Have you restarted TRT? If yes stick with your own protocol. No need to do what others are doing. Start with T only and watch your balls shrink. Its kinda fun actually. Maybe it wont be that much. Then in 12 weeks get a blood test, and then add HCG to bring your balls back online if you wish to do so. And stop testing yourself. It means nothing, and youre adding stress and anxiety to your life.
What is going on? I stopped my TRT.
- Thread starter AdamYoung
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Vince
Super Moderator
My protocol is 16 mg of testosterone cypionate daily, 500 iu of HCG twice a week, pregnenolone 10 mg, 25 mg of DHEA and no AI.
Testosterone, Serum 1118 Reference Range: 264-916 ng/dL
Free Testosterone(Direct) 27.3 Reference Range: 6.6-18.1 pg/mL
Estradiol, Sensitive 19.8 Reference Range: 8.0-35.0 of/mL
SHBG 47.7 Reference Range: 19.3-76.4 nmol/L
DHEA-Sulfate 424.8 Reference Range: 30.9-295.6 ug/dL (age adjusted)
Albumin 4.3 Reference Range: 3.6-4.8 g/dL
Tru T 38.46 range 16-31 ng/dL
I'm considering adding Nandrolone to my next protocol.
I started with 75mg twice a week and 500iu twice a week HCG and it caused rapid heart beat of 100/min. I cant use the same protocol bcas i have very low SHBG levels. So i need to reduce my trt levels. So i trying to see what other people with low shbg are doing. For eg: if i take 50mg test, then all 50mg will be free testosterone bcas there is no SHBG to attach to it. So i am trying to find the appropriate dosage without having to hse AI. But until i find it i need to do experiment, i heard for people with low SHBG daily or eod works better as there is less chance of aromatization.
Vince
Super Moderator
If your lower your dose of testosterone, lower your dose of HCG and sometimes going to daily injections, it will help to lower estrogen.
Good blood results. Your TRT dosage is different from others. I am interested to try it. Probably try with 25mg EOD but not sure whether to use HCG or not. Whats the purpose of using DHEA and preg? Just trying to find dosage without having to use AI. I wanted to use HCG also as i already have low sperm count.
Im low shbg. I stopped reading into things. I take about 25mg EOD. Might increase to 30mg after labs. I noticed an increase in heart rate too at first. I was in flux. Stayed the course and now Im cruising. Dont add anything to your protocol. Just take T. Once you shutdown you will notice a decrease in T levels. You can add HCG at that point. Im just like you, except I stopped thinking about it as much. Labs are only a snapshot and not where youre always at. All that matters is that you raise your T levels. Everything else will be adjusted by your body. If you have underlying issues then fix those, buy TRT is not that complicated. Its easier than you think.
Vince
Super Moderator
I just use pregnenolone and DHEA to get my DHEA in a good range. Otherwise is pretty low.
Thanks Stylo. Sure i will do the same. I will only use TRT now and think of adding HCG at later point. Its just that i got worried as my test level went 3 times the max level and estrogen was 2 times the max level and my heart was beating heavily so got scared.
Nice my DHEA is normal when i tested long time ago. Need to check again. Thanks for sharing all the info.
Blackhawk
Member
Quite a few guys have commented on this, but I think maybe you completely missed the point:
Because of the half life of T cyp, it takes 6-8 weeks to reach steady state with blood levels. This means once you start an injection protocol you have to ride it out that long to see what your actual end point will be. If you stop you also need to wait that long to get back to baseline. It looks to me like you have made multiple changes in less than a month's time... that just is not going to work out. Period.
For me personally, actually reaching the point where my body really stabilizes after T cyp dosage changes is 2-3 months... Yes 8-12 weeks.
It appears to me you have never started and maintained a single protocol and given it the chance to work. It appears you have bounced around changing doses which does nothing but confuse the heck out of your body's hormone balance.
I agree too that you started with too high a dose. I too was started on 150/week when I transitioned to injection from Transdermal, and it was WAY too much. This of course varies by individual, some guys do need this much, but much better to start low and then increase slowly... any increases should happen after a minimum of 6-8 weeks on a given dose.
After close to 2 years working to get it right I am finally on 84mg/week dosed as 24mg EOD. I also have had to tweak HCG amount and add a tiny tiny bit of anastrozole. Now it works right for me. This does bot mean it will work for you. Every individual needs to find his own dosages that work. For example, my SHBG has stabilized around 50. Yours is 12. Therefore what works well for me may not work for you one bit.
With low SHBG, it maybe advantgeous for you to dose EOD or even daily and at much lower doses. You also may need to run your E2 at levels very different from other guys with higher SHBG.
Adjusting to get TRT right can be a long term endeavor, like many months or years vs weeks. The knee jerk reactionary adjustments you are making are only going to confuse things and obscure what would actually be beneficial for you.
Decide on a reasonable starting point then stick with it for a minimum of 6-8 weeks before getting labs. Re-assess, and try to only make a single change at a time from there so you can attribute any symptomatic changes to that single variable... if you try to change too many things at once, you will never know for sure which change caused which result.
Settle down, and slow the heck down!
