Hey Guys,
I have been on TRT for about a year and half. I have struggled to find my protocol. I have tried a lot of different things but never really feeling the full benefits of the treatment except for a few days here and there.
My belief is it might be some other deficiency causing the issues rather than just low T. I am due for more labs with defy and would like to know what other items I should have looked at rather than there general requirement lab work.
My last basic labs which I received today on a MWF schedule of 150mg total. were TT 1614 FT 32.3 E2 47.1 at 6-weeks
For reference the closest I felt to good was on AM application of Scrotol Cream (50mg) which I am thinking of going back to but the reason I went to injections was a hope that the more steady delivery of cyponate would render a more consistent day to day mood. (I was all over the place mood wise on the cream)
Symtoms
Zero libido/interest in sex (function/erections 100%)
Low Mood/Energy
Acne (Just started a few days ago)
Restless sleep
Sore muscles (Especially my forearms)
Blurry Vision
Are you taking any other drugs/supplements?
What does your workout routine look like?
How much caffeine are your taking?
I do a powder vitamin supplement daily. Hits all the body’s requirements.
One cup of coffee in the am (no other caffeine)
15-30 minutes of walking and general push up/pull ups daily. (Honestly don’t feel much like exercising at all)
Is your doctor aware of your symptoms?
Ill ask them also but value experience from actual users. Doesn’t hurt to gather info from everywhere right?
Sure. I’m assuming they are aware of your symptoms so they can move forward appropriately. I would consider, assuming a routine follow-up would include the obvious, so leaving those off this list:
CMP
TSH
free T4
free T3
prolactin
VitD
DHEA-S
SHBG
It took me over 3 years to learn I need an aspirin or blood thinner on TRT because my body doesn’t like it when my hematocrit/RBC near the top of the ranges. I’ve actually heard Dr. Saya make the comment some guys need either an aspirin or blood thinner on TRT to make it work.
This is why I always felt good within the first couple of weeks on new protocols, as blood gets thicker, erections wane and I become fatigued. My doc told me to take an aspirin, holy shit do I feel great!
My hematocrit was only 49% and RBC 5.86 (4.70 - 6.10 Mill/mcL), when I lower my dosage I start to feel the benefits, but soon I lose them because then my T is low. In other words I can’t have my cake and eat it to without something to thin my blood.
Dr. Saya has made the comment that some of his patients need something to thin the blood.
Have you tried AM and PM applications of Scrotal Creams? If so I’d try a dailies protocol of 22mg a day. Otherwise those are two good options.
Need to check all this too as @highpull suggests.
This is what I needed. I’ll add those and whatever else my provider wants
Interesting. I feel good also in the first 3-4 weeks then start feeling off around the 6 week mark. Also start getting sides.
Yup. Tried all different routes on the cream. Actually felt great but I convinced myself that injections would be a easier long term strategy in regards to stockpiling and ease of acquiring with and without a script. But I just don’t feel the benefits on injections. Granted I’m in to my second protocol attempt.
Lot of people here have had to try many variations of injection protocols to find what their body responded best to.
Continue your current protocol and don’t make assessments until after 8 weeks. That said, your surest bet with injections is going to be with dailies.
For instance, I went through 15mg for 2 months - felt your exact symptoms all throughout. Then I went through 22mg for 3 months and noticed I felt normal energy again (at around 3-4 weeks into the protocol). Now, I’m going through 28mg and actually feeling great so far everyday. The key here is I had baselines to compare to and made adjustments after giving a protocol enough time.
Basically the same as what @highpull posted but in a printable/savable form.
So your currently doing 196mg per week split daily? Once you started that did it feel better immediately or after 8-weeks?
Yes.
I’m only over a week into the protocol but been feeling better almost the whole time so far. Hoping it continues in this direction.
I was also on 2x/week injections for over a year. Felt great some days, good other times and bad other times. This is why I ended up just going to dailies – to control the fluctuations. I later ended up learning that my previous protocol would get me to a nice peak, which is where I felt good; then it would drop to a trough that was too low for me. My mistake with dailies, then, was dosing parallel to that trough (or worse). Increasing my dose on dailies brings me closer to that original nice peak I was feeling. Only time will tell if this is my perfect dose or I need a slight lower or higher dose.
