Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere in this forum.
-age - 40
-height - 5’11"
-waist - 34
-weight - 205
-describe body and facial hair - heavy growth but, no changes
-describe where you carry fat and how changed - Thighs and upper chest
-health conditions, symptoms - Asthma
-Starting TT 234 / Estradiol 47
-PSA 0.3 ng/mL
-FSH 7.2 mIU/mL
-LH 4.7 mIU/mL
-describe diet - mostly low carb, high fat, consume alcohol in moderation on the weekends.
-describe training - train 3-4 times a weeks. Olympic Weightlifting, probably should add some cardio.
-testes - no aches, but some significant shrinkage
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed - no changes, perhaps better
I’ve been on T-Cyp since June of this year. My dosage started at 100mg and has now been at 150mg every week for the past few weeks. My Physician upped my dosage after a few weeks at 200mg where I was only able to come in every other week for an injection. The premise for the upping my dosage was that the higher does simply made me feel better, so the Physician decided that I should be at 150mg. I’m under the care of a Nurse Practitioner at a local Mens Clinic who himself is under supervision of a doctor I never met. I honestly feel like this guy is making some educated guesses and is still learning on the job. My numbers with regards to T and Estradiol are good (TT 557, E2 22) ,but my Hematocrit since before starting TRT was at 53%. I have been able to drop a few points off that starting at 53.7 now at 53.1 with donating blood and taking heavy amounts of fish oil. My concern is that I’m starting to find some pretty substantial mystery bruises ever since starting TRT.
I know this can be a potential side effect but when I brought this up to my Nurse Practitioner he brushed it off. My bruising is typically not too painful but is tender and in some cases is the size of a grapefruit. Any advice would be welcome. I’ve gained about 18lbs of fat (26% overall) and about 2 inches to my waistline. My blood pressure is ok, but I am a bit fatigued from time to time, not sure if its all related. The only other med i’m on is Flovent for asthma maintenance.
150mg t-cyp 1x weekly
.5mg Anatrozole 2x weekly
25mg Clomid 2x weekly
81mg baby aspirin 1x daily
3000 Fish oil
ZMA at night (perhaps I could drop this)
Self Injected Vitamin B 1ml 2x weekly
Vitamin D5
BCAA - 5mg on workout days
Creatine - 5mg on workout days
I’m still somewhat new to this and are looking for some guidance. Thanks in advance.
Below is a lab done in early August, I have newer labs on the way which I will post when I receive a hard copy.
[photo]41186[/photo]
Bruising, *note this is not the injection site
[photo]41187[/photo]
Fish oil and aspirin will improve blood flow but can increase bruising as blood thinners.
What is BP and PR?
Why 100mg–>150mg? Seems like the wrong thing to do!
Can you post lab work and ranges?
Standard recommended protocol:
self injected 100mg T per week in divided doses, inject twice a week or EOD
250iu hCG SC EOD to preserver testes and fertility
1mg anastrozole per week in divided doses, 1/2mg at time of 50mg T injections is good then adjust dose to get near E2=22pg/ml after lab work.
Injecting once a week creates T spikes that will make HTC worse. Do not take iron fortified foods or vitamins.
Take a high potency B-complex multi-vit with trace elements, no iron, with iodine and selenium.
Fatigue can be from low thyroid function which can be from not using iodized salt consistently.
feel cold easily
outer eyebrows sparse
Fatigue Also from impeded blood flow.
Labs:
TT
FT
E2
CBC
HTC
AST/ALT
PSA if 45+
DRE if 40+
TSH
fT3
fT4
vit-D25
fasting cholesterol [can be too high]
fasting glucose
Read these stickies please:
advice for new guys — note the first paragraph
things that damage your hormones
protocol for injections
" My numbers with regards to T and Estradiol are good"
Thanks for the reply, I’ve updated the original post and added my lab results from last month. I was thinking of switch from my current TRT clinic to an online one so I can self inject. My current clinic restricts self injection and requires an office visit, for obvious reasons. I’ve been playing around with the idea in my head to switch to an injection schedule that would have less peaks and valleys. Some days I have my swagger and some I got nothing. I’m pretty sure it’s due to my current regiment. I purchased some HCG without my doctors consent because the Clomid seems to do nothing.
My only question is the suggested dosage I’ve been told by the online TRT clinic is 500 a week, whereas you are suggesting 250 EOD. Is there a ramp up or loading period in which I should be considering?
I’ve also requested that my NP order a platelet function test
What does clomid not do? and how do you know?
With a SERM, you can test LH/FSH and see whats happening.
Tell doc that you need to self inject twice a week and ask if they still want your business.
Read these stickies please:
advice for new guys — note the first paragraph
…^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think that your bruising is a serous concern.
Do bruises occur at injection sites? If so, after injection, press on injection site firmly for a while to close off blood vessels.
What syringes are been used. If you self injected, you could use tiny insulin syringes.
My Clomid statement, was directed more toward the fact that my balls atrophied. Which is to be expected. I’ve recently dropped the Clomid due to that.
As for the bruising I saw two doctors and both agreed for me to stop taking the 81mg. The one that didn’t prescribe saw no reason for me to ale it at all.
You can self inject with #29 0.5ml[50iu] 1/2" insulin syringes. No Rx needed in most jurisdictions. Long enough for IM and many inject SC.
You can get 100 for ~$14 at Sam’s and Walmart, ReLion brand.
Is hCG working for you? Was it shipped wet or dry?
250iu hCG SC EOD works well most of the time unless testes are not normal. 500iu simply doubles your costs. Use the same #29 syringes, but don’t combine into one injection.
So its rare that I get any sort of bruising at the injection site. If i do bruise its typically smaller than a penny any only last a day or so.
Prior to TRT my urologist called me a low-baller. Fast froward 6 months with the introduction of TRT and they shrunk and pulled upwards. From what I can tell from using HCG things aesthetically appear to be moving in the right direction.
As for the suggested syringes, is there any concern with drawing from the vile with a need so small, or is it a matter of patients? I’ve read that some use a larger needle strictly to pull T-Cyp into the syringe. I picked up some smaller #31 8mm 1/2ml syringes but I think they may be too small. I will see if I can pick up the ones you suggested.
HCG does appear to be working, although I don’t have lab tests to validate my claim one way or another.
I purchased the HCG in freeze-dried form in 2000IU vials which I then mix with Bacteriostatic water. I was a bit skeptical because I sourced it from an online pharmacy. From what I can tell, using an HCG / pregnancy test it was the real deal. I was unable to get a script locally, after trying multiple doctors. Most insisted the Clomid was the only choice since it stimulates both LH and FSH.
On another note, and i’m sure its not related to the HCG, but I finally dropped a few of the TRT lbs that I gained since starting TRT in June. Overall I gained about 20lbs, which seem to happen overnight as if my metabolism shut down.