Bailing Early on my PCT. Fell off the bandwagon. Any words of wisdom?

[PBateman]

I ran 500mg TestE/week w/ 30mg Adex EOD for 10 weeks.

It's been 11 days since my last pin. Started with some HCGenerate, 500iu HCG EOD (for a total of 10 doses) and was feeling pretty good until 4 days ago.

I've tried to shake the insomnia and fuzzy head but 2 days ago I actually got sick. I NEVER get sick. Today I learned I have 3 major interviews for new jobs coming up next week. And these aren't chump change jobs. They're lifestyle changers, like 160-200k opportunities.

So I jumped ship. I went upstairs and blasted 750mg TestE. I just can't afford to crash now.

With regards the lul before TRUE PCT, my personality hasn't changed. I'm pretty jovial, high libido, hungry and content. I'm just not as sharp and now fucking sick. I figure I'm going to keep cycling another 2 weeks until I can get through these interviews and start recuperating.

MY THOUGHTS:

It's only been 11 days my TestE shouldn't have dropped THAT low so I should go back to feeling "enhanced" normal pretty quick. Right?

I realize this is going to make my final PCT more difficult any recommendations on things to do as I kinda "bridge" to PCT? More HCG? Nolva? Up the Adex?

Any experience and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

You guys have been really helpful. Thanks.

 

[joliver]

Test E is a long acting ester, I have been on a business trips where I injected before I left, and didn't feel like I was dropping off before two weeks. Now whether you have a supraphysiological level that is capable of producing marked increases in protein synthesis...doubtful after two weeks. But you should be fine at 11 days. In fact, you shouldn't really be experiencing anything from a withdrawal standpoint, from my experiences, anyway.

 

[Millertime]

Stop and you definetly should never ever use again. At least until you have the time to take things seriously. Your all over the place man.

 

[snowpatrol123]

I'm guessing you don't have test-p on hand, but that would be the ideal ester to inject for the next two weeks, since it'll build up faster as well as clear your system faster...you can start PCT less than a week after your last propionate pin. I would keep injecting HCG @ 250iu e3d until your last pin, and regular AI dose somewhere between .25 and .5mg adex eod

 

[oside]

10 weeks of 500mgs and you think you're crashing ?


I'll call bullshit !

 

[PBateman]

Please Millertime, constructive feedback only. I'm asking for opinions and not lectures. Things generally have been fine. I had a hiccup at week two and a little bloating but otherwise the past few months have gone pretty awesome.

 

[PBateman]

Oside, that's actually what I'm looking for. I don't really have any other signs of crashing. So maybe I'm not. My I do feel a little atrophy in the boys.

 

[bigkit34]

Did you do bloodwork? How do you know thats why you got sick also are you a MD? Could have been you came in contact with something. Oh and hcgenerate is not a sufficient pct a clomid/ nolva combo is whats needed

 

[PBateman]

Yes, I realize Clomid and Nolva are real PCT. I was on my hiatus before starting the Clomid and nolva. Since you have to wait 14 or so days after your last pin I was still in the waiting period. I did start HCGenerate though in hopes to jump start the boys. Figured that couldn't hurt.

I am not an MD but I had a nurse check me out today. She said it was probably a virus. I've just heard so many horror stories about people getting sick during PCT I thought it might have been the cause.

I did not do any blood work because I felt it wasn't right to do blood work while I might actually be sick.

Honestly, I don't feel like superman anymore but I also don't feel particularly bad. Just a little insomnia and now the low fever.

 

[Millertime]

How old are you? My advice is calm and collect yourself and quit stressing yourself out. All will be fine and most of its more than likely in your head.

 

[PBateman]

I'm old enough to know better. (32yrs)

I'm just amazed at what the testosterone has done for me over the past 11 weeks. Being on T, even the 500mg/wk dose has made me feel better than I have in years. I feel strong, I have increased libido, I sleep better, I'm more articulate and I'm more confident. My face is a little fatter than it was but with an AI I've experienced absolutely no sides.

