T Nation

Lower SHBG, Will Frequent Injections Works Best?

T Replacement
#1

Hi All,

I had some labs done recently, am on TRT and switched recently to a twice weekly protocol of 150mg. I’ve had mild improvement and am 2 weeks in, my T and free T are high but so is estradiol. My SHBG is also on the lower end but not crazy low, I’ve been reading that lower SHBG means you should likely be injecting more frequently and I’m curious if switching to 3x weekly might improve my situation and lower estradiol.

At this point my libido has improved to maybe 50% of what it was but still lots of work to do. I’m thinking high e2 might be contributing to this.

Labs:
T: 1268 (264-916)
Free T: 30.7 (8.7-25.1)
Estradiol: 58.8 (7.6-42.6)
SHBG: 21.1 (16.5-55.9)

Is my SHBG low enough that switching to 3x weekly, EOD or even daily is necessary?

#2

Stay the course. I didn’t feel real life-changing libido and erection and mood improvements for 3 months. Pathways are being up-regulated and down-regulated and turned on and shut off as you type, as are neurotransmitter and hormone receptor densities. I wouldn’t mess with anything 2 weeks in.

#3

Leave it as is. I inject daily due to low SHBG. You can switch to daily in a few months, and stop looking at E levels. Let it all balance out

#4

I’ve got SHBG on the lower end and get much better results injecting 20mg EOD and gets my FT near the top of the ranges with TT at 500 ng/dL.

If my TT get any higher, FT gets supraphysiological real quick and would like to keep hematocrit under 54% if I can help it.

#5

So I’m continuing to feel better and better but still not at 100%, I’m officially 7 weeks into this protocol of twice weekly and seen some great improvement. Thinking I may need to switch to 3 times a week? Estradiol is not super high but on higher side and I"m thinking if I can get it lower that may help my libido continue to get back to 100%.

Labs after 6 weeks on twice weekly protocol:
T: 866 (264-916)
Free T: 27.5 (8.7-25.1)
Estradiol: 39.7 (7.6-42.6)

Do you guys think Estradiol will continue to go down over time or it’s worth switching to 3 times weekly? I’ve heard 6 weeks is usually a good indicator of if something will work and it’s definitely been an improvement just not quite where I want to be.

#6

No it’s not, more like 3 months. Just because hormones are stable doesn’t mean your body has had enough time to adapt.

I’m 11 weeks into my protocol and can still notice differences in how I feel. I feel better now at 11 weeks than I did at 6 weeks.

#7

Out of interest, anyone have any reason why it takes this long for libido and erection improvement? I have heard this quite often now, that many guys didnt get this until they found the right protocol but more importantly stayed there for 3/4 months without touching anything

#8

I assume it’s E2 clearance and or thyroid related/serotonin all stemming from E2 influence. I’m on 100mg a week now down from 140mg and hardons and sensitivity are finally coming back 3 weeks in. Anxiety is down, water retention is down, my Johnson isn’t shrivelled and numb and my balls aren’t fully retracted anymore.

I chalk it all up to E2 and its downstream effects.

#9

I’ve looked at this extensively and can not find a correlation with SHBG, injection frequency and serum levels. I have single digit SHBG guys injecting once a week and doing fine, better than fine actually.

There may be 10-15% who feel better with more frequent dosing, but SHBG has nothing to do with it.

#10

I think my low SHBG is just from untreated subclinical hypothyroidism with a TSH of 4.23. Large doses/week or 10 days, or EoD had no impact on my SHBG. It’s always 14-17.

Reducing my dose dramatically reduced E2 sides though.