Done with TRT and recovered within two weeks

[FunkOdyssey]

I pulled the plug on my TRT journey after a little more than 3 months. I was enjoying some benefits in the area of energy, mood, and recovery/gains. However:

• The hair loss was out of control. I went from a full, thick head of hair before I started to visibly thinned hair that shows my scalp easily.
• Exaggeration of GERD / LPR symptoms was somewhat dose-responsive but persistent throughout.
• I really hoped TRT was going to improve my libido. It would briefly help when I increased the dose, but generally it was worse than baseline.
• TRT was messing with my cognition. Depending on the dose and ester, this ranged from minor issues with word recall to feeling noticeably impaired / brain-fogged / dumb.

I had switched to propionate some weeks before stopping which I think was helpful to accelerate the recovery timeline. I stopped the daily prop injections and started on 12.5 mg enclomiphene daily. I took that for one week and then dropped to EOD enclomiphene due to headaches. I took labs on day 14 of PCT:

Test	Pre-TRT Baseline	Day 14 of PCT	Normal Range
LH	3.8 mIU/mL	9.9 mIU/mL	1.5 - 9.3 mIU/mL
FSH	10.5 mIU/mL	10.2 mIU/mL	1.6 - 8.0 mIU/mL
Total Testosterone	612 ng/dL	727 ng/dL	250 - 1100 ng/dL
SHBG	56 nmol/L	55 nmol/L	10 - 50 nmol/L
Free Testosterone (EqD)	66.7 pg/mL	92.3 pg/mL	35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL
Free Testosterone (calc)	8.7 ng/dL	11.6 ng/dL	4.6 - 22.4 ng/dL

I stopped enclomiphene as soon as I received these lab results as the headaches were continuing to bother me. I consider myself either fully recovered or very nearly there, already. I'll repeat labs after a month without enclomiphene to verify that though.

I am grateful for the experience even though it didn't have the outcome I was looking for. I was forced to give up caffeine while trying to mitigate TRT side effects and I now intend to remain caffeine-free for the rest of my life, so that's a huge positive.

I was always curious about what TRT would do for me and that curiosity would only be satisfied by first-hand knowledge. The fearmongers that talk about TRT as a lifelong decision and try to scare people away from trying it couldn't be more wrong. I know some have had different results but quitting TRT after a 3 month trial and regaining my HPTA function was trivially easy.

 

[ghce]

I am in a similar position to you with TRT no longer providing any benefit over no TRT.
Getting back to baseline couldn't be easier for me with just a short couple of weeks on Clomid, have done this a few times over the last 8 years.
Pretty sure this time I will stay off TRT forever but may need the occasional Clomid boost evey few months or so.

 

[Simbarn]

Your optimism is a little premature given you are still most likely experiencing the stimulation from Enclomiphene.
However, 3 months is a very short time and should not cause difficulties with a restart with just TRT dosages. I have stopped cold turkey after being on TRT for a number of years and my testosterone went back to baseline after a month, it helped that I had been on hCG too, so my testes were ready to receive the signals from above.
Your testes would not have fully atrophied in that time.
If the testes have fully atrophied after a number of years, recovery can be a much slower process and there is a chance it may not come back fully, especially in an older male.

I am not familiar with your case, but I see you had a good level of T before therapy.
It would seem that low T was not your issue.
I think libido for many males depends on all the hormones involved in sexual function, not just testosterone.
I also notice these cognition issues to a degree with TRT, I find hCG seems to rectify much of this. LH appears to be an important hormone.

 

[Willyt]

Hope you will check back once a while. Your comments were insightful so thanks for that.
Libido is quite the mystery. Interesting that even at natural levels of 600+ pre-TRT you were having issues. At least you learned one of the many myths of TRT!

 

[GreenMachineX]

Your optimism is a little premature given you are still most likely experiencing the stimulation from Enclomiphene.
However, 3 months is a very short time and should not cause difficulties with a restart with just TRT dosages. I have stopped cold turkey after being on TRT for a number of years and my testosterone went back to baseline after a month, it helped that I had been on hCG too, so my testes were ready to receive the signals from above.
Your testes would not have fully atrophied in that time.
If the testes have fully atrophied after a number of years, recovery can be a much slower process and there is a chance it may not come back fully, especially in an older male.

I am not familiar with your case, but I see you had a good level of T before therapy.
It would seem that low T was not your issue.
I think libido for many males depends on all the hormones involved in sexual function, not just testosterone.
I also notice these cognition issues to a degree with TRT, I find hCG seems to rectify much of this. LH appears to be an important hormone.

