[quote]PureChance wrote:
I have no idea on thrombosis, embolisms, except that HRT can result in increase hemocrit/hemoglobin levels which can have serious side effects if not monitored and treated.
the reason you were feeling bad on 200mg biweekly is because 200mg will spike your levels above your ideal levels for 3-4 days, keep you in range for a couple of days, and then leave you at below ideal levels for the last week. it will cause spikes in aromatase (higher estrogen) place increased demands on your cortisol leaving less to work with your thyroid, etc. etc. etc. I am sorry. I am normally not this blunt, but any doc who thinks that 400mg biweekly is a good treatment program is a moron.
increasing the dose to 400mg means you are spiking your levels even higher, placing greater demands/stressors on your system, and increasing your estrogen levels even more. Is the doctor testing for and monitoring your E2 levels? (I can already guess the answer.)
also he is also testing your blood at your lowest point right before your next injection when you are crashing and should have abysmal levels. if he tested at day 2-3 you could see levels at 2000+
you should self inject a smaller dose more frequently to maintain stable levels… the starting norm is 50mg every three days (E3D).
Please dig through the stickies, there is a wealth of information there.[/quote]
Agreed.
Also, I totally glossed over your TRT dosing. Good thing PureChance pointed it out.
Taking 400mg EOW is a REALLY hefty dose. Most TRT patients start at 100mg/week and work from there, and when you get over ~200mg/week (the max I’ve heard most docs will go on TRT) you are no longer replacing hormones but doing a really low grade steroid cycle.
(http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_supplements/the_testosterone_toolbox)
According to this article 300mg will bring your TT levels to over 2000ng/dL, whereas 200mg will put you around 1200-1500ng/dL. Obviously these are averages, and every body is different, but I doubt that anyone taking a 300mg+ shot would not be way past the point of therapy and into the realm of performance enhancing.
According to www.steroid.com a Newbie’s cycle would include 400mg/week of Test C, and Advanced Bodybuilders go as high as 800mg-1000mg a week (in addition to other T-products in the “stack”)! So you getting 400mg EOW is less than what a bodybuilder would do, but it is in the same ballpark. I don’t know much about T for bodybuilding, but I know that going near those levels is past the point of “replacement therapy”. (Unless, perhaps, you are a horse. Then you will in fact need higher doses for Testosterone Replacement Therapy.)
I can imagine the swings you have, getting 400mg EOW. You probably feel like lifting or banging anything that gets in your way for days 1-6, and then less than crap days 7-14.
[quote]Seriously wrote:
I was at the max dosage of androgel and I was still below range"[/quote]
I haven’t heard anything good about androgel, and absorption through the skin is crappy at best. The NIH’s (National Institutes of Health) website on androgel says, “Approximately 10% of the applied testosterone dose is absorbed across skin of average permeability during a 24-hour period.” That’s 90% going to waste.
I’m not sure what the best course of action is at this point, as you have been on really heavy T doses. Were you ever on lower (more normal) doses of IM Testosterone?
Let the labs do the talking, and maybe even print out some of the stickies for your doctor to read. It’s good that your doctor is on board for treatment, but apparently unsure of some of the finer points of hormone therapy. How on earth you got on 400mg EOW blows my mind!
Adjusting to smaller doses may be a bitch, I don’t know. Maybe someone on here knows what it’s like going from a high dose (400mg EOW) to a normal dose (50mg 2x week)? If not, try the Steroid Forums, and tell your story there. I’m guessing those guys know more about cycling off high T doses than us small-timers.