Lessons Learned: First Time Using Testosterone

Pharma / TRT
1

As immature and naive as it sounds to most seasoned bodybuilders, I was always horrified of testosterone. When we look at different drug profiles, we see it has the most side effects. The most I was afraid of were bloating, gyno, and acne. I used equipoise once before and got a back full of acne and couldn’t take my shirt off without being embarrassed. I figured equipoise was very mild and aromatized at half the rate of testosterone, so I’d be safe using a moderate dosage. I was pretty much wrong.

Now two and a half years later I decided to quit the bullshit and use testosterone. I got some Taiwanese cypionate and decided to start at a low dose of 300mg/week. I figured this would keep side effects relatively low, let me know my tolerance for testosterone, and put some weight on me.

Lesson 1: If you have never used testosterone before, you simply DO NOT know your tolerance for it yet.

As you may have read a few weeks ago, I turned into a salivating vagina when my hormone levels got out of whack. I was on adex at .25mg EOD. This was NOT ENOUGH for me. I started getting very moody and depressed and my mind was completely cloudy. My face also turned into a balloon. At this point, after some good advice, I upped the adex to .25 ED. I started to feel BETTER. I did not feel 100%.

After that, I bumped the adex to .5ED and I felt completely normal and happy. Just because others have no problems with a high dose of test with no adex, it does not mean you are in the same boat. You have to “find your sweet spot” as someone here said. That’s right, I require .5mgED for just 300mg/week. I didn’t think of that when I started the cycle, thankfully I had a boatload of adex on hand.

Lesson 2: Low doses can prove results (this is also likely because this was the first time I used testosterone.)
After 10 weeks I gained 9kg or about 19 pounds. I am holding almost no water (thanks to the adex). I can honestly say my diet was on point almost the entire time. I was pushing at least 350g of protein a day and all my carbs were from sweet potatoes, brown rice, and slow cook oatmeal. Occasionally I would substitute white rice, but mostly only after workouts.

I didn’t eat that much beef because I digest it very slowly. The majority of my protein came from powder, egg whites, and chicken breasts.

Lesson 3: Side effects
As freaked out as I was, I only had one side effect-the moodiness and tender nips when my estrogen was too high. Once I upped the adex I had no problems anymore. It took less than 48 hours for me to feel the difference. Some people say it takes up to 10 days for hormone levels to plane out, but I felt it much quicker than that.

Finally, I had absolutely no acne on this dosage. I actually broke out on equipoise, had gyno symptoms on equipoise, held a lot of water on equipoise, bloated on equipoise… but had none of this when I coupled adex with testosterone.

Lesson 4: Don’t doubt yourself
Get ready for whatever gets thrown your way. Keep in mind that you really have no idea how your body is going to react to what you’re about to do if this is your first cycle. Have your protocol strictly laid out, and listen to the advice of those who know more than you. That’s it.

Thanks for everybody’s help in a productive first test cycle with many more to come.

2

Did you use branded name Equipoise®? or some UGL generic Boldenone? I think it was entirely possible that your equipoise is faked with testosterone.
I have found that higher estrogen (via aromatisation of testosterone) levels reduces my acne. I have a lot of acne natrually. But when i am on testosterone, my acne completely dissapears.

My skin condition improve a lot too. On the other hand, synthetic estrogen (melthy-estradiol from dianabol for instance) causes a little rash, and acne. I have used Illium/Troy Ganabol, it was distintly differenct from testosterone.

3

That was what came to my mind too…

5

I remember reading posts of yours when I first started reading this forum. It was a big surprise to me just now to learn that you just completed your first test cycle.

Glad to hear it worked out well for you. Now you can start with the really delicious stacks, like using test, tren, and dbol or test, tren and mast together for some really crazy stuff.

If you feel like it, of course :wink:

Also there are a lot of guys here who have not yet crossed over and may still have a lot of fear and trepidation about starting a cycle of any kind because of all of the conflicting information they get fed. Thanks for letting them know that they are not ultimately going to know how they will react to any given compound unless they just step off that edge and go for it.

But you also demonstrated that you had plenty of AI on hand for when you did have problems. There are usually few side effects that cannot be quickly countered with correct application of the right amount of quality ancillary.

You don’t mention PCT. What are you using and how far along are you?

6

The equipoise I used was from Hong Kong and it was global anabolic. I don’t know about the quality of it, but I wouldn’t use it again. I gained 20 pounds and most of it was solid bloat. I think it was probably UG garbage, but I know there was one massive difference between these two cycles: I was constantly hungry on EQ. I would finish a meal and be hungry again 30 minutes later, no matter how much fat I consumed and no matter how slow burning the carbs were.

As far as adex, I was just convinced no one should need that much for such a small dosage. Everything I read always suggests .25mg EOD to be more than enough. Lots of people even told me not to worry about adex when running just a paltry 300mg. I was thinking at first that I overdosed it and that was why my libido dropped and I was just being paranoid about the tender nips.

The mood swings and the way I felt was awful. I don’t ever want to feel like that again. I had the reaction a lot of people seem to have to Clomid-just acting like a total bitch and getting really emotional for no reason. Bushy’s heckling me actually ruined my day.

Now I’m laughing about it, but it wasn’t funny at the time. Therefore: I really recommend people doing a cycle for their first time to have at least a full bottle of liquidex on hand.

Yep, that was my first test cycle. It just goes to show you never know enough about this kind of stuff, especially me. It was a humbling experience. I was caught off guard because I never had the estrogen problem on EQ or winstrol. Granted, EQ did give me the nips problem, but I took nolvadex to get rid of it before and it stopped the problem right away. I never had depression or mood swings or anything from elevated estrogen with the EQ I had.

