Lowest total testosterone after stopping TRT

[silverstar]

Hi Gents,

I've been on a self-directed protocol for the last 5 years injecting 15 mg of testosterone cypionate + 85 iu's of HCG daily. I do my own bloodwork every 6 months and this keeps me at ideal levels.

My family doctor has agreed to allow me to continue with this protocol under his supervision provided I come off of my self-directed protocol and we have bloodwork taken that proves a legitimate need for TRT.

My question for those that are good at math is this: based on this daily protocol how many days after ceasing injecting should I go in for bloodwork that would show the absolute lowest levels of total testosterone?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tareload]

Hi Gents,

I've been on a self-directed protocol for the last 5 years injecting 15 mg of testosterone cypionate + 85 iu's of HCG daily. I do my own bloodwork every 6 months and this keeps me at ideal levels.

My family doctor has agreed to allow me to continue with this protocol under his supervision provided I come off of my self-directed protocol and we have bloodwork taken that proves a legitimate need for TRT.

My question for those that are good at math is this: based on this daily protocol how many days after ceasing injecting should I go in for bloodwork that would show the absolute lowest levels of total testosterone?

Thanks in advance!

Go in 3-4 weeks after stopping all injections and do bloodwork. You are trying to slip in a spot where all the exogenous test has washed out but your endogenous production has not picked up significantly yet.

Other wrinkle is you have kept the testicles going with the hCG so you may want to pull your own bloodwork as a test prior to the main event.

 

[Systemlord]

My question for those that are good at math is this: based on this daily protocol how many days after ceasing injecting should I go in for bloodwork that would show the absolute lowest levels of total testosterone?

The test is out of your system sometime after four and a half weeks, so wait 6 weeks. That doesn't mean that your HPTA is going to be functioning just because the Test is out of your system.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

If you want to make sure you get a low result, I think you need to run your own labs yourself at various intervals, and then run the doctors labs only when your own labs are confirmed low. I think you may be surprised at how quickly you start producing significant testosterone since you've been running hCG. I actually think your trough could occur as soon as 2-3 weeks, so I would commence weekly tests starting at week 2.

Yes, this is going to be an expensive hassle, but I don't see a good alternative if success must be guaranteed. Don't run free T with equilibrium dialysis because that slows down reporting of results considerably. I would just get total T to save time and money.

 

[tareload]

If you want to make sure you get a low result, I think you need to run your own labs yourself at various intervals, and then run the doctors labs only when your own labs are confirmed low. I think you may be surprised at how quickly you start producing significant testosterone since you've been running hCG. I actually think your trough could occur as soon as 2-3 weeks, so I would commence weekly tests starting at week 2.

Yes, this is going to be an expensive hassle, but I don't see a good alternative if success must be guaranteed. Don't run free T with equilibrium dialysis because that slows down reporting of results considerably. I would just get total T to save time and money.

Cheap TT assay every few days for the clear local minimum ID in the name of science. We also get decent elimination half life estimate. Would make a nice plot over 4-6 weeks before OP starts up with PCP.

Hope you are shredded to help the phlebotomist @silverstar.

 

[Gladiator]

Do you actually have old labs showing low testosterone from before you started?
I know it’s a long time ago but most people who go on have a good reason for it.

 

[Fortunate]

At the risk of derailing OP’s thread, I‘ll piggyback a similar question about nandrolone elimination. I have read lots of comments about how incredibly long nandrolone remains active, etc., but I have also read that the half life is around 6 days. How long do I have to wait since my last injection of this junk before I can assume I have eliminated most of it?

 

[shroud778]

Wish you all the luck with this process. I’ve often considered whether I’d be willing to do this to get onto an official TRT supported programme.
And I always conclude not due to the amount of hassle, cost and the fear of how I will be affected during this 4-6 week period when I have a job and family to maintain.
I also question the doctors logic as he will never know what levels you were running before starting TRT and I guess anyone that’s been taking exogenous T for a number of years will see their normal T levels massively suppressed once they stop, so it all seems a bit of an arbitrary process that is only designed to cover the doctors arse and for no other good reason.

 

[Gladiator]

A lot of clinics won’t make you come off self medicating to go on a script if you have old bloods to show. If you can explain why you first went on and they are happy with what you tell them. They make money out of you buy helping you. The only reason a person will need to come off is so insurance is happy but if you aren’t worried about money then contacting a clinic is easy.

 

[shroud778]

A lot of clinics won’t make you come off self medicating to go on a script if you have old bloods to show. If you can explain why you first went on and they are happy with what you tell them. They make money out of you buy helping you. The only reason a person will need to come off is so insurance is happy but if you aren’t worried about money then contacting a clinic is easy.

In the UK they wanted two separate tests both indicating low T, which in my case would have required to come off TRT to secure the second test.
Maybe it’s changed since this time which was a few years back now, but it still seems inevitable that after years on exogenous T you are going to be pretty low in range a few weeks after coming off and may bear little relationship to what your T was prior to starting TRT

 

[Gladiator]

In the UK they wanted two separate tests both indicating low T, which in my case would have required to come off TRT to secure the second test.
Maybe it’s changed since this time which was a few years back now, but it still seems inevitable that after years on exogenous T you are going to be pretty low in range a few weeks after coming off and may bear little relationship to what your T was prior to starting TRT

Yes it’s very misleading and just a lie getting bloods after being on trt. If the doctor wants blood tests they really should be prescribing the patients a pct and getting them to try starting up the natural production. Not just telling them to crash and burn. I find it very unprofessional when I read “ The doctor told me to just stop taking my medication”
I have come off before to get bloods taken. It’s not something I recommend unless you are high on antidepressants

 

[silverstar]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

I'm thinking I may switch over to daily test propionate for 6 weeks then come off for 16 days and have bloodwork taken. This way I can minimize the time off trt and still get the bloodwork values that I need to get a prescription.