Libido issue

[mchadcota]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results. So they wanted me to stay off the shot for about 2-3 weeks so that my level would come back low. It came back at 46. So they started me on 100 mg per week. Test came back at 425. They bumped me up to 150 with 0.25 AI once week and test came back 485. Bumped me up to 170 with 0.5 AI once week. Test came back 885 and E2 54. My libido has been zero for last few weeks. They think it’s the high estrogen but everything I read says don’t worry bout estrogen and DO NOT take AI. I have tried taking AI and not taking Ai with no real difference. Over the last few months there have been phases for a few days that my libido has been good. There was a time when I was on 100/150 per week when my libido was great. My question is, should I go back down to the lower dose even though my clinic would consider my levels low at that time? Or is there another approach I should try. Just this week I asked them to do twice week injection to see if that helps. Any thoughts?

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results.

Did you have no libido for that entire 7 years on TRT? What protocols have you tried when you were self-administering TRT, and what were the results?

 

[Vince]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results. So they wanted me to stay off the shot for about 2-3 weeks so that my level would come back low. It came back at 46. So they started me on 100 mg per week. Test came back at 425. They bumped me up to 150 with 0.25 AI once week and test came back 485. Bumped me up to 170 with 0.5 AI once week. Test came back 885 and E2 54. My libido has been zero for last few weeks. They think it’s the high estrogen but everything I read says don’t worry bout estrogen and DO NOT take AI. I have tried taking AI and not taking Ai with no real difference. Over the last few months there have been phases for a few days that my libido has been good. There was a time when I was on 100/150 per week when my libido was great. My question is, should I go back down to the lower dose even though my clinic would consider my levels low at that time? Or is there another approach I should try. Just this week I asked them to do twice week injection to see if that helps. Any thoughts?

What exactly is your protocol? What do you inject once a week, twice a week or daily? I definitely would skip the AI. Have you ever used HCG?

 

[Systemlord]

I need daily or EOD dosing to have libido and good erections. Weekly, twice weekly not much happens down there and libido is MIA.

Twice daily dosing of the newer oral testosterone capsules shows amazing results.

TRT is not a panacea, if your lifestyle is sedentary, diet is crap, don't expect maximum benefits on TRT.

What's your age, height, weight, do you excersise?

 

[mchadcota]

Wow thank y’all so much for your responses. Over the years I’ve had times where my libido was pretty good. But I always felt like it should be better. That’s part of why I switched to the clinic. I’ve pretty much always done once week shots. I quit taking the AI. Just this week I asked to try HCG so I’ve started that this week. The main thing im wondering is if I should ask to lower my dose, which to be honest I don’t wanna do.

 

[mchadcota]

I need daily or EOD dosing to have libido and good erections. Weekly, twice weekly not much happens down there and libido is MIA.

Twice daily dosing of the newer oral testosterone capsules shows amazing results.

TRT is not a panacea, if your lifestyle is sedentary, diet is crap, don't expect maximum benefits on TRT.

What's your age, height, weight, do you excersise?

I started to include that. I’m in pretty good shape. I’m 45, 5 11 175 lbs and 10% BF. Lift daily and do a little cardio but need to do more.

 

[Vince]

My libido has always been very strong plus I've always had low estrogen. Every person is so different and TRT is so different for everyone. I'll give you my latest labs and protocol.

Vince's Labs for October 2023

I haven't changed my protocol, 16 mg of testosterone cypionate daily, 500 iu of hcg twice weekly and no AI. Pregnenolone 10 mg and 25 mg of DHEA. My last injection before labs, about 28 1/2 hrs. Labs are from LabCorp. Testosterone, Serum 1417 ng/dL range 264-916 Free Testosterone 47.8 ng/dL...

www.excelmale.com

 

[Systemlord]

I started to include that. I’m in pretty good shape. I’m 45, 5 11 175 lbs and 10% BF. Lift daily and do a little cardio but need to do more.

A lot of men confuse arousal with libido, arousal is a response to an erection. The nerves in the penis are stimulated. Libido is in the brain, sexual thoughts and fantasies.

If you think about sex, but can't get aroused, then your problem isn't a lack of libido.

Without daily Cialis, I don't get good quality erections or arousal.

A lack of libido can be neurotransmitter issues.

 

[mchadcota]

I don’t think about it AND can’t get it up.

