Three weeks into my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) - Need Input Please!

[Spunkey71]

Three weeks into my TRT - Need Input Please!

After going to the doctor because I was always tired, physically and mentally exhausted all the time and just had no drive to do anything it was discovered that I had low T. My doctor then sent me to a specialist who ran a complete blood workup (sorry but I do not have those results) and my T level was 64. The doctor started me on Test C (160 mg) once a week and .5 mg's of Anastrozole once a week the day after my injection.

I noticed a difference almost immediately, it has been night and day and I have truly been loving the results with the exception of the slight water retention but that I can live with. I have been on treatment for three weeks now and yesterday my doctor did a complete blood workup (I will get the results on my next visit) and my test level had risen from 64 to 250. My doctor felt that it should have come up more so he increased my dosage from 160 mg to 180 mg with the new dosage starting yesterday (my fourth injection). I usualy find that my energy levels are great until Mondays the day before my injections, however this time I do not feel any different after getting my injection, in fact I feel like I did before I started TRT.

My Stats:

41 years of age
5'7" in height
392 weight, yes I know I am a fat ass!
my diet sucks, I eat crap and I know that must change, I plan on going grocery shopping this weekend (for a clean diet) and bulk cooking for the week.

Two weeks ago I was feeling so good that I started exercising and working out again, first time in almost 13 years. I have managed to work out this week but it is literally wearing me out where it wasn't last week or the week before.


Any suggestions?


Thanks

 

[frank.tb]

After going to the doctor because I was always tired, physically and mentally exhausted all the time and just had no drive to do anything it was discovered that I had low T. My doctor then sent me to a specialist who ran a complete blood workup (sorry but I do not have those results) and my T level was 64. The doctor started me on Test C (160 mg) once a week and .5 mg's of Anastrozole once a week the day after my injection.

I noticed a difference almost immediately, it has been night and day and I have truly been loving the results with the exception of the slight water retention but that I can live with. I have been on treatment for three weeks now and yesterday my doctor did a complete blood workup (I will get the results on my next visit) and my test level had risen from 64 to 250. My doctor felt that it should have come up more so he increased my dosage from 160 mg to 180 mg with the new dosage starting yesterday (my fourth injection). I usualy find that my energy levels are great until Mondays the day before my injections, however this time I do not feel any different after getting my injection, in fact I feel like I did before I started TRT.

My Stats:

41 years of age
5'7" in height
392 weight, yes I know I am a fat ass!
my diet sucks, I eat crap and I know that must change, I plan on going grocery shopping this weekend (for a clean diet) and bulk cooking for the week.

Two weeks ago I was feeling so good that I started exercising and working out again, first time in almost 13 years. I have managed to work out this week but it is literally wearing me out where it wasn't last week or the week before.


Any suggestions?


Thanks

part of your problem is the weight brother. Being heavy can cause decrease in energy and fatigue. I'm not trying to be rude my friend but over weight individuals usually don't have much energy. Yea low T but i can almost put money down that your T levels wouldn't have been that low if you were at a healthy weight and worked out regularly. Get a personal trainer and a nutritional coach. That accompanied by your testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is all you can really do. A lot of it is mental as well brother. Fight through it. Make it a must. You deserve to look better and feel better.
Best of luck.

 

[frank.tb]

Also be careful with the dieting. Jumping from one habit into an extreme diet you aren't used to usually leads to failure. I tell any of my personal training clients that want to lose weight to take it one step at a time. Start by eating 2/3 of what you normally eat. Then 1/3 of the norm with some healthier food choices to fill in the other 3rd. One step at a time until it becomes a habit. Then think about getting a nutritional coach and bulk cooking your 6 healthy meals a day. It takes time. Don't shock your body too hard with different foods. It usually fails, makes you feel shitty, tired, and possibly sick. One step at a time my friend.
My dad with little or no exercise has lost 50lbs of fat by just cutting back to the 2/3 of a norm meal and then slowly changing to healthier foods. Takes time
The best place to start is to lower soda intake (to hopefully none) and rid yourself of fried food (including french frys)

Remember brother, you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
Best of luck

 

[Austinite]

Your blood levels are no use to us because you did not post ranges. So I'll skip over that for now...

Your weekly injection needs to be split into 2 evenly spread doses and needs to be done subcutaneously so that it absorbs slower and has less impact on estrogen levels. Without hCG to balance the dips in testosterone serum, you're better off injecting twice weekly. Serum will peak 48 to 72 hrs post injection. So if you run it once per week, you're losing a battle towards the end of the week, hence you're tired on Monday.

