I’ve read through the older “Coming off TRT” threads but none fit my particular situation and/or the responses were junk. 38 yrs old protocol for past 2 years:
100mg/wk T Cyp (split into 2 injections)
250iu HCG 3x week
Before TRT I honestly did not have any noticeable symptoms. My friend is a medical professional and was seeing him for unrelated issue. He knew I was into working out so suggested I get a hormone panel test by their doc. Came back low freeT 212 (300-900ng/dl scale), retested in a couple months and was 136 (dont have labs in front of me for other values). Doc offered TRT. Again no noticeable symptoms but this was after a 5 month cut over the summer where I went from 215 to 180. Lower fat intake could have played a role in lower free T. I know other factors are involved SHBG etc… but not terribly relevant to my point here.
Anyway, I should have researched more but got on TRT without understanding much, the allure of enhancing my training/physique rushed my decision. Fast forward to today, best shape of my life, look great, feel great BUT I feel like I owe to myself to try coming off once and seeing if I really have an issue or if it was just temporary due to certain factors at the time like diet. And I’m noticing my hair thinning which terrifies me, who knows if related but its helping to scare me into this decision. If unsuccessful I’ll just hop back on the TRT train.
Planning to run PCT since I am shut down just like running a cycle. Have HCG and Nolva. Was planning on running 250iu HCG 3x week for 2 weeks, but how long to run Nolva? 20mg/day? Stop HCG? I’m a little unsure. Appreciate any suggestions here from those much more knowledgable then myself. Figuring I’ll keep this as a log if anyone is interested in following.
Cant promise much wisdom, can only speak of my personal experience which differs for everyone. Like I said, I never had the typical low T symptoms so really never had a medical reason to start TRT except for my T being low on paper. I’m relatively young and do not want commit to lifelong TRT without giving my body a shot at going back to 100% natty.
Keep reading the TRT section here and you will soon see all the nuances and intricacies involved, the most important takeaway being you NEED to educate yourself, do not rely on your doctor to guide you.
Was probably better off posting this in Pharma since it is essentially PCT. Most on TRT are not trying to come off. @chris_colucci feel free to move if you think it makes sense.
For a quick update, last test shot was Nov 19th 80mg. Continued HCG 200iu EOD for 2 weeks, stopped HCG and started Nolva 40mg daily for two weeks now dropped to 20mgs for two more weeks. Felt good up until this past weekend which was the first time I felt the expected negative effects, less motivation in gym, noticeably weaker, less energy, lack of libido, look flatter.
For those of you who run PCT vs. B&C, what has your experience been? How long does it take to get back to a sense of normalcy in the gym? Libido? I plan to give it until mid-February then get labs. If my experiment fails, I’ll just jump right back on the T train full well knowing I gave it a shot and that my TRT for life is warranted.
Testes only shrunk the first 3 months of TRT before I got on HCG, but been using HCG ever since (over 18 months). They are full size which hopefully means they are kicking in. Workouts this week feel great again.
For my situation, I am hoping my T levels were always normal, but just maybe low when I tested them due to a prolonged cut I was on that limited fats which play a role in hormone health.
I had no typical low T symptoms. I have been living pretty healthy for the past few years already. Diet dialed in, lifting 6-7 days a week, cardio 1-2 times/week and in the best shape of my life @ 38. I figure if there is a time to try to come off, might as well be at my healthiest.
Diet: in the proverbial winter gain phase doing a leaner bulk at slightly above maintenance. Increasing my healthy fats that can aid with hormone health. Usually favor carbs on a bulk, but increasing fats and proteins instead to try to cut down excess fat gain. E2 is stored in fat and the last thing I need is higher E2 telling my body not to produce T via negative feedback loop.
Supplements: not taking anything new, staying with multi-vitamin, Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Milk thistle (liver levels have been slightly elevated while on TRT, trying to get them down).
It’s been an interesting experiment so far. Exactly one month since my last shot, feel like I am starting to turn the corner. Looking forward to labs , but a lot of this is just based on how we feel and right now, I’m feeling good so far.
Update: Things took a nose dive after last update, feel like complete ass. Maybe coincidental but started to decline after PCT ended. Noticeable reduction in overall strength and size, look flat and losing muscle rapidly despite maintaining same workouts and intensity. This, in turn, causes lack of motivation in the gym, vicious cycle. Very low/non-existent libido, but can perform as normal when its time. Increased anxiety, which was my normal state of mind pre-TRT but I just accepted it as normal. Anxiety went away for past two years on TRT.
At this point its tempting to hit up my T stash and chalk it up that I’m just naturally low T and need TRT for life but I’m going to try my best to hold out until mid-February for labs and give my body a chance to kick back in.
Maybe i can help you out rosco, i stopped trt a few years ago.
Didnt really notice much for a week or so.
Remember as a kid touching a 9 volt battery to your tongue, well my balls started feeling that way for maybe 3 or 4 seconds 10 or so times a day.
My levels came back to what i had prior to trt which is not that good but i was having hematocrit problems
last shot was 80mg on 11/19. Got bloodwork 7 days after last shot and was already down to 350ng/dl but felt fine for a couple weeks after. I must be near rock bottom now but will have to wait until next month to be sure
Continuing to look more and more like shit despite same training and diet (maintenance macros), gaining fat around the waist/mid section but weight staying the same since losing muscle. Even my typical workouts that were efficient enough to increase mass during bulks and retain most muscle during cuts cannot compete with my current garbage hormone profile. The increase in abdominal fat and increase in overall anxiety leads me to believe cortisol is running rampant without T to keep it in check but will see for sure when getting labs in about a month. Amazing to see the actual impact hormones have even when only fluctuating between the top and bottom physiologic ranges. Pretty much just looking forward to sticking myself again.
Followed your log, obvs, wondering how you are feeling now.
I injected last on 12/20, 100 mg, but took a little booster on 1/1 of 20 mg before my doctor’s appointment to keep my level up for the blood test, to get the next script in case I wanted to go back on, and I do want to.
I haven’t noticed any body comp issues yet but feel like blah, which I think is good. I haven’t experienced any ache in my balls, and they haven’t changed, but it’s only been three plus weeks.
Emotionally I feel changes but they aren’t bad, and are probably a result of therapy and yoga.