New to TRT and experiencing some side effects.

[Mambo]

Hey everyone. I really appreciate this site and all of the great info! I’m a 41 year old male that started experience mental fogginess, increasing pain and decreasing recovery after working out, and increasing fatigue since last summer. I train BJJ 3-4 times/week and I in good shape. I’m 5’8 and 180lbs with not too much body fat. I have GERD for which I take a PPI and H2 blocker for and I also take some supplements. Some of my team mates started TRT with good results so I went to the same doc to give it a try. My intial total testosterone was 495 before therapy (I can’t remeber Free T off the top of my head). My TSH was WNL. He started me on test cyp 100mg IM weekly 5 weeks ago and we are gonna recheck my labs in the beginning of April right before my weekly injection. I have a follow up with him mid-April. I have been feeling great. I’ve had much more energy and my recovery is great now. Also the mental fogginess is much better and I’m just in a better mood over all. So my problem is I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that it is much more difficult to achieve orgasm and getting worse by the week. My erections are great and I get turned on but I just don’t feel that need to release like before. I know that higher E2 levels could contribute to this. I also have read that HCG can help reverse this as well. I would like to try the HCG protocol that has been posted here but I’m not sure if my doc will be willing to prescribe it or not and I don’t feel like waiting another month just to find out that he won’t. So my thought was to order HCG on ReliableRX and give it a try. My understanding is that you can order from the without a Rx is that correct? My only other option is if doesn’t prescribe it assuming this is not coming from elevated E2 is to go with a doc that will but then I would be forking over a bunch more $ for the initial consult but I can’t see myself continuing if my sex life is gonna be this negatively affected. I would appreciate any thoughts, advice, and suggestions. I wish I would have been more knowledgeable and gotten all of the appropriate labs pre TRT but this is where I’m at. Also the follow up labs he wrote for were CBC, PSA, E2, Total/Free Test.

 

[Systemlord]

You should post a full set of labs, the only way you are going to know if injecting once weekly is enough is knowing your SHBG levels. If SHBG is low injecting once weekly will present problems the longer you are on TRT and you will feel less relief with each injection. The fact that your doctor hasn't ordered SHBG is worrying and shows a lack of knowledge, testosterone and estrogen bind to SHBG and SHBG activates and regulates your hormones at the receptor sites.

Most guys inject twice weekly in order to keep stable serum levels and to keep them from fluctuating which I believe is your problem.

Thyroid ranges are too wide and too many are hypothyroid in these normal ranges, please labs post results.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Hey everyone. I really appreciate this site and all of the great info! I'm a 41 year old male that started experience mental fogginess, increasing pain and decreasing recovery after working out, and increasing fatigue since last summer. I train BJJ 3-4 times/week and I in good shape. I'm 5'8 and 180lbs with not too much body fat. I have GERD for which I take a PPI and H2 blocker for and I also take some supplements. Some of my team mates started TRT with good results so I went to the same doc to give it a try. My intial total testosterone was 495 before therapy (I can't remeber Free T off the top of my head). My TSH was WNL. He started me on test cyp 100mg IM weekly 5 weeks ago and we are gonna recheck my labs in the beginning of April right before my weekly injection. I have a follow up with him mid-April. I have been feeling great. I've had much more energy and my recovery is great now. Also the mental fogginess is much better and I'm just in a better mood over all. So my problem is I've noticed over the past couple of weeks that it is much more difficult to achieve orgasm and getting worse by the week. My erections are great and I get turned on but I just don't feel that need to release like before. I know that higher E2 levels could contribute to this. I also have read that HCG can help reverse this as well. I would like to try the HCG protocol that has been posted here but I'm not sure if my doc will be willing to prescribe it or not and I don't feel like waiting another month just to find out that he won't. So my thought was to order HCG on ReliableRX and give it a try. My understanding is that you can order from the without a Rx is that correct? My only other option is if doesn't prescribe it assuming this is not coming from elevated E2 is to go with a doc that will but then I would be forking over a bunch more $ for the initial consult but I can't see myself continuing if my sex life is gonna be this negatively affected. I would appreciate any thoughts, advice, and suggestions. I wish I would have been more knowledgeable and gotten all of the appropriate labs pre TRT but this is where I'm at. Also the follow up labs he wrote for were CBC, PSA, E2, Total/Free Test.