Furthermore; your doctor should have waited at least another week to test your blood levels. 3 weeks is too early. Frankly, it takes 4 to 8 weeks to adjust to a protocol. No one should be making any increases within 3 weeks.

Anastrozole is a "same day service" drug. Unlike other inhibitors, it does not take a week or so to get serum levels up. For that reason it should also be split into 2 doses. Half life is 2 days so effects will diminish considerably beyond the 3rd day.

Due to your weight, you carry far more aromatase enzymes than anyone lighter than you. So you'll need to monitor your estradiol levels closely for a while until you find what works. As you lose weight, the dose of Anastrozole will also need to be adjusted.

I recommend you go into Ketosis asap so that you can lose a large amount of fat quickly. Your diet has a whole lot to do with your fatigue.

In closing, I feel that once you've developed a great deal of knowledge on the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) world, you'll be firing this doctor.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Spunkey71]

Thanks...I did mention to my doctor that I would like to split my injection into two injections, he said that we can do that once we get my dosage dialed in. I know my weight is an issue and I will be getting in check very soon.

 

[Megatron28]

part of your problem is the weight brother. Being heavy can cause decrease in energy and fatigue. I'm not trying to be rude my friend but over weight individuals usually don't have much energy. Yea low T but i can almost put money down that your T levels wouldn't have been that low if you were at a healthy weight and worked out regularly. Get a personal trainer and a nutritional coach. That accompanied by your testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is all you can really do. A lot of it is mental as well brother. Fight through it. Make it a must. You deserve to look better and feel better.
Best of luck.

Frank: I most always like your posts. I think the one after this one was great advice and motivating. This one seemed judgmental.

Regardless of how healthy a BMI someone has, he is not going to have much energy or feel very good with a Total Test level below 100 for a prolonged period of time. And we all know that guys with Low T pack the fat on.

Of course it is circular - I know that. The extra weight and poor diet and who knows what other co-morbidities may exist have contributing to lowering his TT. But don't forget that if he had healthy TT levels this whole time that he would probably feel and look different. We don't even know the cause of his hypogonadism. Maybe he became Primary in a youth skiing accident where he ran into a tree.

And true, a lot of it is "mental" and fighting through it. But I remember when my TT was a little below 200 not too long ago. I wanted to sleep after fighting through it all day at work. I was spent. It took everything I had to make it through work every day without falling asleep, being grumpy and focusing through the brain fog. I didn't even have the energy to have sex with my beautiful wife more than once every couple of weeks at best let alone go to the gym. I can't imagine how awful it must feel to be below 100.

I'm just saying we don't know this guy's life story. Let's not be so quick to judge. He has already acknowledged on his own that he needs to make some changes. Your second post gave him some great advice on how to make those changes.

I'll get of my soapbox now.

 

[Megatron28]

Thanks...I did mention to my doctor that I would like to split my injection into two injections, he said that we can do that once we get my dosage dialed in. I know my weight is an issue and I will be getting in check very soon.

Do you self inject? If so, you can split your doses without telling him as long as the pharmacy will supply you with enough needles. I asked for a box of 100 since it is cheaper and they gave me one. Your doc shouldn't care. You are using the same amount of Test in a week's time.

Just remember it took a long time to put all that weight on. It will take a long time to take it off too. Just try to have realistic expectations. The first thing is to get your TT back to a healthy level so you can start feeling better. You are going like having you T in the 800-1100 range! You will feel like you are 17 again.

 

[frank.tb]

Frank: I most always like your posts. I think the one after this one was great advice and motivating. This one seemed judgmental.

Regardless of how healthy a BMI someone has, he is not going to have much energy or feel very good with a Total Test level below 100 for a prolonged period of time. And we all know that guys with Low T pack the fat on.

Of course it is circular - I know that. The extra weight and poor diet and who knows what other co-morbidities may exist have contributing to lowering his TT. But don't forget that if he had healthy TT levels this whole time that he would probably feel and look different. We don't even know the cause of his hypogonadism. Maybe he became Primary in a youth skiing accident where he ran into a tree.


And true, a lot of it is "mental" and fighting through it. But I remember when my TT was a little below 200 not too long ago. I wanted to sleep after fighting through it all day at work. I was spent. It took everything I had to make it through work every day without falling asleep, being grumpy and focusing through the brain fog. I didn't even have the energy to have sex with my beautiful wife more than once every couple of weeks at best let alone go to the gym. I can't imagine how awful it must feel to be below 100.

