Introduction

[JDBaizley]

Long-time lurker here and follower of Dr. Crisler. I'm based out of the Greater Toronto Area. Been on TRT for about a year, Rx'ed 140mg/week, experimented with 100mg a week, and am currently at 120mg/week (60mg x 2). HCG 250mg 3 x week. I'm an overresponder to Arimidex, getting joint pain and severe anxiety at doses of as low as 0.05mg 2x per week (dissolved in Vodka). Just got a script for Aromasin and have been taking 1.5mg 2x per week (again, dissolved in vodka and measured by syringe) and it is thus far working much better than Arimidex for me. I was obese as a teenager and developed gyno in one nipple, and i use it as a barometer to see if my E2 is too high - no AI and i get tenderness, but Aromasin has fixed it right up.

Being based out of Canada, it is very challenging for me to get full lab panels done. Would love to know what my SHBG is, but I don't have the ability to get it checked (I'm very pleased with my TRT doctor, but he won't include SHBG in the panels he Rx's for, and i'm unable to get this test done without a script).

I'm in my late 30's, very active in the gym. I'm definitely better on TRT than off, but I still struggle to get that dialed-in feeling I had for my first 3-4 weeks of treatment. Hoping to learn as much as I can here

 

[Vince]

Welcome to ExcelMale, getting dialed in can be a lot of work but well worth it.

 

[madman]

Long-time lurker here and follower of Dr. Crisler. I'm based out of the Greater Toronto Area. Been on TRT for about a year, Rx'ed 140mg/week, experimented with 100mg a week, and am currently at 120mg/week (60mg x 2). HCG 250mg 3 x week. I'm an overresponder to Arimidex, getting joint pain and severe anxiety at doses of as low as 0.05mg 2x per week (dissolved in Vodka). Just got a script for Aromasin and have been taking 1.5mg 2x per week (again, dissolved in vodka and measured by syringe) and it is thus far working much better than Arimidex for me. I was obese as a teenager and developed gyno in one nipple, and i use it as a barometer to see if my E2 is too high - no AI and i get tenderness, but Aromasin has fixed it right up.

Being based out of Canada, it is very challenging for me to get full lab panels done. Would love to know what my SHBG is, but I don't have the ability to get it checked (I'm very pleased with my TRT doctor, but he won't include SHBG in the panels he Rx's for, and i'm unable to get this test done without a script).

I'm in my late 30's, very active in the gym. I'm definitely better on TRT than off, but I still struggle to get that dialed-in feeling I had for my first 3-4 weeks of treatment. Hoping to learn as much as I can here

Welcome to excel!

As you may know, the estradiol sensitive (LC/MS-MS) has recently been approved by Health Canada and it has been available through Dynacare Laboratories since earlier this year hope your doctor will write a requisition if you want to get it tested as far as SHBG hard to believe he will not check it.

It is critical to know where your SHBG sits as it will have a significant impact on TT/FT let alone can dictate what injection frequency may suit you best.

You can pay out of pocket to have your SHBG tested among many other blood markers such as TT, FT, estradiol, DHT, and Prolactin, mind you they only offer the standard estradiol immunoassay - BLUE HORIZON which is based out of the UK has a private account with Dynacare in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan for people who want to pay out of pocket. Private Blood Tests in Canada - Order Online, Attend, Get Results Fast

It is expensive but you have the option to get most tests many GPs in Canada do not test for such as Free T and SHBG which are not commonly tested pre/post trt as most GPs tend to concern themselves with Total Testosterone when in fact Free T and SHBG are critical to know.

Even though it is good to know TT keep in mind that FT is what really matters as it is the unbound active fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects and as I stated earlier SHBG can dictate one dose/injection frequency as many men with low/lowish SHBG may tend to do better injecting daily or EOD using lower doses of testosterone as opposed to men with high normal/high SHBG which may tend to do better injecting less frequently (once weekly) or twice weekly (every 3.5 days) mind you it is not set in STONE as each individual is unique regarding what works best for them when it comes to trt!

I live an hour's drive from T dot!

 

[JDBaizley]

Thanks for the detailed reply here. I wasn't aware there was an elective blood test company available to us in Canada and will definitely look into it for SHBG and FT.

Re: the SHBG test, my understanding is that levels of SHBG fluctuate a great deal in response to many different factors, what would be the best time to take this test to get a reasonable estimate of my levels? (ie: x days after a shot, etc). Same question for FT.

Appreciate the help!

Welcome to excel!

As you may know the estradiol sensitive (LC/MS-MS) has recently been approved by Health Canada and it has been offered through Dynacare Laboratories since earlier this year.....hope your doctor will write a requisition for the test if you wanted to get it tested and as far as SHBG hard to believe he will not check it let alone give you the option to know yourself.

One needs to know their SHBG as it will dictate dose/injection frequency and is critical to the overall effectiveness of trt.

You can pay out of pocket to have your SHBG tested among TT, FT, DHT, Prolactin and they only of the estradiol (standard) online through BLUE HORIZON who are based out of the UK and they offer blood work through Dynacare in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan for people who want to pay out of pocke

It is expensive but you have the option to get most test many GPs in Canada do not test for such as Free T and SHBG which are not commonly tested for pre-trt and on trt as most GPs tend to concern themselves with Total Testosterone when in fact Free T and SHBG are critical to know.

Even though it is good to know TT ones FT is what really matters as it is the unbound active fraction of testosterone and as I stated earlier SHBG dictates ones dose/injection frequency as men with low/lowish SHBG tend to do better injecting daily, EOD using lower doses of testosterone as oppose to men with high normal/high SHBG which tend to do better injecting less frequently (once weekly) using higher doses of testosterone and than there are those in between which tend to do best injecting twice weekly (every 3.5 days).....mind you it is not set in STONE as each individual is unique regarding what works best for them when it comes to trt!

I live an hours drive from T dot!