Can Testosterone Cause Depression?

Hey guys,

I was prescribed trt by my doctor. The dosage was too low and it didn’t work so I took matters into my own hands and started injecting on my own. Around the 500mg mark a week. My testosterone pre TRT and on TRT was around the 350 mark (I’m 19 years old). Now after blasting testosterone on my own it is at 1603 ng/dl.

I got into TRT not to get big or jacked, but because I was suffering erection and sexual issues. My testosterone levels were low anyway. ATM, with testosterone sitting at 1603, still have the same issues as before TRT. I blame my mind for it, I probably have a tough case of performance anxiety. But I dont get a lot of morning wood either, so it makes me think what is it?

Now to cut to the main question, This week I have been super depressed, with lots of suicidal thoughts. Is this a result of an extraordinary high levels of test? Or is it just me? (Maybe I had high hopes for testosterone that it would fix my problems, in which it didn’t and thus I became even more depressed). I have always been a little depressed and into myself but no to this extreme, never.

I’m still 19 as I said, so this is quite a big deal for me.

You need to get tested for: SHBG, Estradiol. Something is happening with that much testosterone you are injecting per week. You probably have sky-high estradiol from excess aromatization.
After that, you need to dial in a proper TRT dosing protocol. Depending on your SHBG level to determine dosing frequency. You should not go above 200mg per week. You need to start at 100mg per week and go from there. Men that need TRT often have other hormone problems, such as Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Insufficiency.

You claim your Testosterone was 350 both before and after TRT. This is not normal. What type of Testosterone ester, dose and how long before you tested? You need to get SHBG tested.

1 Like

No. You have a completely different and undiagnosed problem. Go see a better doctor or a specialist. Or both.

3 Likes

Depression is typically reported in only about 0.5 to 1% of the study population in studies where T is used as a male contraceptive. So its very unlikely, but it has been reported to occur.

Did you get a proper diagnosis? At 19 year old you want to make sure that there is a very good reason to go on TRT and there is nothing else you can do to correct the low T.

500mg is a crazy high dose. You definitly want to speak to a good doc that takes your T levels and your psychological symptoms serious and you definitly want to follow her/his treatment scheme.

4 Likes

These are the results that I did after blasting 500mg for some time. (on this scale, my testosterone was around 9 and 10 before TRT medication and even after it)
I was prescribed Nebido 4ml/1g, 1g every 3 months (Test undecanote).
I searched for the most qualified endocrinologist in my country, had several blood tests of FSH,LH and also a full blood test done, as well as an MRI before getting on TRT. That shit still didnt work, it was only like 70mg/week.
My doctor was helpless, and I got tired of waiting that s why i jumped on the 500mg.

However, I feel regret and would like to go down to maybe 250mg a week of test as a sort of high “trt” dose. Shouldn’t cause too many problems I guess. No point in staying at 500mg imo.

Do you think that i’d be fine if I just lowered dose to 250mg next week (this week i took 500mg), or should I gradually decrease it over time to 250mg? No clue on this whatsoever and need some help.

Thanks for helping.

This is my SHBG before taking my first TRT medication (Nebido)

This is my SHBG after around 6-7 months on TRT (Testosterone levels were still the same)

SHBG levels after my 500mg per week blast, I dont have. How vital would it be at this point? Since I’m gonna go on a 250mg/week as TRT?

Your estrogen levels are double the reference ranges, estrogen levels are closely tied to erection quality, too low or too high and say goodbye to your erections and libido. You also have low SHBG on the lower end only needing about midrange TT levels, you’re way past the mark that is needed to relief symptoms of low testosterone.

Im my case excess testosterone can cause anxiety and depression and the component is high estrogen, the emotion hormone which you have too much of. I have low SHBG as well, I inject 7mg daily, your dosage is crazy high bro.

Your testosterone for sure is too much, maybe frequency is not good also.

About suicidal thoughts…some people like @enackers had them when their thyroid was mess. Check your thyroid, it can cause suicidal thoughts

1 Like

A very knowledgeable and respected doctor mentioned that if your total T is 650+ and your free T/E2 in range, then the issue is elsewhere. I am in the same situation myself…

I am on TRT/HCG and seeing little benefit, but I believe my issue is actually thyroid (as shown in labs). If thyroid and/or adrenals are off, then no amount of TRT will work. In some instances it can actually make the issues worse

Yeh, I will drop my Testosterone dosage to around 200mg cypionate a week, split into two doses on Monday and Thursday. That should put me on high-normal ranges.

Regarding SHBG, I don’t know what I can do. Have no clue on it whatsoever

Who is this doctor? This statement is totally wrong.

My friend for example that I talked about in the other topic had one batch of fake testosterone. That time he felt terrible. His total T fell to around 720. When he started again the real testosterone and shoot his level above 1000 he started to feel good.

