Poll-What would you rate your TRT experience?

[sh1973]

I wanted to do a poll on what members experience has been overall with trt, especially long time patients.
Choices:
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
4-fantastic
5-not sure

 

[Systemlord]

I chose fair because I'm working with unskilled endo's for 1 year, free T isn't high enough unless injecting EOD, but must deal with high estrogen.

 

[Nashtide]

Mine is a 3+. Better than good but not quite fantastic. I have improved energy, much better body composition, better mood, much better sleep, much better sex. I feel and look 20 years younger. So, overall, closer to fantastic than good.

 

[FeelingLost]

18 month struggle, finely a 4

 

[buggies100]

I will ne 5years in September.. 5 for me. It hasbeen life changing. Has it been full of ups and downs? Absolutely! Was good for 2-3years on original protocol then hct got out of hand and had to reset and develop new protocol. Still fine tuning that. But definitely a5from where iwas prior

 

[lowe2sucks]

I have a love and hate relationship with trt. There were times where I felt great on it but I also had what I condiser my darkest times on it when crashed my e2. I feel like if you can have you natural levels normal it's better than trt unless you use 200+ mg dose that might aswell jump on steroids... There are negatives related to sex life if you are not on hcg (long term) but if you are after body composition and metabolism and overall body regeneration you will enjoy trt. Im about 5 months off now being on steroids for 2 years straight than 2 years trt I am curioous to see wheres my natural T at.
i might jump back soon because I feel like shit curretly

 

[Tonyp56]

-0 if that was an option. Wish I never started.

 

[Mountain Man]

I have been very fortunate. Two years thus far, and I would rate 4. Granted, I was 62 when I got on and my total testosterone was 373, supposedly “in range.” I had been working out my whole life and had nothing to show for it for years. Body weight has gone from 187 to 195, HCT started at 46 and rose to 50, now stable at 46 again. BP at recent physical was 108/80. Protocol has been simple, 100 to 130 mg of testosterone cypionate, IM once per week. Biggest changes have been muscle has returned and sex drive is great. Sex has gone from 3-4 times per month to 3-4 times per week.

I know my results aren't typical. I think my age and the fact that I had been working out diligently my whole life helped. TRT gave me an edge and I wasn't starting from scratch with everything. I am also glad I waited until I did, because I think it can be more complicated the younger and more out of shape you are starting out.

 

[RLW]

At this point I would give it a 4. I have only been on it for 11 months but so far it's been great. Time will tell.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Four years of treatment and I don't hesitate in giving it a 4. First nine months were an utter disaster, an endocrinologist who, when I finally convinced him topical testosterone was failing me, prescribed two shots a month, 200mg in each shot. Finding the right doctor made all the difference and I'm - at age 60 - pleased as can be with how I feel. Libido, erectile performance, energy, focus/concentration present without complaint. I certainly recognize that many don't feel this way, their results are disappointing. I'm very fortunate.

 

[Vince Carter]

3.2-3.5...

 

[S1W]

Great idea for a thread. Currently, I would rate my TRT experience as a 2.

My levels were "low normal" starting out (mid 300s TT). Age 40. The issues I wanted to address with TRT, such as sexual function, muscle mass, general level of motivation, mood have mostly remained unchanged. I would argue that sexual function has been worse overall on TRT so far, However, I would argue that penile health is better - nocturnal erections, etc. Muscle mass very little change, same as motivation/mood. I definitely felt like a million bucks during the honeymoon period of TRT. Now, I often feel like feeling "good" is actually more of a function of not feeling off. When I feel "good" overall, if I'm being honest with myself it's almost like I feel the same as I did pre-TRT, which begs the question...why bother?

Right now it's "not bad" but is it worth the time and money, sticking myself with needles all the time and having to think about traveling with them, watching E2 and HCT, frequent blood tests, and most importantly, the long-term risks/unknowns?

Another gripe about TRT is that nobody knows what the hell is going on. Even the top docs in the field are frequently unable to get guys dialed in. I started with an endo, who was basically like "100mg 1x per week and that's either going to work or it won't and that's all there is to it". So of course I moved on, to a naturopath who insisted on compounded cream as the topical provides a "healthier and more natural cycle". However, he also didn't know why I would even want to test E2 and thought it was possible to "supplement T". Interestingly, I felt best on that protocol so far but that could have also been related to the stage I was in on my TRT journey. So I moved on again, this time to one of the top docs and pay out of pocket now, and at this point I'm feeling like either it's taking too long to get dialed in and I'm not there yet, or TRT simply isn't working/worth it for me.

