New Member - HCG Monotherapy Patient

[Jeeves]

Hello all,

I'm a 42 year old male who has recently started HCG monotherapy. I have been reading many of the posts about HCG usage on this forum and decided I would join to share my experience going forward and to ask some questions as I'm sure I will have more over time.

A bit about my history -

I am a healthy person and I'm in good shape. I workout 5 times a week and have a very active lifestyle. That being said, for the past year I have struggled a lot with low energy and low libido. Got labs done and Dr. said my testosterone was way lower than it should be for my age. He first prescribed me Androgel for trt and it was totally ineffective. Didn't boost my T levels at all. Then we tried testosterone injections and they were very effective. Boosted my T to higher than normal range, felt great, especially energy levels were better. Problem was there were side effects. Body acne was a big problem and estrogen levels got high. Dr. said to take an antibiotic and an anti-estrogen but I really didn't want to take all of those different medications as I was worried about long term complications. So I stopped trt....low energy/libido came roaring back.

So I've decided to try HCG monotherapy. My LH levels were low normal so my low T appears to be secondary which I think makes me a good candidate. I've been prescribed 1500UI three times a week. I'm 2.5 weeks in and I feel amazing...especially in the libido department. Energy has also been somewhat better. Below are my labs right before starting the HCG. Dr. wants me to get labs redone after three weeks so next week I will get them done again.

Testosterone

13.6

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

226

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

61

<162

pmol/L

Follicle Stimulating Hormone [FSH]

1.9

1.0-8.0

IU/L

Luteinizing Hormone [LH]

1.7

1.0-7.0

IU/L

Prolactin

5.5

4.0-19.0

ug/L

Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA-S]

4.7

< 15.0

umol/L

After reading several posts on this forum about HCG, it appears I've been prescribed a rather high dose and I'm a bit concerned about that in terms of possible long term usage issues. Anyway, I will keep posting updates with my progress so others can benefit who are considering HCG monotherapy.

 

[Cataceous]

You are right to have some concerns about the dose size. Per this research, if your hCG dose gets too large then your testosterone production actually decreases. The modeling work in figure 5 suggests that optimal production is obtained with about 1,000 IU EOD. You might show this to your doctor and ask about trying lower doses.

 

[Systemlord]

Boosted my T to higher than normal range, felt great, especially energy levels were better. Problem was there were side effects. Body acne was a big problem and estrogen levels got high.

You could have just lowered your dosage. HCG monotherapy isn't really as effective as TRT in most cases, if anything you'll produce more estrogen on HCG since you are getting it from two different sources whereas on TRT you are only getting it from one source.

 

[Vince]

What was your protocol when using testosterone?

 

[madman]

Hello all,

I'm a 42 year old male who has recently started HCG monotherapy. I have been reading many of the posts about HCG usage on this forum and decided I would join to share my experience going forward and to ask some questions as I'm sure I will have more over time.

A bit about my history -

I am a healthy person and I'm in good shape. I workout 5 times a week and have a very active lifestyle. That being said, for the past year I have struggled a lot with low energy and low libido. Got labs done and Dr. said my testosterone was way lower than it should be for my age. He first prescribed me Androgel for trt and it was totally ineffective. Didn't boost my T levels at all. Then we tried testosterone injections and they were very effective. Boosted my T to higher than normal range, felt great, especially energy levels were better. Problem was there were side effects. Body acne was a big problem and estrogen levels got high. Dr. said to take an antibiotic and an anti-estrogen but I really didn't want to take all of those different medications as I was worried about long term complications. So I stopped trt....low energy/libido came roaring back.

So I've decided to try HCG monotherapy. My LH levels were low normal so my low T appears to be secondary which I think makes me a good candidate. I've been prescribed 1500UI three times a week. I'm 2.5 weeks in and I feel amazing...especially in the libido department. Energy has also been somewhat better. Below are my labs right before starting the HCG. Dr. wants me to get labs redone after three weeks so next week I will get them done again.

Testosterone

13.6

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

226

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

61

<162

pmol/L

Follicle Stimulating Hormone [FSH]

1.9

1.0-8.0

IU/L

Luteinizing Hormone [LH]

1.7

1.0-7.0

IU/L

Prolactin

5.5

4.0-19.0

ug/L

Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA-S]

4.7

< 15.0

umol/L

After reading several posts on this forum about HCG, it appears I've been prescribed a rather high dose and I'm a bit concerned about that in terms of possible long term usage issues. Anyway, I will keep posting updates with my progress so others can benefit who are considering HCG monotherapy.

