Need help with bloodwork on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for about 2 months

[AH2088]

Need help with bloodwork on TRT for about 2 months

I have been doing 150mg a week 80mg mon and 80mg thurs sub q , Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 500 2x weekly, arimidex .5 eod

TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 1372 250-1100 ng/dL 2 DAYS AFTER INJECTION
FREE TEST: 340.3 35-155 pg/mL
ESTRADIAL: 29 <39 pg/mL

My estradial seems in range but my libido is still low and its really frustrating, I'm thinking of lowering it down to 120mg weekly I need help on what can be causing the low libido

 

[cross88]

I have been doing 150mg a week 80mg mon and 80mg thurs sub q , Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 500 2x weekly, arimidex .5 eod

TESTOSTERONE TOTAL: 1372 250-1100 ng/dL 2 DAYS AFTER INJECTION
FREE TEST: 340.3 35-155 pg/mL
ESTRADIAL: 29 <39 pg/mL

My estradial seems in range but my libido is still low and its really frustrating, I'm thinking of lowering it down to 120mg weekly I need help on what can be causing the low libido

Any other values? shbg? prolactin? How long you been on trt? And any prior aas use? Some people get libido issues from ais so maybe try lowering the adex

 

[Megatron28]

.5 of adex every other day is a lot! .25 three times a week may be better or perhaps .5 twice a week. I would try cutting it back to see if that helps. Don't change anything else though. If you can isolate one change at a time you can evaluate the impact it has. If you throw more than one variable into the equatioon you don't know what effects each of them had.

 

[AH2088]

SHBG 23 10-50 NMOL/L
DHEA 427 110-510 MCG/DL
PROLACTIN 5.3 2.0-18 NG/ML

This no/low libido has really messed me up for the past year and a half I have lost a relationship and it has completely messed my mind up. At this point I would try anything to get it back btw I'm only 24 started noticing a gradual drop in libido about 2 years ago

 

[SolomonGrundy]

DHT levels maybe, your numbers you post look decent. follow the recommendation for lowering the Adex for a few weeks and see how you feel

 

[THE-DET-OAK]

.5 of adex every other day is a lot! .25 three times a week may be better or perhaps .5 twice a week. I would try cutting it back to see if that helps. Don't change anything else though. If you can isolate one change at a time you can evaluate the impact it has. If you throw more than one variable into the equatioon you don't know what effects each of them had.

Yes its def the adex. I am surprised your SHBG and estradiol are not lower. The E2 may in fact be lower, if that was not a sensitive test you had performed. I bet its actually 15 or below.

Your free t is double the range but your TT is at the top or just over. Guys have to realize if they are going to run ther T levels in the very high range like that, they have to let there E get up to 40-50. It doesn't make sense for it to be ok to let your TT get just over range and not your E. Your E should be 29 if your at 6-700 TT. The ratio's are more important.

For instance look at the study 300mg vs 600mg, the 300mg group had a lot more sides reported, yea it could be coincidence, but more likely 600 gave a better T to E ratio.

Free T should be considered the amount left over if you ask me, and you have a lot left over. Need to let more of that be converted to E.

 

[AH2088]

So would it be ok though to keep my E at 40-50 for long periods of time?

 

[THE-DET-OAK]

Yes. Recent information is coming out that there is no reason to inhibit conversion if your E is under 50.

 

[AH2088]

Libido is still non existent, anytime I take arimidex even .25mg I just feel lethargic and get elbow pains and seems like no matter what dose it just doesn't suit me what should I do this is getting really frustrating

 

[Megatron28]

Go off the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) for a while and let you estrogen bounce back.

 

[newtohrt]

My libido never came back

Libido is still non existent, anytime I take arimidex even .25mg I just feel lethargic and get elbow pains and seems like no matter what dose it just doesn't suit me what should I do this is getting really frustrating

I have been on HRT for a year and a half and its never helped my (now non existent) libido in the slightest. Have tried every dose from very little to a lot, with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), without, never use an Aromatase inhibitor (AI), now trying Test cream and so far, its is doing nothing at all as well. The "funny" thing is that I have stopped HRT a couple of times and when I do, my libido gets better - not good, but better off than on. I will probably give the Test cream another month and then stop HRT permanently if it's not working. I have spent a small fortune on blood tests over the past 18 months, not to mention the HRT costs, and its all been for nothing so far.

Anyway, I sincerely hope you get it figured out and that it works for you!