My PCT starts next Monday and I’m using Nolvadex for 4 weeks @ 40mg/day the first week then 20mg/day for the next 3 weeks.

If I had it to do again, would I go for 500mg/week? Yes.
If I went back in time and didn’t know what I know now, would I still do 300mg/week? Yes.

7

This is exactly why I always recommend someone start with a low-moderate dose of test and to use an AI right from the start.

Glad your cycle went well H-Train. I remember your EQ run was a bit disapointing for you. There really is no substitute for Test, it certainly isn’t something to be afraid of using, you just need to make sure you manage the sides if they come up.

8

I don’t like nor do I recommend using gear made by UGLs, but I will say that my experience with the GA line you mention was better than many others. Though I still did have some issues with it. Once I started homebrewing and realized that UGL gear is typically CRAP and my own gear was heavenly I never looked back.

I think most of the research chem companies sell products that are hit and miss enough that I will never again buy from them, either.

I won’t even recommend “liquidex” or any similar AI or SERM from a research chem site anymore because I’ve had too many problems now with bunk, crashing, or degrading products from ALL of the different places I’ve ordered from. Heard enough stories from other guys, too.

Sorry for the minor hijack, H-Train. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

Love that last line, too, in your post above. I’m still trying to figure out if there’s a hidden meaning in there or if it really does mean what it says :wink:

9

My first cycle was a gram of test and 50mg of dbol with adex.

My only previous experience with steroids was two 4 week cycles of piddly PH’s.

I was freaking flying high for 10 weeks. Test is so much better than anything oral or all that nonsense.

10

Feel free to hijack. There is no cryptic message there hahaha. I just mean I’m glad I started low instead of taking the balls-out approach with my first one, because I did have problems come up on the low dosage. I am guessing if I’d started out with 500 or 750mg it would have been even worse. I know a little bit more now than I knew before.

By the way, I used Global Anabolic’s anastrazole tabs. I have never heard about AIs being underdosed, but maybe that is a possibility. It definitely wasn’t faked, or the sides wouldn’t have gone away once I bumped the dosage.

11

I actually quite like the growth hormone that company makes, and do think they are one of the more reputable UGLs out there. I just won’t ever again use any UGL for gear now that I know how much better my own homebrewed gear is.

12

was up yall new to the site i just started taking sustanon 250. its all good ive dabbled before so ya ive actually lost wieght…wierd i think so ya hit me up on some feed back

13

[quote]hildy wrote:
was up yall new to the site i just started taking sustanon 250. its all good ive dabbled before so ya ive actually lost wieght…wierd i think so ya hit me up on some feed back[/quote]

14

[quote]hildy wrote:
was up yall new to the site i just started taking sustanon 250. its all good ive dabbled before so ya ive actually lost wieght…wierd i think so ya hit me up on some feed back[/quote]

Sure it wasn’t “deca” you were taking?

Get your own thread and ask an actual question using the actual English language there.

15

[quote]Cortes wrote:
I think most of the research chem companies sell products that are hit and miss enough that I will never again buy from them, either.

I won’t even recommend “liquidex” or any similar AI or SERM from a research chem site anymore because I’ve had too many problems now with bunk, crashing, or degrading products from ALL of the different places I’ve ordered from. Heard enough stories from other guys, too.[/quote]

This is bumming me out. I thought this was the only option for most of us. What else can we do? Walk into a doctor office and say we need adex and nolva? I assumed this approach would end badly. Shit I just ordered some too.

16

You’d find a supplier that is not a research chemical company.

17

Don’t worry so much. It is what most of us are still using. You may have to dose higher, but for adex & Nolva you should be alright. Plus, I don’t know what percentage of guys would like strong alcohol based solutions even if they are dosed bank on. Capped powder is always an option. More difficult to custom tailor dose but you can always open a cap and split accordingly.

[quote]Bondslave wrote:
Cortes wrote:
I think most of the research chem companies sell products that are hit and miss enough that I will never again buy from them, either.

I won’t even recommend “liquidex” or any similar AI or SERM from a research chem site anymore because I’ve had too many problems now with bunk, crashing, or degrading products from ALL of the different places I’ve ordered from. Heard enough stories from other guys, too.

This is bumming me out. I thought this was the only option for most of us. What else can we do? Walk into a doctor office and say we need adex and nolva? I assumed this approach would end badly. Shit I just ordered some too.

[/quote]

18

I would say a vast percentage of users would prefer an accurately dosed, high quality product that tasted like shit over one that tasted like butterflies cum but barely worked.

Those who don’t IMO won’t be in the game too long regardless.

19

[quote]Dynamo Hum wrote:
Don’t worry so much. It is what most of us are still using. You may have to dose higher, but for adex & Nolva you should be alright. Plus, I don’t know what percentage of guys would like strong alcohol based solutions even if they are dosed bank on. Capped powder is always an option. More difficult to custom tailor dose but you can always open a cap and split accordingly.
[/quote]

You have to dose higher, except when the products don’t work at all. And having to dose higher and shooting in the dark is not exactly ideal when manipulating hormones. I, personally, desire accurate dosages.

And yes, as usual I agree with Brook. I’d rather drink something that tasted like dog piss over cherry syrup if I knew it was going to keep me from growing breast tissue and crying at oatmeal commercials. Now, if a quality product is available that just happens to taste good, then all the better. Unfortunately, I’ll say it again, I no longer trust any of the research chem companies to deliver what their product is purported to deliver. And who can blame them. I mean, nobody is supposed to be consuming that stuff in the first place, right?

20

[quote] Brook wrote:
You’d find a supplier that is not a research chemical company.[/quote]

nodding head