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    Pituitary restart while on TRT: promising initial results with GnRH plus enclomiphene

    Here's the complete answer from the AI, for what it's worth: The claim that “your FSH-producing mRNA will decay” during an 8–12-hour overnight break from pulsatile gonadorelin injections is heavily overstated and essentially false in the context of real-world manual pulsatile gonadorelin...
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    Pituitary restart while on TRT: promising initial results with GnRH plus enclomiphene

    @KNDyMan: Your contributions are welcome. A few comments: I am also skeptical of the weekly, high-dose gonadorelin protocols. I have not seen reports on what the subjective results are like. Royal Medical Center did demonstrate high levels of the gonadotropins shortly after the injections...
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    Lowering trt dose/ increasing frequency of injections question

    I think 65 mg is a reasonable start. Be aware that dose reductions can trigger temporary symptoms of hypogonadism even when levels are adequate. Using proportionality does put total testosterone at weekly troughs in the mid 400s ng/dL with this protocol. As an aside, it is technically more...
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    Lowering trt dose/ increasing frequency of injections question

    Looking back at your posts I see that you use Testoviron. This includes benzyl benzoate, which does have anti-microbial properties, though it's not as effective as benzyl alcohol. It would not be difficult to purchase some benzyl alcohol and sterile vials to convert the ampules to multi-dose...
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    GHK-cu and DHT

    I'm not sure about rapid, acute effects. However, I'm now wondering if the ostensible improvements in cognition I experienced are attributable to the GHK-Cu rather than the exogenous GnRH, as I had originally supposed. Or perhaps a synergy. What makes me consider the possibility is that an AI...
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    Lowering trt dose/ increasing frequency of injections question

    With the caveat that these are very crude estimates based on typical absorption rates and should only be used to get a general sense of things: Your trough testosterone of 525 ng/dL with once-weekly injections means we might estimate your weekly peak total testosterone (TT) as 1,300 ng/dL and...
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    My Father is 70 years old and we just got his labs done. I'd like your advice

    His Vermeulen calculated free testosterone is 9.8 ng/dL. It's considered borderline, but not really into hypogonadal territory. I would not be looking at that first as a cause of his issues, particularly if sexual function is ok. Of course being diabetic harms sexual function on its own. Having...
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    TRT vs Clomiphene: Effect on IGF-1

    The problem is that estrogen measurements have less meaning when one is using a SERM such as enclomiphene or Clomid. SERM's are reducing estrogenic activity without necessarily affecting levels of estradiol. It's also complicated by the fact that SERMs are by definition supposed to be...
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    Peptides for arthritis?

    Another update: Four months ago I administered another series of FGF-18 injections, this time exactly following the standard protocol of three weekly injections of 100 µg. I can't be sure about causality, but not long after that treatment I stopped having intense pain in the knee. This...
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    Kyzatrex vs Maximus Native T

    The improved DHT:T ratio has been below my radar. It's a selling point for me, given my general preference for staying in the confines of normal physiology. There may not be much specific evidence of harm in an elevated ratio, but I'd say the burden of proof should be on those defending the...
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    Kyzatrex vs Maximus Native T

    Let's ask a different question then. Aside from the possible GI link, have any clinically significant differences been found? If not then the whole "native T" thing still seems like marketing obfuscation to me.
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    Bloodwork results and opinions/advice

    Free testosterone is what's relevant here, not total. His is considered to be healthy and normal for an adult male, and further indicates that the chance of being overtly hypogonadal is quite small. You can argue that statistically it's likely to be somewhat below the average for his age...
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    Which clinics prescribe propionate?

    @madman has some excellent posts explaining the mechanics of honeymoon periods. When you read men's accounts of these periods you might think TRT is a panacea. The problem is that often the post-honeymoon let-downs are reported in different threads, so you might miss the reality of TRT. The...
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    Bloodwork results and opinions/advice

    Me: Grok, rewrite this sentence so that even a child can understand it: "Without an age-stratified reference range there's no evidence that your testosterone is particularly low for your age." Grok: We don't have a special chart for this test that shows the normal amounts of testosterone for...
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    Which clinics prescribe propionate?

    It's challenging to give advice while the story is shifting. The return of morning erections is significant and suggests you should continue with the oral testosterone. You're unlikely to do much better with propionate, although you might enjoy a short-lived honeymoon period. With respect to...
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    Which clinics prescribe propionate?

