HRT vs cycles (or both)?

[split endz]

I now have a hrt doc & opportunity to go on hrt, but don't know if it is the wisest choice. I am 44yo, baseline test is 673, & have pretty good sense of well being & sex drive. More vitality & better sex drive is always better. Would an hrt dose permanently affect my natural production? Can I cycle periodically with hrt, or should I just cycle & forget hrt ? Vets, please chime in.

 

[straitedge52]

I have been on HRT for almost a year. I am 57...56 when I started...got 12 years on you. Every one is different but for comparison, when I was your age I was a typical exec flying a desk...client lunches and dinners. I had a strong libido and I was in no way near the shape you are.

I started falling off a bit at about 52~53..picked up more body fat over the next few years.By 54~55...I really didn't give a shit...about anything. I didn't know WTF until I started seeing other guys my age looking more like I do now...that's when I got off my ass and got after it.

By comparison to me...I don't think you need it. Don't let it prey on your mind...just keep doing what you are doing and know that you are blessed with the abilities that you have now...enjoy it.

Believe me...you will know when it's time. Just know in the back of your mind that 10 years down the road you will have some choices...probably more than we do now...plus you have us older fuckers blazing the trail and you can benefit from us being Guinea pigs LOL.

 

[split endz]

I have been on HRT for almost a year. I am 57...56 when I started...got 12 years on you. Every one is different but for comparison, when I was your age I was a typical exec flying a desk...client lunches and dinners. I had a strong libido and I was in no way near the shape you are.

I started falling off a bit at about 52~53..picked up more body fat over the next few years.By 54~55...I really didn't give a shit...about anything. I didn't know WTF until I started seeing other guys my age looking more like I do now...that's when I got off my ass and got after it.

By comparison to me...I don't think you need it. Don't let it prey on your mind...just keep doing what you are doing and know that you are blessed with the abilities that you have now...enjoy it.

Believe me...you will know when it's time. Just know in the back of your mind that 10 years down the road you will have some choices...probably more than we do now...plus you have us older fuckers blazing the trail and you can benefit from us being Guinea pigs LOL.

awesome post; thanks for the well spoken advice

 

[VintageStrat]

I have been on HRT for almost a year. I am 57...56 when I started...got 12 years on you. Every one is different but for comparison, when I was your age I was a typical exec flying a desk...client lunches and dinners. I had a strong libido and I was in no way near the shape you are.

I started falling off a bit at about 52~53..picked up more body fat over the next few years.By 54~55...I really didn't give a shit...about anything. I didn't know WTF until I started seeing other guys my age looking more like I do now...that's when I got off my ass and got after it.

By comparison to me...I don't think you need it. Don't let it prey on your mind...just keep doing what you are doing and know that you are blessed with the abilities that you have now...enjoy it.

Believe me...you will know when it's time. Just know in the back of your mind that 10 years down the road you will have some choices...probably more than we do now...plus you have us older fuckers blazing the trail and you can benefit from us being Guinea pigs LOL.

I agree 100%. In my humble opinion, wait as long as you can, I waited until mid fifties and am glad I did.

 

[Dial_tone]

I went on self HRT around 40; stayed on 2+ years; changed my mind and went off for 2+ years; took about 4-6 months to feel completely normal. Now at 45 I believe I will stay on for the duration.

 

[theemperor]

I now have a hrt doc & opportunity to go on hrt, but don't know if it is the wisest choice. I am 44yo, baseline test is 673, & have pretty good sense of well being & sex drive. More vitality & better sex drive is always better. Would an hrt dose permanently affect my natural production? Can I cycle periodically with hrt, or should I just cycle & forget hrt ? Vets, please chime in.

Well, in my opinion, at 44 with those 600-700 baseline Test levels, I call that really good BUT only you know what is good for you as the above mentioned to wait as long as possible. I am going on 37 years and I have been on HRT for the last 3 years as my levels were at 320 for a while. Libido is not a problem, with or without Testosterone. I can tell the diffrence when off of HRT, as I get moody, fatigued, restless at times, and irritable. HRT is a wonderful thing ONLY if your Test levels can prove it and your body is not with you, see what I mean? Many factors come into play, life stress, work, diet, possible genetic problems,etc.

 

[split endz]

Well, in my opinion, at 44 with those 600-700 baseline Test levels, I call that really good BUT only you know what is good for you as the above mentioned to wait as long as possible. I am going on 37 years and I have been on HRT for the last 3 years as my levels were at 320 for a while. Libido is not a problem, with or without Testosterone. I can tell the diffrence when off of HRT, as I get moody, fatigued, restless at times, and irritable. HRT is a wonderful thing ONLY if your Test levels can prove it and your body is not with you, see what I mean? Many factors come into play, life stress, work, diet, possible genetic problems,etc.