I'm about to go cold turkey off TRT. I've been on for 6 years or so, but no hcg. You didn't use clomid or anything? I might not use anything to come off except healthy diet. Why did you stop?

 

[GreenMachineX]

I pulled the plug on my TRT journey after a little more than 3 months. I was enjoying some benefits in the area of energy, mood, and recovery/gains. However:

• The hair loss was out of control. I went from a full, thick head of hair before I started to visibly thinned hair that shows my scalp easily.
• Exaggeration of GERD / LPR symptoms was somewhat dose-responsive but persistent throughout.
• I really hoped TRT was going to improve my libido. It would briefly help when I increased the dose, but generally it was worse than baseline.
• TRT was messing with my cognition. Depending on the dose and ester, this ranged from minor issues with word recall to feeling noticeably impaired / brain-fogged / dumb.

I had switched to propionate some weeks before stopping which I think was helpful to accelerate the recovery timeline. I stopped the daily prop injections and started on 12.5 mg enclomiphene daily. I took that for one week and then dropped to EOD enclomiphene due to headaches. I took labs on day 14 of PCT:

Test	Pre-TRT Baseline	Day 14 of PCT	Normal Range
LH	3.8 mIU/mL	9.9 mIU/mL	1.5 - 9.3 mIU/mL
FSH	10.5 mIU/mL	10.2 mIU/mL	1.6 - 8.0 mIU/mL
Total Testosterone	612 ng/dL	727 ng/dL	250 - 1100 ng/dL
SHBG	56 nmol/L	55 nmol/L	10 - 50 nmol/L
Free Testosterone (EqD)	66.7 pg/mL	92.3 pg/mL	35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL
Free Testosterone (calc)	8.7 ng/dL	11.6 ng/dL	4.6 - 22.4 ng/dL

I stopped enclomiphene as soon as I received these lab results as the headaches were continuing to bother me. I consider myself either fully recovered or very nearly there, already. I'll repeat labs after a month without enclomiphene to verify that though.


I am grateful for the experience even though it didn't have the outcome I was looking for. I was forced to give up caffeine while trying to mitigate TRT side effects and I now intend to remain caffeine-free for the rest of my life, so that's a huge positive.

I was always curious about what TRT would do for me and that curiosity would only be satisfied by first-hand knowledge. The fearmongers that talk about TRT as a lifelong decision and try to scare people away from trying it couldn't be more wrong. I know some have had different results but quitting TRT after a 3 month trial and regaining my HPTA function was trivially easy.

Also meant to ask how quickly the gerd or lpr went away after stopping?

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Also meant to ask how quickly the gerd or lpr went away after stopping?

I always have a baseline of mild reflux symptoms but they were exaggerated quite a bit by TRT. My symptoms diminished to their normal low baseline within a couple weeks of stopping.

 

[tropicaldaze1950]

I pulled the plug on my TRT journey after a little more than 3 months. I was enjoying some benefits in the area of energy, mood, and recovery/gains. However:

• The hair loss was out of control. I went from a full, thick head of hair before I started to visibly thinned hair that shows my scalp easily.
• Exaggeration of GERD / LPR symptoms was somewhat dose-responsive but persistent throughout.
• I really hoped TRT was going to improve my libido. It would briefly help when I increased the dose, but generally it was worse than baseline.
• TRT was messing with my cognition. Depending on the dose and ester, this ranged from minor issues with word recall to feeling noticeably impaired / brain-fogged / dumb.

I had switched to propionate some weeks before stopping which I think was helpful to accelerate the recovery timeline. I stopped the daily prop injections and started on 12.5 mg enclomiphene daily. I took that for one week and then dropped to EOD enclomiphene due to headaches. I took labs on day 14 of PCT:

Test	Pre-TRT Baseline	Day 14 of PCT	Normal Range
LH	3.8 mIU/mL	9.9 mIU/mL	1.5 - 9.3 mIU/mL
FSH	10.5 mIU/mL	10.2 mIU/mL	1.6 - 8.0 mIU/mL
Total Testosterone	612 ng/dL	727 ng/dL	250 - 1100 ng/dL
SHBG	56 nmol/L	55 nmol/L	10 - 50 nmol/L
Free Testosterone (EqD)	66.7 pg/mL	92.3 pg/mL	35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL
Free Testosterone (calc)	8.7 ng/dL	11.6 ng/dL	4.6 - 22.4 ng/dL

I stopped enclomiphene as soon as I received these lab results as the headaches were continuing to bother me. I consider myself either fully recovered or very nearly there, already. I'll repeat labs after a month without enclomiphene to verify that though.


