6 weeks clean & sober! Stopped TRT.

[BigBamBoo]

So after about a year of TRT I decided to stop TRT. The negative effects outweigh the positives for me.

I never felt great or even really good on TRT. And the final straw for me was I started having heart palpitations in the evening. They were very strong and really worried me.

Here is the list of the symptoms I developed after starting TRT:

Weight gain....I work out heavy 5 days a week. Have since I was in my late 20’s early 30’s. After starting TRT I went from 205 lbs to 222 lbs. all in my belly.

Emotional flatness. On TRT I just felt like I could take it or leave it. There was no real excitement about anything.
I guess if you felt like crap prior to TRT or were depressed, the linear feel I felt would be better.
But for me, it was just...well...not me.

Tingling in my hand. I thought it was carpal tunnel, but that was ruled out. After some research, I was able to find threads about others having the same issue.

Lowered HDL and climbing LDL. Again, nothing major and my cholesterol has always been at the higher end, but my last bloods showed a drop in my HDL.

Watery eye...yep....no idea and doctors had no clue. But since starting TRT my left eye constantly watered.
Went in to have my tear duct flushed. Did nothing.

Ok....now the big one. Sexual function. Prior to TRT I had BIG ejaculation volume and force. My orgasms would last 20-30 seconds. I am very visually stimulated and shooting big loads turns me on.
I could get off twice a day no problem.
TRT pretty much took all that away. My orgasms became very short and my loads went to a very small squirt with no force.
And a lot of times I would not get off at all. And would only have sex 2-3 times a week.

So....I decided to stop TRT altogether. I spoke with one of the Doctors at Defy about a PCT, but was told with my high SHBG, that clomid would raise my SHBG even more.

He suggested I could taper down my T dose. But...I just cold turkeyed it. 6 weeks ago I just stopped.
I decided to stop everything and “detox”. I stopped all vitamins and supplements.

I was worried about “the big crash” that folks talk about. But I can tell you it never happened.

So how do I feel I am guessing you want to know. Well...actually pretty damn good. I feel like I am getting back to my old self.
Folks I know have commented that I seem really happy lately.

I have lost about 10 lbs. My stomach is pretty much flat again. I sleep way better. My eye no longer waters. I still have some mild tingling in my hand throughout the day, but much improved.

And the big one...the sex is back! I can get off twice a day again. My loads are getting back to where they were. I am once again a shooter!!!

I know, I know...it is only six weeks. So time will tell. But I feel much better now. Better than the last year of constantly trying to figure out what to try next.

I am sure I will revisit TRT down the road. But for now, I am going to go at it naturally until I truly need it.

I do not plan on doing bloods for at least six months or if I starting feeling crappy. So I will follow up then.

Just thought I would share for those who are thinking about stopping.

Happy Holidays!

 

[Vince]

I'm happy it's working out for you. Congratulations and happy holidays to you too

 

[BigBamBoo]

Thanks Vince.
As I mentioned above....time will tell and I know time is against me as I age.
But I feel munch better off the T so far.

 

[MarkM]

Good for you BigBamBoo. I am glad you are feeling much better and getting yourself back to normal.

 

[BigBamBoo]

Thanks Mark. It is amazing that I was so linear on the T. I am totally digging having some emotions again! LOL.

People I interact with keep asking me what is going on? Your so happy and funny lately.

So I will run with while it last. I am hoping I can go another 5+ years before revisiting TRT. We shall see.

Happy Holidays!

 

[Jiu Jitsu Dude]

I'm going through the HPTA restart right now. I'm only 11 days off my last shot (50mg 2x week). Per defy I'm using tamoxifen 10mg for 6 weeks. I too had many issues that I could not resolve. But I must say if I ever tried again it would be with Defy. Good people. When should I expect my internal testosterone to start producing? ANd when would my 50mg T-cyp run flat?

BigBamBoo I'm happy for you! I hope my journey off trt will be relatively not to emotionally taxing...

 

[BigBamBoo]

Well for me I went through a down point in my life....my mother passed away, I am self employed and was working a lot. Started to struggle with my work outs. Etc.

So all the signs pointed to low T. So I contacted a couple of T clinics and settled on Defy.

I have high SHBG so my free T is lower. So I was started on T, HCG, and AI.

Right away I started to gain weight. I also started having high E symptoms and tried the AI. Learned right away I can not use that stuff.

Long story short...TRT was one trial and error protocol after another and I never felt like wow...I feel great!
And the sexual issues really bothered me, cause I have never had any issues prior to TRT.

Once the heart palpitations started that was it for me.

All these issues have went away now that I am off the T.

And I can say that I really do feel like my old self in every way. Sex life, gym life, happiness, the whole package.

For those who have gained quality of life and relief of low T symptoms via TRT, that is fantastic. And I hope when I get to that point, I will be able to get things dialed in and am able to have it work for me.

