Just. Don't. Suck (Part 1)

I read that post and all I could think was, man I wish i was 35. I know it feels old to you and right now with your recovery you probably aren’t feeling your best. But look at it this way, you have 10 years to get better and you’ll be a damn sight fitter and stronger than me at 45. Happy birthday young man.

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That’s yet to be determined!

But, considering I’ve been reading a lot about the dark side lately, there’s a chance I’ll be enhanced in 10 years. I’m seriously considering some peptides that stimulate growth hormone release to get me to the finish line of this recovery.

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No idea why I liked that post !! I think if you are smart you can deff be better than me at 45. But you need to be slow and smart and i know that’s difficult for you (no offense intended). With regards to peptides I don’t really have an opinion as my knowledge of them and how they work is very limited. If you think they will aid recovery and are safe then it sounds like a good option.

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New here. I think I read somewhere that you did sgss , correct? What were your results and experience with it?

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Growth hormone has been shown to heal injuries faster. It helps soft tissue like cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. It’s only prescribed for kids with growth problems and adults with AIDS wasting disease. It’s illegal without a prescription.

The peptides I mentioned seem to act like GH by stimulating the release of it. It tells your body to produce more. It’s not exogenous. I don’t think it’s near as good as GH but I’m definitely curious.

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Here’s my full review. Welcome!

Thanks!

Would this not cause issues in your line of work? Especially considering how openly you post online?

Just to clarify: I genuinely don’t know the answer by the way.

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Yes, and that’s why I have to settle for the peptides that stimulate natural growth hormone release instead of taking GH directly. They’re not approved by the FDA, but they’re not illegal. They’re banned in pro sports, but not a controlled substance.

They’re pretty much line every other supplement - take at your own risk.

The sermorelin is being presribed by Defy Medical. Several people on here use them for their TRT. It’s not as good as growth hormone but it also doesn’t have as much risk for bad side effects. Here’s a bit about it.

https://www.defymedical.com/resources/health-articles/95-sermorelin-a-better-approach-to-management-of-adult-onset-growth-hormone-insufficiency

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Gotcha. My knowledge of supplements extends about as far as “protein powder is useful”

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I’ve been doing a lot of reading for the past week. I’ve also been talking directly with people who have used these things. The search function in the Pharma section is quite useful.

Someone just shared their success story with BPC-157 yesterday (another peptide).

I’m sure you’ll make the smart decision man. Let’s hope you can get that smart decision past the missus

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She surprised me by saying she was ok with me using HGH. And then I told her it was illegal and I could get fired and that changed her tune. :joy:

The only issue she has is money so I’ll have to make a little extra to pay for whatever I choose. The lab work to get my baseline is going to cost me $200. I need to do that regardless of what I do.

I was talking with a co-worker about the only lab work I’ve had with a testosterone result. My primary doc only ordered total T and I was in the 600s. I thought that was fine, but my co-worker said it was kind of low for a 35 year old.

He’s about 20 years older than me and currently getting TRT via Bio-Te which is bio-identical testosterone. He gets pellets injected into fatty tissue in the hip/glute and it lasts for about six months. There’s no spike or drop in testosterone throughout the week. His doc has him running at like 1200 all the time!

He might try to convince me to start getting treatment and I’ll have to think long and hard about that. It’s all out of pocket, but I wonder how I’d feel different if I doubled my testosterone…? My co-worker said he sleeps better, has suffered less injuries, and his joints feel better. Might be worth it… Dang, I’m really starting to peer into the rabbit hole…

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I had pellets done once. They cut you to inject the pellets with basically the same gun used on cattle (if you’re familiar with that). No stitches, just a butterfly band aid and your movement is limited for a few days. Mine had a hard time closing and I actually had a pellet fall out.

I prefer pinning.

Fucking awesome!! LOL

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I thought I misclicked on a different log for a second there. Anyway, I know you’ll be careful with what you’ll do, so let’s just hope for the best if ever you do eventually take that route. Can’t blame you for wanting to feel well recovered. Wish I could help, but to be honest, I don’t know anything about TRT and related substances. I’ve had a love hate relationship with endocrinology and pharmacology lol

…Welcome to the dark side?

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I’m not there but I keep peering over the edge. I fear that it’s a slippery slope after taking that first step.

