New to trt. Sleep is awful . Thoughts on this protocol please.

[Mfurches]

So my doc started me on 50 mg test c 3x week.
500 iu of hcg 2x week
.125mg of arimidex 3x a week.

Been on it for 4-5 weeks now. Strength is up , endurance is up . I can tell changes in body composition already starting but my sleep is god awful. I can’t even go to sleep without ambien. Im curious if anyone has an opinion on this protocol and specifically if I need the a.i. I’ll have labs drawn in a couple more weeks but something is definitely not sitting well with my brain.

 

[Systemlord]

TRT is a marathon not a sprint, your only at week 5 which is very early in treatment to be expecting miracles.

Patience is key. There are some guys that can't tolerate AI at any dosage, the same goes for HCG which isn't well tolerated with a lot of guys.

Also you ask if you need an AI, but have no labs indicating high estrogen and symptoms pointing to high estrogen, very strange.

 

[Vince]

I wouldn't be using .125mg of arimidex 3x a week. Without labs. Causes too many issues. May be affecting your sleep. Also your starting dose of testosterone, may be too high.

 

[DixieWrecked]

If you can't figure it out by getting your protocol dialed in, this was my experience:

My sleep always sucked on TRT, 2.5 years, and I just recently discovered something that helps, progesterone cream. I've been sleeping like a baby for about 3 weeks since starting it.

 

[Mfurches]

If you can't figure it out by getting your protocol dialed in, this was my experience:

My sleep always sucked on TRT, 2.5 years, and I just recently discovered something that helps, progesterone cream. I've been sleeping like a baby for about 3 weeks since starting it.

What dosage worked for you ?

 

[McBeavy]

My take is dosage is likely too high, as well as using hCG, which while preserving testicular size and some endogenous testosterone, can cause issues in some people. Plus using an AI, (even in low doses) can result in lowering E2 too much. I can tell you from personal experience low E2 will cause sleep issues.

I'm an advocate of starting off T-therapy using testosterone alone, say 100mg in divided doses (50mg Monday/Thursday). Then get labs at 5-6 weeks and see where everything sits. It's very difficult to get dialed in with too many variables in the mix.

Did you get bloodwork done prior to staring? If so, it should've included, at a minimum, total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), estradiol (E2), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).

 

[Mfurches]

If you can't figure it out by getting your protocol dialed in, this was my experience:

My sleep always sucked on TRT, 2.5 years, and I just recently discovered something that helps, progesterone cream. I've been sleeping like a baby for about 3 weeks since starting it.

We’re you on hcg at the same time or only the progesterone ?

 

[Mfurches]

My take is dosage is likely too high, as well as using hCG, which while preserving testicular size and some endogenous testosterone, can cause issues in some people. Plus using an AI, (even in low doses) can result in lowering E2 too much. I can tell you from personal experience low E2 will cause sleep issues.

I'm an advocate of starting off T-therapy using testosterone alone, say 100mg in divided doses (50mg Monday/Thursday). Then get labs at 5-6 weeks and see where everything sits. It's very difficult to get dialed in with too many variables in the mix.

Did you get bloodwork done prior to staring? If so, it should've included, at a minimum, total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), estradiol (E2), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).

I did get all that blood work. Don’t have it with me but test , free test we’re both extremely low. I’m working with defy and they are the ones who started me on this regiment . I think I’m going to drop the ai and the arimidex as well as lower the test dosage and see where it lands .

 

[McBeavy]

AI (aromatase inhibitor) and Arimidex (brand name for anastrozole) are the same thing. Perhaps you meant hCG?

I currently use hCG, 300iu/3X/week along with 100mg test cyp. 2X/week, so hCG may be beneficial to you but it's easier to dial in on test alone.

One thing: Keep a written log of how you're feeling while you dial in. When I stated, this helped tremendously with keeping track of what my protocol was and the results I was achieving. I created a spreadsheet that I would rate my overall sense of well being, sleep quality, libido, etc. It really allowed me to find the sweet spot where I feel the absolute best.

 

[Mfurches]

AI (aromatase inhibitor) and Arimidex (brand name for anastrozole) are the same thing. Perhaps you meant hCG?

I currently use hCG, 300iu/3X/week along with 100mg test cyp. 2X/week, so hCG may be beneficial to you but it's easier to dial in on test alone.

One thing: Keep a written log of how you're feeling while you dial in. When I stated, this helped tremendously with keeping track of what my protocol was and the results I was achieving. I created a spreadsheet that I would rate my overall sense of well being, sleep quality, libido, etc. It really allowed me to find the sweet spot where I feel the absolute best.

Yes I meant hcg. Typing faster than I was thinking . I agree a log is a good idea and I started that a few days ago. I just can’t believe how much my sleep changed within just a few days .

 

[guyisasguydoes]

I did get all that blood work. Don’t have it with me but test , free test we’re both extremely low. I’m working with defy and they are the ones who started me on this regiment . I think I’m going to drop the ai and the arimidex as well as lower the test dosage and see where it lands .

I can offer my experience with the AI. When I started test Cypoinate I had sleeping issues prior to taking it. When I first began testosterone I only took 100mg per week with no AI. My sleep improved by like week 2. Felt more refreshed in the morning and that trend lasted. When it was found that my E2 was rising, I was told to take armidex .50mg once a week. I then started noticing after maybe a day or two after taking it, I felt like the life was sucked out of me. When I woke up from a 6-7 hour sleep I felt like I had a hangover. My bones hurt, etc.

I then decided to quarter up the dose and took a very small amount…not even sure how to measure it. And I stated feeling so much better… I don’t know if that helps at all but that’s what I went thru.
I feel like there’s a balance in there somewhere and the balance is different for each of us.