 

[Megatron28]

I have been on HRT for a year and a half and its never helped my (now non existent) libido in the slightest. Have tried every dose from very little to a lot, with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), without, never use an Aromatase inhibitor (AI), now trying Test cream and so far, its is doing nothing at all as well. The "funny" thing is that I have stopped HRT a couple of times and when I do, my libido gets better - not good, but better off than on. I will probably give the Test cream another month and then stop HRT permanently if it's not working. I have spent a small fortune on blood tests over the past 18 months, not to mention the HRT costs, and its all been for nothing so far.

Anyway, I sincerely hope you get it figured out and that it works for you!

Where was your E2 coming in at? That can mess up your libido. Have you ever had a normal libido?

 

[halfwit]

Man, I wish I knew what to do for newtohrt. Poor guy just can't catch a break! I keep wondering if it's adrenal fatigue, but I swear that has come up before...

OP: You may be one of the few that don't react well to Arimidex period. Maybe switch over to Aromasin and see how that treats you?

 

[newtohrt]

Used to have very high libido

Where was your E2 coming in at? That can mess up your libido. Have you ever had a normal libido?

Up until my early 40s (I am 48 now) I had an extremely high libido. I was ready to go anytime, anyplace, twice or more a day, no problem...so I am quite familiar with what having a strong libido fees like. at the same time, I had some male pattern baldness and a bit of oily skin as one would expect from high (or at least healthy) DHT levels. Then over the next few years the libido faded, as did the oily skin and male pattern baldness indicitaive of a certain amount of DHT.

After trying all the natural stuff I could think of (Tribulus, zinc, etc..) I had my T checked and was right at 400 so I started HRT...and since then I have been trying protocol after protocol to no effect. And when I say no effect, I truly mean no effect. Most guys, myself included, start testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) because they want to get their energy back, revitalize a failing libido and/or ED and hopefully be able to drop some fat and maybe make some progress in the gym for the first time in a long time. Well, a year and a half later I am still waiting for those 3 things to happen...I was hoping for all 3, but now any one of the 3 would be nice...My body does not seem to convert my Testosterone to DHT anymore, nor E2. Without any Aromatase inhibitor (AI), my E2 has never been higher than 34, even at high dosing. I tried up to 300 Mgs of test a week early last summer for 6 weeks to see what would happen. As it turns out, It just made me bloat with no other changes at all, so I dropped back down to a normal dose.

 

[newtohrt]

I don't use an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) at all anymore. For a while I was using 1/4 Anastrozol E3D, but that put my E2 down to 19 or 20 which was too low.

2 weeks ago I dropped a lot of money on yet more blood work and I should have results sometime this week to post. As it turns out, adding SHBG and DHT and a Thyroid panel to basic test adds serious $$$ to the cost. My bet is that my DHT is going to come in LOW, but I should find out in a couple more days.

 

[AH2088]

So been about another month since I took out my Aromatase inhibitor (AI) I do sub q injections every mon and thurs 60mg each day for total of 120mg Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) 350iu every mon and thurs as well usually get morning wood but just no libido got bloodwork done on mon the day of my next injection hopefully this will give more insight any suggestions would be greatly appreciated to get libido back maybe up the test a little my script is for 200 but I just use 120 doc gives me a little room

TSH 2.060 .270-4.200 uIU/mL
FT4: 1.13 NG/dL .83-1.62 ng/dL
Total Testosterone: 626 ng/dL 249-836 (4 days after injection)
Free Testosterone: 16.15 pg/mL 8.80-27
Estradial: 36.32 pg/mL 7.63-42

 

[lifter204]

Yes its def the adex. I am surprised your SHBG and estradiol are not lower. The E2 may in fact be lower, if that was not a sensitive test you had performed. I bet its actually 15 or below.

Your free t is double the range but your TT is at the top or just over. Guys have to realize if they are going to run ther T levels in the very high range like that, they have to let there E get up to 40-50. It doesn't make sense for it to be ok to let your TT get just over range and not your E. Your E should be 29 if your at 6-700 TT. The ratio's are more important.

For instance look at the study 300mg vs 600mg, the 300mg group had a lot more sides reported, yea it could be coincidence, but more likely 600 gave a better T to E ratio.

Free T should be considered the amount left over if you ask me, and you have a lot left over. Need to let more of that be converted to E.

Det,

That's very interesting. I've been on cycle for quite a while, then dropped to a trt dosage and my libido has died. My E2 is 19 at the moment on 12.5mg on Aromasin a day and 150mg of test.e a week.

I think I will drop the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) all together and retest in 3-4 weeks to see how my E2 is doing. If it's under 50, I guess there is no need for an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) on this level of test.

Thanks for this advice, very interesting.