Low SHBG = More Frequent, Lower Dosed Injections. But Why?

Isn’t the “low SHBG = more frequent injection at a lower dose” protocol a bit counterintuitive? It doesn’t quite make sense to me, but I am sure there’s something I’m missing. Note, I know that there is a complex relationship here, but I’m looking at this on the surface level.

For example. Let’s assume two individuals have the same Total T. If one has low SHBG, that means they would generally have more free T than the individual with normal or high SHBG, right?

Therefore, wouldn’t injecting every few days be better for the low SHBG person, as that means more testosterone is unbound and free or bio-available vs. if they inject less testosterone more frequently?

IOW, if you have low SHBG, why inject low amounts of testosterone, only for it all (or most of it all) to end up bound? It seems like more Test, injected EOD would be better (than lower amounts of test, ED) from a logical perspective, so that the Testosterone that is not bound by SHBG can remain bio-available and have an impact.

At a basic level, one would think that less exogenous T injected more frequently is bound by the (low) SHBG, thereby resulting in less free T.

Help me understand that relationship and recommendation, please.

it’s about clearance rate. SHBG is a storage and transportation hormone. it attaches to test and gets it where it needs to go, and also keeps it in your body. low shbg means a faster clearance of test, so taking more frequent shots would compensate for this. smaller doses is because of the higher FT inherent with low shbg. should note not everyone feels the need to inject more often with this, but it does seem to help those that do it.

@unreal24278 May be able to help here.

Most guys I believe inject 1 or 2x a week regardless of shbg. I have read a ton of posts and can def not draw a conclusion that “low” shbg guys do better injecting more than 2x a week. Those guys may or may not feel better cause of many different things.

@highpull also had good info on this.

Apparently there are many guys that we do not see in these forums and inject 1x a week and they are fine.

Maybe lower dose like 100 mg a week could be plenty for the “low” shbg guys on trt.

I posted a spread sheet a while back showing 50 guys and their dosing, total and free testosterone levels, E2 levels and SHBG levels.

SHBG really does not direct injection frequency. Generally, guys that are low SHBG can get away with lower dose test as free test will be relatively higher and guys with higher SHBG might need higher test dosing to get free test to a decent level.

The majority of men on TRT that use injections take one a week or one every two weeks. They respond well and are happy with their results, unless they get on the internet.

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What’s funny is that i have still struggled with libido.

About the only dose i recall feeling something was 300mg every other week.

hows it going for u, still shit libido?

I think this statement is under appreciated. The only reason i inject twice a week as opposed to once a week is volume per injection. That’s it. I would rather inject .5ml twice a week than 1ml at a time, since I use insulin pins and its generally a more shallow injection.

Pretty much.

Doing about 108mg split E3D. I may add a little ai just to see the effects of a little lower E2

Have u ever tried HCG?

I did once. I think it made me feel off. I may give it another whirl at some point.

Any recommendations for dosing?

Im not 100% yet, but I do remember when I tried hcg before, even on high(sh) test, I got a strong libido. I discontinued it cause I got so fucking bloated in my face, havent tried it since.

I remember I did 500UI 3 times a week. After a week my balls started itching and I got that “natural” libido from my former normal-T self back.

U should give it ago, what do u have to lose anyway? Try it for 2-3 weeks and see what happends.

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The only reason why injection frequency needs to be more frequent is if you are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in hormone levels or these fluctuations are causing symptoms such as bloating and water retention.

I have even heard a small number of guys with high SHBG say they feel better on daily injections.

There really is no one-size-fits-all in TRT.

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Yeah, this is what I’m learning as time goes on. With that said, going to EOD injections seems to have been the missing component for me. I retain way less water, feel no bloat, have stable energy levels, have improved clarity (no more mental fog), and I feel great in the gym. Libido is also improved but not out of control.

How much do you inject?

Low SHBG guy here. By low I mean single digit low. I inject 30mg daily and thats what works for me. Its all about how you feel. If it works dont change a thing. If it dont work try other protocols. Libido, dick, health, wits, sleep, confidence, are all strong. Videotaped my girl giving me head last night, woke up to sex and when I watched the video again, I had to jack off. Ive been told that low SHBG is the pits. Yet Ive not seen a single bad thing about it. Were not all the same though. Best of luck.

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Yeah. It seems like the low shbg = poor response to TRT “thingy” might be more correlation than causation. There are plenty dudes with low shbg (ESPECALLY ROID HEADS with crushed shbg levels) who function great when it comes to libido, drive etc. They dont “pee out the testosterone cuz of low shbg” blabla.

However, one must admit many guys with low shbg do have problems with trt, so maybe theres some factor we are missing here, a factor which is often connected to low shbg, but not always.