T Only TRT - Longish-term success stories?

[S1W]

I have been given a new protocol, which basically involves dropping HCG. So T Cyp injections 120mg/week split E3.5D and nothing else.

I recall reading a thread where Dr. Chrisler stated that some guys do well on T only for a year or so but then “the wheels fall off the wagon” or something to that effect unless they add in preg, dhea, hcg, etc.

There have to be members on here who have been on a T only protocol long term, say a year or more. Everything going ok? Erections, sleep, etc all good?

 

[lowe2sucks]

I only felt good on t only.. i tried it all dhea, pregnenolone, hcg, arimidex.. testotsterone only in optimal dosage split into few shots to be able to not even think about AI thats best I ever felt and whats more important healthier.. only 1 negative is small balls and probably infertility

 

[CoastWatcher]

I believe Jay Campbell, noted TRT author and a good friend of this community, has maintained a successful protocol - testosterone only - for years.

 

[Systemlord]

I think it goes back to everyone's biochemically different, I've been on TRT only for 11 months and I still have the wheels on my wagon. They aren't falling off yet, I keep them greased up.

 

[HealthMan]

I have a couple of friends on TRT without HCG/DHEA/Pregnenolone and they feel great. If that is detrimental long term I have no idea and I don’t think any of us does. TRT has been around for quite some time and I don’t believe HCG was used in the old days (and is still not used by many up to this day).
I have been on TRT both with and without HCG. Really hard to tell any difference other than normal testicle size.

 

[Virginian]

5 years on TRT. About 100 mg every 4 or 5 days. (I'm not very strict on being consistent.) That gives me fairly high T levels - about 1000 just before next injection. Never HCG. Tried a little arimidex a few years ago, but it didn't seem to have any impact.

Results are terrific. I am 75 years old. For someone that age, I have good energy, good strength, great physique. A few weeks ago someone asked me if I used to be a competitive bodybuilder. I wasn't, but I look better now than I did in my 20's. No more sleep problems or prostrate problems than before I started TRT. Sexual interest increased. Still sexually active. I needed pharmaceutical help with erections before TRT and still need that same help now.

 

[Charliebizz]

Being on these forums for years now. It seems to me like the guys age 20-40 have the most problems with trt. I'm guessing maybe because it's not age related why our levels are low

 

[S1W]

The back story is that I started out on transdermals. T levels ok, E2 just out of range high. Then switched to 128 T Cyp E3.5D with HCG 350 E3.5D. T levels ok, E2 way too high. So lowered T Cyp to 108 E3.5D and HCG to 250IU E3.5D. E2 came back down, but unfortunately T levels dropped down too much.

So was given 3 options:

1. Go back to transdermal.
2. Go with original cyp/hcg protocol and add an AI
3. Go to 120 t cyp and drop the HCG.

I chose option 3.

 

[Systemlord]

The back story is that I started out on transdermals. T levels ok, E2 just out of range high. Then switched to 128 T Cyp E3.5D with HCG 350 E3.5D. T levels ok, E2 way too high. So lowered T Cyp to 108 E3.5D and HCG to 250IU E3.5D. E2 came back down, but unfortunately T levels dropped down too much.

So was given 3 options:

1. Go back to transdermal.
2. Go with original cyp/hcg protocol and add an AI
3. Go to 120 t cyp and drop the HCG.

I chose option 3.

According to your results you dropped your dosage too much, for me the difference between 40mg twice weekly and 50mg twice weekly is huge, E2 becomes dreadfully lower on the former. Go for option 2 as you haven't really given injectables much of a chance. Your main problem is you're changing too many things at a time, lowering your dosage of T cyp and lowering the HCG in one single move will of course affect E2 levels big time. Lowering your T and HCG dosage is a big move, small moves, go slow.

 

[S1W]

According to your results you dropped your dosage too much, for me the difference between 40mg twice weekly and 50mg twice weekly is huge, E2 becomes dreadfully lower on the former. Go for option 2 as you haven't really given injectables much of a chance. Your main problem is you're changing too many things at a time, lowering your dosage of T cyp and lowering the HCG in one single move will of course affect E2 levels big time. Lowering your T and HCG dosage is a big move, small moves, go slow.

