12 - Week TRT BW - Need Help

Hello guys,


This thread supersedes, https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?14245-6-weeks-follow-up-lab-results


I just went for a 12 week BW and was retested for the normal stuff with added tests for curiosity. At this point my testosterone seems to be in optimal ranges for a 50mg Cypionate twice a week and 350iu HCG three times a week. No AI.


Seeing my E2 is now about >50, I do not think I am experiencing E2 side effects but should an AI be administered at this point?

I still have frequency with urination, and some days I am light headed, also appetite isn't really there, sometimes I have some brain farts. No energy boost and motivation yet.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but as of right now I am not getting much out of my TRT protocol.

Can you give us a little bit more insight? You write that you're not experiencing any estradiol-associated side effects, but wonder if you should add an AI to your protocol? What do you hope to accomplish if you did that? You note that you're not getting much out of your TRT protocol? Can you explain? Your prolactin is on the high side? Where did it sit when you started therapy? That can work against you. What about your high rt3?

I noted in earlier postings you had elevated prolactin (higher than this current value). Are you treating it?

Your estradiol levels are not really that high compared to your testosterone levels, remember estrogen will follow your testosterone. What I would be concerned about is your high reverse T3, did your doctor address this issue with you.

CoastWatcher said:

Can you give us a little bit more insight? You write that you're not experiencing any estradiol-associated side effects, but wonder if you should add an AI to your protocol? What do you hope to accomplish if you did that? You note that you're not getting much out of your TRT protocol? Can you explain? Your prolactin is on the high side? Where did it sit when you started therapy? That can work against you. What about your high rt3?

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CoastWatcher said:

I noted in earlier postings you had elevated prolactin (higher than this current value). Are you treating it?

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Vince said:

Your estradiol levels are not really that high compared to your testosterone levels, remember estrogen will follow your testosterone. What I would be concerned about is your high reverse T3, did your doctor address this issue with you.

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Thank you for the responses, I have not yet had a doctor address my RT3. Every doctor I have seen will not prescribe cytomel or other brands to maybe address it. They tell me there is no need to fix it. My urologist prescribes me my TRT and HCG, and he is a great doctor on this forum. But he told me when it comes to RT3, I should refer to my endocrinologist, which is a young blood chick who has great reviews but I do not think she will touch my RT3 even with a 10 foot pole. Defy would be my only option but i’m on a budget and rather use insurance.

What i I am looking for is to fix my anxiety, start lifting again, have energy, better sleep, urinate like a normal person 5-8 times a day, more motivation...etc. my prolactin was normal before all of the TRT, and my MRI of the brain came back negative, nothing stood out.

i have been practicing mindfulness meditation, also have been taking CBD hemp oil. I eat healthy, stay away from gluten and have been balancing my meals.

What about your primary prescribing Cytomel? Getting my RT3 back in line was the ticket for me. You will not feel good until you get it down.

1Draw said:

What about your primary prescribing Cytomel? Getting my RT3 back in line was the ticket for me. You will not feel good until you get it down.

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I’ll try, what should be the typical first dose. Also how long should I be on it, and is this something I will also have to take for life?

I do want to add that elevated prolactin can, and does, hammer your libido. At the levels you're reporting it would be surprising if you weren't being impacted by it.

Here is a good reference: http://rt3-adrenals.org/t3_medication.html

For me, I was told to start out 5mcg in am upon rising, 5 mcg lunch, 5 mcg mid afernoon all 30 minutes before food. If no change in symptoms in a week, up to 10mcg am, 10mcg lunch and 10 mcg pm and go up from there after a week if no change in symptoms. If you notice symptoms of too much, go back to old dosage for another week. I worked up to 15mcg am, lunch and pm and stayed on that for about 6 weeks and started to feel some improvement. My RT3 went from 28.1 on 2/16 to 13.1 on 5/30.

Believe high RT3 was caused by low ferritin due to too many blood donations and, it takes a while for your ferritin to get back to normal.

My libido is not bad, probably have sex twice a week at most. And with having a kid and a job with life anxieties I would think that interferes with my libido.

But i’m more interested in cytomel, but seeing if a doctor will be on board with it.

Is cytomel a drug I can take for a couple of weeks and then come off? My biggest concern is if my thyroid is fine, main function, I don’t want to permanently damage my thyroid fixing RT3. I know RT3 needs to be addressed but isn’t biofeedback methods as beneficial than nuking it with a medication?

I just started taking liothyronine (Cytomel) 25 mcg[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif] about 8 weeks ago, I had my labs on Tuesday and they should be ready to post next week Wednesday. Here's my thread.

can cytomel by itself be used to treat hypothyroidism

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https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...mel-by-itself-be-used-to-treat-hypothyroidism

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Thank you Vince, but my main concern is let’s say you came off Cytomel now that you are at optimal levels... will your normal thyroid function kick in and your body will form it’s own homeostasis?

Because I do not want to create more reliability on a medication when i’m 29 y/o at a young age. As is I may have to be on testosterone for the rest of my life.

Vince said:

T4 (Levothyroxine) Medication - Do I have to stay on it forever?

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...e)-Medication-Do-I-have-to-stay-on-it-forever

I would have to say that hypothyroidism is a life long illness, it should be treated for the rest of your life.​

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You are right Vince I understand that aspect. But with high RT3, does that qualify me as having a disorder related to my thyroid like hypothyroidism?

Also should I be worried about my DHEA?

Checkdis said:

You are right Vince I understand that aspect. But with high RT3, does that qualify me as having a disorder related to my thyroid like hypothyroidism?

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I'm not the thyroid expert. Having high RT3 we're really hurt you. Sometimes by giving you synthetic T3 it will cure the issue, other times I can be more difficult. But I do know this by having that high of a reverse T3 it will cause you symptoms as if you're having low testosterone.

Vince said:

I'm not the thyroid expert. Having high RT3 we're really hurt you. Sometimes by giving you synthetic T3 it will cure the issue, other times I can be more difficult. But I do know this by having that high of a reverse T3 it will cause you symptoms as if you're having low testosterone.

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Okay I will try my endocrinologist see what she can do.

For DHEA... does anything I should pursue it? What is confusing is my sulfate is normal but serum is very high. When I wasn’t on TRT my DHEA-S was around 780 I believe which was still high.