TRT/HRT Erectile Dysfunction

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hi fellow lifters, long time lurker + first time poster here. Before anything I do apologize for the lengthy post and any ignorance that can be identified throughout my thought process as I know there’s plenty. This is a highly embarrassing subject and it is affecting my quality of life big time. I have no problem getting girls, but I am having problems performing.

Stats: 31 y/o male, 6’2, been lifting for 15 years, 215lb + low body fat (clearly visible 6 pack when flexed). I live in the USA.

TRT/HRT: 210mg test, 70mg deca, 1mg anastrozole, 0.5ml gonadorelin twice per week

Diet: high protein/fats (beef, chicken, eggs, protein shakes, peanut butter). Low carbish; mostly oatmeal and rice (100g per day or so, with a cheat meal 2-3 times per week).

Done a ton of cycles in the past + blast and cruise for a long time (5 years B&C - mostly test and mast). I’ve had ED issues in the past but used Cialis successfully (many times it did not work but I have a feeling this could be psychological because this would usually happen with new women. Once I was comfortable with a girl (exgf of 4 years and before that an exgf of 1 year) I had no trouble getting hard while using about 10mg Cialis (although I would need oral most times before). There’s definitely some psychological issues going on as I was able to have regular sex with my ex, but a few weeks after we broke up I couldn’t perform with two other girls I met, but then my ex and I met up for casual sex and I felt back to normal (again - using around 10mg Cialis). I’ve had zero issues w/ the breakup so I know it’s not emotionally related, I want to think it’s more of a confidence issue w/ new women but I want to make sure. I was starting to think that maybe I had bunk gear so I decided to get bloodwork and jump on the TRT regiment described above.

Moreover, I do masturbate and watch a lot of porn (at least twice per day, sometimes 3-4) which I think may be a culprit (quit porn today and considering quitting masturbation too).

Fast fwd to today:

I am currently taking testosterone tri blend (210 total {70mg prop, cyp, enan per week}) + 70mg deca per week for joint support. Dosing schedule is subq ED injections of 30mg test (10/10/10) and 10mg deca. I’ve been on the test for a month and deca for two weeks, I hesitated a bit on the deca because of potential ‘deca dick’ issues but I do a lot of weight lifting and BJJ and my joints/tendons have taken a beating and deca seems to be starting to help in that department and it is highly welcomed. Moreover, I am also taking 1mg adex once a week + gonadorelin 2x per week. My doctor also prescribed 10mg Cialis for when I need. I train HARD almost everyday, take a rest day every 7-8 days when I feel my body is destroyed.

I’ve had two sexual encounters recently (last night and 1 week ago) and my dick wasn’t all there. However, I do wake up with morning wood or very horny almost everyday (when I’m not overtrained) and I am able to sustain an erection while masturbating and watching porn. The worst part is that both times before these encounters I ‘checked’ to make sure everything was in order and I would get easily hard, but at the time to do the deed I find myself just thinking about not performing and ‘boom’ my erection starts dying. After it does there is no way back as the thoughts start consuming me.

Last night I also took 40mg Cialis before I met up, and 30mg while watching a movie as the thoughts of not performing were consuming me. This brings me up to a total of 70mg which pretty much numbed me. The girl gave me oral and I could barely feel anything from all the Cialis. Is taking too much Cialis actually detrimental for ED as it causes severe numbness (say 10-20mg vs. 70mg)? I remember for a second I stopped thinking about ED and thought about this chick and got solid hard for like a minute, but the moment penetration came around it died immediately (my thoughts came back). How can I get rid of these thoughts?!?! (BTW this morning I woke up hard again, but I do have a ton of Cialis coursing through my body).

Now to the real questions:

  • I really don’t want to give up deca as I feel it’s helping with my joints (knees, ankles, wrist and fingers are really messed up). If deca was part of the culprit, would I still be able to get morning wood and masturbate (with porn) with no issues, or would deca dick not let me do any of this at all?