Welcome to Excelmale. Where does your SHBG sit? Depending on that value, your protocol may be working against you. SHBG isn't nice to have, it's an essential variable that must be identified if a protocol is to be personalized and not simply cookie-cutter in design. Make sure you pull it now. Is the estradiol test the sensitive, LC/MS, MS lab study? The standard test is of essentially no value to men as it over-reports the e2 level in men's serum.

 

[Mambo]

Thanks for the quick reply. I will make sure to get the SHBG. I was gonna make sure that the panel I get online the ultra sensitive study for the E2. That’s the correct one right?

 

[Mambo]

Thanks for the quick reply. I was planning on going to twice weekly but thought maybe I should stick the regimen until I got my first set of labs drawn. I wasn’t planning on getting my labs until the first week of April. Do you think it would be more beneficial to get them sooner? Also any advice on the HCG from ReliableRX? It seems like most guys are one it.

 

[Vince]

I definitely would stick with your profile until you have labs. Hopefully it's just an issue issue with your estradiol levels.

 

[ratbag]

If you have GERD and take a PPI you need to spend sometime at this site:
https://scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/

PPI's damage your stomach and the only reason they are sold is for symptom relief and it makes the big pharma their $$... how about fixing the root cause of your problem instead? Read that page because I was in the same position as you and I fixed it with Betaine HCL.

 

[Mambo]

I’m also seeing that there is more to this than just getting a rx for testosterone and this doc may not be as adept about the subtleties of TRT. I’m wondering if I should save money on my follow up and just go see someone like Dr John Crisler who deals with this more frequently. Thoughts? I live in Northern Indiana so his clinic is only a couple of hours away.

 

[Sean Mosher]

If you're up for it seeing Dr. Crisler would be an excellent choice!
And you're right..........there is more to it than just a Rx for T.

 

[Matt Leiser]

I’m also seeing that there is more to this than just getting a rx for testosterone and this doc may not be as adept about the subtleties of TRT. I’m wondering if I should save money on my follow up and just go see someone like Dr John Crisler who deals with this more frequently. Thoughts? I live in Northern Indiana so his clinic is only a couple of hours away.

If you have that opportunity I would take it.

 

[Vince Carter]

If you have GERD and take a PPI you need to spend sometime at this site:
https://scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/

PPI's damage your stomach and the only reason they are sold is for symptom relief and it makes the big pharma their $$... how about fixing the root cause of your problem instead? Read that page because I was in the same position as you and I fixed it with Betaine HCL.

Betaine-HCL is one of the things I can say worked for me, got me off the PPIs, and even Tums. Those PPI's are bad news if you read up on them and approach it from the standpoint of having LOW stomach acid instead of the logical too much acid. The GERD and reflux comes from low acid and you can't digest your food so it refluxes, etc etc
Also causes a lot of related malabsorption issues.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Thanks for the quick reply. I will make sure to get the SHBG. I was gonna make sure that the panel I get online the ultra sensitive study for the E2. That's the correct one right?

You're correct - depending on the lab it will be either "sensitive" or "ultrasensitive" when you test estradiol. If you plan to move your care, I would make no changes until Dr. Crisler, or whomever you choose to work with, can evaluate where things stand with the present regimen you are working with.

 

[Mambo]

Thanks. I’ll definitely look into that. I hate having to be on PPIs and it’s good to know there are alternatives.

 

[Mambo]

Thanks guys for all of advice. I think I’m gonna go see Dr Crisler since he’s only a couple hours away. Are there any other patients of his on this forum that I could find out more info from?