Thoroughbred72
New member
I started testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) approximately 8 months ago. My first 10 weeks was fantastic, felt great, and went from weighing 197lbs to 224 lbs in 10 weeks. I've been an avid weight lifter for a long time and the symptoms of low T caused by body to loose muscle mass, size, tone, and overall strength. However, after first 10 weeks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) (250 mg (200cyp & 50mg prop blend) a week), I almost looked like a pro bodybuilder. I was extremely cut and looked great and had crazy strength. I could perform very heavy sets, of whatever exercise, and within 30-60 seconds of rest, be completely rejuvenated, and begin another set. I usually bursting energy before the workout, and felt like I could lift the whole gym for 4 hours. Usually, after a 2-2 ½ hour workout (I was using one of Arnold’s workouts listed in his most popular book), within 30 minutes, I had all my energy back and ready to tackle a day at work, or do whatever I wanted. After a good nights worth of sleep, and I was ready to hit the gym again, with no muscle soreness from the previous days workout (no, I did not workout the same muscle groups day after day—I took rests from different muscle groups as with any healthy workout regime would—it just FELT like I could go in the next day and do it all over again, although I didn’t). However, after 10 weeks, I began to loose all my 'gains,' despite the fact that I kept doing my injections.
Eventually, I felt that my stamina had dissipated. I started noticing that a lactic acid buildup returned. BEFORE I started testosterone, I always had an issue of lactic acid buildup where a heavy, intense weight workout would cause a great deal of muscle soreness, that would last 4-6 days, before the pain would subside. During the initial 10 weeks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), that all went away, and muscle soreness became a thing of the past, or so I thought. After the initial 10 weeks, I also noticed that I could no longer return to a set after only 30-60 seconds of rest. I would finish with a heavy set, of whatever exercise, and my heart was pounding, I was greatly fatigued, and had to rest for 3-4 minutes to catch my breath, and to regain the energy to do another set. After the initial 10 weeks, I also noticed that after a particularly hard training session in the gym, I would be greatly fatigued, almost feeling sick, and would need to lay down, or take it easy, for at least 4 hours, before I felt some energy return. Sometimes, all I wanted to do was go to sleep, which sometimes I did.
My protocol consisted of 1mg of anastrozole a week, taken 24 hours after my T injection, and several shots of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), 500IU's each shot, a week. I began to loose the ripped look, and within the first month, it became noticeable that the size of my muscles (most noteably the shoulders, chest, back and arms), was shrinking. Within 3 months out of the first, initial 10 weeks, I lost all the muscle size, mass, and energy that I had before. The belly fat, love handles and butt flubber all returned, despite the fact that I was still taking my 250mg injections, of Test, a week. I called my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) clinic numerous times, about this problem, but they basically said, "Well, testosterone doesn't do that. It helps to build and maintain lean muscle mass and strength, so just keep taking your injections."
I later switched to another testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) clinic, and they increased my anastrozole to .5 mg, taken 3X a week (for about 2 weeks I took the .5mg of anas every day, but then went back to 3X a week). They also prescribed me 11mg of Tamoxifen for a 30 day prescription, to get rid of the estrogen buildup(my estradiol level was 78.9 pg/ml, using the Roche ECLIA methodolgy), that was determined in a blood test taken back in Nov. (my total T was 967 ng/dl, and my free T was 33.1 pg/ml). The blood test showed that my pituitary gland had shut down, due to the fact that my FH and LSH level were rock bottom. HOWEVER, I was told that a high E level would not cause the complete loss of muscle mass, size, and energy that I experienced. Now that the Tamoxifen prescription is over, I'm still loosing mass and size.
I am still taking my injections, but loosing more muscle mass and size, seemingly, each week. I last weighed myself and weighed 210. I have been told that, often, when someone begins to inject T, whether for HRT purposes, or for bodybuilding/athletic performance, most persons bodies will attempt to re-establish homeostasis, in terms of hormone levels. The body will then shut down the production of different glands, that produce certain hormones, in an effort to establish balance. I feel that somehow, my body has developed an automatic, negative feedback response, that when it detects the T, it either binds it all up, secretes stuff that kill the effects of T (I now have all the symptoms of low T again, even though I keep my weekly injections).
I have been told recently that many men are complaining that they had great success on T initially, but then it stopped working, despite they kept up their injections, anastrozole, and HCG. Most laymen, and experts, that I have interviewed, all state the same slogan in one way or another, 'Testosterone helps to build lean muscle mass and size, so it definately is not your testosterone. So, it must only be your diet, exercise, or sleep." I can assure that nothing has change in either of these, and is the same as my first 10 weeks on TRT. I can also state that it’s not the Testosterone either. All my test is called in by a physician, and so far I have had prescriptions filled by five different pharmacies, since I’ve been on T. Some of my T is Watson, pharmaceutical grade Cypionate, where I add in the propionate, and some of the T prescriptions are compounded blends of the Cyp and Prop. In other words, it’s not ‘bunko testosterone,’ and I don’t have a particular brand of ‘gear’ that I use.
