinking ofc trt to be on normal levels, no supraphysiological t levels like im on now and it will be followed up with the endo as it should be.