 

[BigBamBoo]

I'm going through the HPTA restart right now. I'm only 11 days off my last shot (50mg 2x week). Per defy I'm using tamoxifen 10mg for 6 weeks. I too had many issues that I could not resolve. But I must say if I ever tried again it would be with Defy. Good people. When should I expect my internal testosterone to start producing? ANd when would my 50mg T-cyp run flat?

BigBamBoo I'm happy for you! I hope my journey off trt will be relatively not to emotionally taxing...

Yes, I was with Defy as well and have nothing but good to say about them.
They are going to keep my file, so if/when I need to revisit TRT, it should be an easy process.

From what the Defy doc told me, at about the three week mark you should be free of the T and your body should start coming back and producing.

Not sure how taking tamoxifen will prolong things for you. I am sure others will chime in.

Good luck and just keep your mind right. Know that this too shall pass. Be strong.

 

[Jiu Jitsu Dude]

Yes, I was with Defy as well and have nothing but good to say about them.
They are going to keep my file, so if/when I need to revisit TRT, it should be an easy process.

From what the Defy doc told me, at about the three week mark you should be free of the T and your body should start coming back and producing.

Not sure how taking tamoxifen will prolong things for you. I am sure others will chime in.

Good luck and just keep your mind right. Know that this too shall pass. Be strong.

Thanks much BigBamBoo. "This too shall pass" is one of my favorite sayings when under stress. I'll let you know how it's going occasionally

 

[S1W]

BigBamBoo,

Psyched to hear that you're happy with your decision and that things are going well. Please consider stopping by here a little while down the road to give us an update on how things are unfolding...seems like guys often post questions about recovery, etc and your experience would be valuable.

All the best!

 

[BigBamBoo]

Thanks gents. I will continue to post and be around. We have a good group of folks here and I like to hear from others experiences. You can never have to much knowledge.

Happy New Year to all!

 

[StepbyStep]

I'm happy to hear that you're feeling good again! I just kind of stopped taking my T shots a little over a week ago. I've taken a couple of shots of HCG just to keep the boys going. I'm in the same boat as you with the emotional flatness. Just kind of over it all, I'm not sure if I'm going to start taking my shots again or just take some time off. After over a year of feeling like shit on TRT, I just want to get back to my old self.

 

[BigBamBoo]

Yes, I wish I was one of those who responded well to TRT.

But it is great that we live in a time where we have so many options when it comes to our individual health.

And as TRT/HRT continue to evolve, I think we will see even more options in years to come.

Please post up how you do if you decide to stop.

 

[at15]

its very interesting how this stuff works, before trt i had a steel rod in my pants five times a day if i wanted. went on trt at age 25, its like chasing a moving target, if everything comes together perfect i can almost replicate natural but its tough. stay natural folks if you dont have a reason to go on. feel like im in too deep at this point and dont want to wait a year to recover.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

So after about a year of TRT I decided to stop TRT. The negative effects outweigh the positives for me.

I never felt great or even really good on TRT. And the final straw for me was I started having heart palpitations in the evening. They were very strong and really worried me.

Here is the list of the symptoms I developed after starting TRT:

Weight gain....I work out heavy 5 days a week. Have since I was in my late 20’s early 30’s. After starting TRT I went from 205 lbs to 222 lbs. all in my belly.

Emotional flatness. On TRT I just felt like I could take it or leave it. There was no real excitement about anything.
I guess if you felt like crap prior to TRT or were depressed, the linear feel I felt would be better.
But for me, it was just...well...not me.

Tingling in my hand. I thought it was carpal tunnel, but that was ruled out. After some research, I was able to find threads about others having the same issue.

Lowered HDL and climbing LDL. Again, nothing major and my cholesterol has always been at the higher end, but my last bloods showed a drop in my HDL.

Watery eye...yep....no idea and doctors had no clue. But since starting TRT my left eye constantly watered.
Went in to have my tear duct flushed. Did nothing.

Ok....now the big one. Sexual function. Prior to TRT I had BIG ejaculation volume and force. My orgasms would last 20-30 seconds. I am very visually stimulated and shooting big loads turns me on.
I could get off twice a day no problem.
TRT pretty much took all that away. My orgasms became very short and my loads went to a very small squirt with no force.
And a lot of times I would not get off at all. And would only have sex 2-3 times a week.

So....I decided to stop TRT altogether. I spoke with one of the Doctors at Defy about a PCT, but was told with my high SHBG, that clomid would raise my SHBG even more.

He suggested I could taper down my T dose. But...I just cold turkeyed it. 6 weeks ago I just stopped.
I decided to stop everything and “detox”. I stopped all vitamins and supplements.

I was worried about “the big crash” that folks talk about. But I can tell you it never happened.

So how do I feel I am guessing you want to know. Well...actually pretty damn good. I feel like I am getting back to my old self.
Folks I know have commented that I seem really happy lately.

I have lost about 10 lbs. My stomach is pretty much flat again. I sleep way better. My eye no longer waters. I still have some mild tingling in my hand throughout the day, but much improved.

And the big one...the sex is back! I can get off twice a day again. My loads are getting back to where they were. I am once again a shooter!!!

