How do you increase single digit SHBG levels?

[GainV]

My SHBH is in the gutter, I was wondering why I was feeling shitty recently even on a test cruise and added hcg - although it may be many different things, I did remember my SHBG was in the single digits after Cycling off and on orals and just continuing on my 250mg/week testosterone without PCT.

I'm currently getting massive anxiety and don't feel at all as if I'm running 250 a week.

I'd rather not hop off the Testosterone at the moment to PCT as I need it during a bit of a rough patch at the moment.

What have you done to raise up your SHBG levels? I know asking here would be the best option as people here have a wealth of knowledge on the subject compared to other spots like reddit. Thank you, I appreciate any help that I can get.

 

[Jin23]

I'm currently getting massive anxiety and don't feel at all as if I'm running 250 a week.

A drug is severely hindering your mental wellbeing and you're here trying to fiddle your way around some shbg number?

Reduce the dose. Free androgens is what maters in the end - not some arbitrary TT number. If your shbg is crushed you are effectively doubling, quadrupling, or whatever, your free T numbers as compared to something more normal, ie. 30 - 40. So if you wanted to cruise at 250 with a shbg of 30, then it's the same if you cruise at 150 with a shbg of 5. Not reall numbers, just an example.

Shbg is hard to elevate, especially if androgen excess is involved. What's making you anxious is all the excess excitatory neurotransmission from prolonged high androgens. Shbg isn't anxiolytic, it just lowers the free androgen index, which you can do by yourself vis a vie a lower injection bolus

But if you want to elevate shbg you can try antiepileptics; lamotrigine, gabapentin, pregabalin ... All would serve you well via lowering excitatory neurotransmittion and anxiety, alleviating stress and elevating shbg. However idk how effective they are at achieving this when a high androgen load is in question.

 

[Eddie.]

A drug is severely hindering your mental wellbeing and you're here trying to fiddle your way around some shbg number?

Reduce the dose. Free androgens is what maters in the end - not some arbitrary TT number. If your shbg is crushed you are effectively doubling, quadrupling, or whatever, your free T numbers as compared to something more normal, ie. 30 - 40. So if you wanted to cruise at 250 with a shbg of 30, then it's the same if you cruise at 150 with a shbg of 5. Not reall numbers, just an example.

Shbg is hard to elevate, especially if androgen excess is involved. What's making you anxious is all the excess excitatory neurotransmission from prolonged high androgens. Shbg isn't anxiolytic, it just lowers the free androgen index, which you can do by yourself vis a vie a lower injection bolus

But if you want to elevate shbg you can try antiepileptics; lamotrigine, gabapentin, pregabalin ... All would serve you well via lowering excitatory neurotransmittion and anxiety, alleviating stress and elevating shbg. However idk how effective they are at achieving this when a high androgen load is in question.

Nice post man. Would a serm for a while help? Fasting for couple days? Inject his (whatever lowered amount of) test in one bolus per week? If I'm not mistaken all these things contribute, but to what extent is unknown. Perhaps he'll raise it slightly, but most likely he won't go from single digit to 40 if he won't come off and PCT.

 

[GainV]

A drug is severely hindering your mental wellbeing and you're here trying to fiddle your way around some shbg number?

Reduce the dose. Free androgens is what maters in the end - not some arbitrary TT number. If your shbg is crushed you are effectively doubling, quadrupling, or whatever, your free T numbers as compared to something more normal, ie. 30 - 40. So if you wanted to cruise at 250 with a shbg of 30, then it's the same if you cruise at 150 with a shbg of 5. Not reall numbers, just an example.

Shbg is hard to elevate, especially if androgen excess is involved. What's making you anxious is all the excess excitatory neurotransmission from prolonged high androgens. Shbg isn't anxiolytic, it just lowers the free androgen index, which you can do by yourself vis a vie a lower injection bolus

But if you want to elevate shbg you can try antiepileptics; lamotrigine, gabapentin, pregabalin ... All would serve you well via lowering excitatory neurotransmittion and anxiety, alleviating stress and elevating shbg. However idk how effective they are at achieving this when a high androgen load is in question.

I do appreciate the reply a lot, I'm definitely going to lower my dosage soon. I was at 250mg for probably a year but the last 2 months I've dropped it to around 200mg/week, I tried to lower my dosage to around 150/week but started feeling shitty, I'm going to try and deal with the lower dosage at 150mg/week and keep that for awhile. Hopefully lowering my excitatory neurotransmitters and overtime lower the fight flight feelings and anxiousness I've been having. I don't think I was being really truthful to myself about my dosages/ignored my health but glad I got this response to check myself a bit.

 

[Jin23]

I do appreciate the reply a lot, I'm definitely going to lower my dosage soon. I was at 250mg for probably a year but the last 2 months I've dropped it to around 200mg/week, I tried to lower my dosage to around 150/week but started feeling shitty, I'm going to try and deal with the lower dosage at 150mg/week and keep that for awhile. Hopefully lowering my excitatory neurotransmitters and overtime lower the fight flight feelings and anxiousness I've been having. I don't think I was being really truthful to myself about my dosages/ignored my health but glad I got this response to check myself a bit.

I know very well brother how it is to ride that on feeling. It's hard to get off, even if it starts negatively affecting your life / mental wellbeing.

Re lowered dosages: it's only natural that you feel "off" for a certain amount of time. It's like using any other substance which elevates dopamine - you'll experience withdrawal symptoms until your system re-sensitizes to normal levels of neurotransmitters. Which happens in multitude of ways but most notably: receptor re-sensitization / expression. But with androgens as they affect not only neurotransmitters but also basically everything there is, you'll also experience other issues; from lowered free T3 levels (and T3 is pretty dopaminergic - feel good also), changes in the mineral corticoid system, metabolic/energy changes, heck even mitochondria are regulated somewhat via aas. So yes, it's fairly natural that you feel "off" when you come down to normal levels.

