Trt total testosterone test result question?

[Joepaul39]

I just had my 4 week trt bloodwork results come back. Everything came back normal. My total t came back at 600. I get once a week injections of Testosterone at 150 mg a week. The lab draw was taken right before my weekly shot so it had been a full 7 days since my prior shot. (I go to the office for injections, thus injecting more frequently is not an option). On another forum, I was told this probably means (though impossible to tell without bloodwork) that at the beginning of the week right after my shot I am probably at the upper end of normal (1,000) for total t, then it drops off later in the week, especially after the 5th day. Is this true? Also, while I know getting shots more frequently would be more ideal, for someone who is only able to get shots once a week, is a 600 total t after 7 days mean I am probably at optimal levels (i.e. above 800) for at least the first 5 days of the week after my weekly shot?

 

[Systemlord]

You say injecting at home isn't an option, you always have other options available to you. You can simply go somewhere else for treatment, you do what you must to feel normal again. The longer you inject weekly the more you'll notice the good feeling from TRT diminishing do to the yo-yo effect of having your hormones rise and fall. Soon you will feel little relief with each new injection.

What are you going to do when you go on vacation, go without treatment? You must demande better so you can live you life unshackled from weekly office visits.

 

[MarkM]

Do you have to go to the clinic for the injections? Can you administer them yourself like many on TRT do? It is correct that once a week injections are not a very good protocol at all. If not yet, it will probably give you and emotional roller coaster, which is what your referred to with having very high levels at the just after your injections and very low levels toward the end of the week. Your peak will normally be 36 hrs to 48 hrs after the injection.

Your Free T, Estradiol, and SHBG should determine what your specific individual protocol is. It sounds like you are in a T Mill where everyone gets the same protocol regardless of what their true need is. would not call this looking out for your best interest. You should really consider another doctor that will treat you properly.

Four weeks was a little early to have blood work done because you have not yet reached a steady state. It takes approximately 40 days to reach a steady state because of the half life of cypionate, assuming you are on testosterone cypionate. Really, you should wait a minimum of 6 weeks, preferable 8 weeks for blood work. Between that 4th week, which you had blood work done, and week 8, your testosterone levels will continue to climb.

Your probably not optimal for 5 days with one shot like you think. You aren't optimal until about 48 hours after the injection and then once it peaks the testosterone levels start declining each day. At best you are only optimal for maybe three days of the week. So, if you inject on Monday, your levels are low until then and will peak about Wednesday. Levels will remain high Wednesday and Thursday, probably above normal on Friday, and then drop below normal levels Saturday, Sunday and fall into the crapper on Monday. You injection on Monday and it starts all over.

 

[madman]

I just had my 4 week trt bloodwork results come back. Everything came back normal. My total t came back at 600. I get once a week injections of Testosterone at 150 mg a week. The lab draw was taken right before my weekly shot so it had been a full 7 days since my prior shot. (I go to the office for injections, thus injecting more frequently is not an option). On another forum, I was told this probably means (though impossible to tell without bloodwork) that at the beginning of the week right after my shot I am probably at the upper end of normal (1,000) for total t, then it drops off later in the week, especially after the 5th day. Is this true? Also, while I know getting shots more frequently would be more ideal, for someone who is only able to get shots once a week, is a 600 total t after 7 days mean I am probably at optimal levels (i.e. above 800) for at least the first 5 days of the week after my weekly shot?

The more important questions would be what is your shbg as this will dictate your dose/injection frequency and what is your free t as even though total is good to know free t is what truly matters as it is the active fraction of testosterone.

Most have blood work done at 6 weeks when T levels have stabilized.

As far as optimal I would not get caught up in total t numbers as what is optimal for you may not be optimal for others.

It will come down to what dose/injection frequency of testosterone is needed for one to attain healthy testosterone levels (TT/free T) whether in the mid-normal or high-normal of the physiological range along with healthy levels of e2 in order for one to experience relief/improvement from low t symptoms.

Even though once weekly injections may work for someone with mid-high normal shbg it is not ideal and splitting weekly dose by injecting every 3.5 days will help one achieve stable levels throughout the week.

On average many will do well injecting every 3.5 days unless ones shbg is low/low normal than ideally most would do better injecting EOD or daily.

You need to know your shbg and free t as it is critical to an effective trt protocol.

If you are only injecting 150mg/week and your TT trough is 600 than your levels will be much higher post injection as testosterone levels wil peak 24 -48 hrs after injection. No one can say what your peak levels would be and the only way to truly know is to have blood work done.

How do you feel overall at 4 weeks in?

 

[Joepaul39]

The more important questions would be what is your shbg as this will dictate your dose/injection frequency and what is your free t as even though total is good to know free t is what truly matters as it is the active fraction of testosterone.

Most have blood work done at 6 weeks when T levels have stabilized.

As far as optimal I would not get caught up in total t numbers as what is optimal for you may not be optimal for others.

It will come down to what dose/injection frequency of testosterone is needed for one to attain healthy testosterone levels (TT/free T) whether in the mid-normal or high-normal of the physiological range along with healthy levels of e2 in order for one to experience relief/improvement from low t symptoms.

Even though once weekly injections may work for someone with mid-high normal shbg it is not ideal and splitting weekly dose by injecting every 3.5 days will help one achieve stable levels throughout the week.

On average many will do well injecting every 3.5 days unless ones shbg is low/low normal than ideally most would do better injecting EOD or daily.

You need to know your shbg and free t as it is critical to an effective trt protocol.

If you are only injecting 150mg/week and your TT trough is 600 than your levels will be much higher post injection as testosterone levels wil peak 24 -48 hrs after injection. No one can say what your peak levels would be and the only way to truly know is to have blood work done.

How do you feel overall at 4 weeks in?

As far as how I feel I feel great! I am probably just getting caught up in chasing numbers. I don’t feel like I am on a “yo yo” as many on here claim once a week injections will do to you as a result of fluctuating t levels. I actually prefer going to the office getting injections to avoid having to poke myself.