 

[Systemlord]

Things that affect libido:

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Poor sleep
• Medications
• Stress/depression
• Low testosterone
• Infections
• High prolactin
• Low thyroid hormones
• Alcohol & drugs
• Surgery
• Heart disease

 

[madman]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results. So they wanted me to stay off the shot for about 2-3 weeks so that my level would come back low. It came back at 46. So they started me on 100 mg per week. Test came back at 425. They bumped me up to 150 with 0.25 AI once week and test came back 485. Bumped me up to 170 with 0.5 AI once week. Test came back 885 and E2 54. My libido has been zero for last few weeks. They think it’s the high estrogen but everything I read says don’t worry bout estrogen and DO NOT take AI. I have tried taking AI and not taking Ai with no real difference. Over the last few months there have been phases for a few days that my libido has been good. There was a time when I was on 100/150 per week when my libido was great. My question is, should I go back down to the lower dose even though my clinic would consider my levels low at that time? Or is there another approach I should try. Just this week I asked them to do twice week injection to see if that helps. Any thoughts?

If these are your T levels injecting once weekly and blood work was done at the true trough (7 days post-injection) then there is no way you only went from TT 425---485 ng/dL going from 100---150 mg T/week.

A dose increase of 50mg T/week is a big jump yet your TT only bumped up 60 ng/dL.

Something not jiving here.

Gets even nuttier as your TT 485 ng/dl on 150mg T/week jumped up to 885 ng/dL on your current dose of 170 mg T/week.

A sensible dose increase of 20 mg T/week yet your TT jumped up a whopping 400 ng/dL.

Regardless if your bloodwork was done at the true trough (7 days post-injection) and you are hitting a very high trough TT 885 ng/dL then your trough FT will be healthy or high depending on where your SHBG sits.

More importantly, your peak TT, FT, and estradiol will be much higher.

For all we know your FT is sky-high earlier in the week!

How many days after your last injection was blood work done?

Blood work should always be done at the true trough (lowest point) before your next injection.

Need to post labs TT, FT, estradiol, SHBG let alone CBC which includes RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.

Include assays/reference ranges.

Give us something to chew on here.

Keep in mind that although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects.

Also keep in mind running too high a trough FT level can be just as bad in many ways as having too low an FT level especially when it comes to libido/erectile function and mood.

Libido/erectile function is multifactorial and it is not as simple as blaming estradiol or hormones.

Much more going on.

 

[mchadcota]

If these are your T levels injecting once weekly and blood work was done at the true trough (7 days post-injection) then there is no way you only went from TT 425---485 ng/dL going from 100---150 mg T/week.

A dose increase of 50mg T/week is a big jump yet your TT only bumped up 60 ng/dL.

Something not jiving here.

Gets even nuttier as your TT 485 ng/dl on 150mg T/week jumped up to 885 ng/dL on your current dose of 170 mg T/week.

A sensible dose increase of 20 mg T/week yet your TT jumped up a whopping 400 ng/dL.

Regardless if your bloodwork was done at the true trough (7 days post-injection) and you are hitting a very high trough TT 885 ng/dL then your trough FT will be healthy or high depending on where your SHBG sits.

More importantly, your peak TT, FT, and estradiol will be much higher.

For all we know your FT is sky-high earlier in the week!

How many days after your last injection was blood work done?

Blood work should always be done at the true trough (lowest point) before your next injection.

Need to post labs TT, FT, estradiol, SHBG let alone CBC which includes RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.

Include assays/reference ranges.

Give us something to chew on here.

Keep in mind that although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects.

Also keep in mind running too high a trough FT level can be just as bad in many ways as having too low an FT level especially when it comes to libido/erectile function and mood.

Libido/erectile function is multifactorial and it is not as simple as blaming estradiol or hormones.

Much more going on.

Thank you so much for your reply. I thought it was very strange too about the levels, and so did the clinic. They always do blood work right before I get my shot, so 7 days post injection. My clinic also doesn’t check FT, SHBG, etc. That bothers me. Maybe if I asked them to next time they could.

 

[mchadcota]

Also, I’ve never been one to notice a difference between the first couple of days and the last. Honestly, if I always felt great the first 2-3 days after injection, and then trailed off, I could live with that! I find it odd when people talk about the fluctuation of once a week shots, and how they feel that boost as first. Nothing for me

 

[madman]

Thank you so much for your reply. I thought it was very strange too about the levels, and so did the clinic. They always do blood work right before I get my shot, so 7 days post injection. My clinic also doesn’t check FT, SHBG, etc. That bothers me. Maybe if I asked them to next time they could.

FT is one of the most critical blood markers.

Again depending on where your SHBG sits with a high-end trough TT 885 ng/dL (7 days post-injection) your trough FT would be healthy or high.

More importantly, your peak TT/FT will be high/absurdly high!

If you knew where your SHBG sat we could easily calculate your free testosterone using the linear law-of-mass action cFTV.