I am grateful for the experience even though it didn't have the outcome I was looking for. I was forced to give up caffeine while trying to mitigate TRT side effects and I now intend to remain caffeine-free for the rest of my life, so that's a huge positive.

I was always curious about what TRT would do for me and that curiosity would only be satisfied by first-hand knowledge. The fearmongers that talk about TRT as a lifelong decision and try to scare people away from trying it couldn't be more wrong. I know some have had different results but quitting TRT after a 3 month trial and regaining my HPTA function was trivially easy.

If you were using Test C or E it will likely be in your system for another 6-8 weeks(5 half lives), so you will you have a more accurate assessment of how you feel and function. After reading about retired body builder Emeric Delczog's 5 to 10 mg daily testosterone protocol and his explanation that low dose allows the HPTA/HPGA to reset, going to give it his recommended try daily shots for 8 weeks @ 10 mg, IM and pull labs in January or have my urologist give me a comprehensive lab slip.

At one point I was off T for at least 5 months or maybe more, total was 289 and I felt weak, exhausted, depressed. Yes, that's me, hopefully not you. Do wish you the best in your journey!

 

[GreenMachineX]

If you were using Test C or E it will likely be in your system for another 6-8 weeks(5 half lives), so you will you have a more accurate assessment of how you feel and function. After reading about retired body builder Emeric Delczog's 5 to 10 mg daily testosterone protocol and his explanation that low dose allows the HPTA/HPGA to reset, going to give it his recommended try daily shots for 8 weeks @ 10 mg, IM and pull labs in January or have my urologist give me a comprehensive lab slip.

At one point I was off T for at least 5 months or maybe more, total was 289 and I felt weak, exhausted, depressed. Yes, that's me, hopefully not you. Do wish you the best in your journey!

That's interesting about his theory. I've been doing 5-10mg daily for 1 year now. Hopefully it let's me recover better then cold turkey from other normal protocols, but I think I have more high Testosterone side effects from the daily protocol.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

If you were using Test C or E it will likely be in your system for another 6-8 weeks(5 half lives), so you will you have a more accurate assessment of how you feel and function. After reading about retired body builder Emeric Delczog's 5 to 10 mg daily testosterone protocol and his explanation that low dose allows the HPTA/HPGA to reset, going to give it his recommended try daily shots for 8 weeks @ 10 mg, IM and pull labs in January or have my urologist give me a comprehensive lab slip.

At one point I was off T for at least 5 months or maybe more, total was 289 and I felt weak, exhausted, depressed. Yes, that's me, hopefully not you. Do wish you the best in your journey!

My last shot of T cypionate was 7 weeks ago. I had switched to propionate afterwards which facilitated a quick recovery from TRT. I'm feeling good, except my libido is poor and the gains have stopped, which was my original pre-TRT state. My sad libido is still better than it was on TRT though (3 out of 10 versus 1-2 out of 10). The hair loss is slowing down and my brain works again. I have a new appreciation for the low normal output of a sluggish but basically functional HPTA.

 

[tareload]

My last shot of T cypionate was 7 weeks ago. I had switched to propionate afterwards which facilitated a quick recovery from TRT. I'm feeling good, except my libido is poor and the gains have stopped, which was my original pre-TRT state. My sad libido is still better than it was on TRT though (3 out of 10 versus 1-2 out of 10). The hair loss is slowing down and my brain works again. I have a new appreciation for the low normal output of a sluggish but basically functional HPTA.

 

[Fortunate]

I'm about to go cold turkey off TRT. I've been on for 6 years or so, but no hcg. You didn't use clomid or anything? I might not use anything to come off except healthy diet. Why did you stop?

You could consider trying Natesto after stopping injections. This would may allow for some symptom relief while your body recovers (if it’s going to recover).

 

[GreenMachineX]

You could consider trying Natesto after stopping injections. This would may allow for some symptom relief while your body recovers (if it’s going to recover).

Is there anyone out there that Natesto actually works for long term?

 

[Fortunate]

Is there anyone out there that Natesto actually works for long term?

I used it on a fairly regular basis, and did reasonably well, but I was also using hCG at the same time. A few years ago, I started a journey that led me into the TRT wilderness, and it’s been hard for me to get back on the Natesto, long-term again, possibly because of my lack of patience. It does take time for your endogenous production to kick back in.

Short answer is, yes. I do believe it can work long-term. Won’t know until you try it, and the risk is fairly small.

