Lately I’ve been reading on the forums that certain T delivery systems will have higher aromatization levels than others due to a T spike. Is this accurate? I have tried researching PubMed and have found a mention of it in passing a few times(gels create a spike, pellets have low aromatization due to a slow steady release of T) but no definitive studies.
I ask this because I am debating which T delivery system would be best for me. I am well acquainted with the stickies and know that injectable Tcyp plus HCG plus AI is the gold standard for dialing in the correct balance of hormones, saving my testicles, etc. I am tempted by pellets because if the above is true, I would not have to use an AI for the rest of my life, or possibly a lower dose. I have not seen any adverse events with long term AI use in the literature, but why risk it if it’s not necessary. Also, I’m not looking forward to traveling with T and HCG, which I would have to do every once and awhile.
Yes, T spikes promote more E2 than the same amount of T with a steadier delivery. With transdermals, the very high T levels in the skin promote more T–>E2 as well as more T–>DHT
Pellets are not steady over months but are steady day to day. As T levels do vary, if you need to manage E2 levels with anastrozole, you will never have tight control.
The steadiest levels are from T injections EOD. Every day is not necessarily.
Pellets are considered a minor surgical procedure and are expensive. Great cash flow for doctors. Some here have tried pellets and have had pain and one reported infection.
You seem to have your thinking dominated by adversity towards using an AI. With any delivery system, many will need anastrozole to achieve the quality of life benefits of E2 in the lower 20’s.
Brief interruptions of hCG are harmless. However, you could carry Rx Nolvadex for those times.
As far as what is dominating my thinking on this subject, I’m essentially trying to “have my cake and eat it too”. My top concern is dialing in my hormones correctly without shutting down my testes. That points to T and HCG injections and AI . My reservations are that I don’t want to be tied to injections when I travel for business, vacation, etc. In the back of my mind I wonder what if my T is lost, stolen, confiscated at the airport, etc.
Small chance of that happening I know, but that’s how my mind works. That’s where the pellets look attractive. If I’m gone for a week, in a worse case scenario I believe I read in another thread that you said one could inject 500iu of HCG prior to leaving and that would be sufficient until I returned. Lastly, I thought that if pellets aromatized less that T injections, I could have less or no AI use. Again, I haven’t seen anything in the literature one way or the other regarding long term AI use, but the less drugs, the better for me.
If you don’t mind, I had one more question. Is 250iu of HCG EOD, the same as 500iu every 4th day or 1000iu every 8th day? I suspect not, otherwise I guess the protocol would recommend less frequent injections. I’m thinking that the HCG sits in the SQ layer until it is absorbed from the body, hence my question. I probably don’t understand the mechanism of action.