So, everything has gone ok I guess. I didn't have the same reactions this time. Hopefully it won't creep up on the next shot. The only thing I do feel is extremely lethargic and just not like myself. Could just be the low T still messing with me or the hormonal changes going on, but I felt like I had more energy yesterday. I'm going to continue on and see how it goes. I'm going to possibly throw in some Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) this week and see if that helps with anything.
New to TRT: Need Some Urgent Help
- Thread starter tww11
- Start date
jomamma007
New member
watch that Aromatase inhibitor (AI) dosage, low E makes you feel just as crappy if not worse then Low T
Megatron28
Moderator
That's great that you are paying close attention to how your body reacts physically and how you feel. But it would be much better to couple this with actually labs. For $50 you can get the Female Hormone Panel (for men too despite name) at Private MD - Buy Lab Tests Online. You will get your results back 24 hours later typically. Then you can equate those feelings to actual lab results.
Thanks, I'm trying to stay away from an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) right now to bring my E2 up a bit. I did feel a little sick yesterday after the shot. Just kind of lethargic, tired, and out of it towards the end of the day. Probably just my body trying to adjust, but it was nothing like before. I have no pounding heart, brain fog, or feelings of water retention. So, I won't be including an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) again until there is a real need for it and I have some blood work to back it up.
I agree. Lab tests are the most accurate way to tell what's going on. I was just more prepared this time to recognize any of my previous symptoms. If I had started to experience anything like before I would have headed over to get lab work done after work to try and capture it with data. The only thing I really felt was just very lethargic and tired almost like I was getting sick or something. I plan to get more lab work done here soon, but I wanted to get consistent with my protocol first.
Megatron28
Moderator
Take the shot and then get labs right away next time. I think this will help you realize that what you are experiencing is psychological rather than physiological. That, or you can prove me wrong with actual numbers. 
Might consider a more comprehensive set of labs if the usual set turns up OK. The Female hormone panel is great, but this goes beyond. If you have good insurance, get your doctor to prescribe, otherwise, PrivateMDLabs.
However, it cannot be the testosterone, it does not become active until it seperates from the ester, which happens over the course of days. Virtually no testosterone is being added in the first few hours with Testosterone Cypionate - the drug has a half life of about 7 days.
If you take 50mg, you are getting 1/7*1/2 of the dose = 1/14*50=3.6mg per day. (I know I'm straightlining a curve, but the point stands). Of course, the Cypionate ester itself attached to the testosterone hormone has a weight, so actually it's more like 2.5mg per day of actual hormone going into your system. That isn't much at all.
I'm gonna go with either allergy or psychology as well. If it is a needle thing, you could switch to subcutaneous injections, the science is pretty settled that it works for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) size doses.
However, it cannot be the testosterone, it does not become active until it seperates from the ester, which happens over the course of days. Virtually no testosterone is being added in the first few hours with Testosterone Cypionate - the drug has a half life of about 7 days.
If you take 50mg, you are getting 1/7*1/2 of the dose = 1/14*50=3.6mg per day. (I know I'm straightlining a curve, but the point stands). Of course, the Cypionate ester itself attached to the testosterone hormone has a weight, so actually it's more like 2.5mg per day of actual hormone going into your system. That isn't much at all.
I'm gonna go with either allergy or psychology as well. If it is a needle thing, you could switch to subcutaneous injections, the science is pretty settled that it works for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) size doses.
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Take the shot and then get labs right away next time. I think this will help you realize that what you are experiencing is psychological rather than physiological. That, or you can prove me wrong with actual numbers.
Well, things have gone ok since the last shot. I did feel kind of sick on the day of the shot, but not with the same type of symptoms as before. My biggest complaint right now is just feeling lethargic which I assume is because I'm basically starting back on week 1 of my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) because I was taking such low dosages for a while which were useless. I have my next shot tomorrow. Hopefully it goes at least as good as the last one. If something goes really wrong I'll get the blood work done.
No doubt I was anxious about things, but some of these symptoms I've never experienced before and they built up over the course of many shots in a short amount of time. I think I just over did things during my first week or so. I wasn't in real great health going into testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) anyways. I feel like I'm a little better this time around and not as ignorant about what to expect. Mentally, I'm doing much better. I feel pretty normal and focused and I'm more willing to accept that this is going to be a way of life for me. I'm just ready to get to the good aspects of this and forget about anything bad that I've experienced.
