trt alternatives

[Archimedes]

It's my first post here, and I wanted to give a heartfelt thanks as the education here is unparalleled to anything else on the web. I've listened to Dr. Scally webcast and now I'm reading his book. I started TRT 2 weeks ago, however I'm really rethinking everything now. However the core issue of low T remains and I'm frustrated to be stalled into inaction.

A few stats, 38 5'11 175 19% BF. Train with a trainer 4x week. Use to be a runner then got into kickboxing, crossfit. Got hurt in crossfit, took some time off and switched to BB and started feeling run down all the time. Looked into the low T as sure enough...

FSH and LH
LH 2.7 mIU/mL 1.7 ? 8.6 01
FSH 4.2 mIU/mL 1.5 ? 12.4 01
Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 297 Low ng/dL 348 ? 1197 01
Free Testosterone(Direct) 10.9 pg/mL 8.7 ? 25.1 02
Prostate?Specific Ag, Serum
Prostate Specific Ag, Serum 0.7 ng/mL 0.0 ? 4.0 01

I know there was a bit of a similar post , however I feel as I'm in a bit of a different situation as I'm coming up on 40. I'm currently on 100mg test cyp and 250 IU HCG 2x week. Is there another option I should be looking at before I get too far down the path? Is this a legit issue at my age or did I get caught up in some hype? Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[swole4ever]

It's my first post here, and I wanted to give a heartfelt thanks as the education here is unparalleled to anything else on the web. I've listened to Dr. Scally webcast and now I'm reading his book. I started TRT 2 weeks ago, however I'm really rethinking everything now. However the core issue of low T remains and I'm frustrated to be stalled into inaction.

A few stats, 38 5'11 175 19% BF. Train with a trainer 4x week. Use to be a runner then got into kickboxing, crossfit. Got hurt in crossfit, took some time off and switched to BB and started feeling run down all the time. Looked into the low T as sure enough...

FSH and LH
LH 2.7 mIU/mL 1.7 ? 8.6 01
FSH 4.2 mIU/mL 1.5 ? 12.4 01
Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 297 Low ng/dL 348 ? 1197 01
Free Testosterone(Direct) 10.9 pg/mL 8.7 ? 25.1 02
Prostate?Specific Ag, Serum
Prostate Specific Ag, Serum 0.7 ng/mL 0.0 ? 4.0 01

I know there was a bit of a similar post , however I feel as I'm in a bit of a different situation as I'm coming up on 40. I'm currently on 100mg test cyp and 250 IU HCG 2x week. Is there another option I should be looking at before I get too far down the path? Is this a legit issue at my age or did I get caught up in some hype? Any insight would be appreciated.

I definitely know how it feels to have low-T. About two years ago I started feeling tired all the time, no energy or desire to do anything on weekends. This went on for a whole year until I spoke with my nutritionist. He advised me to check my T. When I checked it the number were a little over 300, two years before that my numbers were about 550. I felt very disappointed and frustrated. For the last two years in the gym I saw no results at all, now I knew the reason why. I was in kind of a denial stage where I thought to myself this cannot happen to me.

Unfortunately as I did more research what I was experiencing was the side effects of getting older. Remember, all the chemicals that we eat in our foods, the aspartame, the sodas, the preservatives we consume daily only makes our bodies suffer more. No one out there is going to look out for your health like you will for yourself. I also do trt and I am in my late 40's. I saw a doctor and she allowed me to do what I wanted, I then started getting my own gear and just started doing it myself because of cost.

I have an uncle who is in his late 80's, he has more lean muscle mass than I do (I am 210) he is healthier than I am, he has more cardio endurance than I do. When you look at him his face tells his age, but whenever he takes off his shirt he has the body of a young man. This is one guy who always lived off the land. He grew his own food, he drank filtered rain water, he even showered in the rain water. Sometimes I would stay with him on weekends and I never liked the taste of rain water.

To make a long story short, as long as we keep eating the garbage they provide for us at a cheaper price we will always be sick. Eating good is expensive, but it is very beneficial in your future.

Personally I don't know of any alternatives, GOD just made the body that way. You will see all the fads about how to raise your T naturally, I look at them as what they are, just a money making scheme. Doing trt is just a way to give us back that pep in our step.

Good luck in your findings, but always be suspicious about stuff like that. Kind of like the fad diets...

 

[lucabratzi]

I'm sure there are alternatives yet few doctors are aware. I'm sure there's more educated members here but I've heard people doin just hcg to boost test.

If all else fails and you still have low t don't worry to much. It's not the end of the world. I have low 300 range and I make better gains than most people. I'm also only 28. But I'm not worried.

If you do decide to do trt, understand it's not a cure to low t but a bandaid. In order to keep t levels up you need to stay on the shots. Once you come off it goes down again.

 

[Archimedes]

Thanks guys, I think you made me realize I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. I think I'm going to hold off on TRT until it becomes a bit more problematic down the road.

 

[TheWall]

To make a long story short, as long as we keep eating the garbage they provide for us at a cheaper price we will always be sick. Eating good is expensive, but it is very beneficial in your future.

This! I've come to this conclusion myself. I am 39 and started having symptoms when I was 37. I've been on TRT for just over 1 year. The food, the preservatives, the chemicals...all of it. As a father, my wife and I were careful to get BPA free bottles/plates for the kids. Nasty stuff and no we didn't have BPA free when I grew up. I am convinced all of this has sabotaged my system and that certain people are more susceptible. So far, both my brothers do not suffer from this and they eat worse than I do!

We switched the whole family to Whole Foods. We've always eaten well, home cooked meals, lots of water and few nasties, but just looking at the labels on foods in the regular grocery store is an eye opener. Even the things you think are healthy.

From the doctors I talked to when I was deciding on treatment, there is little that can be done from a natural perspective once T production is gone.

 

[EnduroPro]

A lot of us here are in the same situation. My story reads just like Swole's. The whole damn country is being emasculated. Its literally, 'in the water.' There are guys here who can look at your numbers and make some good suggestions. I'm not one of 'em. But there is an incredible amount of information here in old post. I imagine everything you would need to know to make an informed decision would be in Scally's book but I've yet to read it so I don't know. I was 1.5 yrs into TRT before I found this site and in hindsight, I wish I had tried hcg FIRST and gone totally chemical free just to see if production could get back on track. With that said, trt is a helluva lot better than the 'low t' life.
What is your doc's rationale for prescribing test and hcg together?

 

[Archimedes]

I pushed for the HCG, since the TRT only boards I started off in were insistent about it. My Doctor said I didn't need it since I have kids. When I seemed really uncomfortable with that stance he acquiesced. He seemed to have a struggling practice in a bad section of town, so he went back a forth though going through the motions and warning me not to try to sneak anything in.

The guys running into problems in year two or three is what worried me, since there was no plan B, and now they were in a seriously bad way. Also I didn't understand why so many people were quitting after one year on those boards. I've been on for three weeks and I feel fantastic, but I think I want to try and cycle after listening to Dr. Scally on the subject.

The problem with the cycling part is I wanted to do the TRT thing to be legit since I have a lot to lose. No easy answers I guess, so I'm just trying to learn as much as I can here. After being on TRT and feeling great, I don't want to give up fighting this problem either.