New labs...TRT + low dose Deca

[Chiefy]

My TRT protocol is 60mg of cypionate e4d, and 200IU of hCG EOD. I added 200mg/week of pharma Deca 5 weeks prior to these labs to help with some joint pain.

Labs were taken ~24 hours after a testosterone + hCG injection...it had been 5 days since my last Deca injection.

What surprised me the most is that my total testosterone shot way up. Prior to adding the Deca, this TRT protocol kept me ~850 ng/dl TT, and my FT at or slightly above the top of the reference range. Perhaps it's a lab error, not really sure what to make of that.

Additionally, my estradiol seems to have gone down significantly, especially considering that my testosterone increased. Prior to adding Deca, my TRT protocol kept my estradiol (sensitive) ~35 pg/ml on Labcorp's range of 8-35 pg/ml.

Since these labs used the standard estradiol assay I can assume that my sensitive E2 value would be quite a bit lower, as I've had the 2 assays be pretty far apart in the past. My sensitive value is always much lower than my standard value.

Is this because Deca is a progestin? Progestins suppress estrogens correct? I was under the impression that Deca would cause a bit more aromatization, so I was pretty surprised by my latest E2 value.

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks fellas.

 

[Megatron28]

Nandrolone actually gives a false reading as Testosterone in certain TT assays. So you are getting a false inflated number for your TT. That is why it went up despite the same Test dosage.

And Nandrolone aromatizes so it usually increases estradiol.

 

[Chiefy]

Interesting, didn't know that. I thought I read something you posted awhile back about Deca having no effect on TT, but having an effect on FT due to its affinity for SHBG.

I'm still a little stumped as to why my estradiol went down rather than up. I guess it doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things though. I'll keep an eye on it, hopefully it doesn't continue to drop.

Thanks dude.

 

[Megatron28]

Interesting, didn't know that. I thought I read something you posted awhile back about Deca having no effect on TT, but having an effect on FT due to its affinity for SHBG.

I'm still a little stumped as to why my estradiol went down rather than up. I guess it doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things though. I'll keep an eye on it, hopefully it doesn't continue to drop.

Thanks dude.

Nandrolone does not have an effect on TT. But it does increase Free T. That is still true.

 

[halfwit]

I'm curious about the pharmaceutical grade nandrolone. Did you have it prescribed, or did you buy it from some place claiming it's pharma grade? I only ask as I've never personally had a privatemdlabs.com result come back wonky from nandrolone.

Trenbolone, yes - but that's a whole other animal altogether.

 

[Megatron28]

I have had wonky labs. It was UGL nandrolone though.

 

[AverageMan]

Chiefy - your E2 looks perfect at 31. Are you taking an AI?

I stopped taking deca because I have an upcoming TRT appt and don't want to have TT numbers like that. I believe 6 weeks is the minimum to stop taking deca before a blood test.

 

[Chiefy]

Nandrolone does not have an effect on TT. But it does increase Free T. That is still true.

Ah I get it now. I misunderstood the post from you in another thread.

Do you know specifically which TT assays are skewed by nandrolone? Should I assume that the LC/MS/MS test would be preferred?

I'm curious about the pharmaceutical grade nandrolone. Did you have it prescribed, or did you buy it from some place claiming it's pharma grade? I only ask as I've never personally had a privatemdlabs.com result come back wonky from nandrolone.

Trenbolone, yes - but that's a whole other animal altogether.

Well I guess technically I should have called it "posh UGL". It's a pharma brand from another country...I'm sure you can read between the lines there.

I realize that there are no guarantees with sources, but I feel like I did enough research to conclude that the source (and brand) I chose are solid.

If it's not truly nandrolone I have no idea what it could actually be. My TT went up significantly (on paper), but my estradiol actually went down. I'm not a veteran AAS user by any means, but I can't think of any compounds that would have that effect. Any insight on that?

The only reason I can think of for my lower-than-usual E2 is that I had been using hCG that was a couple of weeks past its expiration date. Seems like a long shot, but I suppose if it lost enough potency it may not have been keeping my estradiol up like it normally does.

I suppose it's worth a re test to see if there was a lab error or something.

Chiefy - your E2 looks perfect at 31. Are you taking an AI?

I stopped taking deca because I have an upcoming TRT appt and don't want to have TT numbers like that. I believe 6 weeks is the minimum to stop taking deca before a blood test.

No AI.

I actually prefer my estradiol to be higher than this, so I'm a little disappointed that it came down. I frequently have the standard and sensitive estradiol assays performed together, just didn't do it this time.

When my standard estradiol is ~30, my sensitive estradiol is much lower (no surprises there)...usually ~15 pg/ml. That's definitely too low for my liking. I feel my best when near the top of the range on the sensitive test.

 

[Lenex]

What is the range for sensitive estradiol assay? The same as for standard?

Thats interesting to me that ugl deca is actually not the same molecule as pharma grade. Can you tell the brand ur using, thats not against the rules?

 

[Gbrad]

I have definitely had wonky labs from privatemdlabs re TT with Deca add to TRT (dialed in TRT).

My knee jerk reaction was to think it was test faked labeled as Deca. Until I got the info Mega provided re the test method (I think ELISA) where nandrolone gives false positive for test. Also spoke with source and feel comfortable it was not faked.

Hope it helps

 

[Megatron28]

See the following for more info.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/679384-help-me-out-these-bloods-guys.html

 

[Chiefy]

What is the range for sensitive estradiol assay? The same as for standard?

Thats interesting to me that ugl deca is actually not the same molecule as pharma grade. Can you tell the brand ur using, thats not against the rules?

The reference range for Labcorp's sensitive estradiol assay is 8-35 pg/ml.

I don't think anyone was implying that nandrolone from UGL vs. pharma is any different at the molecular level, but that with a UGL you never really know what you're going to get.

I don't think sources/brands from overseas aren't supposed to be mentioned in this section of the forums. I could be wrong, but I don't want to piss anybody off.

I have definitely had wonky labs from privatemdlabs re TT with Deca add to TRT (dialed in TRT).

My knee jerk reaction was to think it was test faked labeled as Deca. Until I got the info Mega provided re the test method (I think ELISA) where nandrolone gives false positive for test. Also spoke with source and feel comfortable it was not faked.

Hope it helps

See the following for more info.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/679384-help-me-out-these-bloods-guys.html

Wow, thanks guys. Both of these posts were very helpful.

I feel a lot more comfortable about my current situation now, and I'll definitely be selecting the appropriate lab tests from here on out.