    The lab work you posted earlier and the lack of improvements from oral testosterone are suggesting that low testosterone is not your problem. It's not impossible that your elevated E2/T ratio is contributing to issues. If you can lose more weight then that is the preferred way to reduce the...
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    Bloodwork results and opinions/advice

    Unfortunately you are getting some dubious advice from Vince. Without an age-stratified reference range there's no evidence that your testosterone is particularly low for your age. TRT clinics have an inherent conflict of interest, so just because they might prescribe TRT doesn't mean it's...
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    Any other Prop blend options?

    Solution: A quick-and-dirty auto-loader. https://www.excelmale.com/threads/need-help-with-t-cypionate-vials-single-vs-multiple-what-do-you-guys-use.27794/post-255297 Yes. I had originally found that getting roughly the same amount of testosterone from each ester led to a diurnal variation in...
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    High hematocrit

    Not sure what you're looking for. Your doctor had previously prescribed the obvious solution: lowering your dose to a more physiological level. It sounds like you felt some withdrawal symptoms and gave up too quickly. Apparently you also donate blood without telling your doctor. I think you are...
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    Diminished sexual function after starting TRT

    You're being too charitable. His statement is just ignorance delivered with an air of authority. In the context of the overall hormonal disruption caused by starting TRT, the relatively low dose of hCG is a ways down the list of potential primary causes of sexual dysfunction. @radman: The main...
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    Any other Prop blend options?

    Unfortunately the DIY approach is likely the only option for getting a propionate blend with a higher fraction of propionate. Discussed in detail here: https://www.excelmale.com/threads/tips-on-how-to-blend-propionate-with-enanthate-or-cypionate.23485/ Obtaining pharma-grade propionate may be...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    Though I can't be definitive, I suspect low and steady exogenous testosterone may provide better results in these cases. The idea is to provide a fixed base level of testosterone and then let the HPTA do the fine-tuning. Faster-acting testosterone such as oral or nasal products produce high...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    There were two guys with primary hypogonadism on the old PeakTestosterone forum using this kind of treatment. I thought I might have discussed it with a different guy here as well. Consider the relative rarity of guys with primary hypogonadism—I recall Dr. Saya commenting on how infrequent these...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    I was defining suppression as being below normal baseline levels. It's just semantics. If you want to say that hyper LH/FSH levels are being suppressed back to normal that's fine. But while that's happening serum testosterone is rising to normal levels—before suppression of endogenous...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    From the Grok AI: The premise—that low-dose exogenous testosterone, titrated gradually, can normalize serum testosterone levels in primary hypogonadism while reducing initially elevated LH and FSH back to normal ranges without full suppression—aligns with physiological reasoning rooted in the...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    This study applied to men who had natural testosterone production completely suppressed by a GnRH agonist. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison. The OP's doctor has probably forgotten more about TRT than you'll ever know. You are thinking about secondary hypogonadism. With primary the...
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    Orgasm. But no feeling

    Some guys do experience a loss of sensitivity under TRT. I've had that myself and suspect it's from excessive dosing of testosterone and/or disruption of other hormones. If this is the case then the goal should be to restore realistic healthy levels of testosterone and other hormones. Bear in...
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    Nebido—testosterone undecanoate—is viable, but it's not ideal when you are still planning to make dose adjustments. Either testosterone cypionate or testosterone enanthate would be better, although these should be injected at least three times a week or every other day to smooth out levels. Once...
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    BP issue

    Yes, it is fine to do that. Other guys have reported following this protocol. It should lead to very stable levels, for better or worse.
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    Primary Hypogonadism: Doctor wants to put me on 25mg of Testosterone enanthate per week

    You have a wise doctor. It's not common for guys with primary hypogonadism to get such good advice. All I would add is that dividing the dose into 2-3 injections per week is a good idea—if he didn't already suggest that. It is correct that with primary hypogonadism, exogenous testosterone adds...
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    Lowering trt dose/ increasing frequency of injections question

    Some very rough numbers: Twice-weekly injections might give a 50% drop from peak to trough. EOD probably cuts that to 5-10%. Average serum testosterone levels stay about the same at the same dose. For example: suppose with twice weekly injections total testosterone is dropping from a peak of...

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