I'm just saying we don't know this guy's life story. Let's not be so quick to judge. He has already acknowledged on his own that he needs to make some changes. Your second post gave him some great advice on how to make those changes.

I'll get of my soapbox now.

Lol I understand what you mean...that's why I posted the second post...to be a little more positive/encouraging. Was trying to be positive without sugar coating it lol.
And yes low T makes it that much.harder.
Thanks for the compliment though.

Best of luck Spunky...no disrespect was intended. We all start somewhere and we all have our struggles.

 

[Spunkey71]

I truly appreciate everyones advide, I am a big boy and can handle all advice even if it is harsh, maybe if I had received some of that harsh advice in the past I would not be in the condition I am in now.

It is funny, since I have learned about my low T I have spent a lot of time in reflection trying to determine when things started to change for me and I beleive I have narrowed it down to about 6 years ago. I am not quite sure what my underlining cause for this could be but at that point in my life I was in a very unpleasent marriage and was starting the process of a very nasty and bitter divorce and my ex wife made a point to let me know how much she hated me for divorcing her daily. I know that I went into a very deep depression seeing my money and marriage disappear and my life not turning out as planned. Not a sob story but i can pinpoint the change in my energy levels and everything else. I have put on 150 pounds since my divorce 3 years ago so everything makes sense now.

When I was in college (started at age 25 qand graduated at age 30) I was very into working out and was a solid 205 with a 8% body fat, three months after graduating in 2001 I was in an accident and shattered my ankle and had to have two surgeries over a 6 month period and spend a year and a half in a cast and then another year in a walking boot learning how to walk again. I went from a very active person to being almost completely sedatary for almost 2 1/2 year and put on about 80 pounds.


I do appreciate everyone input and I hope to learn from you all.

 

[Spunkey71]

Do you self inject? If so, you can split your doses without telling him as long as the pharmacy will supply you with enough needles. I asked for a box of 100 since it is cheaper and they gave me one. Your doc shouldn't care. You are using the same amount of Test in a week's time.


I do not self inject and when I asked my doctor if I could he told me no, his policy is to adminaster all injections, he did tell me he would prescribe me the gel if I desired but I am not keen on that idea. I told my doctor that my research has suggested that splitting up injections in the week keeps levels consistent and he said that there are many that think that way but he feels that once a week is fine since Test has a half life of 7-10 days.

I am lucky, my insurance pays for everything and I only pay a $10 co-pay when I go in for injections so I pay a total of $40 a month.

 

[71Avido]

[ I told my doctor that my research has suggested that splitting up injections in the week keeps levels consistent and he said that there are many that think that way but he feels that once a week is fine since Test has a half life of 7-10 days.

Not all test is created equal, there are different esters.
For reference, these are the half-lifes of various esters:
- Acetate 3 days
- cypionate 12 days
- decanoate 15 days
- enanthate 10.5 days
- Hexanoate 9 days
- Phenylpropionate 4.5 days
- propionate 2 days
- undecanoate 16.5 days

More than likely, you have cypionate if you're in the US.

http://www.steroidology.com/forum/a...6-steroid-esters-explanation-preferences.html

 

[frank.tb]

I truly appreciate everyones advide, I am a big boy and can handle all advice even if it is harsh, maybe if I had received some of that harsh advice in the past I would not be in the condition I am in now.

It is funny, since I have learned about my low T I have spent a lot of time in reflection trying to determine when things started to change for me and I beleive I have narrowed it down to about 6 years ago. I am not quite sure what my underlining cause for this could be but at that point in my life I was in a very unpleasent marriage and was starting the process of a very nasty and bitter divorce and my ex wife made a point to let me know how much she hated me for divorcing her daily. I know that I went into a very deep depression seeing my money and marriage disappear and my life not turning out as planned. Not a sob story but i can pinpoint the change in my energy levels and everything else. I have put on 150 pounds since my divorce 3 years ago so everything makes sense now.

When I was in college (started at age 25 qand graduated at age 30) I was very into working out and was a solid 205 with a 8% body fat, three months after graduating in 2001 I was in an accident and shattered my ankle and had to have two surgeries over a 6 month period and spend a year and a half in a cast and then another year in a walking boot learning how to walk again. I went from a very active person to being almost completely sedatary for almost 2 1/2 year and put on about 80 pounds.


I do appreciate everyone input and I hope to learn from you all.

