New here, 12yrs TRT and going UG.

[Chwist]

I posted my new member story here.

In brief: 8yrs of Androgel and still testing at 7.11nmol/L or 205ng/dL. Went to on to Nebido 1000mg E13wks and at at my highest 13.08nmol (376.9 ng/dL).

Endos are very conservative here, basically this is my only option. Insurance pays for his fee and the bloods, but I have to pay for all meds...at US$348 per shot at 13wks.
So I am here, learning and seeking to optimize my hormones, starting with T. I could do 200mg test-e for around US$55 per 13wks.

Despite being incapacited with fatigue and depression, I want to ease in, so planning on 62.5mg test-e e3.5d. Then bloods after 4wks and see how. Aiming for feeling normal consistently.
I've posted the basic bloodwork from this month, the detailed hormone panel to come in a few days.

All advice appreciated.

Cheers,
Chwist

 

[Matt88]

Hello, I think you would feel MUCH better on 200mg a wk of test E. Based on your blood work on the current test undec protocol I feel confident to say you are not a hyper responder or anything so I would consider just going straight into the 200mg a week of test e.

You want to check your free test as well when you retest to see where that stands. It is just as important as total test. Other things I would check are SHBG. If your SHBG is high then your free test is very likely to be low. I`d also try to check DHEA-s and Pregnanolone if possible.

If you have specific questions that we did not address in your new members post then feel free to ask me here or reach out to me in a private message. Either one is fine There are guys here that are much more experienced than I am so if there is a question that I am not sure about then I am sure someone else will know If I am asked a question that I am unsure of the answer too then I try to always make it a point to go research the topic and educate my self as well so helping you helps me too

 

[Fletcher]

I posted my new member story here.

In brief: 8yrs of Androgel and still testing at 7.11nmol/L or 205ng/dL. Went to on to Nebido 1000mg E13wks and at at my highest 13.08nmol (376.9 ng/dL).

Endos are very conservative here, basically this is my only option. Insurance pays for his fee and the bloods, but I have to pay for all meds...at US$348 per shot at 13wks.
So I am here, learning and seeking to optimize my hormones, starting with T. I could do 200mg test-e for around US$55 per 13wks.

Despite being incapacited with fatigue and depression, I want to ease in, so planning on 62.5mg test-e e3.5d. Then bloods after 4wks and see how. Aiming for feeling normal consistently.
I've posted the basic bloodwork from this month, the detailed hormone panel to come in a few days.

All advice appreciated.

Cheers,
Chwist

Fuck those crumb-givers. Do your own brother. Life starts at testosterone.

 

[Durro NoHurtNoBigShirt]

A lot of us self trt/hrt

 

[Chwist]

Fuck those crumb-givers. Do your own brother. Life starts at testosterone.

Thanks Bro. Started today

23G 1" delt IM Test-e.
0.25ml or 62.5mg M/W/F, total 187.5mg per week. Test again in 4wks.

My T comes in 1ml amps, so I drew it all and shot the 3/4 I don't need today into a sterile vial, switched needles and pinned. Quick and painless.

Figured I preferred the vial storage rather than preloading pins that I won't use for a week.

 

[Fletcher]

Thanks Bro. Started today

23G 1" delt IM Test-e.
0.25ml or 62.5mg M/W/F, total 187.5mg per week. Test again in 4wks.

My T comes in 1ml amps, so I drew it all and shot the 3/4 I don't need today into a sterile vial, switched needles and pinned. Quick and painless.

Figured I preferred the vial storage rather than preloading pins that I won't use for a week.

You should def go with a 25 or even 27guage if pinning shoulders. 23s kinda tear things up brother.
I use 25s to draw, then switch to a fresh 27 to pin.

 

[Fletcher]

Thanks Bro. Started today

23G 1" delt IM Test-e.
0.25ml or 62.5mg M/W/F, total 187.5mg per week. Test again in 4wks.

My T comes in 1ml amps, so I drew it all and shot the 3/4 I don't need today into a sterile vial, switched needles and pinned. Quick and painless.

Figured I preferred the vial storage rather than preloading pins that I won't use for a week.

Lmk how your bloods come back after.

