It was 179 when I did a test before going on TRT (and after stopping Clomid). My endo prescribed the test because I complained about insomnia. The nurse I talked to a few weeks ago told me it was low and she suggested Sermorelin treatment which stimulates the pituitary to secrete more HGH. However it’s expensive and I’d have to inject it every single day.
I’m talking to my endo this week and want to be prepared; I believe he’d suggest something expensive! What do you guys think? Injecting IGF-1? NOW foods has an oral IGF-1 supplement too. I don’t feel like injecting myself with something I’d buy from a research chemical.
I did another test last week and am waiting for the results.
Some guys get insomnia on TRT, but after time you should start sleeping again. First couple of months sleep for me was light, but got better over time. Stay on TRT, no one knows the dangers of this Sermorelin treatment.
Seems I wasn’t clear enough. I had the insomnia long before I started TRT and it may actually be the cause of my low T. Sermoreline is a “peptide analogue” of GHRH.
Actually it goes both ways, low T can cause insomnia and insomnia can cause low T. It’s a negative feedback loop. I think the unknown risks with this new treatment are worth it. More is known about TRT than this new treatment.
How long were you on TRT and what was you protocol?
You know would you believe it took me 8 months before my sleep quality returned to normal. My body and mind were ravaged be a terrible year and a half withdrawing off of a anticonvulsant medication (Klonopin) after 30 years. The withdraw process tanked my T levels and destroyed my sleep for more than a year and had to rely on Trazodone for sleep.
I’m a slow responder to TRT do to the fact the level of damage was so severe, there was a lot healing to do and being obese only slowed recovery down. Having lower SHBG didn’t help either, obese and type 2 diabetes are what really made me a slow TRT responder. So if you’re health and fit your response to TRT should happen within 3-6 months. Cases like mine can take up to a year or more.
The only proven method of improving your situation is TRT, testosterone is a natural hormone your body evolved to handle, that’s why TRT done right has zero side effects. This other new treatment mentioned does have possible side effects. TRT is proven and this other treatment isn’t, not worth the risk. Let some else be the guinea pig.
Your T levels are already extreme hypogonadism, once you drop below a certain point the damage is done and there is no turning back.
Synthetic HGH has Many Risks
The greatest risks with any form of HGH treatment comes from synthetic HGH. The full effects of synthetic HGH are currently being studied, but it is thought that this type of HGH treatment can lead to several long and short term side effects including carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve, joint and muscle pain, high cholesterol, tingling in the skin, and fluid retention. The long term effects of synthetic HGH use are unknown but some medical professionals believe that it can increase a predisposition to chronic illnesses such as diabetes. The short and long term side effects of synthetic HGH use are avoided with Sermorelin therapy, while the positive health benefits that come from restoring youthful HGH production levels are maintained.
I’ve been on TRT for four years with very good results. I do not sleep well and about a year and a half ago started trazadone (after trying many other remedies). Trazadone works, but the nightmares are a significant side effect for me and I do not like it.
I just finished (about one month ago) six months of sermorelin with GHRP2 and 6. My doctor explained that it stimulates the pituitary to produce hGH, natural hGH, but it can only make what it is naturally capable of making, so you can’t OD on it like the huge BBer guys taking straight hGH several times a day. That scares me. It is an insulin needle injection before bed every night for a month, which blows through one vial, then every other day so I got two months from a vial.
It immediately helped my sleep, no trazadone needed. I’m 63 with many joint issues (hence my sleep problems) and it helped the joints as well. Training improved as I was able to do more work and increase intensity. I also gained muscle and lost fat, and I was already in good shape. That is maybe indirectly as a result of better training, if not directly. I have veins where I never had (I was a weightlifter, not a bodybuilder) so I would say it leaned me out somewhat.
My doctor said some guys run it indefinitely, but it is also reported that you can do six months and retain the benefits for another six. I pretty much had to go back to the trazadone after stopping, but so far strength is maintained, still lean, and I feel good.
It is expensive, I almost hoped it wouldn’t work so well, so I certainly wouldn’t fall for a placebo effect. Plan right now is to give it six months and see how I do without it. I expect I’ll use it again after that.
I got my new lab results today and my IGF-1 is 246; now too high on LabCorp’s scale!
My insomnia is now mostly “terminal” meaning that I can fall asleep easily but I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. This may be a sign of depression.