T Nation

Stopped Taking HCG - Feel Terrible

T Replacement
#1

Hi all,

I haven’t really been on the site lately because I have been dialed in for quite some time feeling pretty great. I read for so long, so many people pushing to get off of HCG or don’t start it initially etc. that it gave me anxiety about whether I should or should not be on it.

I was one of the people who started with it day 1. Cypionate and HCG and dialed in my appropriate dose and injection frequency. Erections were as hard as a baseball bat. Sensitivity to having an orgasm had me screaming when unloading on my wife. If I tried to not let it out while get a good BJ from her I would literally almost internally implode, almost like trying to hold in a powerful sneeze and letting it blow up inside you and feeling like you broke your ear drums and rib cage.

Well, HCG is one of those things that has seen some government intervention and making it hard to get, and expensive as all hell. So I talked to my doctor about getting off of it. They happily obliged and said if you truly don’t give a crap about having kids etc. it’s no big deal. So, here I am one month off of it and wanted to make a post of how I feel for future records and for others who might see the same results.

Results:

  1. My shit is soft and numb/lifeless feeling 99% of the time. I can get an erection, but the sensitivity is gone and the glorious orgasms are complete gone. I am back to pre TRT freaking out if I am going to even be able to finish off during sex. Even BJ’s take 4 times as long now for me to the point he wife is like, jesus get it over with already my jaws are locked frozen and hurting like hell! I also have zero interest in women anymore. I can be next to the biggest tits and smelling good woman in the world and my body would repel her instantly.

  2. I feel like a dead zombie again, exactly how I did pre-TRT. It has gotten worse every day. I literally want to sleep all day, every day and feel like my eyes are swollen again, super heavy eyelids, sensitivity to light and even 12+ hours a day of sleep doesn’t rejuvenate me at all. I have been on vacation for 2+ weeks and sleeping no less than 12+ hours a day I have absolutely no energy at all.

  3. I upped my Testosterone dose to offset the HCG but at this point, I am waiting to go into the doctor for some fresh bloods to see where I am in terms of numbers for everything compared to my last 3 years. It’s been a really long time since I felt this shitty so I am really interested in where I stand. Doctor didn’t think I needed much more Testosterone to offset the HCG but perhaps they were very wrong.

What else could the HCG been giving me that would account for me feeling so awesome on it, and now 100% as if I never started TRT in my life? I am currently doing .15ml of 200mg/ml cypionate every other day and nothing else.

My gut tells me that either they were wrong, and the dropping of HCG lowered my test levels far more significantly than they thought, or HCG is keeping my other hormones in check and my body really prefers those hormones being present. I realize the easy answer is just get back on it if you felt so great. I know, just wonder what it might have been doing for me so positive.

Interested in what some of you think.

Thanks!

#2

I’ve been on TRT for a couple years and have all the symptoms you have now. Upping my dose to where my numbers were in the top of the range helped some. Been wanting to try hcg to see if it gives me the same thing it did you!

#3

I’m not sure why you’ve had such a huge response to dropping it, but the solution seems pretty obvious, right?

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#4

Find a compounding pharmacy. While a little difficult to find, it is available and the price is up only about 10%.

Or, comrade, follow the government’s orders and get it from Merck…

#5

How long since you dropped hcg? If less than 6 weeks, you need to give body time to restabalize

#6

Thanks buddy. I will look into seeing what it cost to get from Merck. It went from 65$ to 195$ a month here for me. Every few months, they make a coupon that brings it down to 165$ but it’s still pricey as hell since my insurance can’t cover it anymore.

Curious what normal price ranges are that you’re possibly aware of? Perhaps I can get my doctor to go out of state for an item like this if it’s much cheaper. I believe they are allowed to as they suggested they could even get it from Florida for me if I wanted (but the cost was 190$).

#7

It’s been 1 month. In my experience over the years of doing this, my body doesn’t respond that way. Once it feels this horrible, it stays this horrible. My body responds within days to treatment and every time it’s been accurate. I can be sure at this point, it will require a change to my protocol to get back where I was at. Having a slight change feeling is one thing, this change is literally pre-trt level fatigue. I do agree that the body adjusts, but that doesn’t mean that it adjusts and then feels great. Sometimes you just feel shitty, your body settles into that and you just feel shitty all the time.

