Is it possible to do TRT without doctor supervision?

[calm--]

I'm thinking of starting TRT, maybe doing weekly injection. I'm located at Jakarta, Indonesia, and I'm not sure I can find a good TRT doctor around here. My other thought is looking for doctor overseas (maybe in US or Australia) that do online consulting. But I imagine consult with US doctor will probably be expensive for me.

Is doing TRT safely without doctor supervision possible? I am new to all this. I'm kinda hoping that it's not overly complicated and can be learned. There are labs around here that I can order without doctor. I can also buy cypionate or enanthate without prescription.

Or, can anyone suggest good TRT doctor that do online consulting?

 

[Vince Carter]

Sure its possible you can buy the supplies and the labs and there's a ton of information on this site. I'm honestly at a point I don't (think) I need the Dr much anymore but I need the prescription, so yes it can be done.

 

[Nashtide]

I essentially manage myself. I check in with my doc once per year. Any dose adjustments I’ve made have been on my own. I order my own labs and supplies. My TRT doc is not my primary care physician. I find that I do a much better job managing myself than many guys do listening to their docs as most docs are pretty clueless about TRT. Now, if you’re a guy who needs lots of hand holding, then find a telemed doc.

 

[Vince]

I agree. You can do it on your own as long as you can get all your supplies and all of your Labs. Remember keep your HCT in a good range and donate blood when you have to.

 

[Robotics]

I essentially manage myself. I check in with my doc once per year. Any dose adjustments I’ve made have been on my own. I order my own labs and supplies. My TRT doc is not my primary care physician. I find that I do a much better job managing myself than many guys do listening to their docs as most docs are pretty clueless about TRT. Now, if you’re a guy who needs lots of hand holding, then find a telemed doc.

how do you get the Testosterone prescription for a year period?

 

[Nashtide]

how do you get the Testosterone prescription for a year period?

First, the prescription is for 200mg/week and I only inject 100mg/week so any rx lasts twice as long. Second, he writes the rx with enough refills to last a year. I get a text from the pharmacy when any of my prescriptions are ready for renewal. He prescribes Tcyp, hcg and anastrazole (which I don’t use anymore) and cialis.

 

[Systemlord]

Australia is the anti-TRT capital of the world, scratch this country off your list of places to seek TRT. The US is more TRT friendly.

 

[calm--]

Thanks a lot guys. These are what I'm thinking, please correct me if I'm wrong.

These are the list of tests I need to do before starting :
- LH and FSH
- Total and free testosterone
- SHBG
- Prostatic specific antigen (PSA)
- Estradiol (sensitive)
- Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- Lipids (LDL, HDL, Triglycerides)
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) (Glucose, electrolytes, liver/kidney functions)
- Comprehensive Blood Count (CBC) (Immune cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit)
- DHT, DHEA, Free T3, free T4 and Prolactin

When should I do the next tests and what are they?

If the numbers are good, I plan to inject 50 mg cypionate or enanthate subq 2x/week. Forgive me if I'm asking some basic questions as I haven't inject myself much. I find this 10 ml test cypionate where 1 ml = 250 mg. I have this 28 gauge 1 ml cc syringe. So all I have to do is draw 0.2 ml and inject it into my belly fat, is that it?

I know some people add HCG, I think it's to preseve fertility and avoid testicle shrinkage? I don't plan to have kids now, so can I skip the HCG for now? Can I add it later if I plan to have kids?

And only add AI if my next test for estradiol is above 40 pg/ml.

Am I getting all these correctly?

 

[HealthMan]

Be careful starting TRT if you plan to have kids in the future. At a minimum you should add HCG to your regimen as soon as you start TRT and not when you decide to have kids. But keep in mind that doesn’t guarantee fertility. It would be wise if you had a sperm analysis done before starting TRT and follow up every 3 months for at least 1 year to see if HCG is keeping you fertile. If not you have the option of adding FSH to your protocol and that most of the time will do it.
Bank sperm is a more “radical” approach but if you can afford and is really worried about fertility it might be something to consider.

 

[Nashtide]

Yes, you are correct on the amount of T to draw up. The rest of your question is very hard for others to answer. If I was the least bit concerned with fertility I would use hcg from the start, but that is up to you.

 

[calm--]

Thanks a lot Healthman. Having kids is something I consider for the future, but right now I'm more concern of fixing my low T symptoms (brain fog, depression, anxiety, etc).

The reason I'm thinking about not taking HCG is for simplicity. I'm new to all this and don't want to complicate stuff.

FSH drug is something new to me. If I dont take HCG now, is it possible to take FSH later to have kids?

 

[calm--]

Ok thanks Nashtide. I'll see if I can add HCG.

 

[DragonBits]

I agree with HealthMan's post, if you think you might want kids in the future, get a sperm analysis done now. See if you have a current problem rather than trying to figure out if TRT caused a problem. Unless you are 110% opposed to having kids, because the future has a way of being unprintable.

Other than that, IMO the critical obstacle to doing TRT by yourself is buying the testosterone ester (any any other meds that require a prescription) without a prescription. Which you indicate isn't a problem in your country.

One other thing to keep in mind, while the vast majority of men will be fairly simple to self direct TRT, you could be one where you have a more complicated problem, then I would suggest a doctor as trying to figure out what is going wrong will be difficult at best.

You could also ask Defy about consulting overseas, do it under medical care for a limited time (6-12 months), then do it yourself.

 

[calm--]

Thanks. I'll consider working with Defy.

 

[JimBob]

And only add AI if my next test for estradiol is above 40 pg/ml.

Am I getting all these correctly?

What if you're E2 is above 40pg/ml, but you have no negative symptoms?

 

[HealthMan]

Thanks a lot Healthman. Having kids is something I consider for the future, but right now I'm more concern of fixing my low T symptoms (brain fog, depression, anxiety, etc).

The reason I'm thinking about not taking HCG is for simplicity. I'm new to all this and don't want to complicate stuff.

FSH drug is something new to me. If I dont take HCG now, is it possible to take FSH later to have kids?

Be very careful. Don’t play around with your fertility. Listen to my advice. If you don’t there is a chance down the road you will want to have kids and you will have a long battle to try to get your fertility back.

 

[fifty]

If you don’t want to take multiple things at once...I’ve found taking hcg the day before test shots helps me see what substance is doing what. I will usually feel the effects of any injection within 12hrs plus sometimes taking the stuff on separate days helps smooth out the ride so to speak.

 

[stevep]

I essentially manage myself. I check in with my doc once per year. Any dose adjustments I’ve made have been on my own. I order my own labs and supplies. My TRT doc is not my primary care physician. I find that I do a much better job managing myself than many guys do listening to their docs as most docs are pretty clueless about TRT. Now, if you’re a guy who needs lots of hand holding, then find a telemed doc.

Nashtide, I tried sending a private message to ask a question but you don't accept private messages, or at least it wouldn't let me.

 

[Nashtide]

Nashtide, I tried sending a private message to ask a question but you don't accept private messages, or at least it wouldn't let me.

How do I fix that?

 

[Jayyy]

First, the prescription is for 200mg/week and I only inject 100mg/week so any rx lasts twice as long. Second, he writes the rx with enough refills to last a year. I get a text from the pharmacy when any of my prescriptions are ready for renewal. He prescribes Tcyp, hcg and anastrazole (which I don’t use anymore) and cialis.

Wondering why u need cialis? Do u know cause of ur ED? Or u just take it for more effect?