Paradoxal increase to values while lowering dosage

[T0R0]

So I've been on TRT since 2021. 58 male, 5'6 , 155 lbs. I've been mostly stable for the last 3 years. I'm a hyper responder. Up until July 1st 2026, I was pretty stable at 80mg test cyp, split twice a week. (every wed 9am, sat 4pm). ALL my labs are on Wednesday mornings before pin. My vials are all from the same online clinic. All my labs purchased from Discountedlabs using recommended assays. So my issue is that I stared to notice some diffuse hair loss, nothing drastic but it's def thinning over these past 2-3 years. Also my hematocrit has been bordering on the 54%. This July first I reduced my dosage to 64mg. I based that on the fact that my free T was always elevated and I thought that gave me room for a 20% reduction. So my 2026 results were a solid 11 weeks after my dose change but paradoxically, almost all my values went up instead of down. I understand that because my shbg went up, my total T went up. My free T did drop. I did end up donating a pint of whole blood because I did go over the threshold of my hematocrit. So my question is , Is my body just over reacting right now trying to find equilibrium. I'm going to do labs again in Janurary probably. Any insights into this paradox like behavior ??
(had trouble uploading images)
2024 Lab Results (Collected: Feb 21, 2024)

• Total Testosterone: 882 ng/dL (In Range; ref 250–1100 ng/dL)
• Free Testosterone: 241.7 pg/mL H (High; ref 35.0–155.0 pg/mL)
• Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): 68 ng/dL H (High; ref 12–65 ng/dL)
• SHBG: 26 nmol/L (In Range; ref 10–50 nmol/L)
• Estradiol (Ultrasensitive): 44 pg/mL H (High; ref ≤ 29 pg/mL)

2025 Lab Results (Collected: Aug 6, 2025)

• Total Testosterone: 977 ng/dL (In Range; ref 250–1100 ng/dL)
• Free Testosterone: 252.1 pg/mL H (High; ref 35.0–155.0 pg/mL)
• Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): Not Tested
• SHBG: Not Tested
• Estradiol (Ultrasensitive): 64 pg/mL H (High; ref ≤ 29 pg/mL)

2026 Lab Results (Collected: Sept 16, 2026)

• Total Testosterone: 1119 ng/dL H (High; ref 250–1100 ng/dL)
• Free Testosterone: 167.9 pg/mL H (High; ref 35.0–155.0 pg/mL)
• Dihydrotestosterone (DHT): 73 ng/dL H (High; ref 12–65 ng/dL)
• SHBG: 43 nmol/L (In Range; ref 22–77 nmol/L)
• Estradiol (Ultrasensitive): 42 pg/mL H (High; ref ≤ 29 pg/mL)

 

[Cataceous]

The numbers are someone inconsistent, suggesting one or more modest measurement errors. But even so, the results don't point to anything too unusual. We generally expect free testosterone to be proportional to the dose rate, so in theory yours should have dropped 20%. But Quest shows a 30% drop and the Vermeulen calculation says none. The rise in SHBG is expected because androgens tend to suppress production.

It's not impossible that you have some kind of threshold effect going on with hematocrit. You may need to lower free testosterone even further to bring it down. Yours is above-range even at the trough, meaning the peak could be 40-50% higher. "Hyper responder" is a bit strong, but you do have levels that are above average for the dose. This could indicate below average metabolism of testosterone, which is also a function of age; older men have slower metabolism, which yields higher levels for a given dose.