Starting TRT

[BobTheBob]

Well my story is probably pretty much like everyone elses...

started with depression, general fatigue, stopped getting what I used to out of exercise, started putting on weight, loosing muscle tone, general fatigue, even after a goods night sleep. Last straw was when libido went away. Anyways saw doc and got boodwork done and the numbers came back...

Total T: 220 (250-1100ng/dl)
Free T: 34.2 (46-224pg/ml)
Bioavailable T: 73.3 (110-575ng/dl)
T3: 3.2 (2.3-4.3pg/dl)
SHBG: 24 (10-50nmol/L)
ICF: 116 (52-328ng/ml)
DHEA: 478 (45-345mcg/dl)
LH: 12 (1.5-9.3mIU/ml)
E2: 18 (<=39pg/ml)

As my doc said I have the Testosterone levels of a 70 yo man.

Age: 40
weight: 185
BF: 22%
height: 5'10"
waist 38.5"

He is putting me on the following therapy

.5ml 175mg/ml Test cy twice a week
600units HCG twice a week
25mg clomid daily

 

[Labtec70]

Hi Bob

Whoah! Very low figures.
pleased to hear your doctor has recognised the deficiency early on and you have got treatment. I'm sure you'll be feeling better in no time.
How old are you?
Where do you live and get treated? I'm in the UK and as far as I'm aware very few guys get HCG or clomid on the NHS; I certainly don't.

 

[BobTheBob]

Forgot my age, I'm 40 yo.

After my bloodwork came back my doc referred me to an endo who seems to have his sh*t together. I'm in the U.S. in MA. I went in with all the info on the board and was able to have an intelligent discussion with him. So thank you to everyone who has contributed to the forum.

My dad and older sister both have hypothyroidism so I originally thought that I was just developing that too, but my thyroid numbers came back normal.

I'm really looking forward to having energy again and wanting to do things, anything. I've got two sons I don't have the energy to play with, a job that I can't concentrate on, and a new girlfriend who should be causing me to walk around with an oak tree in my trousers, and all I want to do is go back to bed. The hardest part of my day is just getting out of bed in the morning. It sucks and I can't imagine feeling like this for the rest of my life.

I'm scheduled to get bloodwork done 45 days after I start. I'll keep everyone posted and see how it goes.

 

[Labtec70]

Thought so. Is MA Massachussetts (sp.)? The USA are typically 5-10 years ahead of the game than Endo's in the UK. We also have the cost to the NHS (National Health Service) to consider. Basically, unless you are trying for kids in the future, or your secondary hypo., you wont get HCG unless you pay for it. I can see the reasoning though. Many guys in the past have forfeited treatment because they wanted to father a child, and now, thankfully, things are achanging. Hopefully, when the days of government austerity are passed, the NHS might start prescribing wholesale. Personally, I only have one testicle because of cancer, and the other boy is a fake plastic contraption. I wish the other one was too, because it's shrunk to nothing since therapy 10 years ago. I'm considering getting some HCG online to see if it will inflate.

Is your dose of cypionate just under 90mg a week or 175mg a week? I'd say 90mg is probably around the standard injectable dose for TRT and 175mg is probably as high as most guys will get. Either way, I reckon you will notice a considerable difference over the next few months.

The mental fog is one of the most frustrating things I experienced prior to my TRT. I always know when I'm due a jab because my ability to concentrate and focus - even reading the newspaper - takes a huge dip. An improvement here is one of the first things you will hopefully notice. Oh, and a return of the morning and nocturnal woody is the other.

Yeah, please keep us in the loop about your progress. Don't forget...Even if injections aren't suitable for you there are many other possibilities for therapy. By-n-large though, although injections sound hardcore and archaic, I think they're brilliant for me. I hope you will feel the same!

Best of luck!

Craig

 

[BobTheBob]

Yep MA == Massachusetts.

I'm doing to shots a week at .5ml of 175mg/ml so that works out to 175mg per week. We will see how it works out. So far one shot in and the only noticeable effect is a sore butt Not bad doing the actual shot though, I thought it would be wierder to actually stick myself, but I couldn't really feel it going in.

So looking forward to the fog being gone. Its really effecting my work and my relationship could use the boost to my libideo too. If the only effect is to those two things, it will be more than worth sticking myself for the rest of my life

 

[Labtec70]

Hi Bob

MA..Can't believe I almost spelled it right!

175mg a week dose isn't unheard of, but it is on the very high side of what most docs will ever prescribe. In my opinion your doctors got it right in starting high then coming down if necessary. Rather than the usual trick of strting a patient on an innefective tiny dose, and then building it up bit-by-bit over months and months. Testosterone therapy patients deserve to receive the soonest possible relief from nasty symptoms of deficiency, so by giving an effective dose from the outset is, for me, the way to go. Don't be surprised if he does bring the dose down when you get your results. Even down to 100mg per week should be pretty effective for you.

The positive effects of therapy are cumulative. Some are evident in a week or so, while others take months to become apparent. The main things like libido, energy, and mental clarity are usually all improved within a month or two, providing dosing etc, are all appropriate.

All the very best!

 

[XMAN.]

loose the clomid (nasty mental sides) ask for an AI like Arimidex.

 

[BobTheBob]

Xman, I haven't heard of any mental side effects...what would I expect if I were getting them.

Anyways, little over one week in. So far only definitive difference is with erections. Yeah definite improvement there. Think my girlfriend is very happy. Morning wood like I haven't had since 20's pretty much every morning. Noticed that the third day after the each of the first two injections the morning wood was almost ridiculously hard.

May be some benefit to concentration and energy, waking up less fatigued, but nothing that I could definitely attribute to the TRT. Insomnia has been pretty bad in the last week. Had it before starting TRT though so it may be unrelated. Think I am going to try some melatonin and seeing if that helps, I use it when traveling and its great for jet lag.

 

[FattyMcGillicutty]

Clomid makes me into a PMSing girl. But is your doc giving you the HCG and clomid for fertility? I ask because that is what mine is for while continuing TRT.

 

[BobTheBob]

Yep the combo is to keep everything functioning. By PMS'ing I assume you mean it makes you have emotional swings? So far none of that. Emotions have been pretty stable. Don't think I've noticed any emotional changes so far.