Trt & anxiety

Mikey1970 · May 21, 2016

Hi all, I've suffered from anxiety for years a d I believe it's a side effect from low T, I realised my anxiety started when my T went low, can TRT make it worse or better, I'd hoped for better, but I've read TRT can worsen it, anyone here have their anxiety worsen, cheers all

CoastWatcher · May 21, 2016

We have members here who have reported both results - some have indicated that TRT may have played a role in reducing their anxiety, but others initiated TRT only to encounter significantly ramped up anxiety. The person I am thinking of is now undertaking a course of Clomid therapy to see if he can restore his androgen levels that way rather than relying on testosterone.

Are you treating your anxiety?

Zooka15 · May 21, 2016

I did experience increased anxiety the first 3 months, but that subsided. Maybe a increase and balance effect of neurotransmitters.

Mikey1970 · May 21, 2016

yes, I am taking meds for anxiety, and I know it derived from low T , as I never has anxiety in my life, so I just hope when on T, it reduces it and hopefully it takes it away for good

ERO · May 21, 2016

The odds are in your favor if your anxiety came about when your T levels dropped - getting them back up should help.

bako · May 21, 2016

I have always suffered from anxiety, but since I started TRT I am as cool as a cucumber.

Superman · May 21, 2016

i went from being depressed and full of anxiety 24/7 pre-TRT to now maybe having anxiety 10 minutes a week. Its really been the best part of being on TRT for me

Jon H · May 21, 2016

TRT has GREATLY reduced my anxiety. There are countless things I used to worry about all the time. Now I tend to deal with problems as they come up, but never really worry about the "what ifs" in life. If anything, there are times my wife gets annoyed with me that I've stopped worrying about all the things she still worries about.

James · May 21, 2016

Wrong dose and your anxiety will be a nightmare. Correct dose and life is good. Don't let a anyone convince you 160mg - 200mg a week is a good starting dose. Regardless how low your levels are, I don't think this dose is ever a good idea. Start slow, be patient, we're beginning to see more guys report less is more. Start with 80mg - 100mg, if only for 4-5 weeks, see how you do and adjust from there. I started with 160 milligrams and almost did not live to tell this story.

CoastWatcher · May 21, 2016

James said:
Wrong dose and your anxiety will be a nightmare. Correct dose and life is good. Don't let a anyone convince you 160mg - 200mg a week is a good starting dose. Regardless how low your levels are, I don't think this dose is ever a good idea. Start slow, be patient, we're beginning to see more guys report less is more. Start with 80mg - 100mg, if only for 4-5 weeks, see how you do and adjust from there. I started with 160 milligrams and almost did not live to tell this story.

The doses James mentions are weekly totals. Success comes with, at a minimum, weekly injections. It would be fair to say that most of us are injecting more frequently, every 3.5 days, every other day, even daily. He is absolutely right - "less is more"...it is far easier to increase your dose and achieve balance than it is to back it down.

Helboi · May 21, 2016

TRT has helped with my anxiety fairly significantly. It had been worse than it was when I started TRT, but it wasn't fully under control by any means. Now it's very much a gentle hum in the background most days.

Vitamin_C · May 21, 2016

I've suffered with periodic anxiety and panic attacks. I don't like psych meds at all so I dealt with it naturally with some good success. I was anxious that TRT would increase my anxiety but I noticed it took the "edge" off many anxious situations, particularly dealing with panic attacks. I still get very mild anxiety but its normal and I haven't had any panic attacks at all. I would say that TRT has been very effective in dealing with panic attacks. I also cleaned up my liver and ran several detoxes which helped as well.

James · May 22, 2016

Yes, I'm referring to once weekly dosing. I've been on TRT for about 2.5 years, or so, and I've always injected once a week. I started at 160mg, then 140, 120, 100, 80 & 60 (I actually went that low), obviously in 20 mg increments. I took notes of how I felt at each dose and although I had some positive with each dose, looking at the overall big picture, I felt best injecting once a week at 100mg per week. And I'm a guy with SHBG at the lower end of the normal range. Within the last 2 weeks I started injecting 60mg every 3.5 days and will reserve judgment until I've completed a few more weeks. I do take 1/8mg to 1/4mg anastrosol within 24 hours after injection, based on how I feel. As Coastwatcher said, it's best to increase your dose as needed. Please don't make the same mistake I made by injecting to much of this stuff from the start. I'm not saying 160 mg - 200 mg is bad. There are plenty of guys on this forum who are on that dose and doing well. I'm just saying it's probably best for a newer guy to start with a lower dose, be patient, and work your way to a higher dose if needed.

Steelballs · May 22, 2016

My anxiety went up a lot after being on TRT and like I have reported on another post now taking DHEA and Preg and feel fantastic. BTW I agree with James, less is more.

Vitamin_C · May 22, 2016

Steelballs said:
My anxiety went up a lot after being on TRT and like I have reported on another post now taking DHEA and Preg and feel fantastic. BTW I agree with James, less is more.

This could be related to high or low cortisol or estrogen numbers. Testosterone has a very calming effect on the brain.

JupiterJazz · May 23, 2016

If a person was anxious before TRT, wouldn't they still be anxious after TRT if they don't make certain life changes?

PAUL-E · May 23, 2016

JupiterJazz said:
If a person was anxious before TRT, wouldn't they still be anxious after TRT if they don't make certain life changes?

Everyone is different but TRT definitely helped my anxiety.

James · May 23, 2016

JupiterJazz said:
If a person was anxious before TRT, wouldn't they still be anxious after TRT if they don't make certain life changes?

Yes of course. Healthy lifestyle changes, whatever that looks like for you, would be beneficial, but testosterone effects your brain and if taken in the correct dose, should make you feel better and make the anxiety less intense.

Jinzang · May 23, 2016

People who suffer from anxiety often hyperventilate. There's a feedback, feeling the effects of the hyperventilation makes the anxiety worse. So I'd suggest anyone who has problems with anxiety know the effects of hyperventialtion so they can be aware of what's happening and take steps to counter them. Simple exercises to slow and steady your breathing can help.

Also, with anxiety there's too much focus on the future. Learning how to meditate can help with this, as can anything else that takes the focus off the future and puts it on the present moment.

Gene Devine · May 23, 2016

Large doses of Testosterone can lower SHBG in some men and with lower serum levels of this hormone comes anxiety as a side effect.

Smaller more frequent doses can help SHBG serum levels rise helping to reduce the anxiety.

Try 50 mg of Pregnenolone twice daily as this may help reduce anxiety levels as well.