As I stated it is more sensible to start low and wait 6 weeks before having blood work done to see how all of your blood markers are effected by that specific dose and of course gauging how you feel overall throughout the 6 weeks regarding if you notice any improvements or lack there of in your energy/libido/erections/mood/drive.
I've seen the light and agree with what your saying. Thinking about all this I was in a rush to make up for the first place wasting over 10 weeks of my time and charging me $55 a visit. I did have to step back and realize this is not something were more is better or using more to make up for time already spent.
Avoiding the use of an aromatase inhibitor is much more sensible when starting a trt protocol to see how that specific dose of testosterone truly effects your total t/free t/estradiol(sensitive assay)/dht/shbg as only than will you know if you need to add an aromatase inhibitor to your protocol.
Agree, I have read a few horror stories. I knew to respect the hell out of it or it could ruin you but think there is still that chance using it when it wasn't needed and paying the price. I will say when the first place messed up my first 7 weeks on 90 and the blood work showed my E2 <5 , I didn't feel as horrible as I heard others have. So I assume they must have completely wiped out everything and then some.
It is much better to see how your respond to a lower dose of testosterone than you can truly gauge whether you need to increase your test dose to improve your levels or add the (a.i.) if your were experiencing high e2 symptoms and your estradiol(sensitive assay) came back high.
Agree
Some never need to add the (a.i.) and if you use one from the get go regardless of dose you may very well crash your estradiol which will bring along a whole host of
other negative issues.
Agree
If you had high e2 symptoms pre-trt and labs to confirm elevated e2(sensitive assay) than of course it would make sense to start out on the (a.i.).
Agree, I don't think i did, but that was a non sensitive test done as members mentioned. I was looking threw the blood forum and it looks like it does say estradiol sensitive which none of mine did.
I did take that .5mg AI on Saturday its been a few days to judge and I can say it didn't make me worse but better right after. So I think its safe to say it was climbing which backs up what your saying about me taking to high of a dose to start.
The estradiol sensitive is meant for men and is far more accurate as oppose to the standard which is meant for women and tends to blurr the true estradiol reading in men. I as many others on here would prefer the accuracy of such a critical hormone to ones protocol. Sure the standard assay may give one an idea but it is a guessing game that I would not prefer to rely on especially when contemplating adding in the (a.i.).
Agree, do you feel I should ask for the regular and sensitive for a even better view?
I would not say low shbg is worse it just needs to be manged differently mainly with ones injection frequency as a minimum of injecting 3.5 days would be needed and even than most do better with lower doses of testosterone injected M/W/F or EOD or even daily which many low shbg guys benefit from.
Shbg is a protein produced by the liver which binds tightly to the hormones testosterone/dht/estradiol and is responsible for transporting these hormones in the blood. it also has a buffering effect on overall testosterone levels and helps prevent hepatic(liver) clearance of testosterone.
When one has low shbg testosterone is burned through/excreted quicker so it tends not to stay around too long so injecting more frequently is a way too counteract this. Also having low shbg one will have a higher free testosterone as more is in the free (active) state along with higher estradiol as well.
Thanks, now I understand it with the way you wrote it. It has benefits but requires different managing.
I would leave the hcg dose as is until you stay on a specific dose for 6 weeks than decide if you need to increase dose.
This you may not know cause of the loooong intro and I didn't really go into my balls lol. But I did raise it today to 300 still on M/W/F and I'll tell you why. The first place never gave me HCG just the T shot. I was there for 14 weeks like that. So my balls did shrink up noticeably, not that I personally cared about them being smaller, just stating their was real proof of them shutting down. My wife even noticed. I was almost shooting nothing when I came, let alone how crappy I felt and brain fog like crazy. When I started HCG by the second day I felt a positive difference and that was before my first new T shot. I don't think it was my imagination. Anyways I've been reading up on people who have been shut down and what effective dose to use to turn them back on and 300 was still on the conservative side of the numbers I saw. I still don't want to take too much cause I have read their are no signs of improvement from taking doses larger then your effective dose. My script is good for 330iu's 3 times a week.
Seeing as you are low shbg injecting every 3.5 days is a good protocol for now and after 6 weeks at a specific testosterone dose and having blood work done you can assess whether you need to increase injection frequency (spread out weekly testosterone dose).
Stupid question, If im doing it every monday morning and thursday night, would that be considered every 3.5 days? Cause tecnically isnt it 84hrs so it would fall on different days of the week?
I definitely think if anything 120 mg/week (60mg every 3.5 days or 140mg/week (70mg every 3.5 days) would be a good starting
trt dose and give it 6 weeks at that dose with only hcg use and no (a.i.). Worst case scenario you may start to notice increased e2 sides but 6 weeks of dealing with that is not the end of the world unless they really needed to be addressed right away due to severity.
I decided with everything you and others have said I should start on a lower dose, so today I did 80 instead and will do that till I get tested again. I'll look at those results as my "safer higher" number results. Would have done 70 but they are 3ml syringes and only have lines in the 20's
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