Confirm TRT Protocol Before I Start?

Hi this is my first post on T-nation forumns. I’ve read through countless threads on here before starting my protocol and think i have it down but need some help confirming if what i’m going to do is correct.

I created a spreadsheet for all of my bloodwork.

I am going to start TRT this week and here is my protocol:

Option #1 250iu HCG m/w/f. Test C or P (grapeseed oil) 20mg EOD subQ 27g 1/2" insulin syringe

Option #2 250iu HCG m/w/f. Test C or P (grapeseed oil) 10mg ED subq 29g 1/2" insulin syrine

Option #3 250iu HCG m/w/f. Test C every mon/thur 50mg intramuscular.

I Don’t know how i’m going to respond with each dosage since my shgb is on the lower end, causing me anxiety. I don’t really want to feel any worse than i do right now.
I’ve read up on low shgb guys doing 100mg 2x a week and being okay.
I am most likely going to start with option #3 because i have never pinned myself before and is probobly a good place to start.

I also have an AI at hand if e2 gets out of control. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Vitamin D dude. You are low. And I agree with #3. Keep it simple and adjust after blood work in 6 weeks.

1 Like

TRT is going to lower SHBG ever further and when this happens you’ll have to deal with excess free hormones, free estrogen which is why you should inject more frequently than twice weekly. One may not think estrogen in the high normal ranges is high, but when considering low SHBG and then one must take free estrogen into account.

I would recommend 12mg daily injections because I expect SHBG to be <10 nmol/L in only a couple of months.

1 Like

I’m just hoping my two low shgb results weren’t a fluke and i end up having lower testosterone than my baseline because i’m taking such a small dose of test. Not sure how this would happen, maybe its just my anxiety talking lol.

I have gone through abunch of your posts before i joined this forumn and you have helped me with understanding low shgb dosage frequency so thank you for that @systemlord

You’re welcome. SHBG is a pretty accurate blood test, the odds of two results being a fluke are unlikely.

Low SHBG and anxiety, those are common and we see it a lot.

1 Like

Before you started TRT, Did you experience anxiety? Did the TRT help?

I was an extrovert, very social-able and outgoing back in the day. These days i hardly leave my house and i’m always on the computer due to the anxiety that rules my life. Have no idea how or when it started and from where it came from.

I did have anxiety and was very moody, TRT calmed me to where nothing bothered me. I wanted out of the house and all I wanted to do was socialize again, now that I’m forced to stop TRT it’s back to the old routine.

TRT turned me from an introvert to extrovert.

1 Like

Do you supplement with Magnesium?

Estradiol numbers would help.

I would vote option 3 but they aren’t that different really.

That total T3 is a pretty low percentile. Mean is around 125. I would test total T4 and free T3 to see if those are low. It’d be interesting if you’d notice anything from a trial of 100 mcg T4/day. It’s very safe and might work. It can be dropped if you don’t notice anything.

You might want to test fasting insulin. It’s a cheap and underutilized test imo. Insulin is a main regulator of shbg.

1 Like

My magnesium numbers are okay in the bloodwork

why are you forced to stop trt?

So you dont supplement? Im not sure what optimal levels look like and its fairly inexpensive. Just a thought.

Probably heart failure, had fluid retention in lungs for more than 20 years (chronic cough) which medication to control edema has seen almost completely vanish, nothing doctors have prescribed until now has put a dent in this cough. The other symptoms still continue.

I started experiencing constant ringing in the ears along with swelling everywhere, gums swelled up and teeth became loose, upper thighs began swelling, edema in feet, ankles and abdomen. It got to the point where blood was restricted and cause momentary loss of sight, vision changes and feeling like I’m going deaf at night when the edema is at its worse.

I wonder if being iron deficient for years has lead to all of this, it didn’t help matters most doctors are clueless in this area of medicine, even those doctors who treat thyroid disorders. Most men seeking TRT in sick care find success by pure luck and figure out their own cases, those having problems must find a doctor who fixes those having problems to do undiagnosed medical problems.

God damn dude. I am sorry to hear this.

Holy shit man thats scary! I hope you find recovery asap!! Do you think it was the TRT that caused this? How long did you get to enjoy the therapy before these symptoms showed? Sorry I don’t have much to offer

There were existing medical problems before TRT, finding the cause and underlying medical problems it is the only way TRT will ever work.

I hope my experiences will help others find answers and that TRT will not cure all medical issues and can make existing medical problems worse if untreated.

@systemlord Hey so i started my trt this wednesday and i’m hoping it works out for me! My protocol is M/W/F 25mg and hcg 500iu m/f.They gave me an AI .50mg m/f, but i will hold off on the AI for about a week and gradually take .25mg here and there.
BTW, I was doing some research on TRT and came accross a fellow who mentioned he couldn’t stop coughing after starting trt and mentioned he found that not aspirating when he took shots is the reason. The Oil filled his lungs through his veins and he just couldn’t stop coughing.

This protocol is going to produce suboptimal levels, 75mg weekly is low by most standards.

You talking about me, I had fluid retention (edema) in the lungs do to a yet unknown cause. There’s not enough oil in the ester to fill up the lungs, sounds like an autoimmune system response to possibly an allergic reaction to the ester.

There are a lot of holes in this story that simply do not make sense and sounds made up, aspirating isn’t necessary. Sometime people create these silly ideas to explain what’s happening to them and it departs from reality.

@systemlord 1. I rather underdose than overdose and for a low shgb guy i think 75mg is okay to start, but we’ll see how it’ll go, its only been 2 shots since.

  1. I’m not talking about you, i was just reminded of the situation that you are going through when i was watching some youtube videos. Why would i make this up? lol If you want the video here it is. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INJECT TESTOSTERONE INTO THE BLOOD STREAM ON Testosterone Replacement Therapy - YouTube