Pantalones
New member
I know as a general rule of thumb, you can take the dose of T and multiply by 10 to determine blood levels. So those of us on 100 mg of T, have test levels around 1,000 ng/dL roughly. Those of us on 150 - 1,500 approximately, and 200- about 2,000. First off, I'd like guys to list the dose, their testosterone levels, and the duration they've been using that dose. This should all make sense after reading what's below.
I've been on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for a couple of years now, and have come to realize a few things. My journey started with 5 grams of androgel and some HCG , and ended up taking me from a total testosterone in the low hundreds to one hovering around 1,500 ng/dL. Now, you can imagine the kind of things this drastic spike did to my body. I was essentially starved of test for quite awhile, and I think that was my doctors reasoning for leaving me up there to cruise so high, at least at first. A few months passed and still no request to lower any of my dosages by my doctor. At this point I sure as hell wasn't going to argue. I had gained 40 lbs in five months, and was feeling like..well the shit.
Fastforward to six months later and I started to notice something was off. That incredible muscle tone I had developed over the past year was slowly fading. Only because I was still looking and feeling good, did I ignore what was happening. As weeks passed, I started to realize I was getting smaller, which was strange because the scales hadn't budged. I weighed the same but looked as though I had lost 15 lbs or so. I go in to see the doc and check how everything's looking lab wise. Test is still up there, 900 ng/dL and E2 is in check. I had heard that for some transdermals eventually stop absorbing correctly, something with the stratum corneum or epidermis thickening, but I never thought anything of it because of the results androgel was giving me.
As time went on I knew something was definitely up. I made the switch to injections , first at 120 mg every two weeks, a shitty protocol for sure. That obviously didn't work so I was bumped up to 200 mg a week and have been there ever since (keep in mind this is two years after starting a gel). Recently I've been searching for answers on why everything shifted.
I thought maybe it was a thyroid issue, despite never really losing any weight, I had lost muscle and hyperthyrodisim could possible account for that. T4 and TSH both came up completely normal..which put an end to that potential theory. I then considered the possibility that after that much time with supraphysiological testosterone levels , I had developed an androgen resistance, or down regulation. After reading into that, I discovered that the scientific verdict on androgen receptor down regulation is that it doesn't occur, rather up regulation seems more fitting for real world results.
So that leaves me to consider that something goes haywire when testosterone levels are left out of that normal window, and into the supraphysiological range for too long. I've had my liver checked out, ALT, AST, all the enzymes and everything in range, nothing going on there. I'm considering moving back down to 100 mg for a few months to allow my body to readjust, and then blast 400 for a few months and then back down to 100. I'm curious as to whether or not anyone else has experienced this, and also if any other guys run in the thousands and continue to look and feel good.
I've been on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for a couple of years now, and have come to realize a few things. My journey started with 5 grams of androgel and some HCG , and ended up taking me from a total testosterone in the low hundreds to one hovering around 1,500 ng/dL. Now, you can imagine the kind of things this drastic spike did to my body. I was essentially starved of test for quite awhile, and I think that was my doctors reasoning for leaving me up there to cruise so high, at least at first. A few months passed and still no request to lower any of my dosages by my doctor. At this point I sure as hell wasn't going to argue. I had gained 40 lbs in five months, and was feeling like..well the shit.
Fastforward to six months later and I started to notice something was off. That incredible muscle tone I had developed over the past year was slowly fading. Only because I was still looking and feeling good, did I ignore what was happening. As weeks passed, I started to realize I was getting smaller, which was strange because the scales hadn't budged. I weighed the same but looked as though I had lost 15 lbs or so. I go in to see the doc and check how everything's looking lab wise. Test is still up there, 900 ng/dL and E2 is in check. I had heard that for some transdermals eventually stop absorbing correctly, something with the stratum corneum or epidermis thickening, but I never thought anything of it because of the results androgel was giving me.
As time went on I knew something was definitely up. I made the switch to injections , first at 120 mg every two weeks, a shitty protocol for sure. That obviously didn't work so I was bumped up to 200 mg a week and have been there ever since (keep in mind this is two years after starting a gel). Recently I've been searching for answers on why everything shifted.
I thought maybe it was a thyroid issue, despite never really losing any weight, I had lost muscle and hyperthyrodisim could possible account for that. T4 and TSH both came up completely normal..which put an end to that potential theory. I then considered the possibility that after that much time with supraphysiological testosterone levels , I had developed an androgen resistance, or down regulation. After reading into that, I discovered that the scientific verdict on androgen receptor down regulation is that it doesn't occur, rather up regulation seems more fitting for real world results.
So that leaves me to consider that something goes haywire when testosterone levels are left out of that normal window, and into the supraphysiological range for too long. I've had my liver checked out, ALT, AST, all the enzymes and everything in range, nothing going on there. I'm considering moving back down to 100 mg for a few months to allow my body to readjust, and then blast 400 for a few months and then back down to 100. I'm curious as to whether or not anyone else has experienced this, and also if any other guys run in the thousands and continue to look and feel good.
