So I changed my protocol myself/quick question

[PushrodV8]

I am low SHBG, started on 150mg ever m/w/f with 300iu hcg on the same schedule.

We dropped hcg, still getting atrophy + not concerned about fertility

Bumped up to 180mg every m/w/f and by week two of new protocol, I had what felt like racing heart(resting heart was always fine) and horrible anxiety. I even posted here and everyone was a great help.

I noticed high e2 symptoms too, and waited to avoid an AI, so I dropped my dose.

I stumbled upon a thread on a different forum where I guy with low SHBG did low, daily injections. It made sense based on how low shbg interacts with higher doses of test I gave it a shot.

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I am now day 2 of my daily injections, I also DROPPED my dose to 140, so now it's 20mg a day, for 7 days. I do them every morning at 7:30am.

Day 2, my racing heart/feeling like my heart is going to jump out of my chest/horrible anxiety is gone. It actually stopped by the end of day 1.

My sleep was junk on 180mg and lost morning erections, they both came back on day 2.

I hate changing my protocol without consulting the doctors but man I couldn't sleep, or just function thinking my heart was going to jump out of my chest.

I know 2 days is hardly any precursor to what will or wont work but man, I feel so much better.

Am I missing anything with every day injections at lower doses? I am primary hypogonadal with low shbg

 

[Vince Carter]

Well you're right, for the low SHBG you were totally on the wrong path but are moving in the right direction now though I think you'll find 20mg is still too much. I would encourage you in your next round of labs to add "Estradiol, Free" in addition to the LC/MS/MS test. Your E is probably going to have to be under 20.
Your Cyp dose should target your Free T and not having it too much over the lab range, and forget about the TT.

 

[Vince Carter]

what is your SHBG?

 

[PushrodV8]

i have not done a follow up cumulative of all the blood work yet, that is at the end of this month with defy. I only did a TT/FT/E2 on my own with labcorp back when I was on 150mg and the e2 had hit 40. I was starting to get high e2 symptoms like flushing skin, major water retention etc on 180mg

My PRE TRT SHBG was 19.1 (16.5-55.9)

 

[Vince Carter]

well you know you just reset the entire landscape on your treatment, you need to inform Defy and stay on it STEADY for 6 weeks, at least, and pull those labs. Pulling labs at the end of the month now are going to be pretty pointless...needs more time to reach a balance.

 

[PushrodV8]

well you know you just reset the entire landscape on your treatment, you need to inform Defy and stay on it STEADY for 6 weeks, at least, and pull those labs. Pulling labs at the end of the month now are going to be pretty pointless...needs more time to reach a balance.

Yeah I will, like I said, I felt horrible on the increased dose. Like worse than pre trt horrible. I just made the decision based on facts of how shbg works and took the plunge.

 

[Vince Carter]

Youre right low SHBG you can't have a protocol such as you had though they at least tried to ack that with M/W/F but the dose was way too high regardless.

 

[MarkM]

Low SHBG guys normally do much better on daily low dose injections. Like Vince Carter said, you have reset the clock with the new protocol and you'll need to inform Defy of the change. It's always best not to change in the middle of a protocol but if you felt as bad as you state I would have tried something different as well. No sense in suffering needlessly.

 

[PushrodV8]

Thanks MarkM, I tried to just deal with it, but I never would have thought higher doses would affect anxiety, and how my heart was feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest. It would also raise faster with simple mundane tasks, like getting up to walk around.... I was definitely in high e2 symptoms but I wanted to avoid an AI at all costs unless it was absolutely necessary.

 

[MarkM]

Sometimes it seems weird that the simplest changes can have such major impacts and we all deal with them differently.