I've been on for 8 months now and think about quitting all the time. But I'm trying to be patient and see it through to make sure that I've tried various options, methods, injection schedules to really get the most benefit from it before quitting since I've already come this far.

Oddly enough, I think one of the things I'd miss about TRT is reading up on this forum all the time and being my own personal science experiment. It's fascinating.

A half-baked theory that I have is that there are two kinds of people who seem to thrive on TRT. One would be men of any age who for some medical reason, were truly hypogonadal and had levels in say the 200s and under before starting. These guys often had extreme symptoms pre-TRT - struggle to get out of bed, no energy to do anything physical at all, severe brain fog. TRT is a game changer for them.

The other group that does well on TRT seems to be older men who likely had normal to high normal levels in their youth, but are now simply on TRT due to age-related decline. Take for example Mountain Man above, whose levels at 62 were similar to mine when I was 38.

I'd like to see a lot more examples of "low normal" guys who went on TRT to improve/optimize and succeeded in doing so long-term.

 

[Nashtide]

Great idea for a thread. Currently, I would rate my TRT experience as a 2.

My levels were "low normal" starting out (mid 300s TT). Age 40. The issues I wanted to address with TRT, such as sexual function, muscle mass, general level of motivation, mood have mostly remained unchanged. I would argue that sexual function has been worse overall on TRT so far, However, I would argue that penile health is better - nocturnal erections, etc. Muscle mass very little change, same as motivation/mood. I definitely felt like a million bucks during the honeymoon period of TRT. Now, I often feel like feeling "good" is actually more of a function of not feeling off. When I feel "good" overall, if I'm being honest with myself it's almost like I feel the same as I did pre-TRT, which begs the question...why bother?

Right now it's "not bad" but is it worth the time and money, sticking myself with needles all the time and having to think about traveling with them, watching E2 and HCT, frequent blood tests, and most importantly, the long-term risks/unknowns?

Another gripe about TRT is that nobody knows what the hell is going on. Even the top docs in the field are frequently unable to get guys dialed in. I started with an endo, who was basically like "100mg 1x per week and that's either going to work or it won't and that's all there is to it". So of course I moved on, to a naturopath who insisted on compounded cream as the topical provides a "healthier and more natural cycle". However, he also didn't know why I would even want to test E2 and thought it was possible to "supplement T". Interestingly, I felt best on that protocol so far but that could have also been related to the stage I was in on my TRT journey. So I moved on again, this time to one of the top docs and pay out of pocket now, and at this point I'm feeling like either it's taking too long to get dialed in and I'm not there yet, or TRT simply isn't working/worth it for me.

I've been on for 8 months now and think about quitting all the time. But I'm trying to be patient and see it through to make sure that I've tried various options, methods, injection schedules to really get the most benefit from it before quitting since I've already come this far.

Oddly enough, I think one of the things I'd miss about TRT is reading up on this forum all the time and being my own personal science experiment. It's fascinating.

A half-baked theory that I have is that there are two kinds of people who seem to thrive on TRT. One would be men of any age who for some medical reason, were truly hypogonadal and had levels in say the 200s and under before starting. These guys often had extreme symptoms pre-TRT - struggle to get out of bed, no energy to do anything physical at all, severe brain fog. TRT is a game changer for them.

The other group that does well on TRT seems to be older men who likely had normal to high normal levels in their youth, but are now simply on TRT due to age-related decline. Take for example Mountain Man above, whose levels at 62 were similar to mine when I was 38.

I'd like to see a lot more examples of "low normal" guys who went on TRT to improve/optimize and succeeded in doing so long-term.

You might be onto something with your theory. I would add one more category. The guy with some other hormonal imbalance that goes untreated. Many guys with thyroid issues feel no better on TRT. Or guys with adrenal fatigue.

 

[sh1973]

Some very good replies. One thing I’ve learned after over 8 years on TRT, is sometimes less is much better. I have really high shbg sometimes in the 70s and have always read to go higher with total to get more free. I’ve tried coming off a couple times and felt like complete garbage after a month or so. Both times I stopped, I felt amazing at days 10-13 which should be at low levels. I’ve contemplated a restart again recently, so I did an injection a few weeks back and drawled labs at day 11 and was at 607ng total. Didn’t check any other labs but felt great the day I drawed labs. I’m going to do a month of injecting 60mg once weekly and see how I feel. I’ve seen this same scenario over the years where guys start out and completely overshoot their optimal level. I’ve had levels all the way up to 1900ng and for me anything over 900-1000 is completely detrimental to the way I feel in every way. I’m hoping if I can keep my levels in the 600-700ng range that I can reap the benefits of TRT. I did a 60mg injection Tuesday and so far I feel fantastic. Usually after doing a 100-120mg injection I feel like crap for 2-3 days. This might explain why I felt so well in the beginning on Androgel.

