Hello i’m new here. Found this site while searching for answers to some TRT issues/questions.
I’m 42 yrs old and on 300 mg of Test Syp every 7 days. I am being treated at the Low T Center. I have been on TRT for about a year. I just recently moved from 290 mg to 300 mg because my T levels are still low. My energy and drive is not great but i’m doing better than I was before TRT. My doctor said that 300 mg is the max dose they can give. My question is what should my T levels be at this dose? My recent blood work showed my total T levels at 545 and my free T levels were 11.4. Just from google searching I gather that at 300 mg of test Syp every 7 days my T levels should be closer to 1000? Should I be pushing them to add on HGH to my regime or is 545 a good level to be at on this dose? Let me know your thought. Thanks for your time.
I am not sure there is a way to calculate how a dosage is going to equate to a certain T level number for everyone.
For instance, 100mgs a week put me at an 813. But I was having some E2 sides with that. My E2 was slightly elevated at 55. I split the dose up to 50mgs twice per week to eliminate peak and valleys or mood swings. I have now also increased to 150-200mgs per week divided into two shots weekly.
These Low T centers are bad news and they do not staff competent doctors and force you to be restricted to in office weekly injections which is done for pure profit while making TRT much less effective.
SHBG will dictate the type of TRT protocol that will work for you, without this test you are flying blind protocol wise. Injecting once weekly has it’s problems, levels peak within 24-48 hours and depending on the levels of SHBG, levels start falling and by the end of the week your levels are low.
You seem to be a hyper T metabolizer, you will need more testosterone to achieve similar levels of men on less than half that dosage. A 545 Total T isn’t exactly brag worthy, great for a 60 year old. Younger natural healthy men are high normal.
Suggest SHBG is about midrange do to Total T and Free T numbers, if SHBG is in fact midrange 50-60mg twice weekly injections is best. Normally we test at trough or lowest point right before our injection.
When was your blood work done in relation to your injection?
You should be well over 1000 at seven days post injection. I take 200mg 1/week and my last lab test came back at 902. You’re definitely low SHBG. If I were you, I’d go to 100mg every 3.5 days.
Did they check SHBG? What about E2? That is a pretty large dose of test.
64 years old.
I’m on 320mg once a week at a low T center. Been about 3 weeks now and I was wondering why I’m not feeling like superman on such a high dose! I’m not feeling any bigger and still having ED issues. I guess I’m a low SHBG guy too. Should I lower my dose to 200mg?
Agreed that you need more labs. Your body could just react differently as well. At 250mg injected twice weekly 125 and 125, I show peak levels two days after injection at 850 and trough levels 7 days out at around 650. I have to go all the way to 360mg to get peak levels right at 1000. I feel better right around 250mg though so that’s where I cruise.
It’s only been three weeks. Did they check SHBG prior to starting?
@highpull Yes my SHBG came back at 15. I can’t afford EOD or twice weekly injections so should I lower my dose from 320mg to say 200mg once a week for better results? I may be converting too much of that 320mg to E2. Thoughts?
You should tell your dr you want to self inject at home.
EOD is what you should try.
@roscoe88 I’m not able to self inject so would lowering the dose work best…not optimally but would it work best
Well then your results will reflect that decision to not optimized treatment and in months to come you may feel little benefit from TRT. My SHBG is 22 and feel my levels swinging on twice weekly injections, on day 3 I feel like energy decreased and mood soured, you’re at 15 which is far lower.
When I moved to smaller more frequent injection EOD, SHBG increased from 16–>22, larger testosterone doses produce larger peaks which lowers SHBG, perfect for a high SHBG guy, not good for a low SHBG guy.
You have other options and seeking treatment somewhere else where they don’t have you over a barrel.
Why are finances an issue? Does the doctor make you go to the office for your injections?
Never mind, I read follow up posts.
If your dr isn’t cool with self injections, I’d find a new one. You’ll never figure out your protocol with injection frequency limitations because of DR.
To answer your question, yes, I’d lower the dose. Your shbg should raise a slight bit hopefully. What systemlord said is correct: your shbg will lower with large doses of test… and should raise back up a bit with less.
@systemlord oh ok makes sense. Finances aren’t really the problem @highpull its more dealing with multiple trips a week to the clinic. My doc won’t allow self inject. @roscoe88 thanks you for clarifying. I was doing just fine on once a week injections of 180mg but once my free and total T numbers started dropping, my clinic’s response was to increase the dose to 270 then to 320mg. They didn’t consider my SHBG
Honestly I’d find a new dr if possible.
They aren’t considering shbg is bizarre. It’s standard.
That’s too bad. I get the time element. I know some who charge $35-45 per injection, regardless of dose. Two, three injections per week would add up. I’d try to convince him to let you do your own.
Got it. In an earlier post you mentioned its only been 3 weeks…should I let the 300mg dose ride for another 3 weeks or so or drop to 200mg asap?
Good question. I do not know. I do know a few guys who take that dose and they were not feeling all that great until they went there. Going from 290 to 300 is not significant and just loading the syringe at that level is not that exact.
We’re all different. I know a guy taking 400mg every two weeks and he felt like crap after a few days and especially into the second week. He had his blood pulled at day seven and his total test was in the 300s, SHBG was 5! He went with 100mg every 3.5 days, had blood pulled at trough and total test was 800. Luckily, he has a friends with benefits arrangement with the ex-wife………
If I were you, I’d stick with what you are doing because you already started it and you need to give it a chance to fairly evaluate its effectiveness. If it’s not working, it’s on to the next approach. Good luck.