3 months on TRT looking for guidance

[Ryant88]

Good Morning,

I’m new to this forum and like many am seeking some advice and guidance. I’m a 30 year old male and was recently prescribed TRT after blood test showed my levels were around 400. My DR directed TRT Be taken 2x a week .5 subq along with anastrozole 3x a week.

Initally, I started feeling pretty good. My sex drive, erections, and overall well being was great after about 3 weeks. After about 4 weeks I started developing large lumps like many using subq TRT injections using a 25 gauge 5/8 syringe. My doctor recently switched me to grape seed oil base, although I’m still having lumps after the change the size has decreased significantly. Not sure if that’s just something I’ll have to deal doing injections sub q.

My other issue is my erections and sex drive recently took a dump. I’m pretty healthy and im decent shape, was not expecting this. I understand the basic side effects and am looking for any advice to help in this area. Also, I’ve experienced slight mood swings and small bouts of anger.

My questions are:

1) Any advice on the subq injection issue. Should I switch and if so will it cause me to feel differently. Can the lumps mean TRT is not being absorbed correctly and causing the below mentioned issues.
2) What can be done to increase sex drive and erections again. Supps, etc..
3) What can be done to increase mood and lower anger?
4) How often should I donate blood and are there side effects if I don’t.

Thank You. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Vince Carter]

Please post any labs you have since you started TRT.

Some post injection site reaction is normal but most of us find a spot that works better or best thru trial and error, you don't have to shoot in belly fat. I had terrible reactions and shooting a .5ml of oil there can be problematic in some guys. Try the upper/outer thigh.

ANy thing else should be revealed in your labs but early indication would be an estrogen management problem...when you get labs and this is critical, get the for males test, (Ultra)Sensitive LC/MS/MS...any other test is for females.

 

[Ryant88]

I have not had any blood work post TRT. I’m scheduled to go in mid August. My pre TRT levels were normal according to my doctor.

 

[Nashtide]

I have not had any blood work post TRT. I’m scheduled to go in mid August. My pre TRT levels were normal according to my doctor.

99% chance you are having E2 issues. How much anastrazole are you taking? You're crazy to wait until August for labs!

 

[Ryant88]

1mg tablet 3x a week (mon,wens,sat). I guess I need to get back in for blood work.

 

[Vince Carter]

Ya this is all pretty moot and stabbing in the dark without some labs. That's a huge dose of anastrozole though.

 

[Nashtide]

1mg tablet 3x a week (mon,wens,sat). I guess I need to get back in for blood work.

That is a RIDICULOUS amount of anastrazole! Guys who are dialed in take between zero mg and 1mg per week. The majority take less than 0.5mg per week. Everyone is reticent to make proclamations without labs, I'm certain you've crashed your E2. Get labs yesterday and be sure the estradiol is the sensitive test!

 

[Ryant88]

So any recommendations. How long does it take for e2 to rebound. Should I discontinue taking it completely or in smaller doses.

 

[madman]

Good Morning,

I'm new to this forum and like many am seeking some advice and guidance. I'm a 30 year old male and was recently prescribed TRT after blood test showed my levels were around 400. My DR directed TRT Be taken 2x a week .5 subq along with anastrozole 3x a week.

Initally, I started feeling pretty good. My sex drive, erections, and overall well being was great after about 3 weeks. After about 4 weeks I started developing large lumps like many using subq TRT injections using a 25 gauge 5/8 syringe. My doctor recently switched me to grape seed oil base, although I'm still having lumps after the change the size has decreased significantly. Not sure if that's just something I'll have to deal doing injections sub q.

My other issue is my erections and sex drive recently took a dump. I'm pretty healthy and im decent shape, was not expecting this. I understand the basic side effects and am looking for any advice to help in this area. Also, I've experienced slight mood swings and small bouts of anger.

My questions are:

1) Any advice on the subq injection issue. Should I switch and if so will it cause me to feel differently. Can the lumps mean TRT is not being absorbed correctly and causing the below mentioned issues.
2) What can be done to increase sex drive and erections again. Supps, etc..
3) What can be done to increase mood and lower anger?
4) How often should I donate blood and are there side effects if I don't.

Thank You. Any help would be appreciated.

As Mr. Carter stated you need to post pre-trt labs and without follow up labs since starting your protocol you are just left in the dark as to guessing at best.

