New Guy, E2, SHBG, MENT Questions

[Romanos]

Hi guys, I've been watching the forum for the past year (since I jumped on TRT actually) and this is my first post. Long story short, I was diagnosed with low T last year, and the doctor said it was caused by extreme weight cutting (I was a pro boxer) and steroid use (mostly testosterone and masteron, the stuff that everybody uses).

I don't remember the values exactly but my TT was something like 380 ng/dl and my FT was 3.2. I got on TRT (70 mg, 2x week, 500mcg HCG, 2x week, 0,25 arimidex 2x week). With this protocol my labs showed very high TT 3.5 days after injection (1300 ng/dl) and kinda high FT (19, ref range: 8-30). I was feeling OK on this protocol but not great.

My E2 was 40 pg/ml and unfortunately the sensitive test is not available where I live. I have to rely on how I feel and checking things like nipple sensitivity and puffiness and redness on my chest.

My SHBG was 12 (10-50). My doc said that its probably caused by factors like my Vit-D defficiency which causes my liver to not function properly and a little insulin resistance. Now, I've read that TRT doesn't work on guys with low SHBG and that they don't seem to see any benefit. In my case I've seen a great increase in muscle mass (I've gained 20 pounds of muscle since I started and I weigh 210 pounds with 10 per cent bodyfat) and my libido got better (It's not great but it's better for sure).

Anyway, my new protocol is 120 mg per week and I don't split the dose any more as it really doesn't make any difference for me. I kept my HCG dose and my AI dose.

Now to the point. My first question is about SHBG. Is it possible that only the guys with genetically low SHBG have so much trouble with TRT, while those who can blame their low SHBG to other factors seem to do better?

My second question is about MENT. I can get it where I live and my doctor said it doesn't bind to SHBG. Has anyndy tried it and at what dosages? My doc says 50mg per week. I care mostly about mental and sexual function.

Thanks for reading guys, sorry for the long post.

 

[Vince Carter]

Low SHBG requires a different injection protocol, sometimes its EOD or even daily injections are required. It's something you can work with, certainly not a barrier. 12 is very low, people I think mistakenly run to scary things like fatty liver, pre-diabetic, and these are things to investigate but they should not weigh on your mind, too much. A number of us here have low SHBG and don't have any of these scary things that people *think* they can associate with it.

If you're pulling an SHBG of 12...I would retest this and stay steady on your (now) protocol and test when it's been no less than 4 weeks. Your reported numbers here:

"With this protocol my labs showed very high TT 3.5 days after injection (1300 ng/dl) and kinda high FT (19, ref range: 8-30)."

...Do not translate to low SHBG. with an SHBG of 12 at 3.5d post injection I would expect to see TT <900 and Free T would be over the top, but yours are not typical low SHBG indicators.

 

[Romanos]

Low SHBG requires a different injection protocol, sometimes its EOD or even daily injections are required. It's something you can work with, certainly not a barrier. 12 is very low, people I think mistakenly run to scary things like fatty liver, pre-diabetic, and these are things to investigate but they should not weigh on your mind, too much. A number of us here have low SHBG and don't have any of these scary things that people *think* they can associate with it.

If you're pulling an SHBG of 12...I would retest this and stay steady on your (now) protocol and test when it's been no less than 4 weeks. Your reported numbers here:

"With this protocol my labs showed very high TT 3.5 days after injection (1300 ng/dl) and kinda high FT (19, ref range: 8-30)."

...Do not translate to low SHBG. with an SHBG of 12 at 3.5d post injection I would expect to see TT <900 and Free T would be over the top, but yours are not typical low SHBG indicators.

Thanks for the quick response my friend. I too am buffled by my numbers. I found a FT calculator on the internet that showed that my FT should be something like 30 with my low SHBG but when I mentioned this to my doctor, he told me not to bother or overthink stuff. He even told me that my numbers suggest that my SHBG should be high and not low. The thing that confuses me the most is that, like you said, after 3.5 days my body should have cleared the test and that would mean less TT. Do you have any idea on why is this happening?

 

[Vince Carter]

Id retest the SHBG, it could have been flawed or lab error that you got a "12" because you're numbers otherwise don't support it. You can calculate Free T if you also have your "Albumin" value

http://www.issam.ch/freetesto.htm

 

[Romanos]

Id retest the SHBG, it could have been flawed or lab error that you got a "12" because you're numbers otherwise don't support it. You can calculate Free T if you also have your "Albumin" value

That's the calculator I found, my Albumin is 4.8% which doesn't change the result that much.

 

[MikeXL]

Your doctor is talking to you about MENT? Isnt that an illegal steroid?

 

[Gene Devine]

What are your Free T values?

SHBG is one hormone that likes to find its own level in men and as long at Free Testosterone are in the physiological range it's really not worth worrying about as you can't do a lot to raise or lower levels.

Vince is correct; when SHBG levels are low it's best to inject smaller doses more frequently to optimize serum levels.

Conversely, if SHBG is higher then one larger testosterone injection will help push down serum levels.

Unless you are experiencing side effects that could point to liver pathology I wouldn't worry about it so much to be honest.

 

[Romanos]

Your doctor is talking to you about MENT? Isnt that an illegal steroid?

It is. I won't get it from my doctor.

 

[Romanos]

What are your Free T values?

SHBG is one hormone that likes to find its own level in men and as long at Free Testosterone are in the physiological range it's really not worth worrying about as you can't do a lot to raise or lower levels.

Vince is correct; when SHBG levels are low it's best to inject smaller doses more frequently to optimize serum levels.

Conversely, if SHBG is higher then one larger testosterone injection will help push down serum levels.

Unless you are experiencing side effects that could point to liver pathology I wouldn't worry about it so much to be honest.

My FT is 19 (8-30). I know that low SHBG guys should inject more frequently but I switched to weekly injections and I really don't see much difference. I did that when I saw that my TT was high 3.5 days after my injection and I thought that it can't drop to a point where I need to split my injections to keep optimum levels. Is it possible that my SHBG is low but I don't metabolize testosterone as fast I should? My doc said that with my TT my SHGB should be around 60 for my FT to be 19.