It's probably true that my fears are somewhat psychosomatic. When I was younger I was prone to depression in the winter months but over the 4 or so years I've kinda grown out of it. That said I have all those experiences under my belt that I've learned from. 7 years ago they gave me prozac for 3 months, it sucks. 6 years ago it was effexor and 5 years ago it was wellbutrin. I hated being on those drugs and never took them for over 3 months to bridge the cold winter months. Test though has completely changed my perspective. Is Test a drug? Yeah sure it is. With all it's benefits it also comes with side effects and risks but it is NOTHING like other pharmaceuticals.

I apologize for the TMI but maybe some of you can relate. Like anything else I feel like you can use it or abuse it. But with responsible use comes moderation. This means time on = time off and smart planning of your cycles. I went to school for 5 years focusing on biomedical engineering and have been researching this for more than 14 yrs. When it comes to cycling I'm textbook smart but completely lacking actual experience. I question everything and I worry. 10 days seems too short to be feeling withdrawal symptoms but I turn to the board because you guys know better than I do. I can read 100 peer-reviewed published pubmed articles. I'm smart enough to know the science but what I don't know is the clinical reality so I come here to ask for your personal experience.

I might be a little of a hypochondriac and I might know and read too much for my own good. Still, I thank you for your opinions and your stories because I know that what's written on paper doesn't always translate to individual outcome.

Thanks again.

 

[Killinit1]

Well to me it sounds like you don't want to come off. Do you?

 

[PBateman]

Haha, no I definitely DO NOT want to come off. Studies show that guys can stay on for up to 20wks with absolutely no long term negative effects. Men have been on lower doses for even longer without long term sides.

Still, the only reason I feel I have to come off is that you can hurt your testosterone production if you're on too much for too long. I also want kids and just don't want to put that in jeopardy. That's why cycling rather than blast and cruising is safer. Being on all the time I don't feel is moderate (unless you suffer from low T in the first place). Also being on longer has a higher risk of serious crash.

 

[halfwit]

Jeepers 200k as a Bio ME or EE? That's one hell of a gig you're looking at.

I'd like to see this study on males for 20 weeks as that's unethical and testosterone itself has very few "negative side effects" as the vast majority of them are caused by estradiol, not the androgen itself. I am curious how much of this was psychosomatic and how much was an actual decline in serum levels. Given the decay of testosterone in an estered form is pretty slow, you should have still been above supraphysiological levels, or at the very top of the range.

 

[PBateman]

Here's a link to the study.

1.usa.gov/1cxmey7

Full text
jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/2/718.long

(Also, the job compensation is mostly due to my MBA work post MEng in Biomedical)

 

[halfwit]

Here's a link to the study.

1.usa.gov/1cxmey7

Full text
jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/2/718.long

(Also, the job compensation is mostly due to my MBA work post MEng in Biomedical)

Thanks for the study, kind of funny that they basically spelled out what most juice monkeys know - taking too little test just shuts you down, allowing fat to do it's thing; while supraphysiological doses aid with metabolization of fat/increases in LBM. I am surprised that you found a study on humans though as most won't, due to ethical reasons. I do love how they prove that there is a correlation with obesity/type II diabetes and testosterone though - as many in the community still dispute this for some reason. (Sorry for the over-analysis, as I'm a TRT patient, I have a vested interest in testosterone studies on humans.)

I think that's a pretty big stretch though to say that it's relatively safe to cycle for 20 weeks because a study was done on adipose tissue with results indicating that upper TRT to mild cycle doses of testosterone reduce the tissue stores though. I didn't see a follow up indicating any long term issues or HPTA recovery, which obviously wasn't the point of the study - but would have been nice to see at least in the footnotes.

So another engineering major that actually went with the MBA option. Damn, that keeps giving me ideas as I know the salary for a double major tends to pay significantly more than just the MSEE or MSME. Little more than two more years for my MSEE, so I'm always keeping my eyes open when I read about how you guys fare upon graduation. If you don't mind me asking, how much more was it to obtain that MBA on top of the BSME? I know there's a world of a difference with business courses as my wife is a business major, so I can't see it being THAT more difficult to add to the course load.

Thanks for the information.

I can't really add much more to the discussion (sorry for my small sidetrack), as I think we do what we have to - even if it is indeed psychosomatic instead of physiological.