I am 46 years old and began trt 3 years ago after finding that my levels were consistently below 200 and unresponsive to various GNC/vitamin shoppe solutions that many of us turn to first. Usual symptom profile. TRT initiated by endo; unsatisfying results. Since then I have spent hundreds of hours devouring the information on these boards, have experimented, both on an s/a and prescribed basis, the various protocols that long time readers of these boards are familiar with. I've endured the roller coaster ride of 'estrogen management' , bafflement at how I could gain ten pounds of muscle and yet have my stamina so compromised I could scarcely participate in my favorite sport, the discomfiture of seeing sequalae like TRT induced hypothyroidism and then having to take more drugs for that too. Time that I might have spent in more productive activity was absorbed in wondering what drug I needed to add/take away, what dose I needed to increase or decrease- so that I could finally get the right balance, and everything would be cool and I could get on with life. After two years of this I wasn't much better off than where I started.
I came to two conclusions.
1) I used to avidly read what the more frequent contributors to these boards had to say; after all they are the most knowledgeable and experienced consumers. I realized, though, that if after several years a person is still obsessed with his regimen, posting endless lab results and scrutinizing every micro-symptom, tinkering with this and consulting with the doctor on that, then ITS NOT WORKING. Or rather, it may be working for them, but it would be far from satisfying for me. I decided that, whatever they were doing, I would not do that.
2) the only thing I could find that few people were doing was the sub q injection protocol used by some clinics in Canada. I do undertsand that one of the more well known TRT 'progressive' Md's also utilizes subq injections, but it seemed to me so buried in complication and controversy that I found it simpler to look to the controlled studies on the programs in Canada for guidance.
What I ended up doing, and what began working correctly almost from the start, was to begin TRT via eod subq injections to my abdomen. Total is about 55-60 mg per week, about half of what I was taking on most other protocols. T is usually in low 500's. E is in low 20's. Its been a year since I took arimidex or aromasin or DIM or any of that garbage. Sometimes I take a smidge of pregnenolone but I don't really know if its needed or not. A multivitamin, when I remember.
No DHEA, thank you. Earlier this year I won my age class in a 12 hour bike race, so I guess my stamina is ok. Sexually I can perform like a very healthy 46 year old man. I am happy. I get labs if my prescribing doc requires it; I no longer have to bolt over to AnyLabTest Now! because I feel like death and am hoping another blood draw will show why.
Anyway, this will probably be the only time I ever post. Please don't feel dismissed or slighted if this was not your experienced, nor am I suggesting that what I do would work for anyone else but me.
I do think it reasonable to suppose, however, that guys who do TRT with satisfying results and then just get on with their lives probably do not post as much, if at all. I'd decided if I myself ever got to that point, I'd post about it once and then move on.
Thanks for your attention-
Gerry
Ps- i've never experienced the complications that are associated with using subq injections with an oil-based ester (I usually use test-e), not once. I even use the same syringe for a week's worth of injections. That's about two hundred injections so far, never a lump, never an itch, never an abcess, for god's sake.
I came to two conclusions.
1) I used to avidly read what the more frequent contributors to these boards had to say; after all they are the most knowledgeable and experienced consumers. I realized, though, that if after several years a person is still obsessed with his regimen, posting endless lab results and scrutinizing every micro-symptom, tinkering with this and consulting with the doctor on that, then ITS NOT WORKING. Or rather, it may be working for them, but it would be far from satisfying for me. I decided that, whatever they were doing, I would not do that.
2) the only thing I could find that few people were doing was the sub q injection protocol used by some clinics in Canada. I do undertsand that one of the more well known TRT 'progressive' Md's also utilizes subq injections, but it seemed to me so buried in complication and controversy that I found it simpler to look to the controlled studies on the programs in Canada for guidance.
What I ended up doing, and what began working correctly almost from the start, was to begin TRT via eod subq injections to my abdomen. Total is about 55-60 mg per week, about half of what I was taking on most other protocols. T is usually in low 500's. E is in low 20's. Its been a year since I took arimidex or aromasin or DIM or any of that garbage. Sometimes I take a smidge of pregnenolone but I don't really know if its needed or not. A multivitamin, when I remember.
No DHEA, thank you. Earlier this year I won my age class in a 12 hour bike race, so I guess my stamina is ok. Sexually I can perform like a very healthy 46 year old man. I am happy. I get labs if my prescribing doc requires it; I no longer have to bolt over to AnyLabTest Now! because I feel like death and am hoping another blood draw will show why.
Anyway, this will probably be the only time I ever post. Please don't feel dismissed or slighted if this was not your experienced, nor am I suggesting that what I do would work for anyone else but me.
I do think it reasonable to suppose, however, that guys who do TRT with satisfying results and then just get on with their lives probably do not post as much, if at all. I'd decided if I myself ever got to that point, I'd post about it once and then move on.
Thanks for your attention-
Gerry
Ps- i've never experienced the complications that are associated with using subq injections with an oil-based ester (I usually use test-e), not once. I even use the same syringe for a week's worth of injections. That's about two hundred injections so far, never a lump, never an itch, never an abcess, for god's sake.