Damn brother sorry to hear that...guess it started as mental fatigue and moved to physical...
Well hope you can learn as much as possible, and learn that your doc needs to.change his ways or need to find a new testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) Dr. Yes the Half-Life is about a week but it peaked about day 3 and drops from there.
So pinning every 3.5 days is the way to keep the most stable blood levels.
And pinning it yourself would make it a lot easier and the only reason his "policy" is that he administers the shots is so he can get you in the office and charge you/insurance company.
It's extremely.inconvenient for you to go every week to get a shot. That's absurd.
Well I hope you can get the best out of the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and just take it little by little. Baby steps...you've already taken the first one, now just take another my friend.
Don't start doin crazy workouts.you read in a magazine...
Start 4 times a week of 20min resistance training (weights/machines) followed by 20 to 30 mins of light cardio. Then progress, add weight, more cardio little by little. Takes time.
Many people eat too little and work too hard and just destroy their energy levels and it backfires.
They focus on weight loss in the gym. Weight loss comes from the diet! Abs are made in the kitchen is a popular quote I like to use.
Best of luck my friend.

Keep asking questions and making threads. You will get answers!

 

[Spunkey71]

Not all test is created equal, there are different esters.
For reference, these are the half-lifes of various esters:
- Acetate 3 days
- cypionate 12 days
- decanoate 15 days
- enanthate 10.5 days
- Hexanoate 9 days
- Phenylpropionate 4.5 days
- propionate 2 days
- undecanoate 16.5 days

More than likely, you have cypionate if you're in the US.

steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/654136-steroid-esters-explanation-preferences.html

Yes I am on Test cypionate, I agree that self injecting twice a week is ideal. Once I get my test level where I desire I will look for a new doctor that will prescribe me what I need so I can self inject.

 

[Spunkey71]

Damn brother sorry to hear that...guess it started as mental fatigue and moved to physical...
Well hope you can learn as much as possible, and learn that your doc needs to.change his ways or need to find a new testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) Dr. Yes the Half-Life is about a week but it peaked about day 3 and drops from there.
So pinning every 3.5 days is the way to keep the most stable blood levels.
And pinning it yourself would make it a lot easier and the only reason his "policy" is that he administers the shots is so he can get you in the office and charge you/insurance company.
It's extremely.inconvenient for you to go every week to get a shot. That's absurd.
Well I hope you can get the best out of the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and just take it little by little. Baby steps...you've already taken the first one, now just take another my friend.
Don't start doin crazy workouts.you read in a magazine...
Start 4 times a week of 20min resistance training (weights/machines) followed by 20 to 30 mins of light cardio. Then progress, add weight, more cardio little by little. Takes time.
Many people eat too little and work too hard and just destroy their energy levels and it backfires.
They focus on weight loss in the gym. Weight loss comes from the diet! Abs are made in the kitchen is a popular quote I like to use.
Best of luck my friend.

Keep asking questions and making threads. You will get answers!

Thanks I appreciate it, yes I know that the diet will be the key and it is something that I am going to get under control, I have started to weed out some things this week such as soda and all sweets. In the past I would have at least one if not two large sodas a day plus I liked my ice cream and cand bars, that has all been cut out this week. Next week I will start by cutting out all fried foods and within a few weeks I will be ready to eat completely clean and cook all my meals in order to eat 506 times a day.

As for the gym, well I know it has only been a few weeks since I started my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) but I am killing it in the gym, working out like I did in my early 20's, very intense with a lot of weight and I am loving every bit of it. I also am putting in 20 minutes of cardio with my heart rate at a constant 140 beats per minute.

My T level is only up to 250 so I can just imagine what things will be like when I get it up to around 800.

 

[frank.tb]

Thanks I appreciate it, yes I know that the diet will be the key and it is something that I am going to get under control, I have started to weed out some things this week such as soda and all sweets. In the past I would have at least one if not two large sodas a day plus I liked my ice cream and cand bars, that has all been cut out this week. Next week I will start by cutting out all fried foods and within a few weeks I will be ready to eat completely clean and cook all my meals in order to eat 506 times a day.

As for the gym, well I know it has only been a few weeks since I started my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) but I am killing it in the gym, working out like I did in my early 20's, very intense with a lot of weight and I am loving every bit of it. I also am putting in 20 minutes of cardio with my heart rate at a constant 140 beats per minute.

My T level is only up to 250 so I can just imagine what things will be like when I get it up to around 800.

Good to hear brother! Keep it up!