Yeah the first change was a poor decision on my part but I felt pretty crummy with E2 that high and wanted it to drop fast. But it was a good lesson to reiterate what you just mentioned - small changes, go slow.

I’m still giving injections a chance and prefer it overall so far to transdermals - if I wasn’t clear, the third option is still using injections. Option 2 for me was not really an option as I’m not willing to take an AI at this point.

I like the 3rd option because I like the simplicity if it works, and also because I think it would be worthwhile to get my T dose dialed in before adding things like HCG. I think this will give me a more clear picture in the future of what effects these different variables have on me.

 

[Brandonbig]

I have been on T only for 3 years. Doing very well. I have recently added in a Pregnenolone supplement and I can feel a difference. But I think a lot of men could benefit from it.

 

[Charliebizz]

Everyone says small balls like it's only cosmetic. Don't the testicles produce other hormones other then testosterone like dhea and prog. And if the patient is on trt only can't that be detrimental down the line to have those hormones shut down to a degree.

Some of of us can't tolerate hcg. And also have no luck with singular supplements like prog,preg or dhea. So what do we do?

 

[CoastWatcher]

Everyone says small balls like it's only cosmetic. Don't the testicles produce other hormones other then testosterone like dhea and prog. And if the patient is on trt only can't that be detrimental down the line to have those hormones shut down to a degree.

Some of of us can't tolerate hcg. And also have no luck with singular supplements like prog,preg or dhea. So what do we do?

Pregnenolone and DHEA are upstream hormones, produced largely in the adrenal glands atop the kidneys,though the testicles do play a part.

 

[Charliebizz]

Pregnenolone and DHEA are upstream hormones, produced largely in the adrenal glands atop the kidneys,though the testicles do play a part.

I know for me personally and I confirmed it many times on blood and saliva that being on trt must have effected those hormones enough because my cortisol drops a good amount when on trt only. Now it most likely causes issue for me because I'm borderline low normal on cortisol to begin with. But low dose ssri helped combat my loss of cortisol and I did better on trt this time around. However with my shbg it was hard to get me dialed in. On lower doses I wasn't really getting any benefits from it and at higher doses it was helping with pin and energy to a degree but was causing tremendous anxiety.

Im now off trt 8 weeks and I feel a difference. I have a lot of pain and tired but my anxiety is gone so I really kind of stuck. Plus with the fact I always worry about the op question how safe is trt alone in the long run. if I felt the benefits a bunch of you guys feel without the sides I was having I would say the risk is vs reward but trt is very tough for me. And I'm only 36 years old

 

[Saul]

I am on T only, but not long term - coming up on two years I think. Having taken only T I don't know any different, other then before TRT. No plans for more kids. I would be interested in seeing any studies that shows being on T only is is not detrimental long term. Seems an unstudied area but I should research more. If I took HCG it would likely raise my E2 forcing me to take AI.

 

[S1W]

I figured I would update my own post. I have now been on the T only protocol for about 8 weeks. And for the first time since I started my TRT journey about 8 months ago, I'm starting to feel like this is all worth it. The T. Cyp. only protocol has been my best so far. My current protocol is 120mg/week - 60mg E3.5D. Cautiously optimistic - hoping this could be a turning point and that I'm getting close to being dialed in - and really hoping I can continue to feel as well as I have been lately.

But what is really interesting to me that I wanted to share with you guys are my recent lab results, in particular hematocrit as it relates to T levels.

I inject Monday mornings and Thursday evenings - labs are drawn on Thursday afternoons a few hours before Thursday evening injection.

On my current protocol (60mg T. Cyp. E3.5D) I had the following numbers:

TT: 879 (264-916)
FT: 24.7 (8.7-25.1)
E2: 47.5 (8.0-35.0)
HCT: 48.4

This is the highest TT/FT have been on any protocol and also the lowest hematocrit has been on any protocol.

Anyway, I had always assumed that HCT would go up as T levels went up. At least this time around, that was not the case for me. Whether it's a case of HCT simply starting to level out on it's own or a result of something that changed with the new T-only protocol, I can't say, but I still find the whole thing kinda interesting.