Using Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) alone for the treatment of men with low testosterone.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin monotherapy for the treatment of hypogonadal symptoms in men with total testosterone > 300 ng/dL. Madhusoodanan V, Patel P, Lima TFN, Gondokusumo J, Lo E, Thirumavalavan N, Lipshultz LI, Ramasamy R Human Chorionic Gonadotropin monotherapy for the treatment of...

www.excelmale.com

Treating Low Testosterone with Clomid, hCG and Aromatase Inhibitors: A Review of the Data

Abstract Testosterone deficiency is defined as a total testosterone level

www.excelmale.com

hcg monotherapy excelmale.com site:www.excelmale.com - Google Search

Most doctors that prescribe Androgel (packets) would have the patient apply 5 grams gel (50mg T)/daily then wait until it is time to get blood work done to see where such dose has ones TT/FT/dht/e2 levels, blood markers (CBC including RBCs/hemoglobin/hematocrit) and get feedback from the patient on how they feel overall regarding relief/improvement of low-t symptoms/overall well-being.

If the patient is still not experiencing any beneficial effects and depending on his testosterone levels than a dose increase may be needed.

The dose would be increased to 7.5 grams gel (75mg) or 10 grams gel (100mg) daily and then wait until it is time to get blood work done to see where blood levels sit and how the patient feels overall.

Transdermals (gels/creams) can be very effective but in most cases, it comes down to the strength of T used and absorption.

In most cases, the high-end dose of Androgel 100mg T would be needed to achieve high enough T levels to experience the beneficial effects and even then some men still have issues with absorption so they would need to use a higher strength compounded T cream.

When using transdermal T absorption will be in the 9-13% range.

Not sure what dose of Androgel he had you on let alone how long you were on such protocol.

You most likely had absorption issues.

Injections using esterified T are very effective.

The downfall in your situation was although you felt great overall you stated that you experienced side-effects and unfortunately, he most likely had you on a sub-par protocol using high doses of T injected once weekly which would spike your TT/FT/e2 levels very high post-injection only to be followed by much lower levels by the end of the week.

You would have a drastic peak--->trough let alone blood levels would not be stable throughout the week.

I would say your injection protocol (dose of T/injection frequency) was most likely the cause of your side-effects as your T levels were too high.

Regarding the hCG mono, most men do not stay on long-term and tend to feel better on trt.

 

[madman]

Hello all,

I'm a 42 year old male who has recently started HCG monotherapy. I have been reading many of the posts about HCG usage on this forum and decided I would join to share my experience going forward and to ask some questions as I'm sure I will have more over time.

A bit about my history -

I am a healthy person and I'm in good shape. I workout 5 times a week and have a very active lifestyle. That being said, for the past year I have struggled a lot with low energy and low libido. Got labs done and Dr. said my testosterone was way lower than it should be for my age. He first prescribed me Androgel for trt and it was totally ineffective. Didn't boost my T levels at all. Then we tried testosterone injections and they were very effective. Boosted my T to higher than normal range, felt great, especially energy levels were better. Problem was there were side effects. Body acne was a big problem and estrogen levels got high. Dr. said to take an antibiotic and an anti-estrogen but I really didn't want to take all of those different medications as I was worried about long term complications. So I stopped trt....low energy/libido came roaring back.

So I've decided to try HCG monotherapy. My LH levels were low normal so my low T appears to be secondary which I think makes me a good candidate. I've been prescribed 1500UI three times a week. I'm 2.5 weeks in and I feel amazing...especially in the libido department. Energy has also been somewhat better. Below are my labs right before starting the HCG. Dr. wants me to get labs redone after three weeks so next week I will get them done again.

Testosterone

13.6

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

226

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

61

<162

pmol/L

Follicle Stimulating Hormone [FSH]

1.9

1.0-8.0

IU/L

Luteinizing Hormone [LH]

1.7

1.0-7.0

IU/L

Prolactin

5.5

4.0-19.0

ug/L

Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA-S]

4.7

< 15.0

umol/L

After reading several posts on this forum about HCG, it appears I've been prescribed a rather high dose and I'm a bit concerned about that in terms of possible long term usage issues. Anyway, I will keep posting updates with my progress so others can benefit who are considering HCG monotherapy.

You are from Canada as your blood work was done at Lifelabs.

What province are you from?

I reside in Ontario.

 

[Jeeves]

I'm also in Ontario

 

[Jeeves]

What was your protocol when using testosterone?

I don't exactly recall as it's been a little while. The Androgel was twice daily on the sides of shoulders. I believe it was the lower of the two strengths available for that particular brand. Cross contamination with others was also a concern for me as I have kids.

As far as the injections I think the issues I had are probably similar to what Madman is referring to in his post about the once weekly injections where there is the issue of high peaks. Do most people usually opt for two or three times weekly injections at a lower dose?

 

[Jeeves]

Here's what my labs were when I was using the T injections:

Testosterone

HI

33.5

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

HI

661

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

HI

177

<162

pmol/L

Obviously the sky high Estradiol was a concern. He prescribed an AI at that point which brought it down but the body acne came later and that was why I quit as I didn't want to have to be on the antibiotic in addition to the other two meds.

 

[Vince]

I don't exactly recall as it's been a little while. The Androgel was twice daily on the sides of shoulders. I believe it was the lower of the two strengths available for that particular brand. Cross contamination with others was also a concern for me as I have kids.