  • Can arimidex be a culprit (doctor prescribed 1mg once a week)? From what I’ve read when doing ED dosages of testosterone many people will no longer need an AI because of lower test/estro spikes and further estrogenic suppression can lead to ED. Should I stop arimidex given the current dosages / dosing schedule I am following?

  • Can it be overtraining? Overtraining raises cortisol which lowers test and from what I’ve read can cause some ED issues. [last night I was at 9 days training straight and my body was feeling somewhat beat up, but this same thing has happened when I am feeling ‘healthy’].

  • My next bloodwork is scheduled in 6 weeks so I won’t know anytime soon where my levels are at which I know is clutch for determining these situations, however, should I stop adex now or wait till my next bloodwork (6weeks) before making any decisions?

As of this morning I decided to quit watching porn and possibly masturbation. Moreover I am thinking of adding 2 rest days during the week and severely drop down on my weight lifting regimen (if I have to choose between BJJ and weightlifting I would rather do BJJ).

Any and all recommendations are highly welcome, and again, sorry for the lengthy post.

Cheers!

1 Like
2

You’re not on TRT. Let’s get that out of the way first.

I think if you are this concerned about your body, you should stop everything you mentioned, go to a qualified specialist, and take an appropriate medication, and then see how you are doing after all that.

1 Like
3

Seems to be mainly in your head. Overtraining may contribute to the issue as well, porn is probably not the issue since you can perform in certain situations.
Unfortunately the mind is stonger than ED pills. If your mind doesnt send the signal to your penis to get or stay hard then even 100mg of Cialis wont help.

1 Like
4

Deca Durabolin, it reduces the body’s production of DHT, leading to erectile dysfunction or deca dick and in some cases isn’t reversible in the short term. The anastrozole can cause erectile dysfunction independent of estrogen levels.

The mild cycle’s, excessive androgens can cause erectile dysfunction.

A large percentage of men (50%>) in the Cialis trails were found to have erectile dysfunction not because of vascular issues, but due to psychological factors.

1 Like
5

Have you got any blood results?

Deca can cause ed.

Too much anastrozole can cause ed.

Too much T can cause ed.

You’re on a cycle and its a side effect.

Deca can cause ed for a long time after you stop too.

6

Why wait? Get it now, 99% of questions can be answered with labs. That would be my first step

1 Like
7

Does it still affect the body’s production if your body is no longer producing testosterone?

If you’re natural, which you aren’t. Cortisol, however, is still it’s own problem. Step off the gas pedal a bit on training and see how you feel. Try a 3-4x per week regimen, I think you’ll notice progress is all the same and you feel a lot better.

Good for you. I think you’ll notice that your ‘frequency’ is lowered a good bit too. You’ll go back to finding normal women attractive again, likely be much better off in the long run. You can quit masturbating if you choose, but tbh I don’t know how easy it is to do that. Reducing porn intake though, should help.

FWIW, this sounds mostly mental @PaulHarris. I respect the level of openness you’ve expressed.

3 Likes
8

The good thing is that you’ve answered your own question here. You can get and stay hard when masturbating alone and also when having sex with a familiar partner. This confirms that your issue isn’t fully with your “hardware” so to speak.

Your dick needs Nitric Oxide(NO) to become hard. This is released when you are aroused. If you are stressed and anxious- dwelling on the impending doom of another soft dick situation this NO won’t appear and you’ll have another dreadful ED episode….

We could create a long list of contributing factors for why this is happening but in my experience from what you describe there are two highly probably culprits at play.

  1. You are lacking the true desire to have sex and it’s become something that you expect of yourself as a man rather than an internally driven need. My understanding of libido, is that it’s a primitive drive to have sex. When in this state, there is limited space for thoughts or distraction of performance. It’s quite hardwired.

Arousal and libido are different things too. You likely have issues becoming and staying aroused due to distractions rooted in your anxiety. Performance related and/or otherwise.

When a chick shows up for a fuck- that libido driven intensity isn’t guaranteed if you’re jacking off twice per day and sex is now a habit rather than an intrinsic desire.

