Low SHBG guys optimize free or total T?

[wemmington]

My SHBG is usually between 12 and 18, and I’ve always had the impression that I should almost ignore the free testosterone and just focus on the total, but I’m starting to wonder if I have it backward. I want a reasonable amount of testosterone for someone my age or just a little bit better, and from what I’ve read, I’ve always shot for about 750 total or 150 free trough on daily injection. The latest labs are 602 total and 165 free, and I still feel too amped up most of the time, although I quit my 45 minutes a day of cardio and 30 minutes of weights about a month ago because I felt so shitty and sleep has been terrible for year's. Maybe not exercising is making it worse.
just curious what do the other low SHBG guys pay attention to more than the total or free?

Current protocol is 10 mg testosterone cypionate per day.

 

[BillyJ03z]

My SHBG is usually between 12 and 18, and I’ve always had the impression that I should almost ignore the free testosterone and just focus on the total, but I’m starting to wonder if I have it backward. I want a reasonable amount of testosterone for someone my age or just a little bit better, and from what I’ve read, I’ve always shot for about 750 total or 150 free trough on daily injection. The latest labs are 602 total and 165 free, and I still feel too amped up most of the time, although I quit my 45 minutes a day of cardio and 30 minutes of weights about a month ago because I felt so shitty and sleep has been terrible for year's. Maybe not exercising is making it worse.
just curious what do the other low SHBG guys pay attention to more than the total or free?

Current protocol is 10 mg testosterone cypionate per day.

With low SHGB like me, you need to focus on Free T not Total T, and remember to watch your E2 as you will be more sensitive to all sex hormones fluctuations with low SHBG.

 

[Vince]

My SHBG is usually between 12 and 18, and I’ve always had the impression that I should almost ignore the free testosterone and just focus on the total, but I’m starting to wonder if I have it backward. I want a reasonable amount of testosterone for someone my age or just a little bit better, and from what I’ve read, I’ve always shot for about 750 total or 150 free trough on daily injection. The latest labs are 602 total and 165 free, and I still feel too amped up most of the time, although I quit my 45 minutes a day of cardio and 30 minutes of weights about a month ago because I felt so shitty and sleep has been terrible for year's. Maybe not exercising is making it worse.
just curious what do the other low SHBG guys pay attention to more than the total or free?

Current protocol is 10 mg testosterone cypionate per day.

Personally when someone has low shbg, your protocol looks great. 10 mg of testosterone daily. I wonder what your estrogen levels are running at. It seems that some men with low shbg may need lower estrogen levels.

 

[Systemlord]

I want a reasonable amount of testosterone for someone my age or just a little bit better, and from what I’ve read, I’ve always shot for about 750 total or 150 free trough on daily injection. The latest labs are 602 total and 165 free, and I still feel too amped up most of the time

You have your own normal ranges, so what you need is what's best for you, because everyone metabolizes T differently and some are more sensitive (or insensitive) to androgens.

Guys who overshoot their normal T range tend to feel overstimulated.

It might not be the overall level, it might be the static hormone profile. I can't do daily dosing unless the half-life is real short, and by short I mean measured in hours, otherwise I feel overstimulated.

On daily injections (7 mg), I couldn't handle anything over 415 ng/dL, and after a time I feel overstimulated at any level on daily dosing. Change the half-life to 6 hours and now I can handle 1052 ng/dL without feeling overstimulated.

 

[t_spacemonkey]

You have your own normal ranges, so what you need is what's best for you, because everyone metabolizes T differently and some are more sensitive (or insensitive) to androgens.

Guys who overshoot their normal T range tend to feel overstimulated.

It might not be the overall level, it might be the static hormone profile. I can't do daily dosing unless the half-life is real short, and by short I mean measured in hours, otherwise I feel overstimulated.

On daily injections (7 mg), I couldn't handle anything over 415 ng/dL, and after a time I feel overstimulated at any level on daily dosing. Change the half-life to 6 hours and now I can handle 1052 ng/dL without feeling overstimulated.

not denying your exp, but pharmacological this is strange. a long ester will simply release T slower into your system. your shbg might be low, but the speed by which T is unbound from the ester is slow too. so a short ester should cause the opposite and worsen your symptoms. maybe daily injection with T cyp do not make sense at all (this is what a lot of docs are saying, and i tend to agree). but this all could be highly individual

 

[equel]

low shbg here, 1 injection a week now, along with hcg it works, for some freaking reason. I do 250mg ONCE a week, works WAYYY better than the ED and EOD protocols.

Also remember, we dont even know if low shbg means e2 dominant ,it might aswell mean dht dominant! We have a thread about that on here.

 

[t_spacemonkey]

my shbg is 11. i am on 200mg/week, divided in 3. feel good on it. I ran cycles up to 300-400mg. no problems.
check this out; SteroidPlotter - Graph your cycle
based on this, 1x week you will have fluctuations of 50% between doses. is a bit too high IMO.
twice a week this goes down to 25% or so. i think that with T cyp 3x week is a sweet spot,

 

[equel]

my shbg is 11. i am on 200mg/week, divided in 3. feel good on it. I ran cycles up to 300-400mg. no problems.
check this out; SteroidPlotter - Graph your cycle
based on this, 1x week you will have fluctuations of 50% between doses. is a bit too high IMO.
twice a week this goes down to 25% or so. i think that with T cyp 3x week is a sweet spot,

Why dont u want fluctuations? In nattys there are mad fluctuations, 30-70% depending on the day, sometimes more.

Why do we want 100% stable levels? What is the reason for that?