As far as the injections I think the issues I had are probably similar to what Madman is referring to in his post about the once weekly injections where there is the issue of high peaks. Do most people usually opt for two or three times weekly injections at a lower dose?

I won’t do creams or gels either, I don’t want to contaminate my lover or grandkids. Most inject every three and half days, I do daily injections.

 

[madman]

Here's what my labs were when I was using the T injections:

Testosterone

HI

33.5

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

HI

661

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

HI

177

<162

pmol/L

Obviously the sky high Estradiol was a concern. He prescribed an AI at that point which brought it down but the body acne came later and that was why I quit as I didn't want to have to be on the antibiotic in addition to the other two meds.

What day of the week were you injecting and what was the dose of T on the once-weekly protocol?

What day did you have blood work done?

The addition of the AI was most likely a bad move.

 

[Jeeves]

What day of the week were you injecting and what was the dose of T on the once-weekly protocol?

What day did you have blood work done?

The addition of the AI was most likely a bad move.

I think it was two days after the injection but I'm not positive. I tested the day the Dr. told me to. Why would the addition of the AI be a bad move? Is it ok to have estradiol that high?

 

[Jeeves]

So i received my three week bloodwork results after starting HCG monotherapy. Will go see the Doc for a followup on Monday but I'm interested to know the thoughts and suggestions of others on this forum. T increase is good but Estradiol is high. Also LH/FSH have zeroed out but I believe this is normal? All other regular bloodwork not shown here was normal.

Testosterone

28.5

8.4 - 28.8

nmol/L

Testosterone Free

490

196-636

pmol/L

Estradiol

HI

164

<162

pmol/L

Follicle Stimulating Hormone [FSH]	LO	<0.1	1.0-8.0	IU/L
Luteinizing Hormone [LH]	LO	<0.1	1.0-7.0	IU/L
Prolactin		7.7	4.0-19.0	ug/L

 

[swoops36]

e2 isn’t that high, honestly I would have expected it to be more elevated given the stories guys have of HCG causing high e2 symptoms. Appears (for you at least) not to be a worry. I’m curious what your FT is, and also how do you feel?
Edit: I am an idiot and now see your FT was measured lol. Wonder what that is in US units

 

[swoops36]

It is 38ng/dL, pretty high as well

 

[Systemlord]

Also LH/FSH have zeroed out but I believe this is normal?

HCG will suppress the HPTA just like TRT, the only difference is your testicles are functioning producing testosterone and estrogen.

 

[Jeeves]

e2 isn’t that high, honestly I would have expected it to be more elevated given the stories guys have of HCG causing high e2 symptoms. Appears (for you at least) not to be a worry. I’m curious what your FT is, and also how do you feel?
Edit: I am an idiot and now see your FT was measured lol. Wonder what that is in US units

Thanks for that swoops. I feel pretty good! No high e2 symptoms that I've noticed. I bet my doc will recommend an AI on Monday. What would the drawbacks be of taking it? I'm also considering lowering the dose a little of HCG to maybe 1100UI three times a week.

 

[Jeeves]

HCG will suppress the HPTA just like TRT, the only difference is your testicles are functioning producing testosterone and estrogen.

Ok that's what I thought. I do have some concerns of what the long term use of HCG might do to the pituitary...I know there is some debate about this.

 

[Systemlord]

I do have some concerns of what the long term use of HCG might do to the pituitary...

Your pituitary isn't functioning properly as it is now, that's why you need hormone therapy. At some point in the future TRT is inevitable.

I bet my doc will recommend an AI on Monday. What would the drawbacks be of taking it?

This AI subject has been beaten to death, you can however use the search function as there are countless threads created on the subject.

I can't tough an AI, even 1/8th of a 0.050 dose leads to misery. I'm an AI over-responder and any amount screws up my joints and causes bone pain. Not surprising considering it removes minerals from bone according to the studies.

AI's can cause hair loss as well. Also AI's can't affect estrogen produced inside the testicles, some have increased AI dosing to absurd doses and estrogen is unaffected. TRT doesn't have this limitation and most men report feeling better on TRT versus HCG monotherapy.

 

[Jeeves]

Your pituitary isn't functioning properly as it is now, that's why you need hormone therapy. At some point in the future TRT is inevitable.



This AI subject has been beaten to death, you can however use the search function as there are countless threads created on the subject.

I can't tough an AI, even 1/8th of a 0.050 dose leads to misery. I'm an AI over-responder and any amount screws up my joints and causes bone pain. Not surprising considering it removes minerals from bone according to the studies.

AI's can cause hair loss as well. Also AI's can't affect estrogen produced inside the testicles, some have increased AI dosing to absurd doses and estrogen is unaffected. TRT doesn't have this limitation and most men report feeling better on TRT versus HCG monotherapy.

I've heard about this. Are there any options for reducing estrogen levels on HCG monotherapy then? Does an AI not work at all on HCG monotherapy or does it just not work as well. I did search this but couldn't really find any clear answers.