So, does anyone, that knows alot about testosterone use, whether for HRT or bodybuilding purposes, give me direction and help me understand why I lost all the muscle mass, size, and strength, and the T injections are no longer working, even though I have been continuing my injections for 7 months, after the initial 10 weeks? What do I need to do to correct this and keep my gains while I stay on TRT? Why and how, can I have a high total testosterone level, high free testosterone level, despite that estradiol is high, and yet have muscle mass/size atrophy?
Eventually, I felt that my stamina had dissipated. I started noticing that a lactic acid buildup returned. BEFORE I started testosterone, I always had an issue of lactic acid buildup where a heavy, intense weight workout would cause a great deal of muscle soreness, that would last 4-6 days, before the pain would subside. During the initial 10 weeks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), that all went away, and muscle soreness became a thing of the past, or so I thought. After the initial 10 weeks, I also noticed that I could no longer return to a set after only 30-60 seconds of rest. I would finish with a heavy set, of whatever exercise, and my heart was pounding, I was greatly fatigued, and had to rest for 3-4 minutes to catch my breath, and to regain the energy to do another set. After the initial 10 weeks, I also noticed that after a particularly hard training session in the gym, I would be greatly fatigued, almost feeling sick, and would need to lay down, or take it easy, for at least 4 hours, before I felt some energy return. Sometimes, all I wanted to do was go to sleep, which sometimes I did.
My protocol consisted of 1mg of anastrozole a week, taken 24 hours after my T injection, and several shots of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), 500IU's each shot, a week. I began to loose the ripped look, and within the first month, it became noticeable that the size of my muscles (most noteably the shoulders, chest, back and arms), was shrinking. Within 3 months out of the first, initial 10 weeks, I lost all the muscle size, mass, and energy that I had before. The belly fat, love handles and butt flubber all returned, despite the fact that I was still taking my 250mg injections, of Test, a week. I called my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) clinic numerous times, about this problem, but they basically said, "Well, testosterone doesn't do that. It helps to build and maintain lean muscle mass and strength, so just keep taking your injections."
I later switched to another testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) clinic, and they increased my anastrozole to .5 mg, taken 3X a week (for about 2 weeks I took the .5mg of anas every day, but then went back to 3X a week). They also prescribed me 11mg of Tamoxifen for a 30 day prescription, to get rid of the estrogen buildup(my estradiol level was 78.9 pg/ml, using the Roche ECLIA methodolgy), that was determined in a blood test taken back in Nov. (my total T was 967 ng/dl, and my free T was 33.1 pg/ml). The blood test showed that my pituitary gland had shut down, due to the fact that my FH and LSH level were rock bottom. HOWEVER, I was told that a high E level would not cause the complete loss of muscle mass, size, and energy that I experienced. Now that the Tamoxifen prescription is over, I'm still loosing mass and size.
I am still taking my injections, but loosing more muscle mass and size, seemingly, each week. I last weighed myself and weighed 210. I have been told that, often, when someone begins to inject T, whether for HRT purposes, or for bodybuilding/athletic performance, most persons bodies will attempt to re-establish homeostasis, in terms of hormone levels. The body will then shut down the production of different glands, that produce certain hormones, in an effort to establish balance. I feel that somehow, my body has developed an automatic, negative feedback response, that when it detects the T, it either binds it all up, secretes stuff that kill the effects of T (I now have all the symptoms of low T again, even though I keep my weekly injections).
I have been told recently that many men are complaining that they had great success on T initially, but then it stopped working, despite they kept up their injections, anastrozole, and HCG. Most laymen, and experts, that I have interviewed, all state the same slogan in one way or another, 'Testosterone helps to build lean muscle mass and size, so it definately is not your testosterone. So, it must only be your diet, exercise, or sleep." I can assure that nothing has change in either of these, and is the same as my first 10 weeks on TRT. I can also state that it’s not the Testosterone either. All my test is called in by a physician, and so far I have had prescriptions filled by five different pharmacies, since I’ve been on T. Some of my T is Watson, pharmaceutical grade Cypionate, where I add in the propionate, and some of the T prescriptions are compounded blends of the Cyp and Prop. In other words, it’s not ‘bunko testosterone,’ and I don’t have a particular brand of ‘gear’ that I use.
So, does anyone, that knows alot about testosterone use, whether for HRT or bodybuilding purposes, give me direction and help me understand why I lost all the muscle mass, size, and strength, and the T injections are no longer working, even though I have been continuing my injections for 7 months, after the initial 10 weeks? What do I need to do to correct this and keep my gains while I stay on TRT? Why and how, can I have a high total testosterone level, high free testosterone level, despite that estradiol is high, and yet have muscle mass/size atrophy?
