Hi Guys, I’m 4 weeks into a 100mg Cyp (2 injections/week) dose of TRT. I keep hearing and now I’m feeling my body’s T production shutting down. I’m curious about what else gets shut down with T and what other things are needed if we are not taking HCG. I’ve heard that when the Pituitary stops making LH then there are other hormones that trail off. This worries me a bit. Do folks not have issues with these other hormones being shut down?
That’s a great question and unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you.
I agree a list of hormones to monitor after initiating trt would be extremely beneficial.
Well this is where a TRT specialty doc would come in quite handy as they know what to monitor. Most of us shlubs are going the cheap route through our PCPs so we end up experimenting, getting our own blood work, and supplementing with things to try to alleviate symptoms.
A good starting point would be to watch pregnenalone and DHEA. In the US these are over the counter hormones that can be easily supplemented.
Which DHEA?
can you be more specific?
I’ve been told there’s a few different tests for DHEA (sulfate, regular, and another one). Just curious if they all need monitoring or just one.
The only ones I know about are luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Those both dropped to zero for me. I’m no expert but from what I typically see for labs, I think the following are recommended in addition to anything you’d normally do during your annual physical:
- Complete Blood Count (specifically for hemoglobin and hematocrit levels)
- Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
- Lipid Panel (for cholesterol levels)
- Testosterone, total
- Testosterone, free
- Estradiol
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
- Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
- Dehydroepiandrosterone-Sulfate (DHEA-S)
I haven’t heard of checking pregnenalone. What does that do? Maybe I should have that checked.
When dealing with a general practitioner I find it interesting that they typically only look at free and total testosterone and PSA (well, blood count and lipid panels are pretty standard anyway so they look at that too but not specifically because of TRT). I have to ask for the other tests and I usually get the “why would you want to test that?” response.
Of course there is probably another way of looking at it - if you check free and total T and they look good and all of your symptoms are resolved, the rest of it is probably fine. I suspect that is why they often don’t bother testing for any of that other stuff.
LH and FSH are supposed to drop the 0 on TRT
I was just reading about pregnenalone. It’s a precursor hormone from which testosterone, progesterone, cortisol, estrogen and other hormones are made in the body. But if you are on TRT then you aren’t making any testosterone and your estrogen is primarily from the aromitization of the exogenous test that you taking so I don’t it would matter too much for that.
There is a mechanism somewhere in there where if you body isn’t needing the T then production of the others can drop off IIRC.
DHEA - Sulfate is the test that I got as was recommended. I researched which one but cant tell you exactly where I got the answer. I believe it was in this forum.
While it’s true shutting down LH can shortchange you in other hormones, it doesn’t happen to everyone or right away either, sometimes taking several decades, it happens to some with no impact because we aren’t talking about levels dropping to undetectable levels, we are talking about a reduction. Will it happen, probably not, if it does will you feel it, maybe, maybe not.
By the time this happens, TRT will look very different, injecting a cocktail that stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more LH for those who are secondary, it already exists, but the bugs need to be worked out.
This is new to me. What are the symptoms?
Well starting this week I’ve been a good bit more tired. But I have to be honest that it could be due to some other things. It’s been very noticeable but might not be due to my t production trailing off.
I know several docs that insist on supplementing DHEA and Pregnenolone. There isn’t a one size fits all. It’s one of those things you need to experiment with.
My approach:
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Add 25mg of DHEA daily, give it a few week and see how you feel. If you feel better, add another 25mg to total 50mg. You can go up to 100mg a day if you want. Find the dose that suits you best. If you start getting acne etc lower the dose. Perhaps you’ll feel better with it or without it.
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Once you have accomplished part 1 and figured out your dose, try adding some Pregnenolone at 25mg. With me, it kills my libido within days. Others love the stuff. Try a dose for a few weeks and eventually try more or less (or none) to find where you feel your best.