Optimistic about new protocol

[James]

I'm looking forward to seeing what my new protocol will be like. I've been doing once weekly injections of 120 mg cypionate every Monday with no anastrozole. I really like that 'blast to my brain' that I feel when injecting 120 mg at once. I feel amazing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I feel really good Thursday and Friday, and feel little Saturday and Sunday (although my numbers are decent those days).

Here are my numbers on this protocol. They were taken prior to my Monday injection. I got to imagine on this protocol, they all would have been much higher earlier in the week:

Total Testosterone 608 ng/dl (348 - 1197)
Free Testosterone 20 pg/ml (6.8 - 21.5)
Estradiol, Sensitive 24 pg/ml (8.0 - 35.0)

My new protocol will stay at 120 mg, and inject 60 mg Monday AM and Thursday PM. I'll retest in 6 weeks. I suspect I'll miss that blast to my brain, as I doubt 60 mg will provide that. I'll stay committed for 6 weeks and look at how I feel and my labs, before I judge.

No real question here guys. Thanks for reading.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Excellent free testosterone (and estradiol rests in a nice spot as well). Would you remind me, what is your SHBG value?

 

[Vince Carter]

What you're going to get is a smoother ride over the course of 7 days, those lesser days, Sat/Sun are going to be better. I'd question you E2 reads on the 2/3/4th day of that 120mg injection...it's far too much to be shooting at one-time, easily is excess, easily aromatizes.

 

[ERO]

The fact that you have been feeling little or nothing on Saturday & Sunday basically proves that you need to inject twice weekly instead of once weekly. I bet that you will come to like your new protocol once your body adjusts.

 

[James]

I've had significant estradiol issues in the past. Not with my numbers (on day 7 of 1 week injection schedule), but with the way I felt during days 3, 4 & 5. I've gone as high as 160mg injecting once a week. On that protocol, my E2 gets so high, and my symptoms are so horrible that an AI of 1/4th mg makes me feel better almost immediately. Somehow my body has adjusted to the point where I don't seem to feel the E2 spikes near as much as I did when starting TRT. The more experience I gain, the more I judge based on the way I feel, and not as much by my numbers. There's been times when I stayed on the same dose for extended periods of time, allowing for multiple labs to be done, and my numbers always vary a bit. You guys all report such good results from multiple weekly injections that I want to see what 60 mg twice a week does. And worst case scenario, I go back my old protocol, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Prior to starting TRT, my SHBG was 24 nmol/L (10 - 50) with Quest. After starting TRT, I'm consistently around 20.7 nmol/L (16.5 - 55.9) with LabCorp.

 

[Vince]

James, I like your new protocol and I don't think you would need an AI.

 

[Helboi]

Prior to starting TRT, my SHBG was 24 nmol/L (10 - 50) with Quest. After starting TRT, I'm consistently around 20.7 nmol/L (16.5 - 55.9) with LabCorp.

I've had low SHBG as well. But I noticed my lab value has risen as I've gone from once a week injections, to every 3.5 days, to my current protocol which is EOD. Started around 20 before TRT, been up and down at various times but never higher than 26, and now it's at 31. Not sure why it's going up, but maybe it's partially related to smaller more frequent injections?

 

[James]

Helboi - I've accepted my shbg as it is. Why worry about something we have little control over. I will say however that your story is encouraging. I wouldn't mind if mine bumped up just a few points.