 

[Mastodont]

Why dont u want fluctuations? In nattys there are mad fluctuations, 30-70% depending on the day, sometimes more.

Why do we want 100% stable levels? What is the reason for that?

It seems weird that you could have the same fluctuation induced wellbeing on a 7-day fluctuation vs 24h?

 

[eli]

Lmfao, overstimulated at over 7mg daily?
What is up with some of you people.

I can blast 1.5g without feeling "overstimulated".


Many in this community are truly weird.

"yeh man i changed my dose from 7mg to 9mg of testosterone and now I cant sleep mate!!"

Meanwhile ... bro next door running 3g of test feeling great


jesus mother of god the mental masturbation going on

What??? What are you talking about man?

Just because you can blast 1.5grams and not feel overstimulated doesn't mean it can't happen to other people. Everyone in this game knows it's not a one size fit all

There are a lot of folks in this game, including myself that are super sensitive to hormones. If I bump my dose by 5mg, I feel it. This wasn't the case when I was in my 20s, I'd blast all kinds of homrones for 20 pounds of muscles but something changed and my body became super sensitive to androgens.

20mg of Tcream on scrotum has my TT at above 1500 after 8 hours!

 

[t_spacemonkey]

Why dont u want fluctuations? In nattys there are mad fluctuations, 30-70% depending on the day, sometimes more.

Why do we want 100% stable levels? What is the reason for that?

day fluctuations are natural, but drift offs during a week are not natural. its all how you feel. if you are on 200mg/week that is probably not an issue, but if you are on 80 this might be.

 

[Systemlord]

Just because you can blast 1.5grams and not feel overstimulated doesn't mean it can't happen to other people. Everyone in this game knows it's not a one size fit all

I can take 200 mg per week no problem, I don't feel anything. It might as well be water.

I feel overstimulated on daily injections but not Jatenzo twice daily. It’s the flat hormone profile that causes all the problems, not the amount of Test.

 

[Charliebizz]

The low shbg thing is totally over blown. Countless amounts of men feel great with 1-2 injections a week. And 150mg a week plus on the dose. i love this forum. But this one seems to have the most guys struggling with low shbg. And they convinced they need more frequent injections and lower doses.
I have low shbg and feel like absolute shit on frequent dosing.

 

[equel]

I can take 200 mg per week no problem, I don't feel anything. It might as well be water.

I feel overstimulated on daily injections but not Jatenzo twice daily. It’s the flat hormone profile that causes all the problems, not the amount of Test.

Just stop it already grandpa. "200mg is like injecting water" - you have zero idea how biology and pharmacology works.

Placebo world championship with some TRT guys, you analyse shit til u end up in a mental haze.

 

[equel]

The low shbg thing is totally over blown. Countless amounts of men feel great with 1-2 injections a week. And 150mg a week plus on the dose. i love this forum. But this one seems to have the most guys struggling with low shbg. And they convinced they need more frequent injections and lower doses.
I have low shbg and feel like absolute shit on frequent dosing.

yeah they dont seem to understand the testosterone is attached to a freaking ester.

"Muuh bra u got low shbg u need to inject test CYP 3 times a day!!!"


gosh

 

[BillyJ03z]

Has anyone ever clarified the difference between naturally low SHBG and TRT induced low low SHBG???? do we consider and treat natural/TRT imposed low SHBG the same?

My SHBG prior to TRT was averaging in the mid-high 30's, however, since starting TRT my SHBG has been single digit to high teens... I do notice the higher the TRT dosage the lower my SHBG goes.

 

[Systemlord]

Has anyone ever clarified the difference between naturally low SHBG and TRT induced low low SHBG???? do we consider and treat natural/TRT imposed low SHBG the same?

The answer to the second question, this is no way to treat low SHBG. You can try it minimize the suppression of SHBG by exogenous T by injecting smaller more frequent doses.

You inject smaller doses and cross your fingers and hope for the best, not really treatment per say.

 

[BillyJ03z]

The answer to the second question, this is no way to treat low SHBG. You can try it minimize the suppression of SHBG by exogenous T by injecting smaller more frequent doses.

You inject smaller doses and cross your fingers and hope for the best, not really treatment per say.

Also, Thyroid supplementation raises it.. at least for me it does and my labs prove it as my SHBG seems to double while on it... my last time using Thyroid my SHBG jumped from 14 to 26.... only problem with Thyroid supplementation is that it is a hassle to time doses around eating/empty stomach.

PS- What is considered problematic "LOW" SHBG (single digit, teens??), especially when the low SHBG is not a pre-trt issue, but directly caused by TRT (Exogenous Test supplementation)????

 

[t_spacemonkey]

Also, Thyroid supplementation raises it.. at least for me it does and my labs prove it as my SHBG seems to double while on it... my last time using Thyroid my SHBG jumped from 14 to 26.... only problem with Thyroid supplementation is that it is a hassle to time doses around eating/empty stomach.

PS- What is considered problematic "LOW" SHBG (single digit, teens??), especially when the low SHBG is not a pre-trt issue, but directly caused by TRT (Exogenous Test supplementation)????

pharma/iodine? what supplementation

 

[BillyJ03z]

pharma/iodine? what supplementation

Armour Thyroid @ 2 or 2.5 grains "ALWAYs" raises my SHBG on every lab. It also improves my lipid profile.

I have a few posts of my past blood work floating around here showing the improvement.

I've started supplementing off/on with Thyroid meds because I read somewhere that TRT (Exogenous Test) also puts a lot of people into sub-clinical Hypo, which would make sense why the Thyroid meds help shbg, lipids, etc.. just a hassle dosing around working out and eating meals because it needs to be taken on empty stomach.