Hi guys
I’m new to TRT and these are my first test results after starting the therapy. I’d love to get some feedback. I’ve been taking 200mg/week for 3 months (self-treating).
I have a pituitary prolactinoma and it looks like I’ll need to increase my Cabergoline as my prolactin levels are elevated currently. I have been worried that my hematocrit was high as I’ve been a bit lethargic and had reduced cardio endurance. But that’s 46%. Maybe the raised prolactin is affecting me.
I had my GP order these tests as my endocrinologist has never measured my E2, free T or SHBG.
My previous 3 results for total T have been: 8 nmol/L, 12 nmol/L and 13 nmol/L.
Thanks!
46% is nothing. That’s really low.
Prolactin is high, obviously.
Total T is higher end. Cool.
Free T is above range. Cool.
How do you feel and what are you taking?
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Thanks for the reply.
After around 5 weeks I felt stronger and started to gain extra muscle and drop fat. It was quite noticeable for a while. Increased sex drive and stronger erections.
For the last 3 weeks I definitely feel as though I’ve plateaued. Nothing bad but my physique stopped improving and my energy levels dropped a bit. I swim a lot and feel as though I’ve lost cardio and I’m noticeably short of breath. I’m sure there could be many reasons for that aside from TRT but my exercise and have been consistent.
I’m taking testosterone cypionate every 3 days injected subcutaneously for 200mg/week.
My E2 is towards the higher end of the range, but am I correct that I should expect that to be a little higher, in balance with the higher T?
Thanks
Has your overall weight gone up? I ask because if you’re up 10 pound then that might explain the cardio difference.
I became fatigued after starting TRT and it was as simple as iron deficiency. Thyroid hormone increase metabolism, liver metabolizes testosterone in the liver.
Water retention can increase blood pressure which might make it more difficult to excercise. Cabergoline can cause fatigue and weakness.
Nonsense. A water retention “pump” may be painful but will never cause shortness of breath or loss of cardio or fatigue which are the OPs symptoms.
Anyone can read the drugs leaflet and assign a random they are having symptom to a drugs side effect profile. Doesn’t mean it’s the case here. The chance of your statement being true to this scenario is under 1%.
It’s possible that your own t production has stopped and your levels are actually slightly lower now. I would ride it out for a little bit and if things don’t improve you could up your dose. But be patient. Being hasty will cause all kinds of problems
My weight has stayed the same but my body composition has changed. More muscle, less fat.
I had full bloods and my iron levels are good.
Thanks. I’ll give it time.
I think you’re right about my natural production. Those test results are just a few days old though. Those are my current levels.
I’ve gone over some old tests results from years and years ago and my current T levels on TRT are almost exactly the same as my highest ever natural levels. When I was a 8-10 years younger, leaner, and had my prolactin under control.
@sliprepeat
I felt similar to you. My levels were great and my physique was changing and while I didn’t feel bad but I also didn’t feel as good as I thought I could. The biggest difference for me was switching from sub-q to IM. Going IM has me feeling more “on”. (Speculation) Sub-q did exactly what it’s supposed to do which was make things flat & even. IM for whatever reason let’s me feel like I’m on testosterone. It’s not a huge difference but just enough to make me feel much better. I’m definitely not saying you should switch to IM today but keep it in your back pocket if you don’t feel better in another 3 months. Right now at 3 months in you are basically at the point where the pluses really start to happen so I wouldn’t change anything just yet as there is a good chance things will get better in time.
Do you mean that the instances of that reaction to Cabergoline are actually that low? I’ve read that some people get quite tired from it but I’ve never noticed any clear reaction.
I’ve seen many folks complain about how awful cabergoline makes them feel. Check out prolactinoma forums. They hate that shit. I only know of one person personally that has used it and they said it made them feel like they were on a mild chemo. That’s from someone who actually was on chemo previously.