Another person on another forum decided to tell me that the longer I'm on TRT, the worse the sides will get. That's why I ditched that forum and came here, since I've heard tons of good feedback about this community.
When you say "bump up if going with a SERM based PCT," do you mean I should bump up my test dose, and then PCT when I choose to?
I figure because I'm on a relatively low dose of Test, I'm not really doing much damage, if any at all, except what you mentioned.
So if, lets say I decide to PCT in February of 2016, when would you recommend I jump on HCG, then Nolva and Clomid?
If this is easily answered anywhere else, please do not hesitate to point me in the right direction. I just want to ensure I get the right guidance before I do something dumb that could have major consequences.
As of right now, I'm not on anything else other than Test C. Is there anything I should take meanwhile? It has been 18 weeks now, not sure if it is too late to get on anything.
By the way, I feel better on 150mg than I did on 100-120mg. The 30-50 has made me feel different, maybe it is the placebo effect or something? I wanted to aim for 200 and see how THAT feels, but I'm afraid that'll be pushing the envelope.
Thanks again half, I'd rep if I could.
Okay, I think I need to explain how this works in a nutshell.
Your sex hormones are regulated by the HPTA (hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular-axis) and this is done through a series of events in which there is a mechanism in place to prevent any of the glands involved from getting out of control. This is known as the negative feedback loop, and it's the "brakes" of the HPTA as it can very quickly cease any and all production of testosterone.
In healthy men, the hypothalamus listens for estradiol, and if it's not satisfied with the amount present, releases gnrh to the pituitary gland. Gnrh in turn triggers the release of LH from the pituitary, and the leydig cells in the testes in turn create testosterone with a very small amount of estrogens. The part of testosterone that isn't immediately bound by a protein (SHBG or albumin) is then converted into other hormones (estradiol being one of them) and is able to work. As testosterone increases, so does the estradiol as the body tries to maintain a certain ratio.
This is where hypogonadism comes to play. There are several places in that chain of events in which if broken, will drop testosterone output down considerably. For some reason, the pituitary gland appears to be the most finicky, and (from what I've seen) is the most common break in this chain. A lack of sleep, poor diet habits, obesity, other diseases, head trauma, chemical reactions to drugs - these can all stop that little guy from doing his job of telling the testes to work.
I'm not so sure this is entirely your problem, but this is what the other boards were referring to. Intentionally introducing testosterone to the system (or pretty much any androgen) kicks on that negative feedback loop - which turns the pituitary off. He takes a nap as the body senses that he's not needed, and would be a waste of resources. Unfortunately, the pituitary likes to take these naps, and doesn't always want to go back to work. The longer the gland remains dormant, typically the harder it is to restart it.
SERMs block the hypothalamus from seeing estradiol, which starts this whole chain reaction going again, as long as the negative feedback loop isn't being kept open by another force like testosterone injections. As the hypothalamus temporarily goes "blind" to estradiol, it essentially SCREAMS for more testosterone output, which causes a tremendous spike in gnrh - and subsequently LH.
This is where primary and secondary guys are different. Primary guys won't see a bit of change from this rush of hormone as their testes for some reason are either unable to see LH, or have damage to the actual cells themselves. Secondary guys will suddenly have a gigantic spike in testosterone, and subsequently estradiol - making the hypothalamus happy.
Hope I didn't lose you. It's kind of long...
So if you wanted to come off in Feb, you would stop all injections for a good three weeks (2 is usually adequate, but the closer to 4 half-lives the better), then start taking clomid and nolva. If you wanted to prime things with HCG first, this could be done starting now, or as the old school method goes - large doses the week leading up to the clomid and nolvadex treatment. HCG is an LH analog, so it more or less tricks the testes into waking up - even though they cannot produce any testosterone (negative feedback loop isn't fooled), which may make it easier to start them back into production.
What SERM treatment does is speeds up your recovery, and if the underlying problem that caused you to stop making test in the first place is gone - may even restore you to healthy levels.
Now the bad news. It sounds like you've had some docs that don't understand this much, and while you did have a lower LH - it was still in range of healthy production. This means that while you *might* benefit from HCG and SERMs, don't be absolutely heart broken if you don't.
Yes, you'll feel even more amazing on 200mg/wk as long as you don't push that estradiol boundary - which will have you feeling crappy as you're likely not on an aromatase inhibitor (reduces the conversion of test to estradiol). This is partly because of the fact that testosterone and dopamine are connected. If you're serious about coming off, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to start experimenting with doses.
Hope that helps; I tried to remain cohesive, but had to stop writing a few times as I'm at work and may have lost my train of thought.