 

[Terry1]

I almost quit trt 8 weeks into treatment for low T (200’s). I had hair loss, water weight out of control, moods swings etc etc.

Tried reducing my dose to 140mg and doing injections twice a week instead of once. Everything improved quickly never looked back 3 years now.

I do 150mg a week now. No issues my body seems in perfect balance now. Just have bad joint pain same as before trt, that said trt seems to improve it some.

 

[Simbarn]

I'm about to go cold turkey off TRT. I've been on for 6 years or so, but no hcg. You didn't use clomid or anything? I might not use anything to come off except healthy diet. Why did you stop?

No, I did not use anything, however, as I mentioned I had been on hCG. My testes were running to some extent and were a reasonable size.
At the time, I think I wanted to see how I felt again, not on hormone replacement.
I stayed off TRT for almost 2 years, then resumed.
If you have been on for 6 years with no hCG, your testes must be quite atrophied?
If you took hCG for a month or so before and after quitting it may make the transition easier. It is usually the testes that are the slowest to respond if they have been fully shut down for a number of years, compared to the pituitary. Sometimes however, on TRT dosages, they can respond quite quickly for some men, even after a number of years.

 

[Forty2]

If you were using Test C or E it will likely be in your system for another 6-8 weeks(5 half lives), so you will you have a more accurate assessment of how you feel and function. After reading about retired body builder Emeric Delczog's 5 to 10 mg daily testosterone protocol and his explanation that low dose allows the HPTA/HPGA to reset, going to give it his recommended try daily shots for 8 weeks @ 10 mg, IM and pull labs in January or have my urologist give me a comprehensive lab slip.

At one point I was off T for at least 5 months or maybe more, total was 289 and I felt weak, exhausted, depressed. Yes, that's me, hopefully not you. Do wish you the best in your journey!

Does he use 5mg or 10mg daily? What ester does he use?

 

[tropicaldaze1950]

Does he use 5mg or 10mg daily? What ester does he use?

10 mg,Test E every other day but when he started the protocol about 25 years ago, it was 10 mg daily.

For me, at 4 days in @ 10 mg daily, my mood and energy are crashing. Yes, going from 100 mg E5D to daily low dose is suddenly downshifting and the body needs time to adjust and recalibrate. I was already walking a fine line, emotionally, and hoping I'll feel better in 8 weeks or more isn't worth the trade off. Just me. I'm the only one I'm responsible for. If you try the protocol, I wish you success.

 

[bixt]

Emeric Delczog's 5 to 10 mg daily testosterone protocol and his explanation that low dose allows the HPTA/HPGA to reset,

Emerics 10mg daily protocol is the best cookie cutter protocol for everyone, if there could be such a thing. I have used it myself to great success.

It works because its a physiologic dose with no spikes, end of story.

It does not work because of Emerics claims such as "HPTA reset". He has made wild claims over at PM such as the hpta remaining active, LH being up, along with resultant fertility, but was unable to back his claims up when repeatedly asked. Also he promotes his supplement "Huma******T" as part of the protocol. Far fetched claims that it works like LH etc. Backed up with BS "studies".

He appears to be a paid sponsor (although he doesnt say so) and so any posts calling his supplement BS get deleted.

Again, the 10mg protocol is one of the best best out there, its a shame hes trying to monetise it. Just dont believe any of the other fatched BS claims in that thread at PM.

 

[tareload]

Emerics 10mg daily protocol is the best cookie cutter protocol for everyone, if there could be such a thing. I have used it myself to great success.

It works because its a physiologic dose with no spikes, end of story.

It does not work because of Emerics claims such as "HPTA reset". He has made wild claims over at PM such as the hpta remaining active, LH being up, along with resultant fertility, but was unable to back his claims up when repeatedly asked. Also he promotes his supplement "Huma******T" as part of the protocol. Far fetched claims that it works like LH etc. Backed up with BS "studies".

He appears to be a paid sponsor (although he doesnt say so) and so any posts calling his supplement BS get deleted.

Again, the 10mg protocol is one of the best best out there, its a shame hes trying to monetise it. Just dont believe any of the other fatched BS claims in that thread at PM.

That is too bad. Thanks for the info.

$$$ grabbing corrupts consistently.

How are these peptides supposed to survive the digestive process intact? Should take out the first "o" and then change the second "o" to an "a". Better name.

People will buy anything I guess. Wow.

Happy reading.

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/a2/53/f5/42c67600d0bd18/US9999654.pdf