Changing weeking injection protocol..help

[lsr75]

Hi everyone
I am considering changing my current weekly test C injection protocol from 2 injections a week to 1..
I am on trt for almost 2 yrs and have never been able to find a sweet spot... I am 43 very fit and active .. my current protocol is..
28mg of test C x 2 injection per week.
100iu hcg per day.

Reasons for wanting to change:
My labs usually show high shbg
My mood is kinda low
Libido is kinda low
Erections are so so.

Just not sure why I dont feel good.. I definitely feel the testosterone.. I am very lean and lots of muscle and strength..but my mood and general feeling of wellbeing sucks..

How should I change..just skip my next shot which would be tonight and then inject 60mg of test on Monday?

Could this make me feel better? Can it make a difference?
The only thing that is confusing for me is the fact that I am so lean and strong..but yet my mood and libido..confidence sucks.. if shbg is eating up all my free T ..then why am I so lean and strong..
Are there any other indicators beside shbg that one would look for to decide between the different protocols?

 

[Systemlord]

It's going to be difficult to help you without knowing where your levels are now, you may just need a dosage increase as twice weekly injections is fine for high SHBG men. High SHBG men need levels in the high normal ranges or higher since most of your hormones are in a bound state.

You're on a really low dosage! Most men are closer to 100mg or higher for a weekly dosage.

We need:
Total T
Free T
SHBG
estrogen sensitive LC/MS/MS method

 

[lsr75]

I dont have any recent labs..maybe 6 months ago.. I live in Canada and it's hard to get labs and they dont test much.. no e2 sensitive and usually no free t..
I was on 80mg a week and I had bad sides.. eczema..water retention..anxiety..very dry scalp..etc..
At around 60mg or a bit less a week ..those sides are alot less... at this does I feel the testosterone significantly in my opinion.. so I can't see that I would need more...

 

[Systemlord]

I live in Canada and it's hard to get labs and they dont test much.. no e2 sensitive and usually no free t..

There's your problem, high SHBG men typically have low Free T and if they aren't testing for it then it's going to be difficult to help you. It sounds like you have other medical conditions that are preventing you from truly optimizing treatment.

HCG can cause water retention and all the symptoms you mentioned. I don't expect once weekly injections to be much better.

 

[lsr75]

I have no other conditions.. I am in great health..
And exactly what you explained is what I ve read about high shbg men..some do better on 1 injection of a higher does in order to get more free T ..something about men with low shbg use up T faster so they do better with frequent injections and men with higher shbg hold on to it longer there for fewer but larger injections.. of course this is just stuff I ve read on forums..that's why I am asking here if there is any merrit to it..
I be had many labs in the past ..most all showed high shbg..and the few times I ve had a free T test ..it was low..
I was on 80mg a week and it felt like too much..

 

[Systemlord]

I have no other conditions.. I am in great health..
And exactly what you explained is what I ve read about high shbg men..some do better on 1 injection of a higher does in order to get more free T ..something about men with low shbg use up T faster so they do better with frequent injections and men with higher shbg hold on to it longer there for fewer but larger injections.. of course this is just stuff I ve read on forums..that's why I am asking here if there is any merrit to it..
I be had many labs in the past ..most all showed high shbg..and the few times I ve had a free T test ..it was low..
I was on 80mg a week and it felt like too much..

We low SHBG men excrete testosterone into the urine quickly. There are more than a few high SHBG men who feel better on twice weekly do to the rate at which they metabolize testosterone and keeping levels consistent makes them feel more even throughout the week.

 

[J71]

I am a high SHGB (79.3 nmol/L)guy and just moved to injecting every other day and feel great. My anxiety is down and energy, mood and sexual function have improved. I was previously injecting 2x a week and couldn’t shake some of the stated side effects. I am on testosterone only so it is relatively easy for me to pinpoint changes in dosing or injection frequency. Keep changes as simple as possible so you can isolate what is actually making a difference.

 

[CoastWatcher]

What province do you live in?

Dynacare offers the sensitive estradiol test.

 

[Vtail]

We low SHBG men excrete testosterone into the urine quickly. There are more than a few high SHBG men who feel better on twice weekly do to the rate at which they metabolize testosterone and keeping levels consistent makes them feel more even throughout the week.

If you had to speak in generalities, what would you consider low and high SHBG (ie. 20 - 30 is low, 60-75 is high, and everything in between is normal) ??

 

[Cataceous]

If you had to speak in generalities, what would you consider low and high SHBG (ie. 20 - 30 is low, 60-75 is high, and everything in between is normal) ??

Considering that an SHBG of 30 nmol/L is typical for young guys, I would say that 25-35 is the optimal range. And 20 to low-40s is still ok. With lower and higher numbers it seems as though guys are more likely to face challenges.

 

[Systemlord]

If you had to speak in generalities, what would you consider low and high SHBG (ie. 20 - 30 is low, 60-75 is high, and everything in between is normal) ??

There will be individual variation in the stickiness of SHBG from person to person, but generally low SHBG is under 20, midrange is 25-30 and high normal is 45-54. There are a couple of things that can lower SHBG, low thyroid hormones, insulin resistance and obesity can all contribute to lower SHBG.