What is the strength of your testosterone............200 mg/ml or 100 mg/ml?

You state you are injecting .5 ml (2x/week), if the strength of the testosterone is 200 mg/ml than you are injecting 100 mg (2x/week) = 200 mg/week a whopping dose!

If the strength of the testosterone is 100 mg/ml than you are injecting 50 mg (2x/week)= 100 mg/week and is usually a common dose but I am going to go out on a limb and say more than likely the strength of your testosterone is 200 mg/ml because of the highly insane dose of arimidex you have been prescribed (TRT mill methods)!

If the strength of your testosterone was only 100 mg/ml and your doctor would prescribe you 1mg of arimidex 3x/week he should be neutered as that is idiotic.

Aromatase inhibitors should never be prescribed when first starting trt unless one was experiencing high e2 symptoms and also had lab work using the estradiol (sensitive assay) test showing ones levels were elevated.

Healthy e2 levels are critical to the overall effectiveness of trt and having estradiol levels too low or high can wreak havoc on ones system and cause many negative issues regarding libido/ed/mood/energy/bone health among many other things.

I will bet your e2 has crashed with that dose of arimidex and is why you are experiencing negative effects.

When first starting trt it is common to experience short term positive benefits regarding energy/mood/libido/erections and overall well being as your system is experiencing the increase in testosterone exogenously (trt) and you are still producing testosterone endogenously (naturally) in the beginning until eventually your hpta shuts down and your lh/fsh levels reach nil.

The honeymoon period is short lived than there will be ups and downs until your blood levels stabilize and even than it will take time for the body to improve overall as the body adjusts to the new levels and the time will come when relief/improvement of low t symptoms will happen and overall you will feel much better.

That being said ones total t/free t levels will need to be in a healthy range whether one needs to have their testosterone levels in the mid-normal physiological range or the high-normal physiological range along with healthy levels of e2, thyroid among other health markers to experience the full benefits of trt.

Things take time and of course gauging how you feel it what truly matters but lab work is critical to see how a specific protocol and dose of testosterone effects ones system.

 

[Nashtide]

So any recommendations. How long does it take for e2 to rebound. Should I discontinue taking it completely or in smaller doses.

E2 can take a long time to rebound. It's very difficult for anyone to give you great advice without labs. Having said that, if I were in your shoes, I would drop the anastrazole completely and get good labs drawn right now. Beware any advice without labs. I'm just telling you what I would do.

 

[Ryant88]

Thank you for the responses, much appreciated from people who clearly know what they're talking about. Scheduled labs and hopefully can get this taken care of. My pre trt e2 level was 34.1.

@madman you are correct, my test is 200mg injected subQ at the direction of the doc.

Clearly I'm new which is why I'm here. I'm going to stop the anastrazole and wait for results.

Does anyone have advice on DHEA in high doses for raising e2 levels. Again, I have no idea I'm just reading around the internet and this forum seems to be the only good source of knowledge.

 

[Vince]

DHEA will increase estradiol levels in men, no matter what the dose is. Of course if it's a higher dose it will increase E2 even higher.

 

[Nashtide]

Thank you for the responses, much appreciated from people who clearly know what they're talking about. Scheduled labs and hopefully can get this taken care of. My pre trt e2 level was 34.1.

@madman you are correct, my test is 200mg injected subQ at the direction of the doc.

Clearly I'm new which is why I'm here. I'm going to stop the anastrazole and wait for results.

Does anyone have advice on DHEA in high doses for raising e2 levels. Again, I have no idea I'm just reading around the internet and this forum seems to be the only good source of knowledge.

When first dailing in you don't want a lot of variables. I would hold off on the dhea for now

 

[madman]

Thank you for the responses, much appreciated from people who clearly know what they're talking about. Scheduled labs and hopefully can get this taken care of. My pre trt e2 level was 34.1.

@madman you are correct, my test is 200mg injected subQ at the direction of the doc.

Clearly I'm new which is why I'm here. I'm going to stop the anastrazole and wait for results.

Does anyone have advice on DHEA in high doses for raising e2 levels. Again, I have no idea I'm just reading around the internet and this forum seems to be the only good source of knowledge.