Because of the half life of T cyp, it takes 6-8 weeks to reach steady state with blood levels. This means once you start an injection protocol you have to ride it out that long to see what your actual end point will be. If you stop you also need to wait that long to get back to baseline. It looks to me like you have made multiple changes in less than a month's time... that just is not going to work out. Period.
For me personally, actually reaching the point where my body really stabilizes after T cyp dosage changes is 2-3 months... Yes 8-12 weeks.
It appears to me you have never started and maintained a single protocol and given it the chance to work. It appears you have bounced around changing doses which does nothing but confuse the heck out of your body's hormone balance.
I agree too that you started with too high a dose. I too was started on 150/week when I transitioned to injection from Transdermal, and it was WAY too much. This of course varies by individual, some guys do need this much, but much better to start low and then increase slowly... any increases should happen after a minimum of 6-8 weeks on a given dose.
After close to 2 years working to get it right I am finally on 84mg/week dosed as 24mg EOD. I also have had to tweak HCG amount and add a tiny tiny bit of anastrozole. Now it works right for me. This does bot mean it will work for you. Every individual needs to find his own dosages that work. For example, my SHBG has stabilized around 50. Yours is 12. Therefore what works well for me may not work for you one bit.
With low SHBG, it maybe advantgeous for you to dose EOD or even daily and at much lower doses. You also may need to run your E2 at levels very different from other guys with higher SHBG.
Adjusting to get TRT right can be a long term endeavor, like many months or years vs weeks. The knee jerk reactionary adjustments you are making are only going to confuse things and obscure what would actually be beneficial for you.
Decide on a reasonable starting point then stick with it for a minimum of 6-8 weeks before getting labs. Re-assess, and try to only make a single change at a time from there so you can attribute any symptomatic changes to that single variable... if you try to change too many things at once, you will never know for sure which change caused which result.
Settle down, and slow the heck down!
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Hi BlackHawk,
The reason for stopping TRT after just 2 weeks of usage is bcas of rapid resting heart beat of 100/min. I know people are saying its normal but i dint knew about it. So i did blood test n came to know that my test and estrogen levels are 3 times normal range as u can see in my blood report. So i felt if i continue with that dosage it will be a issue so that of quit it for 2 weeks and adjust the dosage again.
I understand your point of view. This time ill start with much lower dosage and do only TRT and get rid of HCG and see if that makes any changes. I am thinking to start at 20-25mg EOD which is half of my earlier dosage minus HCG. I wouldnt have done blood test if i dint have rapid heart beat. I was scared.
Since i am not going by doctor and self medicating i want to know others experience. I live in canada and here its hard to get prescription and even private clinic only give HCG. Since i am primary hypogonadism, HCG alone wont work so i need to depend on TRT to increase my testosterone. Intially doctor tried HCG alone to increase my testosterone but it dint work
The reason for stopping TRT after just 2 weeks of usage is bcas of rapid resting heart beat of 100/min. I know people are saying its normal but i dint knew about it. So i did blood test n came to know that my test and estrogen levels are 3 times normal range as u can see in my blood report. So i felt if i continue with that dosage it will be a issue so that of quit it for 2 weeks and adjust the dosage again.
I understand your point of view. This time ill start with much lower dosage and do only TRT and get rid of HCG and see if that makes any changes. I am thinking to start at 20-25mg EOD which is half of my earlier dosage minus HCG. I wouldnt have done blood test if i dint have rapid heart beat. I was scared.
Since i am not going by doctor and self medicating i want to know others experience. I live in canada and here its hard to get prescription and even private clinic only give HCG. Since i am primary hypogonadism, HCG alone wont work so i need to depend on TRT to increase my testosterone. Intially doctor tried HCG alone to increase my testosterone but it dint work
Blackhawk
Member
While I think your newly proposed strategy is much better, I question whether you have the knowledge and expertise to self manage. And depending on advice from this forum instead of seeking out a doctor to work with may not serve you well. Some advice on this forum can be good, but some also can be very bad. Trying to get members to play doctor for you is not a good idea.
I bet Defy would offer to consult with you. They could provide excellent guidance.
Good luck man.
Last edited:
Thanks Blackhawk,
I will consult defy. I was initially consulting a doctor in toronto. She only take appointment once every 3 months and doesnt give much attention. To be honest, i am fed up after meeting atleast 5 doctors. So thought ill do it by myself. But sure, i will check with defy also. Lets see if they can give online consultation. I tried earlier but they mentioned they cant ship medication to canada so i thought whats the point but i dint know TRT is this complicated especially for somebody like me with low SHBG levels. I will ask if they can do only consultation. Thanks for the advice.
Blackhawk
Member
I am quite certain there are other Canadian members here who do this. I sure don't know the details of how you can get your meds in Canada though. Is T even a controlled substance in Canada?
Its very much controlled substance. We need to submit our ID proof along with prescription. Its part of KYC regulation.
Btw, Empower ships only within USA, so i need to give an address in usa and need to ask my friend to ship it to canada but its too much hassle and customs issue. I dont think so they will let my medication inside canada even if i produce documents.
Ya i figured that. I know the source is legit and its been around for years.
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