You need to find out where your trough FT level sits.

 

[mchadcota]

I’ll see if I can get that checked. My guess is that doing it once a week at that dose is keeping estradiol elevated. Really curious if daily subq will be better.

 

[Ancart]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results. So they wanted me to stay off the shot for about 2-3 weeks so that my level would come back low. It came back at 46. So they started me on 100 mg per week. Test came back at 425. They bumped me up to 150 with 0.25 AI once week and test came back 485. Bumped me up to 170 with 0.5 AI once week. Test came back 885 and E2 54. My libido has been zero for last few weeks. They think it’s the high estrogen but everything I read says don’t worry bout estrogen and DO NOT take AI. I have tried taking AI and not taking Ai with no real difference. Over the last few months there have been phases for a few days that my libido has been good. There was a time when I was on 100/150 per week when my libido was great. My question is, should I go back down to the lower dose even though my clinic would consider my levels low at that time? Or is there another approach I should try. Just this week I asked them to do twice week injection to see if that helps. Any thoughts?

Interesting… I haven’t a clue but will be interested to read others. Hope u get it fixed

 

[Cooper]

Maybe consider cream which seems to increase DHT levels more than injections and therefore potentially have more of an impact on libido?

 

[jayt]

Hi im looking for advice on getting libido back. So I’ve been on trt for about 7 years. Up until about 4 months I’d been doing it myself and then I decided to go to a clinic hoping for better results. So they wanted me to stay off the shot for about 2-3 weeks so that my level would come back low. It came back at 46. So they started me on 100 mg per week. Test came back at 425. They bumped me up to 150 with 0.25 AI once week and test came back 485. Bumped me up to 170 with 0.5 AI once week. Test came back 885 and E2 54. My libido has been zero for last few weeks. They think it’s the high estrogen but everything I read says don’t worry bout estrogen and DO NOT take AI. I have tried taking AI and not taking Ai with no real difference. Over the last few months there have been phases for a few days that my libido has been good. There was a time when I was on 100/150 per week when my libido was great. My question is, should I go back down to the lower dose even though my clinic would consider my levels low at that time? Or is there another approach I should try. Just this week I asked them to do twice week injection to see if that helps. Any thoughts?

so I do 1ml T every week, in 2 injections of .5 each. My T averages 850. My libido was suffering, not my performance which is awesome, but my desire or motivation. I went to my doctor and now take the 5 mg dose of Cialis everyday, which seemed to help but I have also added DIM 500 mg a day, Ashwanga 2000 mg a day, tribulous 1500 a day and honestly my desire is rocking I look to do anyone anywhere now. So my advice is to check out some herbals they do help.

 

[madman]

so I do 1ml T every week, in 2 injections of .5 each. My T averages 850. My libido was suffering, not my performance which is awesome, but my desire or motivation. I went to my doctor and now take the 5 mg dose of Cialis everyday, which seemed to help but I have also added DIM 500 mg a day, Ashwanga 2000 mg a day, tribulous 1500 a day and honestly my desire is rocking I look to do anyone anywhere now. So my advice is to check out some herbals they do help.

The most commonly prescribed esters are TC/TE in the 200 mg/mL strength.

If your T is 200 mg/mL then you are on a modified standard cookie-cutter protocol of 200 mg T/week which most would never even need to achieve a healthy let alone high trough FT.

A surefire way to drive up your hematocrit.

The majority of men can easily hit a healthy let alone high trough FT injecting 100-150 mg T/week especially when split into more frequent injections.

Keep in mind running too high a trough FT can be just as bad in many ways as having too low a trough FT especially when it comes to libido/erections and mood.

As I have stated numerous times on the forum libido/erectile function is multifactorial and it is not as simple as blaming estradiol or hormones.

Much more going on.

Forget averages what is your true trough TT, FT, and estradiol (lowest point) before the next injection which would be 84 hrs post-injection on such protocol?

Post your labs for trough TT, FT, estradiol, and your SHBG.

Throw in your RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit too.

 

[MarcoFL]

so I do 1ml T every week, in 2 injections of .5 each. My T averages 850. My libido was suffering, not my performance which is awesome, but my desire or motivation. I went to my doctor and now take the 5 mg dose of Cialis everyday, which seemed to help but I have also added DIM 500 mg a day, Ashwanga 2000 mg a day, tribulous 1500 a day and honestly my desire is rocking I look to do anyone anywhere now. So my advice is to check out some herbals they do help.

so you feel tribulis helps libido? I have heard it may boost T levels but did not consider given I take T cypionate. any sides from it? any other intel on Trib?