 

[Chwist]

You should def go with a 25 or even 27guage if pinning shoulders. 23s kinda tear things up brother.
I use 25s to draw, then switch to a fresh 27 to pin.

I couldn't get 25g 1" locally so waiting for online order.

 

[Chwist]

Hormone panel is back...summary in next post...

 

[Chwist]

@Fletcher
Hormone panel taken one week after Nebido shot. Even more confused as T & e2 where they should be. Surprised my LH and FSH aren't suppressed more, seeing as I've been on TRT for 12 years.
Red flags in red...despite me taking a Vit-D supplement daily. What does the low SHBG mean in this context? Any clues as to why I would feel like shit, low energy/libido/depression/brain fog?

TT = 654 pg/mL (ref: 193-740)
FT = 12 pg/mL (ref: 5.7-30.7)
Progesterone <0.05 ng/mL (ref: <0.15)
DHEA-s = 212 ug/dL (ref: 44-331)
Vitamin D = 20 ng/mL (ref: <50 is deficient)
Estradiol = 34 pg/mL (ref: 11-43)
Glucose & Lipids all a bit fucked.
SHBG = 18.3 nmol/L (ref 20.6-76.7)

This is a different lab from the results at the top of this thread.
Not sure where to go from here...grateful for any advice at this point.

 

[Chuck Atlas]

How much do you weigh? A general rule of thumb for clinical TRT dosing is .5-1mg per kg of bodyweight. Please understand, this is a general guideline and doesn’t account for the individual’s response to testosterone. But it’s a good starting point for dialing in your dose in conjunction with frequency bloodwork.

Dealing with the fatigue and depression is an endless cycle. I know the feeling bro. Best of luck to you.

 

[Chwist]

And I had a spare blood order for total T, which I took on saturday, two weeks after my Nebido shot...796 pg/dL! That's the highest it's ever been. Even so, I think with Nebido the peak is 1-2wks after shot and it's downhill from there for the next 11 weeks.

So confused now...

 

[Fletcher]

@Fletcher
Hormone panel taken one week after Nebido shot. Even more confused as T & e2 where they should be. Surprised my LH and FSH aren't suppressed more, seeing as I've been on TRT for 12 years.
Red flags in red...despite me taking a Vit-D supplement daily. What does the low SHBG mean in this context? Any clues as to why I would feel like shit, low energy/libido/depression/brain fog?

TT = 654 pg/mL (ref: 193-740)
FT = 12 pg/mL (ref: 5.7-30.7)
Progesterone <0.05 ng/mL (ref: <0.15)
DHEA-s = 212 ug/dL (ref: 44-331)
Vitamin D = 20 ng/mL (ref: <50 is deficient)
Estradiol = 34 pg/mL (ref: 11-43)
Glucose & Lipids all a bit fucked.
SHBG = 18.3 nmol/L (ref 20.6-76.7)

This is a different lab from the results at the top of this thread.
Not sure where to go from here...grateful for any advice at this point.

The vitamin D deficiency alone will cause all types of issues. Get that corrected first. Ill post a link to some really good vitamin D supps.

 

[Chwist]

How much do you weigh? A general rule of thumb for clinical TRT dosing is .5-1mg per kg of bodyweight. Please understand, this is a general guideline and doesn’t account for the individual’s response to testosterone. But it’s a good starting point for dialing in your dose in conjunction with frequency bloodwork.

Dosing at what frequency? I am early 50s, 178cm (5'10"), 89kg(195lbs), BMI 28.1 (all in the belly). I still have a ways to go, but that's down from 265lbs in the last year and still falling...

Dealing with the fatigue and depression is an endless cycle. I know the feeling bro. Best of luck to you.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm wondering if the head meds are doing me in at this point.

 

[Chuck Atlas]

Dosing at what frequency? I am early 50s, 178cm (5'10"), 89kg(195lbs), BMI 28.1 (all in the belly). I still have a ways to go, but that's down from 265lbs in the last year and still falling...

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm wondering if the head meds are doing me in at this point.

I’m sorry, it’s weekly. Can’t speak to the head meds, but once I got my test levels sorted out with the right TRT dose it was a night and day difference. Hang in there bro!