Just an update. Took my second shot today. So far so good. My blood pressure felt like it was creeping up a little the last few days and I had some higher than normal readings. Also had some headaches and felt like I was holding some water. I took just a little Aromatase inhibitor (AI) to try to see if it helped. I think it did. I also got some additional blood work done today to see where I'm at. Hopefully I'm on my way to getting settled in with this.
Megatron28
Moderator
Taking Aromatase inhibitor (AI) without knowing you need it through labs is dangerous!
I believe you, but it was very low dose. My BP and heart rate is down to normal and I don't feel any E2 crash. I learned a lot over the last month. I took way too much Aromatase inhibitor (AI) before and crashed a little so I know what it feels like. The one thing about screwing up is that you learn the hard way about how all of this medication works. I haven't touched any Aromatase inhibitor (AI) in quite a while so it was a gamble I was willing to take. I can't take a night with my BP feeling like it's sky high. I should have my labs back soon to see where I was at at the time so I can start developing some history about myself and what works for me. I have a prescription that says to take .5mg/week and I'm actually not following that until I can get E2 where I want it.
Megatron28
Moderator
What was your blood pressure reading? I can't feel mine when it increases or decreases. They call high blood pressure the "silent killer" for a reason after all.
Even "small doses" of Aromatase inhibitor (AI) are powerful. It is dangerous to even take small doses if you don't need it. And psychological reasons do not count as needing it.
Can't wait to see your labs. Did you get the labs before or after you took the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) again?
My blood pressure is normally around 120/70 and lower. It was going up to the higher 130's and 80's for no reason. I can definitely tell the difference when it gets elevated. My face gets warm and my head aches a little. I also had more puffyness in my nipple area than usual and felt like I was retaining some water. Thanks for recommending private MD labs. That was one quick turn around on the blood work. I had the blood work before taking the Aromatase inhibitor (AI) and right before my next shot. My estrogen has come up pretty quickly which is good, but also probably causing a little water retention. My E2 around 9/23 was 9.2 and yesterday it was at 20.
Testosterone, Serum 768 (range 348-1197)
Estradiol 20 (range 7.6-42.6)
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Megatron28
Moderator
Keep in mind that you had the Regular Estradiol Assay done. It is less accurate than the Sensitive Estradiol Assay at lower E2 levels. What we have generally found is that you can subtract 10-20 points off the Regular Assay. That means if you came in at 20 that your E2 is REALLY low. Too low. You do not require an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) if you came in at 20 without taking anything but testosterone.
Having your blood pressure temporarily fluctuate between 120/70 and 130/80 seems normal to me. I wouldn't get too worried about that. I still think you are just getting yourself worked up emotionally and stressing yourself.
Megatron28
Moderator
Are you watching your hematocrit? That can potentially affect blood pressure too.
Yes, thankfully it came back 42.6 in a range of 37.5-51.0. The only thing I'm still dealing with physically is fatigue and lots of it. I might approach my doctor about a sleep study soon just to rule out any sleep issues. Of course low T and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) both can cause sleep issues so it's not easy to figure out. Mentally, I'm doing much better, but not 100% yet. I have moments where I feel a little anxious about things because I don't like the thought of having to give control of my body over to these drugs and I just wish I felt like my old self, but just with more energy. My libido and muscle gain was never really a problem and I was generally a very easy going person. The only thing that really became a problem is the extra fat gain/inability to loose fat and the fatigue.
I'm only halfway into my second week of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) so we'll see how it goes and hopefully things get better. I don't count any of the weeks I did before because I basically started and stopped.
Ok, I just got my recent blood work in. I'm doing 50mg twice a week on Monday and Thursday. I had my blood drawn about five hours before my next shot. How does it look? What do you think my peak is and is it ok to have my free test this high?
Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 806 ng/dL 348-1197
Free Testosterone(Direct) 27.2 pg/mL 8.7-25.1
Estradiol 25.6 pg/mL 7.6-42.6
Roche ECLIA methodology
Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 806 ng/dL 348-1197
Free Testosterone(Direct) 27.2 pg/mL 8.7-25.1
Estradiol 25.6 pg/mL 7.6-42.6
Roche ECLIA methodology