Very good advice & you made some important points. I have noticed that I am in a bad mood more often than I used to be. I am 'grumpy' at times & I don't like that. You are correct about stress, etc coming into play, as I notice how my mood can be effected by many things now. How do cycles work with hrt ? Do you have to suspend hrt during pct ?

 

[theemperor]

Personally, I have been on Test Cyp. 100mg/ml a week and my levels were last registered at 1250-1450 consistently throughout the whole year. You can really grow at at a BETTER pace when you are a consistent pattern of Test at these doses, in my opinion without ghaveing to worry about slipping or sliding on your levels once you come off a real anabolic cycle such as 400-600 mg a week Test Cyp. It has its pros and cons.

 

[split endz]

Personally, I have been on Test Cyp. 100mg/ml a week and my levels were last registered at 1250-1450 consistently throughout the whole year. You can really grow at at a BETTER pace when you are a consistent pattern of Test at these doses, in my opinion without ghaveing to worry about slipping or sliding on your levels once you come off a real anabolic cycle such as 400-600 mg a week Test Cyp. It has its pros and cons.

Are you not shut down @ 100mg/wk ? Is that enough to feel a substantial anabolic effect ? Do you ever vary by adding var, primo, more test, etc ?

 

[Power36]

yea those seem like super good levels, and if you do not have the symptoms I dont know why you would want to take the plunge....

Im on HRT but I had levels of 300 for two years, and was feeling like total shit, body transformed from jacked 245 with abs and hang cleans of 350, squats of 600, to turning into a chubby gut, sick all the time, brain fog, etc....I wish I could still be "natural" and not need the gear, but I had some medical problems that kicked my ass....

If you feel good and have good levels...Id just do some mild cycles if you have the itch...

Im half tempted about a year of HRT, if I can get back to somewhat "normal" for me, to try some sort of HCG/Clomid/Nolvadex restart on my own for a few months...just to see if I can get things back in gear on my own...Id love to see what would happen if I was close to my "old" natural hormone levels, and then hit some Test, GH, Deca!!!!! Crap!

 

[heavydutyhit]

Mine is an interesting story. I have been a natural bodybuilder since I was 14 years old. NEVER touched AAS at all. Got into my mid twenties and for some reason my training methods and diet protocols that had always worked for me began to have little to no effect. I figured I just needed to train in a different style and shift my macros around to shock my body. So I played around with different things for about 3 years. I was miserable. By the time I was 28 I was still big, but I had higher bodyfat, and I was sluggish and tired ALL THE TIME. I also started having trouble with my college courses because my mind just couldn't focus like it used to. I still had a ridiculously high sex drive, and was still getting morning wood, no ED problems at all. Since there were no sexual problems I was afraid I had Hypothyroidism which runs in my family. So I went to the Doc to get a blood test.

My Thyroid panel came back normal but my testosterone level was 99. Yes..., 99. Doc said it was the lowest he had ever seen. No problems with my testes though, so I was diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism. That means I have a lazy-ass pituitary gland.

I started TRT last year at the age of 28. I take 125mg injections of test E twice a week for a total weekly dose of 250mg. I take HCG 3x per week, and I also take Arimidex 3x per week.

My test levels are now between 1200-1450 on a consistent basis and I feel fucking great. I am not tired anymore, all of the sudden my body responds well to training again, and I got straight A's this semester without that much effort.

Yeah it sucks I guess that I have to do this for the rest of my life, but it beats the alternative. When you do some actual research on this, it is much more threatening to your health to live your life with low test levels than it is to go on TRT.

Your levels are pretty high normal though, especially at your age. If I were you I would wait until you really need it. I started early because I have a genetically predisposed medical condition. 250mg pw sounds like a lot, but my therapy doses are that high because my normal production was/is so abnormally low.

If you chose to do cycles now, I suggest just normal AAS cycles with PROPER PCT, if anything. TRT should NOT be cycled. It is called Testosterone Replacement Therapy, NOT Testosterone Temporary Replacement Therapy. TRT is just another form of HRT, and you don't see people with Hypothyroidism cycling their synthroid meds do you? People tend to think that TRT should be cycled because the medications used in such a protocol just happen to be AAS. The main advice I can give you is DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! And I mean medical journals not magazines. These forums help allot, and if and when you decide you may need TRT, look up articles by Dr. Crissler.

Hope this helps.

 

[split endz]

Appreciate that heavyduty.

 

[heavydutyhit]

Appreciate that heavyduty.

No problem bro.