In short- if you want to limit your chance of ED, fuck only when you really want to, not when you expect it of yourself or when a chick expects it. Try hanging out with chicks but don’t immediately try it on. If you find yourself anxiety ridden, pull the “tired” card if you have to. It’s 2023 and gender equality should be championed. No excuses, we all must make a difference where we can. Obv course, offset this slight loss of score by dropping that good news about your new promotion reiterating the demands therein of leading a small corporate battalion. Pondering the myriad of options you blatantly have at your disposal she might even like it …. Joking aside, there’s only so long you can hang out with a chick trying not to fuck her before libido kicks and the rest takes care of itself.

  1. This one is a more convoluted but it’s been hypothesised that there’s some Dopamine connection that contributes towards ED. This isn’t just regarding porn but cheap rewards in general. Social media, masturbation, YouTube etc etc. Its been likened the to desensitisation of receptors. Whether this fully holds water or not, simplifying things and limiting cheap pleasures while focusing on fulfilling endeavours that bolster esteem is a sure benefit.

Meds- Cialis didn’t help me when I previously ran into a spell torrid ED episodes. 100mg of Viagra was far more effective.

You can also try nitro glycerin cream on your dick. This provides the NO exogenously and certainly works to some extent but can be dangerous if mistakenly used with PDE5s. Do your own research and never use it along side any other ED medication.

Finally, the contentious subject of hormones and ED especially e2 rages on(pun intended). Part of me believes that for younger men, higher e2 can soften the arteries to the point where erection can become more difficult. It sounds like you might need some PDE5s at the best of times. Lowering you e2 temporarily might not be a bad thing to try although won’t be great for your joints. For reference, my dick never seemed to make it past 80-90% while on TRT even with spending 100s of dollars on PDE5s, now that I’m relying on my own horribly average hormone levels produced solely by the boys my erections are back to normal.

In a nutshell, chill out and fuck when you REALLY want to. Good luck!

3 Likes
9

Hey all, I appreciate the suggestions and support. Quick update, so I skipped on the deca yesterday (10mg SUBQ) and last night I hung out with this chick again. This time around I had a few beers and also took Sildenafil like an hour or two before we started the deed. This time I got rock hard, there was a slight moment where I got soft while trying to put on a condom but then she gave me oral again.

During this time I started thinking negative thoughts for a bit and things seemed to be going downhill fast, but thankfully she was a trooper (LOL) and didn’t stop for a good minute or two until I stopped thinking all this BS and got rock hard and then we had a great bout of sex. She stayed overnight and we actually went 3-4 times and each time I was more than ready, in fact I was the one pursuing it.

The only time I had a bit of trouble was the first time, but after that all fear went out the window and I felt like a champ which leads me to the conclusion that this is highly mental. I’ll keep sildenafil on hand, and deca (at the low dose of 70mg per week) does not seem to be a culprit. I’ll schedule bloods in a few weeks (traveling on Tues) and get back to you guys just to see how my E2 levels are doing at the current dosage of 1mg once a week (which seems to be a high dose from what I’ve read).

Anyhow, thank you all. I feel so relieved today as opposed to yesterday lol :sweat_smile:

1 Like
10

Absolutely, 100% try to stop porn. It’s so hard to cease.

Your head isn’t signaling your dick during a real encounter anymore. Your head wants (insert whatever weird porn you watch). The circuitry from your head to Your dick, when you have the real thing, needs to be revived.

Scientifically, the real thing isn’t causing a dopamine and acetylcholine rush anymore.

And now, since your know you have an issue, your adrenaline starts to flow, decreasing the diameter of your vascularity and impeding your boner. This is the psychological block now.

Stop porn and continue w 5mg cialis daily. Deca is likely playing a negative
Role too.

11

its all in your mind. you know that you should not be sleeping around somewhere deep inside. your dick just goes flat because it is a self protecting mechanism for you to stop fucking around which is not good for you. and ramping your brain with more hormonal cocktails is like sniffing meth after not sleeping a week and expecting to feel amazing