Testosterone vs. Sermorelin or ?:

[Sterling]

Have any of you trt guys given up on trt and went with Sermorelin or hgh? I've been vacillating about continuing on with my trt and going with Sermorelin and perhaps nothing at all. I had the idea that trt would help me with my libido, fatigue, mild ed, exercise and overall wellbeing. However, my early experiences and recent thoughts about this have me at a crossroads. While I don't think I've been on any one program long enough to evaluate the benefits or drawbacks, I do know that I'm not fond of pinning myself at minimum with T and hcg twice a week for the rest of my life or until I just don't care anymore when I'm really old. I'm going to be 49 later this year and the thoughts of continuing this program for another 25-35 years or more is a bit disheartening.

I'm open to suggestions and hoping some of you have considered something similar after embarking on such an experience. FYI-my T levels were at @400 before starting trt. Thanks guys.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Sterling:

I also would be reconsidering things if I did not get any benefits after injecting twice a week for a while (by the way, how long have you been on TRT, what was the dose/frequency and what was your total testosterone level after a month of injections?)

Although it is more physiologic to inject more frequently, I inject only once a week. Trying to achieve a twice a week injection routine only leaves me frustrated since I am so busy and forget to do so. Why set yourself for failure?

No matter what you read on this site (I respect people's different point of views that lead to a healthy discussion) there is good evidence that testosterone gels/creams can work well in many men as long as your doctor checks your testosterone, estradiol and other variables after 6-8 weeks to determine if you need dose modification. That is where more doctors fail. Depending on the concentration (you can get 10% T creams cheaply from compounding pharmacies), you can attain levels above 700 ng/dL of total testosterone with a cream. Of course, this is hard to do with commercial and overpriced gels like Androgel (1.62%), Testim (1%), Axiron (2%) and Fortesta (2%). However, some companies like Endo Pharma have taken notice of this and are now recommending their own dosed adjustment protocols (by the way, it takes a few days to reach stable T blood levels ). You can see their dose adjustment table here

Sermorelin is not a replacement for testosterone, so I would not consider that.

 

[Sterling]

Nelson,

I started out using T cream and I got nothing from that but white powder on my clothes after the cream dried. I tried that for over 4 months and didn't feel a thing. So the original company wasn't interested in allowing me to inject for more than 10 weeks. They required that I then go of for 6 weeks before restarting the T. I left them. I started with another company and they were ok with the injections but I didn't feel they had my best interest at heart. In my opinion, they were more interested in selling me additional therapies than monitoring my trt. I am now with Defy and I've been on trt for about 3 weeks. I did post my lab results from the other company and my T was 1089 but because they had me on 1mg of Anastrozole twice a week, my E tanked and I felt like crap. I talked with Dr. Saya and we backed of on the A to .5mg twice epr week on the day of my shot and I have dialed back the T from 200mg per week to 100mg per week. I haven't had any new labs done and have zero libido, fatigue, mild ED and the rest of the normal symptoms of low T. It's probably still due to my low E but I can't know for sure until I get new lab work done.

And I know Sermorelin is not a substitute for T but I was looking for better health overall than just the benefits of Higher T levels. As always, thanks for your input.

 

[Jasen Bruce]

Hi Sterling,

Great to see that you are with Dr Saya, he is good when it comes to patient care and TRT. 3 weeks is much to short of a timeframe to assess the benefits of injectable Testosterone Cypionate, which can take weeks to manifest into symptom improvement. This is because it is a timed released Testosterone and can take time to stabilize in your body. The first 90 days tends to be an adjustment period as not everyone responds the same to TRT, different dosages, injection frequencies, or medications may be needed. I am not sure how long you were at the previous clinic (and therefore on TRT) but it appears, as you originally stated, that you have never been on long enough to successfully evaluate. In addition, your fears of a long term commitment are valid and very common in all men who begin therapy. There is certainly a psychological awareness that takes place which can especially promote anxiety when results are not being achieved. Of course, if symptoms continue to not improve stopping TRT is okay (Dr Saya will help restore your HPT). However, in the 10 years I have been blessed to observe and work in the TRT field, I have experienced many cases similar to you where it just took a little more dialing in and possibly diagnosing to find the sweet spot. These men who were once just as anxious are now on TRT and enjoying the benefits (my father is one). I would suggest hanging in there for 90 days, and be confident that you can be restored to baseline T levels if TRT is discontinued. 3 weeks is much too soon to analyze labs, but to ease your mind it wouldn't hurt to draw labs now then again at 90 days. Check your PM regarding labs.

As for Sermorelin, this medication would take even longer than Testosterone to see the physical benefits and only if your problem is due to a deficiency in HGH production. If Testosterone has been identified as low and you have already committed 3 weeks, I would stick with it and focus on first restoring a good balance between T and E. Sermorelin does have some wonderful benefits, especially when it comes to fat loss and well-being, but I believe it would be best to address your T first even if that means discontinuing later and resorting your HP axis.