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The big problem is that once-weekly dosing of 50 mg TC leaves most men hypogonadal later in each injection cycle—so the pattern is not remotely physiological. Obviously this causes problems. As a starting dose 50 mg must be divided, probably into at least EOD injections, even though some might...

Pair that with your low SHBG back then and you still had upper-range free testosterone, presumably at a trough. Peaks would then be over-range on the E3.5D protocol.

These parameters most likely can be improved sufficiently with the restoration of normal youthful levels. There's no evidence that going above what's physiological improves longevity. IGF-1 is a double-edged sword. It's useful, but also pro-aging. Maximum longevity is linked to levels that are...

I never had anxiety in the context of TRT. If anything, TRT lowers my anxiety, though paradoxically it also impairs sleep at higher levels. Not long ago I did report that in the context of short trials with clascoterone I developed anxiety, leading me to stop using it. The apparent resolution of...

I "handled" higher levels for some years, but came to realize the harm they caused was outweighing the good. I loved the boost in athleticism, but the persistent headaches along with impaired libido and sexual function pushed me to keep experimenting. I would guess I had normal testosterone...

I have always said that if you prioritize musculature over general health then higher doses are the way to go. That's not supporting your case. The average guy would rather just feel good and not risk the side effects. At a minimum, he should experience healthy normal levels so he has a point of...

Most charitably, you are continuing to troll. Otherwise there's a severe reading comprehension issue. In this very thread I described how higher levels of testosterone are actually rather numbing for me. On the health front, I have a BMI of about 22, body fat of ~12%, stellar lipids, I exercise...

So are you now at least acknowledging that it is prudent to start by targeting healthy normal levels? Precisely zero. The only significant benefit of higher levels is improved musculature / body composition. For most men this is easily outweighed by the increased risk to overall health...

If I knew I wouldn't have asked you to provide the details—what are they? But to get to the heart of the matter: Are you agreeing with Phil that by default, hypogonadal men starting TRT should not have the opportunity to experience testosterone levels close to their healthy natural levels? They...

Your usual retreat to ad hominem statements merely highlights your inability to defend your position. Your bad advice has almost certainly harmed some men. Neither you nor Mr. Goodman can articulate why starting TRT at supraphysiological doses is a good idea. You'd be hard pressed to name other...

See below It is, as it results in non-physiological levels for a vast majority of men. Since you're so fond of anecdotes, take a spin through the Excel Male forums and look for posts describing symptoms that are clearly linked to excessive doing, such as elevated hematocrit. This will be...

Once again you're projecting. You foist high doses on anyone looking for help because you think they work for you, even though you don't acknowledge having tried anything else. You're a perfect example of the bias inherent in the anecdotes that Phil Goodman relies on. Meanwhile, I would expect...

Two can play that game, but I can get favorable results with a neutral question: Question: Statistically speaking, based on all information available to you, which approach is more likely to maximize quality of life for hypogonadal men? Based on a comprehensive review of available medical...

I reviewed every one and It appeared that you hadn't read them; many have no bearing on the discussion, and at least one provides direct evidence in favor of physiological dosing. None support the premise that supraphysiological dosing is preferable to physiological dosing for treating...

The point of being on TRT is to treat hypogonadism and thereby improve overall health. If you had started with above-borderline natural free testosterone then most likely there would have been no point in being on TRT. The high-dose apologists may point to some rare conditions where functional...

You are encouraging my speculation that you haven't even tried physiological dosing and therefore have no idea what you're talking about. Your promotion of excessive dosing—without any exploration of normal levels—is a prescription for misery in many, even if you have thus far avoided negative...

You need to revisit our long discussion so that you won't continue to mischaracterize it and omit key details. The study you're so enamored with did not have any doses that yielded physiological levels. With a choice between hypergonadism and hypogonadism, the latter appeared worse in the time...

I don't recall seeing you document the amount of time you've spent using low/medium physiological doses to firmly establish that they don't work for you. Maybe there are older posts to this effect? For it to count you'd have to spend a few months at these levels, e.g. 50-70 mg TC/week. Or did...

My approach is overly complex and impractical for most; it involves multiple daily injections. It's much simpler to first try significant dose reductions, and if no luck there then try switching to a short-acting form of testosterone, as these resolve hypogonadism with less hormonal chaos than...

What were things like under TRT? It looks as though you've had a pretty decent recovery, probably getting free testosterone into the healthy normal range. That new prolactin level is high enough to cause problems for some men. If there are no other obvious problems then you could run a trial...

In fairness, if they operate similarly to places like AllDayChemist then speed should not be expected. Seems like it can easily take a month to get medications from India.

Bingo. Excessive testosterone may also be a factor. I have had this issue a lot over many years of TRT. Only more recently with much lower doses and adding back the suppressed kisspeptin and GnRH (-->LH+FSH) have I regained more consistent sensitivity that is approaching pre-TRT levels.

Here's the post mentioning the new Maximus formulation. It's followed by a healthy debate about my concerns of hormonal suppression in TRT: https://www.excelmale.com/threads/advice-on-next-steps-mid-low-free-t.32606/post-299385 A long thread on the Maximus product...

It's plausible, but will depend on the circumstances and the individual. I should have mentioned that oral testosterone is right at the border of what might be considered short-acting. The formulations based on testosterone undecanoate appear to be suppressive of the HPTA, but I think it was...

Verified short-acting forms of TRT at this point include testosterone nasal gel and buccal troches. It appears that absorbing 1-1.5 mg of testosterone via short-acting delivery methods 2-3 times per day does not result in a complete shutdown of the HPTA. I consider this highly desirable, as...

That estradiol isn't overly low, and furthermore, it's likely that estradiol lags testosterone by some time, perhaps a day or two. So it's possible that a day later your estradiol is significantly higher even as testosterone is declining. The lack of energy and motivation sounds like what I...

As an aside, this dose should never be characterized as "normal". Few, if any, healthy men on the planet are likely to be producing this much testosterone naturally. Actual replacement doses are more in the range of 40-100 mg TC/wk, with even the higher end of that being suspect. I assume that...

Are you generating these posts with AI? In any case, it's a myth that low SHBG makes "levels swing too fast". Variation in levels is controlled almost entirely by the form of TRT. Inject testosterone undecanoate and your serum testosterone changes very slowly. Put testosterone nasal gel up your...

Prices continue to rise, but I think originally I was getting FGF-18 for as low as $300 / 100 µg when buying a milligram. This is for the 98% purity grade. You can probably still get 95% purity for somewhat less money, though not sure if that's advisable. In any case, the protocol is three 100...

It points to using an immunoassay-based FT test, aka "direct" method, which is hopelessly inaccurate even when scaled. Use the Vermeulen result.

No androgen deficiency. The lowish SHBG means free testosterone is respectable, around 12.4 ng/dL by the Vermeulen calculation. Elevated estradiol is potentially an issue, but you need to confirm that the result is accurate. If the test is immunoassay-based then it could reflect significant...