Having constant high androgen levels is quite unhealthy as brain morphology changes and some things are permanent, like for instance the vasopressin issues, also related to anxiety. And not to mention the prolonged neurological stress; look up on pubmed what prolonged stress does to the brain. Lowers serotonin via increased presynaptic 5HT1a receptors, dysregulates the HPA axis, shrinks the hippocampus, etc., etc. It basically puts you in depression in the long run.

If you are experiencing anxiety, that's a real good heuristic measure that your brain is under stress and you need to change something. It's not a headache but it is a good measure of stress which will result in a slew of other issues. So, to put it simply: anxiety = brain under stress. Elevated liver enzymes might be a good analogy to anxiety ...

 

[Jin23]

Nice post man. Would a serm for a while help? Fasting for couple days? Inject his (whatever lowered amount of) test in one bolus per week? If I'm not mistaken all these things contribute, but to what extent is unknown. Perhaps he'll raise it slightly, but most likely he won't go from single digit to 40 if he won't come off and PCT.

Serm's do somewhat elevate shbg but I'm not the right address on unnecessary polypharmacy. Serm's bring their own issues to the table which shouldn't be neglected and the elevations in shbg aren't that great either ...

Fasting helps sure, but if androgens aren't lowered, ... you can't just keep on fasting right. Having better insulin sensitivity helps too as insulin suppresses shbg production so either dieting down or using some sort of a GDA like metformin or maybe GLP's (not sure on this one as glp's do raise post prandial insulin ...) can help. Ofc as you mentioned injection frequency does have an impact yes. I haven't looked this one up yet, but maybe using a really long ester for your trt like undecanoate can help.

 

[Studious69]

I know very well brother how it is to ride that on feeling. It's hard to get off, even if it starts negatively affecting your life / mental wellbeing.

Re lowered dosages: it's only natural that you feel "off" for a certain amount of time. It's like using any other substance which elevates dopamine - you'll experience withdrawal symptoms until your system re-sensitizes to normal levels of neurotransmitters. Which happens in multitude of ways but most notably: receptor re-sensitization / expression. But with androgens as they affect not only neurotransmitters but also basically everything there is, you'll also experience other issues; from lowered free T3 levels (and T3 is pretty dopaminergic - feel good also), changes in the mineral corticoid system, metabolic/energy changes, heck even mitochondria are regulated somewhat via aas. So yes, it's fairly natural that you feel "off" when you come down to normal levels.

Having constant high androgen levels is quite unhealthy as brain morphology changes and some things are permanent, like for instance the vasopressin issues, also related to anxiety. And not to mention the prolonged neurological stress; look up on pubmed what prolonged stress does to the brain. Lowers serotonin via increased presynaptic 5HT1a receptors, dysregulates the HPA axis, shrinks the hippocampus, etc., etc. It basically puts you in depression in the long run.

If you are experiencing anxiety, that's a real good heuristic measure that your brain is under stress and you need to change something. It's not a headache but it is a good measure of stress which will result in a slew of other issues. So, to put it simply: anxiety = brain under stress. Elevated liver enzymes might be a good analogy to anxiety ...

Great info here brother. I’ve always been interested in the neurological implication & effects from AAS. Most notable the dopaminergic or gabaergic effects from them. I think the gabapentin or pregabalin recommendation is probably appropriate here but be cautious OP, I believe they’re mildly* habit forming. Nothing like benzodiazepines in my experience that is a terrible, terrible dependence and addiction. I think GABA (main inhibitory neurotransmitter in humans) is utilized in like 30% of all synapses. That’s one neurotransmitter system and circuit you don’t wanna fuck with. You know for the longest time forum knowledge or logic was that to lower SHBG was to increase free T which can then make its way to where it’s most wanted or needed, for our purposes. New science and knowledge doesn’t necessarily negate that totally but essentially dictates that SHBG-bound testosterone is also beneficial exerting its effects on a type of shbg receptor complex. What’s your opinion on this? Do you think shbg “holds it hostage” or that it’s necessary for binding to occur, thus creating another anabolic pathway?

 

[Greenbay68]

Lower dose, but higher injection frequency! Daily if possible.

 

[ohitsroy]

Lower dose, but higher injection frequency! Daily if possible.

Lower dose yes, but you want to lower your injection frequency, so you get more of an influx in estradiol

 

[ohitsroy]

What I’ve done in the past is ran HCG 1,000iu 3x weekly for a few weeks

 

[1Megaman]

What I’ve done in the past is ran HCG 1,000iu 3x weekly for a few weeks

This will raise SHBG? mine was low on my last blood tests too.

 

[ohitsroy]

This will raise SHBG? mine was low on my last blood tests too.

Yes, there’s the HCG route and you can also go the t3 t4 route.

When you got bloods done were you on cycle or a cruise

 

[1Megaman]

Yes, there’s the HCG route and you can also go the t3 t4 route.

When you got bloods done were you on cycle or a cruise

Just came off a blast.

 

[Greenbay68]

Lower dose yes, but you want to lower your injection frequency, so you get more of an influx in estradiol

I disagree. the body lowers the SHBG because it senses large levels and or large peaks in hormones, so it attempts to flush the test out by lowering SHBG. If his prime goal is raising SHBG, getting rid of the peaks is the answer.

Going by his numbers above, I bet if he went from 250 once per week to 175 but ED (25mg per day), his SHBG would recover, and his estradiol and test would be right in the slot.