So, I got my testorone level test results back... and it is LOW!

[thelion2005]

Sure, you got it. ;-)

Anyone who replies with anything even remotely useful will get K.

Ulter, I would love to hear from you.

I'd vote for a low dosage, continuous HRT program for improved health and steady growth.

You might consider looking at some of the HRT postings in the Longevity area. I'm having great improvement with my low dosage program. My test and free test are way up, with esto and cholesterol down.

I'm a lot older than you, but it is the same approach.

 

[shoestring]

Dude you need to try and get back your natural test imo. At 40 it may still be decent. I am 38 and mine is still ok. This is why people should get levels checked before the use aas so if there is a problem they have a baseline. (not a flame, most people don't). You need to do a hardcare pct and see what happens. It is worth a try. Having a script for test sounds cool at first but I think it would get old pretty quick. If you need it then ok, but I think you should try to recover now. If your natty test was 80 before you ever did aas I think for sure you would have known that somthing was off. Did you feel the way you feel now? Or are you feeling worse now? Don't give up yet, good luck!!

 

[racoon_city]

fukk it stay on!

 

[djsf]

Dude you need to try and get back your natural test imo. At 40 it may still be decent. I am 38 and mine is still ok. This is why people should get levels checked before the use aas so if there is a problem they have a baseline. (not a flame, most people don't). You need to do a hardcare pct and see what happens. It is worth a try. Having a script for test sounds cool at first but I think it would get old pretty quick. If you need it then ok, but I think you should try to recover now. If your natty test was 80 before you ever did aas I think for sure you would have known that somthing was off. Did you feel the way you feel now? Or are you feeling worse now? Don't give up yet, good luck!!

That is a valid point of view. I was actually pretty muscular, like in the top 5-10% at my gym, before using steroids (people often asked me if I was using before I had ever tried them so I am betting my test levels were reasonably high to start with. Amazingly, I am holding onto quite a lot of muscle with test level of 80, I'm surprised I haven't lost it all already.

Sounds like opinions are falling into two categories:
- Stay on. Why? Because you can! Recovery be damned!
and
- Try to recover your natural test levels. Why screw up your hormonal system for life at only 40 years old?

To answer your question, yes, I am feeling noticeably more lethargic, and I did lose a lot of my gains from the past cycle. Also my sex drive is at an all-time low. I'm also feeling suspiciously "mellow" and not my usual feisty self (though my mood is still good). All possible signs of low test.

 

[phatrr]

Heads: you stay away from HRT, try to do more PCT (maybe run 250 iu of hcg EOD for 8 weeks?), and do another series of labs and see where you stand. If you're lucky, levels will bounce back to the low end of normal range. At the low end of the range, you might not be happy with your lifting, to say nothing of the rest of your life...and, most likely, those T levels are going to dip further as you move to age 45 or so. [My doc and I are guessing that mine crashed at age 42-43]. Oh, and if you cycle again, you'll probably compromise your natural levels further and faster.

Tails: you get on HRT now, spend a few months getting stabilized, and plan on DarkSyde4Lyfe. You're exogenously sourced, so cycling won't impact your supply of T. If your insurance covers you, you have your cycle bloodwork covered as well, and you have a doc to watch you for all the bad sides. You know the downside: every week you do an IM injection; maybe EOD a sub-q of hcg.

It's your coinage, bro. You flip. I called "tails" on mine, but I've always been an ass-man.

 

[djsf]

Excellent posts phatrr, lion, shoestring, crappie, mr.x and ulter! Thanks for all your ideas.

Here is my current thinking. Before going on permanent HRT (DarkSyde4Lyfe LOL!), I want to prove to myself that my test levels are really are chronically low. If they are, then I am ok with long-term HRT. But, if I can get my natural test back to somewhere in the middle of the normal range, then I will continue to cycle carefully and recover fully between cycles.

If my test does not recover, or recovers weakly, then I will consider my hormonal system a write-off and go on HRT.

So, I will postpone my upcoming cycle, which was scheduled to start next week, and instead embark on a hardcore, no holds barred PCT. In 2-3 months I will get my levels re-tested, and will go from there.

 

[djsf]

Is HRT covered by insurance?

I think generally not. HRT can be medically reasonable, but it is rarely if ever medically necessary. So I doubt insurance covers it.

 

[AristotleBC]

Stay on IMO

 

[sigmund]

Did you get a full hormonal panel back? i.e estradiol, prolactin, progesterone, SHBG etc. If they are significantly elevated that would indicate that you have not recovered from past cycles and therefore you should be able to get your natural test levels back up to a reasonable range.

If E2 is high - a 4 to 6 week course of Adex or Aromasin coupled with HCG (250 to 500 IU EOD) could be helpful in restoring natural levels. There's various options - working with a good endo who can spend time assisting you with this would be my advice. Also note from my experience Nolva / Clomid raises SHBG for me (I don't think everyone is as sensitive), this isn't helpful when trying to recover hence my suggestion of an AI.

 

[c gheller]

I am working eith Oasis Rejuvenation to see if I qualify for hormone replacement therapy. I am 40 years old and have done two cycles before and always practice full PCT (HCG, Clomid, Nolva, etc.) I finished my last cycle about 2 months ago and *thought* I was recovering. Until getting my bloodwork done.

Turns out my Free Testosterone is only 1.0 (normal is 6.8-21.5) and my Serum Testosterone is only 80 (normal is 241-827)! Wow, I have lest test than a 4-year old girl. How sad. So, I medically qualify for testosterone replacement therapy.

So, now I get to decide how to proceed. I plan to do cycles in the future (in fact I am starting one next week). I could...
1) Continue to do cycles, with HRT between cycles
2) Stop cycling, and go always-on with HRT
3) Do cycles of HRT with an attempt at recovery every several months

The question comes down to: are my natural hormone levels a write-off? Should I try to recover, or should I give up on that at this poind and just expect to do HRT for the rest of my life. Should I do HRT in order to feel better for several months, then try to recover my natural test production (and probably feel lousy for several months)? Or just feel good all the time by doing HRT ongoingly, and probably my natty test production would never fully recover.

Any experience or ideas shared will be appreciated with K.

I feel ya Bro. Ive been toying with this same decision for the last 2 years. All the while feeling like CRAP. Im running my LAST pct now just for my piece of mind, and if no recovery im gonna hit the HRT.Goodluck .