Mid-30s male beginning TRT for the first time and my doctor prescribed me 180mg test-c per week (no AI). I’m planning on injecting EOD to manage E2. I opted to not take HCG for a variety of reasons.
After reading around on here, I’m wondering if this dose is to high to start with?
How big a fella are you? It might be high, it might not be. No good predictor but personally, I prefer to come in a little low and step up. It’s easier on you than waiting on half-lives to taper down.
Most here take around 100mg/week to get to upper normal ranges. The more you take the more sides you’ll have to deal with. I’m on 180mg/week which puts my total T around 2k, free T 37, and E2 77. It took a while for my body to get used to that dose. If I had to do it again I’d likely start at 120mg and get bloods to see where it puts me. I’m going to drop down to 120mg soon myself just to see what the difference feels like. For me higher doses equal high blood pressure and worse sleep. I started on 220mg and it was way too much for normal everyday use. If your body fat percentage isn’t ideal you’ll likely have more estrogen sides at the higher doses. I’ve noticed personally that 180mg when I was at a higher body fat percentage felt way worse than it does now that I have less body fat.
I do subQ daily but will be going to IM shots after reading other people’s experiences. Sometimes you just have to try things and figure out what works best for you.
Thanks for this detailed response. I’m 5’10’', 160 lbs and mid-teens bf %, so guessing I’ll have ok aromatization. But I guess the only way to know is to try it out and see how my body responds. I might start out a bit lower maybe 160mg/wk and check bloods after 6 weeks to see if I’m ok.
Any other ways to mitigate E2 besides more frequent injections? You said your E2 is 77 w/ 180mg/wk - isn’t this very high? Do you have any other side effects at this level besides the high BP and sleep you mentioned?
I don’t have any sides currently but it took about 3 months for my body to get accustomed to the dose. There isn’t going to be a big difference in muscle gain between 120 and 180mg so you are better off starting low. I’m one the many people that foolishly subscribe to more is better but when it comes to TRT that isn’t necessarily true. After a certain dose your body will convert the extra T to E. My personal opinion is start with less and you can always increase in small increments if needed. I’ve read countless accounts of people getting started at 200mg that eventually went to 100mg and felt better and had more energy. I’m in midst of some big life changes which is the only reason I haven’t switched to the lower dose already. In a couple months once my life is more stable and less chaotic (new city, new job, etc) I’ll try out 120mg. I feel good at 180mg but there is definitely room for improvement. I can always switch back.
The best way to mitigate E2 is to not take more T than needed.
You’re more than likely going to need daily injections to manage E2, your pre-TRT E2 is already at the upper end with Total T only 200, this is a lot of aromatization. I’m 32% BF and have E2 at 30 with a Total T in the low 400’s.
When I went from an EOD protocol to an ED protocol, E2 dropped dramatically!
systemlord , I continue to see you say your 32% bf , are you not doing cardio or watching your diet , not saying in a dickehead way ….but you’ve been on your protocol for a while . why are you not closer to 20% by now etc …… just curious is all as I was high bf when starting mid 20’s % but have def lowered since starting trt
Given how low you are, I think you’ll be fine. About 85% of the guys on TRT in the non internet world take 150-200mg once a week. More than half do not use aromatase inhibitors. You’ll see a disproportionate number of guys on the internet using multiple doses per week, various protocols with hCG and anastrozole, and dealing with other issues. These are guys who have not responded well to the typical program.
I take 200mg once weekly, have been for six years. Recent labs had me at 920 total, 220 free, 50 E2 and 19 SHBG, which works very well for me.
Whatever you do, give yourself a fair amount of time on any given protocol before switching. Good luck.
I have a yet unknown medical condition causing serious vascular problems in the form of edema in the legs, lungs, abdomen, mouth/gums, and brain causing intermittent hearing loss/tinnitus and vision changes that continues even after stopping TRT.
Now my body is producing testosterone after starting iron supplements and edema meds and feel the same as when on TRT, it may be looking like low testosterone was never my issue since muscles are getting hard, I was very cold intolerant and was freezing cold pre-TRT with perfect thyroid numbers. It’s really starting to look like heart problems.
I have seen more improvement since starting iron supplements and edema medication and stopping TRT.