New to Testosterone Treatment

[Sergel]

Hi, 61 yo guy, started trt 4 months ago...

60 mg/ Enanthate twice a week (wed, sat) ... that's it... feel great... No HCG... is that absolutely necessary?

It flipped my life over... I feel it turned the switch to the ON position ... it had been off for quite a while... lol

I realize I did bad in the first months as I played with my dose... felt great at 160... but 140 seemed to be the sweet spot... I also feel good at 120, but 140 had a little more sex drive which was fun...

So now that the honeymoon is over, I am looking into dialling it in for the long haul... Like most, I want to get the most benefit with the least side effects... I understand it's a journey...

My doc does not test SGBH or E2 ... so I have no idea... I plan to test in an independent lab again in 6 weeks after stbilizing myself on 60mg bi weekly sub q ... and retest...

In canada, we don't have that many labs we can use... any one know of one that is good?

Thanks

 

[Gman86]

How did you feel on 160mg compared to 120mg per week? Why do you think that 140mg might be the sweet spot?

 

[Sergel]

Thanks for the reply Gman ...

I felt a little over stimulated on 160... on 140 seemed I seemed to loose that edge and felt great... My prescription is 120 and my total test was 1065 just before my injection on 120...

Mind you I feel fine on 120... However, I now know I should not trust that test as I was cruising on 140 the week before, thinking that t only had a one week half life... but it probably screwed up my testing...

So my plan for now is to cruise at 120 for 6 weeks, then re-test... and see where I am at. If I think I can bump it up without being too high in E2, Total and free T then I will ... I even might just cruise at 140 for 6 weeks and re-test...

I found that 140 and mostly 160 had a better anabolic and libido effect on me as I weight train as well... I just want to stay away from hematocrit issues if possible...

The novelty is gone now... just trying to dial myself in for the long term...

 

[Gman86]

Thanks for the reply Gman ...

I felt a little over stimulated on 160... on 140 seemed I seemed to loose that edge and felt great... My prescription is 120 and my total test was 1065 just before my injection on 120...

Mind you I feel fine on 120... However, I now know I should not trust that test as I was cruising on 140 the week before, thinking that t only had a one week half life... but it probably screwed up my testing...

So my plan for now is to cruise at 120 for 6 weeks, then re-test... and see where I am at. If I think I can bump it up without being too high in E2, Total and free T then I will ... I even might just cruise at 140 for 6 weeks and re-test...

I found that 140 and mostly 160 had a better anabolic and libido effect on me as I weight train as well... I just want to stay away from hematocrit issues if possible...

The novelty is gone now... just trying to dial myself in for the long term...

Thanks for the reply as well. Smart way to go about it would be to stay on 120mg/ week for 6 weeks and retest, then bump it up to 140mg/ week for another 6 weeks and retest, and see what you notice as far as benefits/ side effects are concerned, and then decide for yourself which you prefer. But that’s easier said than done. So I don’t blame you if you jump to 140mg now.

Hopefully others have some info for ya in regards to quality lab testing in Canada. I unfortunately have zero knowledge on that subject.

 

[Sergel]

I am pretty much decided to keep the 120 for 6 weeks now, the more I read, the more reasonable I become with it... every one says patience is king... So I will do that, I am in it for the long run anyway...

Thanks for the input...

 

[Nelson Vergel]

So now that the honeymoon is over, I am looking into dialling it in for the long haul... Like most, I want to get the most benefit with the least side effects... I understand it's a journey...

I would just add 5-10 mg of Cialis per day and nothing else.

 

[Sergel]

I would just add 5-10 mg of Cialis per day and nothing else.

Ahhhh! I thought that was for porn stars... lol

I do ok erection wise, I feel I am missing just a little edge I get when I up my dose... I am doing my baseline with 60mg Enentate twice a week... as I made the mistake of playing with my dose constantly not understanding the time/half life effect if it...

But I felt my best at 140... gave me a little edge in sex drive, exercise recuperation, energy ... but I think it drives my total T a little high (but I don't know really, I need to add patience and basline myself at 120 for 6 weeks) ... After my baseline (a place I know I can go back to...) I can do a 6 weeks of 140... and re-test... see how I really feel with a steady 140 ... and maybe I do EOD with that higher dose to minimize E2 Aromatization (I am pretty thin, 16% fat and working on lowering it.. )

I see a lot of Cialis in the forums but fail to understand why take a vasodilator permanently... (I see this as a regiment for life really...) ...

Thanks for your suggestion, I will read into it... This place is a great resource ... Thanks

 

[Nelson Vergel]

I see a lot of Cialis in the forums but fail to understand why take a vasodilator permanently... (I see this as a regiment for life really...) ...

ED Drugs Have Benefits Beyond Treating Erectile Dysfunction

 

[madman]

Hi, 61 yo guy, started trt 4 months ago...

60 mg/ Enanthate twice a week (wed, sat) ... that's it... feel great... No HCG... is that absolutely necessary?

It flipped my life over... I feel it turned the switch to the ON position ... it had been off for quite a while... lol

I realize I did bad in the first months as I played with my dose... felt great at 160... but 140 seemed to be the sweet spot... I also feel good at 120, but 140 had a little more sex drive which was fun...

So now that the honeymoon is over, I am looking into dialling it in for the long haul... Like most, I want to get the most benefit with the least side effects... I understand it's a journey...

My doc does not test SGBH or E2 ... so I have no idea... I plan to test in an independent lab again in 6 weeks after stbilizing myself on 60mg bi weekly sub q ... and retest...

In canada, we don't have that many labs we can use... any one know of one that is good?

Thanks

As you know it would be impossible to truly gauge how you feel overall seeing as you changed your dose so frequently within the first 4 months of starting trt because any time one injects exogenous esterified T hormones will be in FLUX in the following weeks leading up until levels stabilize at 4-6 weeks and even then once levels have stabilized it will take 2-3 months for the body to adapt to the new T level.

Once blood work is done at 6 weeks if TT/FT/e2 levels are in a healthy range than during the next 2-3 months is the critical time period when one should truly gauge how they feel overall regarding relief/improvement of low-t symptoms (mood/energy/libido/erectile function/body composition/recovery).

Otherwise, you will just end up running around in circles chasing your own tail.

The goal is to achieve a healthy TT/FT level which will allow you to reap the positive beneficial effect of testosterone while also minimizing any potential negative side-effects and keeping blood markers in a healthy range.

Although treating symptoms is what truly matters labs are critical not only to make sure blood markers are healthy but also to see where the patient's TT/FT level among other hormones end up on the said dose of T as they can be too low or too high resulting in lack of overall improvement.

Blood testing should include SHBG, estradiol, and free testosterone.

Unfortunately, there are many doctors who only tend to test TT levels without even looking at the patient's SHBG or estradiol let alone FT.

Free testosterone is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone that is responsible for the positive effects.

Another big problem in Canada is we do not have access to accurate methods for testing such as the gold standard Equilibrium Dialysis (most accurate) or Ultrafiltration (next best).

For the longest time labs were using the direct immunoassay/tracer analog which was inaccurate and is no longer recommended.

Within the past 4 years, they replaced the direct test with the linear law-of-mass action calculated Vermuelen method which also has its own flaws.

The only way you are ever going to know where FT levels truly sit is to order a blood test through Nelson's Discountlabs and cross over the border to the US to have your blood work done at a Lab that offers the most accurate testing methods for FT (ED/UF).