How long after the T injection are T levels the highest?

It gets converted into dht or e2 more quickly and is therefore expelled. I am no claiming to be an expert, but I honestly think you're the one pulling mental gymnastics here by making claims based on speculation and your n=1 experience. Your analogy is not accurate in the first place because you're completely dismissing the fact that free testosterone after it is released from the 2nd reserve is more important than even the 1st and that time and time again smaller more frequent injections have proven anecdotally and objectively to work by many doctors who are experts in this field and countless patients including those on this board. You're making an extraordinary claim and not using actual evidence to back it up besides a poor analogy using water and bathtubs, which completely neglects physiology, so I defer the burden of proof to you.
No, I had been promulgating the party line about fast excretion of T by low-SHBG guys. But then I got interested in the theoretical reasons and found no justification. And logically, how can you say that a higher excretion rate is possible if the rate is limited by absorption from injected depots?

"you're completely dismissing the fact that free testosterone after it is released from the 2nd reserve is more important than even the 1st"

What exactly does this mean?

Show me statistically valid data that the effective half-life of injected testosterone is lower in low-SHBG guys. I don't think there is any.

I am not claiming there are no benefits to having low-SHBG guys inject more often. But I think the reasons may be rooted in free estradiol levels, not in reduced half-lives of injections.
 
No, I had been promulgating the party line about fast excretion of T by low-SHBG guys. But then I got interested in the theoretical reasons and found no justification. And logically, how can you say that a higher excretion rate is possible if the rate is limited by absorption from injected depots?

"you're completely dismissing the fact that free testosterone after it is released from the 2nd reserve is more important than even the 1st"

What exactly does this mean?

Show me statistically valid data that the effective half-life of injected testosterone is lower in low-SHBG guys. I don't think there is any.

I am not claiming there are no benefits to having low-SHBG guys inject more often. But I think the reasons may be rooted in free estradiol levels, not in reduced half-lives of injections.

By creating multiple, smaller depots and reducing the surface area of each depot, you achieve a slower and steadier release than in one large depot with a higher surface area that reduces as it's used. Also I am not saying that the half life of an ester is changed, rather the half life of Free T itself. Excuse me for mistaking your post as arguing against smaller more frequent injections for low shbg guys.
 
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By creating multiple, smaller depots and reducing the surface area of each depot, you achieve a slower and steadier release than in one large depot with a higher surface area that reduces as it's used. ...
This is going the opposite direction. I've worked at modeling injected depots as spheres, with absorption rate proportional to surface areas. The results matched some of the experimental data pretty well. What happens is that smaller doses yield shorter apparent half-lives, going as the cube-root of the volume ratios. In at least three research papers I've seen mention of the likelihood that smaller doses have shorter half-lives.

And here's a trivial example, in which we inject a volume V:

Case one, inject V all at once. The sphere has surface area 4 * pi * (3 * V / 4 / pi) ^ (2/3)

Case two, inject two equal doses of V/2. The spheres have total surface area 8 * pi * (3 V / 8 / pi) ^ (2/3)

Ratio of case two to case one? 2 * 2 ^ (-2/3) ~ 1.26
Surface area increases with splitting the doses.
 
This is going the opposite direction. I've worked at modeling injected depots as spheres, with absorption rate proportional to surface areas. The results matched some of the experimental data pretty well. What happens is that smaller doses yield shorter apparent half-lives, going as the cube-root of the volume ratios. In at least three research papers I've seen mention of the likelihood that smaller doses have shorter half-lives.

And here's a trivial example, in which we inject a volume V:

Case one, inject V all at once. The sphere has surface area 4 * pi * (3 * V / 4 / pi) ^ (2/3)

Case two, inject two equal doses of V/2. The spheres have total surface area 8 * pi * (3 V / 8 / pi) ^ (2/3)

Ratio of case two to case one? 2 * 2 ^ (-2/3) ~ 1.26
Surface area increases with splitting the doses.

Yes if you inject them at the same time.
 
Indeed, I don't mean to obscure the fact that frequent injections are attenuating peaks and valleys in hormones, and reducing peak estradiol and/or reducing its duration may be particularly useful for low-SHBG guys.
I don't seem to disagree with you nearly as much as I originally thought then lol
 

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TRT Hormone Predictor Widget

TRT Hormone Predictor

Predict estradiol, DHT, and free testosterone levels based on total testosterone

⚠️ Medical Disclaimer

This tool provides predictions based on statistical models and should NOT replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your TRT protocol.

ℹ️ Input Parameters

Normal range: 300-1000 ng/dL

Predicted Hormone Levels

Enter your total testosterone value to see predictions

Results will appear here after calculation

Understanding Your Hormones

Estradiol (E2)

A form of estrogen produced from testosterone. Important for bone health, mood, and libido. Too high can cause side effects; too low can affect well-being.

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone is a potent androgen derived from testosterone. Affects hair growth, prostate health, and masculinization effects.

Free Testosterone

The biologically active form of testosterone not bound to proteins. Directly available for cellular uptake and biological effects.

Scientific Reference

Lakshman KM, Kaplan B, Travison TG, Basaria S, Knapp PE, Singh AB, LaValley MP, Mazer NA, Bhasin S. The effects of injected testosterone dose and age on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in young and older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Aug;95(8):3955-64.

DOI: 10.1210/jc.2010-0102 | PMID: 20534765 | PMCID: PMC2913038

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