I know, I know...it is only six weeks. So time will tell. But I feel much better now. Better than the last year of constantly trying to figure out what to try next.

I am sure I will revisit TRT down the road. But for now, I am going to go at it naturally until I truly need it.

I do not plan on doing bloods for at least six months or if I starting feeling crappy. So I will follow up then.

Just thought I would share for those who are thinking about stopping.

Happy Holidays!

I am so glad you are feeling better.

I am confused, though. Why did you start TRT and were you using street drugs? You use the term "clean and sorber" but TRT is not a drug you get "sober from".

 

[BigBamBoo]

LOL...the “clean and sober” was a ha ha. No...I do not use street drugs. Nor to I drink, smoke, drink coffee, sodas, etc.

I started TRT after I went through a slump and had all the “low T symptoms”.

I have high SHBG...75 prior TRT. And while me TT was 600 prior TRT, my FT was only 10 or so.

So after talking to some low T clinics I settled on Defy and was hoping TRT would help me out.

But...it made things much worse. As I outlined above, I had all kinds of negative effects from it.
The last symptom was the start of heart palpitations that seemed to get worse by the week.

That along with the sexual issues it was causing drove me to call it quits.

And within a couple of weeks, pretty much all the issues I was having started going away.

No more heart palpitations, lost 10+ lbs most of it from my stomach, my ejaculation volume and force has come back to almost what it was prior to TRT and seems to be increasing as the days go by. I am back to having sex or getting off twice day.

And I just feel...well...good. My mood has went from being flat to upbeat most of the times.
TRT made me feel very linear. No highs or lows. Which sucked. I don’t mind having emotions. Not every day in my life is great, and I don’t mind being down if there is a reason as I know tomorrow is a new day and things will be better.

Again...I am VERY thankful we have TRT as an option for those who really benefit from it.
And as I stated before, I will revisit it down the road. I am 50 and know time is not on my side. But for now, I am feeling way better than I ever did on TRT. So I am going to ride it out while it lasts.

I will probably pull labs in a few months just to see where things are. Maybe I am just one of those guys who feels best at a lower TT/FT ?

I will continue to update as time goes by.

Happy New Year to all.

 

[sh1973]

Glad to hear you’re feeling better. I’ve been in the same boat as you with higher shbg and have never felt quiet right on trt at any level. I’ve been on trt nearly nine years now and don’t know if stopping would ever be an option. I don’t feel terrible but I sure as hell don’t feel great by any means. I only feel decent in the 60-70mg per week range which goes against all the literature and beliefs associated with elevated shbg. If I go above 100mg per week I feel like complete garbage. I’ve never been able to tolerate any of the ancillary supplements such as dhea, hcg etc... I’m curious to see how things turn out for you. If you don’t mind me asking, how long we’re you on trt?

 

[BigBamBoo]

Just about one year. So not very long.

And I am with you on the HCG. Once I cut that out, I lost 10 lbs and my high E2 started to come down. I weighed myself this morning and I am 203 lbs. At mid point on TRT I was 223+ lbs! And it was not muscle. Pretty much all in my belly.

nd once I switched from every 3.5 days injections to EOD, my E2 dropped down in the 30's....yep...don't ya know. Guys with high SHBG are only supposed to take one or two big doses a week!?!? More frequent injections are not supposed to work.

When I was doing every 3.5 days, my E2 was 70-75+. "Thankfully" I do have high SHBG so I did not have any crazy high E symptoms such as moodiness, crying, etc.

Again...I was very "flat" emotionally on TRT. And for me, that was not a good feeling. I like having moods, because for the most part I am a upbeat and happy guy.

I will continue to post updates. I will be 7 weeks off of T this Friday. And each day just seems to be better and better for me.

One thing I have noticed, is that I again have feeling in my nuts. On TRT you could have kicked me in the balls and I doubt I would have felt it.

I just want to mention again, I am not downing on TRT. It is great that we have options. For those who benefit from it, I wish I could feel that way on it.
And down the road for me, I am hoping new breakthroughs happen and I will be able to take advantage of it and feel good on it as well.

 

[stx359]

I am curious. You had a total testosterone in the normal range and were prescribed an expensive treatment for men with low testosterone which you did not have under the pretense of treating a low free testosterone which is bull because they did not know what your free testosterone was in your prime. You experienced significant side effects with no benefit. You paid thousands of dollars for the right to do so. You underwent countless needle sticks and lab tests. Once you got off the expensive therapy you felt great.

It sounds to me like you just got ripped off by an unscrupulous clinic and are now several thousand dollars lighter in the wallet for no benefit whatsoever, and yet you say someday you will go back to the same clinic? Very confusing.

A lot of low T "symptoms" could also be explained away by such things as a bout with depression, struggling with a long term low grade infection, any number of things really. I find the fact that this clinic would put you on an expensive therapy you didn't need to be worthy of alarm. It seems to me we should treat this as a cautionary tale and warn people so other men don't make the same mistake.

 

[broker]

You were having frequent sex and good sex and you you still went on testosterone !!! Why would you do that !!!!!!!!!!
Glad to see you are off.