Like many of you, I’ve been suffering from low T symptoms which have been steadily getting worse over the past 10 years (weight gain, hard to lose fat, moodiness, loss of motivation and declining libido). Last week I decided to do something about it, got my labs, and saw a doc today. I have a few questions but first my labs and other info:
- LH 2.2 (1.7-8.6)
- Test (serum) - 450 (348-1197)
- Test (free) - 8.1 (6.8-21.5)
Got a bunch of other numbers but unfortunately no estradiol (I will request it next time). Early 40s and 220 lbs @ 25% BF. Used to lift a lot but stopped 7 months ago. Last 8 years or so has been incredibly high stress but I’ve made some changes and my stress levels are much lower now. Also, I was having a few drinks every day for the past year or so. Obviously not a healthy choice.
I started lifting again a few days ago, cleaned up my diet, and stopped with the drinking. I know I have to make a change and I will.
I tried TRT seven years ago with an anti-aging clinic. They put me on HCG which resulted in massively reduced body fat (30 lbs) and increased muscle mass. Cholesterol and blood pressure dropped to healthy ranges. It was great except that my libido dropped to nothing. I suggested an AI but the doc told me to not worry about it so I stopped seeing him (and stopped TRT, too).
Visited a doc today. He put me on Test Cyp 100ml 1x/week, 250 IU HCG 2x/week, and .5 mg 1x/week. From what I’m reading, this seems like a good starting point.
Finally, here are my questions:
- He prescribed two sets of needles. 1ml 5/16" 30 gauge and 1ml 1" 23 gauge. Which needle do I use with each med?
- Does the test cyp go intramuscular in the glutes or can I inject in my stomach fat (like HCG - which I’ve done before).
- How long should I expect to wait before I notice changes in libido?
- My labs didn’t include any estrogen which seems nuts to me. Should I insist on them next time or can I just dial in the AI by how I feel?
Sorry if these are dumb questions but figured it would be smarter to ask them than just guess.
Thanks