If, and it’s a big if, I go down this road then it will require the following:

  1. $$$ and this can’t come from the regular budget so I have to make extra
  2. a blood test from a doctor that knows his/her stuff - that’ll be at least $200
  3. conversation with said doctor that might change the direction of everything
  4. finally deciding what to do and what to use

The time table for all of this is also a huge factor. I’m looking at this stuff for the sake of healing up. It might take a bit to get from step one to three and I might not need anything to help me heal by the time I get to step four.

Actually, I should go back and change step one. Step one is talking to my wife about going to the doctor for blood work in the first place. I have a small suspicion that that particular step could lead to some entirely different stuff for me. If doc wants to prescribe me some stuff to raise my levels to “optimal” then I just might let him…

My co-worker used the eye doctor for an analogy. You wouldn’t go to the eye doctor and settle for 20/40 vision because you could squint and “get by” at that level. You want 20/20 vision. If you could receive doctor supervised HRT to live better then would you? It’s a big decision. Not sure if I’ll have to make that decision but I’m trying to be prepared for anything.

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With the stuff that I see in the pharma and test section here, the worst possibility is for your whole system to shut down and you’ll need replacement for life. That’s really deep into the rabbit hole, but the risk is there. Just not exactly sure how big of a risk.

Not sure if you’ve thought this far along since you’ve just been peering, but how will you know when enough will be enough? How will you know when it’s time to stop taking stuff? I do think you’re disciplined enough though, so I guess it’s just something to think about.

Might even be more than be $200. I remember a poster here asking if he should go with Defy (?) Or physiolojik since physiolojik was charging 500. Not sure if that was 500 per consult or for a number of consults… So yeah for step 1 with the Mrs. would bear a lot of weight inn the decision process lol

You can do your own blood tests. several private labs.

That’s the first test. I think my co-worker paid $900 to get started. That was the first lab, first injection, and follow-up lab. I think he’s settled in to paying $495 per injection now (every six months).

I thought of that, but the extra cost might be worth the actual one on one consultation, ya know? I’ve always thought I was pretty healthy, but if a doctor wants to jack up my T levels then I’d definitely have to consider it. That’s probably a permanent decision, though.

I’m beginning to wonder if this is going to change from seeking help with healing to TRT. For people seeking GH, I’ve seen that some doctors start with full lab work to see what everything else is doing. If they find that something else is off (like testosterone) then they address that first. If this doctor likes to keep his patients at the top of the normal ranges then he might think I need to start TRT. That’s an entirely new direction; I haven’t thought of that option because I always thought I was in a healthy range.

Even though I feel like 35 is getting old, I know that I have a lot of years ahead of me. Part of me wants to stay natural because I don’t want to need some drug to be normal the rest of my life. Part of me is open to doctor prescribed drugs.

If taking something can help me sleep better, feel more energetic, be more resilient to injuries, and possibly help me add muscle and decrease fat then I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I see this little mental journey resulting in one of three outcomes:

  1. I end up doing nothing
  2. I go to the doctor for blood work and decide to pursue the peptides on my own
  3. I find out I’m in a position to supplement my natural test and turn into a full blown TRT patient

If any of you want to start betting on which path I take, I’d put the best odds on option 1. If I go to the doctor for my blood work then I’m going to be honest about why I’m there. That could start an entirely different discussion.

I started TRT around 40. I was actively lifting but I was plateaued, I was lethargic, had insomnia, and general malaise. I went to my GP and he tested for Test and it came in “low normal” and he said he couldn’t do anything. Now this was 14 years ago so TRT wasn’t all over the radio, etc.

I went to another doc (a sports medicine doc) and he put me on a compounded cream. It worked a little but nothing great. I stayed on that until I moved to Tenn and I found a doc who gave me shots every 2 weeks with an arimidex (sublingual) troche to control E2. It was the best I felt since the beginning. After 2 years, I moved again and a family friend who was a Dr. liked the bio-identical hormones in the cream. I took those for a while but it was going down hill and I asked for injections. He agreed but at a super low dose.

This went on until my wife and I separated and I moved in my (now) wife. I told her I wanted to try to treat myself and she agreed and I found my first source thru a friend and its been great ever since. I’ve learned a TON and made some huge mistakes but its great to be in control and run a blast every few months.

My point here is that you will KNOW when you really need it and may not happen. But, if I were in your profession, I would want to be as big and muscular and aggressive as possible.

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