Even my doctor finally realized how sensitive my body is and ultra fast it responds. He used to tell me all the time, it doesn’t work that way or that’s not something I have ever seen to, yup, you really are that person different than what I have ever seen. He tried to give me the smallest size of AI he’s ever prescribed because he is one of those that just by default gives it to people. I said, I am being told this stuff’s really bad for you, are you sure it’s safe for me to take? Yes, we will give you a really small dose and see how you respond.

I was suicidal for 8 weeks. I gave it 8 weeks of adjusting. During that time, I sat around wanting to murder my family, staring at my wife thinking of how I could easily kill her while wanting to rip out my eyes from being dropped to completely crashed levels of estrogen. I daydreamed of driving my car off the bridge while going and coming home from work.

It’s really amazing how differently people react to some of these protocols. After I realized it was the AI and crashed estrogen (from new bloods) it only took me 5 days to be out of that suicidal and horrible feeling. I took 3 shots above my normal dose to sky rocket my estrogen and it worked. Interestingly it sent me into becoming a crybaby with anything emotional, however, I felt great when I wasn’t watching a sad movie or reading a sappy anniversary card.

I tried to give it one month, but I know me, feeling this way still after 30 days I stand no chance. It won’t get any better waiting around for it. That doesn’t work for everyone.

#8

I know it lol. The biggest issue for me is the huge price increase. It’s over 3 times as much money now and a bit difficult to afford. The government sucks really bad sometimes lol.

#9

Are you saying you have been on it for years, you felt great and now suddenly you feel like crap? Or have you never been dialed in and feeling good over those years?

#10

Never been dialed in. I’ve made progress but still lack plenty

#11

I think the most interesting thing for me will be, just how much has dropping HCG lowered my test levels.

Additionally, I guess the real question was, what else does HCG give me that could have such an impact? If it’s as simple as, well when you stop HCG you just keep upping your test dose until you feel great again that’s fine. But at what cost? I don’t care about my nuts shrinking as long as they don’t throb and hurt all day. It’s just the conversation about other hormones like progesterone and others that might be involved that disappear when your nuts stop working. Maybe one person doesn’t feel any difference but someone else does.

In the end, I am ok with being on HCG if I absolutely have to for maintaining a healthy mental and physical level. However, if I can save 200$ a month and feel great because all it takes is a little more testosterone, I am open to hearing what peoples experience has been with this scenario. I am all about trying to just keep the protocol as simple as possible with maximum benefits. So far I have found Testosterone and HCG more powerful than 500+$ of vitamins and healthy eating. I am not saying to not do those things, but nothing made me feel better than just straight up TRT. No healthy eating or all the vitamins everyone tells you to take. In fact, I stopped all vitamins except TRT and felt exactly the same (great) for 2+ years.

I really appreciate all the input and this board was a godsend for me in the dark times. Highpull and some of the veterans around here really give good information and advice.

Thanks gents!

#12

I would increase your dose and see if it helps. If it doesn’t, then you can go back on HCG. Not sure how much you were taking, but using a goodrx coupon 10000iu is $120, should last 2 months, so $60/mo. Not terrible

#13

Can you please show me where you are seeing that? I was ordering 1 x 5000IU vial a month, Novarel brand. I am interested if that’s 2 x 5000IU vials, or 1 x 10,000IU because of the 30 day shelf life once it’s activated. My dosing is 350IU x 2 times weekly.

Thanks!

#14

Even cheaper. Box says it’ll last for 60 days in the fridge

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#15

Now this all makes sense. That’s a huge amount to take each month, no wonder you feel so different off of it. I imagine your TT & e2 have lowered dramatically

#16

That is insane pricing. Let me show you what Goodrx shows me (I use them) when I put in my area:

GoodRX Novarel
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If I can get that pricing you’re showing, I won’t even need to be here. I will just take it again and call it a day.

#17

Sorry I mis-stated that answering so fast. Let me say “I go through 1 x 5000IU vial per month” because I throw it away at the end of the month. The dosing is 350IU x 2 times weekly. so basically 700IU per week.

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#18

Ohhh ok, damn thought I’d found the answer lol.

Where are you those prices are crazy!

The 30 day shelf life of HCG is a bit of bro-science. My compounded stuff said it would last 6 weeks, the box I get from CVS says 60 days. I don’t think you need to be throwing away any product after 30 days. It’s still good, at worst a little less potent

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#19

Am thinking out loud here. I wonder if you can introduce dhea supplementation.

#20

Not sure if this would work, but maybe call up a CVS with lower pricing and see if you can send them your Rx, then mail you the meds? It’s not a scheduled drug, should be fine