 

[Blackhawk]

I'm going with not sure at this point.

While the benefits are obvious, and I am doing so much better in regards to the goals I sought with TRT, I am in a constant state of questioning whether I will pull through the side effects. There are a few unknowns here in terms of causality, and in trying to get the right doctor, right method, and right doses nailed down, have had a very bumpy road. I have been in hell part of the way, now seem to be closer to balance, but still with serious hurdles to overcome.

The remaining elements are to reduce hct and hgb in the context of low ferritin, and the spectre of very high PSA, which came on at the same time as increasing dose and switching to injection. The timing does not logically correlate as coincidence.

 

[Phmatthews]

I've been on trt for about two and a half years now. I would rate my experience at 3.5.
Right before starting my testosterone was just above 200. I'm 48yo.

My life improved dramatically. I lost 50lbs in about a year. My energy levels came back. I can build muscle easily again.
The brain fog has lifted. I was experiencing unreasonable emotional mood swings, that's back to normal (no AI anymore as a result of every day injections and my e2 is right at 25 nowdays). Libido and function back to nearly 100%, sometimes 110%. Blood sugar dropped from pre-diabetic to well within normal. I could go on and on.

After about six months of trt my wife threw her arms around me crying and said, "I've got my husband back!"

The only negative for me is high hct and hgb combined with lowish ferritin. Otherwise, I'd give it a 4.

 

[busgalloway]

I've been on TRT for 10 months. I've made decent progress in the gym and it has helped my secondary sex characteristics, making me look more masculine as I've gotten a lot more compliments. My libido is better than it used to be but it doesn't get in the way, when I'm busy I barely think about women.

There have some been some ups and downs as far as E2 levels but it was corrected by me being adamant that my E2 levels were too low, and now I feel good.

I would liked to express some disappointment that some people are not so open about using TRT and consider it cheating in the gym. At the level most men have with HRT, you're not gonna be moving mountains suddenly. I can make progress in the gym now and I'm at a lower risk of injury, but my workouts didn't get easier.

Overall I'd rate it a 3. Good progress, not totally what I expected but not bad either. On the way it's made me more knowledgeable of men's health in general and I'm grateful for that.

 

[Mr MJ]

Definitely a 4.

I wanted to do a poll on what members experience has been overall with trt, especially long time patients.
Choices:
1-poor
2-fair
3-good
4-fantastic
5-not sure[/QUOTE

I am a 14 year vet on HRT and have tried it all. Went through 4 doctor changes over the years and now use ED injections with awesome results and no AI. I use 14 mg shallow IM with 175 HCG 3X week. Test is around 700 with free at 14.5 and E2 is stable at 22. I have learned that our bodies do change as we age and never just believe a Dr's recommendations - read , study and learn and relearn. There are too many attitudes and egos when it comes to the medical profession. We are our own best judge of how we feel. What may work for one may be a disaster for another. How do you know unless you try? That is why I think this forum is awesome. Individuals post and relay their knowledge and experiences here for us to process. Wisdom gained is more powerful than ignorance repeated. In my opinion this website is by far the best one of it's kind in the world ! - and no I wasn't paid to say that. MrMJ.

 

[Mountain Man]

I've been on trt for about two and a half years now. I would rate my experience at 3.5.
Right before starting my testosterone was just above 200. I'm 48yo.

My life improved dramatically. I lost 50lbs in about a year. My energy levels came back. I can build muscle easily again.
The brain fog has lifted. I was experiencing unreasonable emotional mood swings, that's back to normal (no AI anymore as a result of every day injections and my e2 is right at 25 nowdays). Libido and function back to nearly 100%, sometimes 110%. Blood sugar dropped from pre-diabetic to well within normal. I could go on and on.

After about six months of trt my wife threw her arms around me crying and said, "I've got my husband back!"

The only negative for me is high hct and hgb combined with lowish ferritin. Otherwise, I'd give it a 4.

That's one of the biggest improvements if you are a married guy with a sex life that has been dragging a bit. My doctor was very clear from the start that TRT would probably not fix the ED, and he was right. Daily low dose cialis and TRT is an unbeatable combination for healthy sex life. The upside is that my wife is fitter than in years. A married guys increased sex drive can make a good wife feel desired and that's a powerful aphrodisiac for her.

HCT can level off. Mine actually got back to pre TRT levels at the end of year two.

 

[HarryCat]

Coming up on 6 years and I'd give it a 0 to 1, but I now believe that my lack of success with TRT has been due to another underlying medical condition which I have not yet found a successful treatment for.