Some men need really good levels of testosterone to feel well. Free T in range is also absurd. My free t was in range before I started TRT :smiley:

I guess I’ll take some Nolvadex to combat the high estrogen for now.

I didn’t take this from before because I was not experiencing any water retention, sore nipples, etc…

Actually it’s not, and here is his full statement below. The reason some people do better on high dosages of TRT is because it can mask other issues with the immune system and/or thyroid/adrenal axises. It can also cause an up-regulation of thyroid function that can help with existing issues.

Here are the statements:

When interpreting thyroid function, it is very important to obtain a Total T4.

T4 is about 98 percent of circulating thyroid hormone.

If one is treated with t3 (Liothyronine, Triiodotyronine), then Total T3 will also be important to determine what is occurring.

Assuming there are no significant major health problems and nutrition is optimized,
use T4 or Armour Thyroid, and/or T3 to gradually achieve the following:
First: Total T4 between 8-12. Generally midway is better to avoid over-conversion to T3 when the adrenals are working well.
Second: Free T3 between 3.4 to 4.2. Generally midway is better to avoid adrenal fatigue from high free T3). Avoid high Free T3 - backing off the T4 target if T4 to T3 conversion is too strong.
Once this is achieved, then any remaining problems associated with thyroid are due to conversion problems from T4 to T3, e.g. such as due to adrenal fatigue, excessive stress, end-organ thyroid resistance, the other signaling systems, etc.. In this case, address adrenals, address nutrition, address stress, improve sleep, psychological problems, see specialist, etc.
Nutrition absolutely has to be optimized to avoid serious health problems with thyroid.
Of course, consult with your physician before undergoing any thyroid treatment.
Levothyroxine has an advantage here since it can increase Total T4 to its target most easily, without overly stressing the adrenal glands.
This is analogous to Total testosterone as a target for testosterone replacement - as I have posted before.
ADRENAL FATIGUE:
The adrenal glands give out not only cortisol, but also pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, aldosterone, estrogen, etc.
As the adrenal glands fatigue, they will try to keep cortisol production up while progressively sacrificing production of the other signals. Thus, cortisol alone is NOT a good measure. The other signals also have to be monitored to determine what state of fatigue one has.
Cortisol can be "normal" yet the adrenal glands can be fatigued as shown by deficiencies in the other signals. This is why in some, Cortisol is still necessary for supportive treatment.
This is why I don't advocate monitoring Cortisol alone. The spectrum of signals needs to be measured to determine its status.
This is analogous to using only fasting blood sugar or hemoglobin A1c alone as a monitor for insulin resistance or diabetes. This doesn't tell much unless it is seriously off. One has to monitor fasting insulin, cortisol, lipids, thyroid, etc. etc. to get a better picture of what is happening. For example, one can have a "normal" blood sugar but have an insulin level of 200. This indicates severe insulin resistance and a pancreas that is working very hard to control blood sugar. When the pancreas fails to do this, then glucose goes out of control and diabetes may occur. This would not be shown by only testing hemoglobin A1c or fasting glucose.

By up-regulation, I mean improving conversion between T4/T3.

If there is reason to stay on TRT at your age do 50mg to 75mg twice weekly. Starting with your next dose. Do that for 4 to 6 weeks, get blood drawn and then reassess.

1 Like

First, Nolvadex will not make any difference in your E2. it is only protective against gyno while on and you are not complaining about gyno. Second, of course your SHBG is a little low, you’re running a 500 mg a week cycle. What this does to you has little to do with a TRT dose or the random experiences of a couple of outliers on this forum. Your E2 is not out of line for your test level, it is very unlikely to be having any effect at all on you. If you don’t feel like a god on half a gram, you have another, separate, issue that needs to be addressed. That goes for anybody else who claims that they don’t feel good on a high dose. If you feel lousy on a high dose, you have other issues and you need to figure them out instead of dicking around with microdosing nonsense protocols as if TRT is the panacea for all maladies.
@systemlord , I’m looking at you here. You have a mountain of health issues that make your experience unique.

3 Likes

My question is or statement maybe …. why the fuck are you having suicidal thoughts . Trt is the least of your problems , you’re 19 with your life ahead of you if your having suicidal thoughts which sry I just don’t see eye to eye with then you got other shit wrong with you than trt . Straighten the fuk up , get your head out of your ass and get some confidence my man !!! Watch a espn E60 or 30 for 30 show on a person that’s life is actually really screwed up and they’re the most optimistic and strong individuals you will see .

ohhhh and blasting at 19 years old , cmon that’s just crazy !!!

1 Like

I feel way better at 200mg/week than at 500mg/week. Like way better. Regardless, the first 2-3 months of any new dose sucks for me. I don’t feel ideal during that time. You can go from 500mg to 350mg for a couple weeks and then drop to a steady 200mg. 250mg/week is still pushing it. I’d go to 200mg.

It’s a little odd your testosterone level on 500mg is only 1600 though. Anyways it doesn’t really matter.