How do you NOT retain water on TRT?

[onemoreround]

I'm a male in my late 30s. If I even use 50mg of TRT inj testosterone cypionate per week, my face will immediately noticeably bloat and people will comment on it. (Estrogen is controlled with an AI)...I end up stopping TRT because of the bloat and my face then loses the water retention. I have tried zero carb diets with very low sodium and the problem still occurs. My body fat percentage is about 17%. I do cardio on a regular basis.

Are some people just genetically prone to holding water or should this not be occurring? What are some of the more common medical reasons that someone holds water easily?

 

[Vince Carter]

Post your labs if you want some help, there's nothing to go on with your typed paragraph; TT/FT/E2, et al..,

 

[onemoreround]

Post your labs if you want some help, there's nothing to go on with your typed paragraph; TT/FT/E2, et al..,

Without any TRT, my recent labs were:

Total Test 94
Free Test 5.8

 

[CoastWatcher]

Without any TRT, my recent labs were:

Total Test 94
Free Test 5.8

With ranges, please. Labs calibrate to different standards. With this there is no way to know where you stand in relation to the top/bottom of the range. Estradiol and CBC would be helpful as well. Are you taking any other medications or supplements?

 

[onemoreround]

Total Test 94 (348-1197)
Free Test 5.8 (8.7-25.1)

I am not taking any other medications or supplements.

I appreciate the replies.

 

[ERO]

It is also strange to be on 50mg of Test per week as the typical starting dose is 100mg because that is considered a 'replacement dose.' 50mg per week would put a lot of guys into a 'Low T' state.

 

[onemoreround]

I was prescribed 100mg but due to water retention it was decreased to 50mg.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I was prescribed 100mg but due to water retention it was decreased to 50mg.

What was your testosterone level prior to beginning therapy? What symptoms sent you in search of answers? How long does the "bloat" last? I believe Dr. Crisler has written that he has seen cases of transient edema that did clear. I would think 50mg of testosterone, as ERO noted, might be a dose that produces a shutdown of normal production to leave you feeling miserable.

 

[ERO]

Another thing to keep in mind is that some guys get a lot of bloat when they first start TRT but after 6-8 weeks (plus or minus) the body adjusts and it goes away for good. How long have you been on TRT?

Additionally, splitting your 100 mg dose into two 50 mg doses injected every 3.5 days would be preferable to the 100 mg once a week. Both for bloat and for less E2 conversion and more even T levels.

 

[onemoreround]

What was your testosterone level prior to beginning therapy? What symptoms sent you in search of answers? How long does the "bloat" last? I believe Dr. Crisler has written that he has seen cases of transient edema that did clear. I would think 50mg of testosterone, as ERO noted, might be a dose that produces a shutdown of normal production to leave you feeling miserable.

My level before therapy was low, it was around 100 (what it is now off therapy). The symptoms included fatigue, low energy, decreased libido, not sleeping well. I was on 100mg per week for one year and the bloat never went away. I dropped to 50mg for awhile but still had water retention. I ended up just stopping it. I do feel that I need to be on it though.

I'm surprised more guys don't have issues with water retention. Maybe it is just genetically being sensitive to it or maybe a different hormone level is off.

You guys bring up a good point that just using 50mg may be worse than using nothing because you're shutting of natural T levels. Do you guys have any ideas about why the bloat occurs?

 

[onemoreround]

Another thing to keep in mind is that some guys get a lot of bloat when they first start TRT but after 6-8 weeks (plus or minus) the body adjusts and it goes away for good. How long have you been on TRT?

Additionally, splitting your 100 mg dose into two 50 mg doses injected every 3.5 days would be preferable to the 100 mg once a week. Both for bloat and for less E2 conversion and more even T levels.

These are definitely good suggestions. I've actually split it up into 7 days per week (100mg divided into 7 injections) and still retained water. I'm not sure why I retain fluid.