I have been on TRT for about 8 years. I’m 38 years old. Started with 325mg test cyp every 2 weeks for years. No hcg, no adex. Over time increased to 400mg every 2 weeks which kept me at about 900 at next injection time. So at 400mg every 2 weeks and no hcg or adex for about 7 years I had no problems with libido or erections.
Started hcg about a year ago noticed no changes. Started having softer woodies about a year ago and started using Adex at 0.25 EOD. I’ve had soft erections since that time.
5’8"
180#
10% body fat
Had complete labs done about 3 months ago and thyroid was normal
Long story short - I decided to start from scratch again and I’m back on the protocol exactly as written.
100mg T cyp in 2 doses per week
250iu hcg EOD
1mg adex weekly divided
After 2 weeks on it I checked my E2. It’s was 28 from labcorp. Waiting until 3 weeks to get complete labs.
Since I started the protocol my libido has gone down and almost no wood at all
If this is from decreasing my dose how long should I expect this to last? Could E2 of 28 (not 22ish) cause all this?
That much E2 is not horrible. You can try more adex, increased by a factor of 28/22
When a doc stays that thyroid is normal, its probably not a good result. The thyroid lab ranges do not reflect anything about normal health. You need TSH near 1.0, and T3, T4, fT3, fT4 should all be near or a bit above mid range. You can check your overall state of thyroid function by checking your waking body temperature AND mid-afternoon. See the thyroid basics sticky and note references to iodine and iodized salt. Iodine deficiency causes problems.
Also read the advice for new guys sticky if you have not yet.
You have your brain and body conditioned to higher T levels. So that is a factor and you may need more than 100mg/week to feel right. Stay on what you are doing now. We can calculate a new T and adex dose based on your labs.
Note that some are anastrozole over-responders who tank E2 on 1.0mg/week and they need to stop for 5-6 days then resume at 1/4thy mg/week. Low E2 can mess with your brain and libido. You state that 0.25mg EOD did not affect erections. Did adex make you less moody?
Labs:
TT
FT
E2
PSA - at your age, only if you have urine flow issues, you are too young for prostate issues
CBC
hematocrit [included in CBC]
fasting cholesterol
fasting glucose
Do following or post old labs
TSH
fT3
fT4 [not T3, T4]
I didn’t check my E2 for years and didn’t seem to have many problems besides shrinking, achy nuts before hcg. When I first checked the E2 it was 56 and Total T was 800 this was at 400mg test cyp q2 weeks.
I assume my E2 was always high though because my HDL was always above 70.
Could my T level being supra physiologic mask some of the effects of the E2?
I’ve been on the protocol now for about 6 weeks. Haven’t checked all my labs again yet but will soon.
I checked my E2 in the middle of last week just before the second weekly dose and it was 15. I’m still taking the 1mg adex per week divided in two doses and 50mg Tcyp twice per week.
Still not having great wood. I plan to recheck all of my labs at 8 weeks on the protocol.