If anything starting someone on 200 mg/week will skyrocket most mens test levels way above the top end of the physiological range let alone raising ones levels of e2 hence why they started you on an aromatase inhibitor right away and way too much anastrozole to say the least.

It is always best to start low and go slow when using testosterone but it is too late as you have already been on that dose for a while so just stick it out until labs but more than likely your test dose will eventually need to be lowered as the dose you are on will cause your test levels to be really high along with e2 if one were (not using an aromatase inhibitor) with trt.

Once you have follow up lab work done you will see how that dose effects your total t/free t, and estradiol among many other health markers mind you since you have been using such a large dose of anastrozole you will never truly know where your e2 would have ended up on using 200 mg/week of testosterone and more than likely your e2 has already crashed using the large dose of a.i. you were prescribed.

Did you have your shbg tested pre-trt as it is critical to managing your trt protocol?

What were your hemoglobin/hematocrit pre-trt as they will increase during the first 3 months and can take as long as 9-12 months to reach peak.

No one is telling you to change your protocol as that is between you and your doctor and you also need to be your own advocate and learn as much as you can and take that knowledge to make your own decision on what is the most sensible way to manage your protocol.

We can offer advice/guidance as many have been in similar situations and have also learned a lot through trial/error, experience, and gaining knowledge regarding the use of testosterone in relation to trt.

It is up to you and your doctor to discuss how a specific protocol is effecting you regarding improvement/relief or lack there of your low t symptoms and monitoring blood work to see how various health markers are also effected.

Gauging overall results by how you feel whether positive/negative is important but lab work is critical as one needs to know what impact testosterone is going to have on overall health markers which are needed to maintain optimal health and avoid/keep negative side effects minimal.

 

[Nashtide]

If anything starting someone on 200 mg/week will skyrocket most mens test levels way above the top end of the physiological range let alone raising ones levels of e2 hence why they started you on an aromatase inhibitor right away and way too much anastrozole to say the least.

It is always best to start low and go slow when using testosterone but it is too late as you have already been on that dose for a while so just stick it out until labs but more than likely your test dose will eventually need to be lowered as the dose you are on will cause your test levels to be really high along with e2 if one were (not using an aromatase inhibitor) with trt.

Once you have follow up lab work done you will see how that dose effects your total t/free t, and estradiol among many other health markers mind you since you have been using such a large dose of anastrozole you will never truly know where your e2 would have ended up on using 200 mg/week of testosterone and more than likely your e2 has already crashed using the large dose of a.i. you were prescribed.

Did you have your shbg tested pre-trt as it is critical to managing your trt protocol?

What were your hemoglobin/hematocrit pre-trt as they will increase during the first 3 months and can take as long as 9-12 months to reach peak.

No one is telling you to change your protocol as that is between you and your doctor and you also need to be your own advocate and learn as much as you can and take that knowledge to make your own decision on what is the most sensible way to manage your protocol.

We can offer advice/guidance as many have been in similar situations and have also learned a lot through trial/error, experience, and gaining knowledge regarding the use of testosterone in relation to trt.

It is up to you and your doctor to discuss how a specific protocol is effecting you regarding improvement/relief or lack there of your low t symptoms and monitoring blood work to see how various health markers are also effected.

Gauging overall results by how you feel whether positive/negative is important but lab work is critical as one needs to know what impact testosterone is going to have on overall health markers which are needed to maintain optimal health and avoid/keep negative side effects minimal.

The protocol you were prescribed is flat out terrible. Beyond that, seems as if the post TRT labs were scheduled way too far out. So for my money I wouldn't leave my TRT management up to this wingnut just because he graduated from medical school.

 

[Systemlord]

My advice is to located a doctor that has a freaking clue, this protocol and doctor is dangerous! Absolutely insane anastrozole dosage and no 6 week follow up labs, how the heck are you supposed to know what's going on? What kind of doctor is this?

 

[madman]

The protocol you were prescribed is flat out terrible. Beyond that, seems as if the post TRT labs were scheduled way too far out. So for my money I wouldn't leave my TRT management up to this wingnut just because he graduated from medical school.

Of course the protocol is terrible from the start................ridiculous to say the least!

 

[Ryant88]

Anyone have any recomendations for a NJ doctor who has a clue. Also, can anyone clarify in DEFY will treat NJ patients. I read Discounted Labs won't service NJ customers.