Attempted hpta restart log

[FLguy123]

This will serve as my log for my attempted hpta restart.

Stats:
36 years old
175lbs
6”0
Have always had very thin legs and could always add size/muscle to my upper body much easier than legs
BF ? But I’m very lean
Last two sperm analysis came back sterile

Have been on and off androgel for 6 or so years, and spent the last 2.5 years trying to dial in injections. With and without hcg, microdosing AI, and all recommended protocols. It’s been the same story you’ve heard over and over, low shbg guy with short periods of feeling great followed by feeling not so great and a host of side effects.

Had been doing daily Cyp injections 15 mg for around 3 months with hcg 200iu EOD and my labs have historically been good on paper without anything glaring on why I’m not feeling better.

took my last injection last Saturday 5/16 and am on my 3rd week of clomid 25mg ED.

So far I have been feeling :
Mood and energy have been much improved
Joint aches and pains have reduced greatly, especially first thing in the AM
Anxiety has reduced
Brain fog has reduced
Libido is marginally worse, although it was already in the tank
Have lost about 3 lbs, could be too quick for this much muscle loss but my arms appear smaller. This could be perception

 

[sh1973]

How old are you?

 

[Vince]

Good luck in your restart protocol. Looking forward to reading your updates.

 

[FLguy123]

Updated background info and stats

 

[FLguy123]

2.5 Week update

A continuation of my original update, all noted symptoms are still similar:

• Mood and energy have been still better, although i have been getting fatigued a bit more than last week in the afternoon, but honestly still better than while on TRT
• Joint aches and pains have reduced greatly even more, specifically in my knees and ankles. It feels like i have less inflammation overall throughout my body
• Anxiety has reduced and my ability to think clearly and rationally feels more normal
• Brain fog has reduced and i've been more productive
• Libido is still bad, worse than the first week and worse than while on TRT which was not great at the end. I'd say the last 3-6 months of TRT libido was around 2-4, it feels 1-2 now. I am still hoping this turns around at some point but am not as concerned here yet as everything else has improved and outweighs this.
• I have lost about 3 lbs. Could be some water weight but assuming there's been muscle loss as well. I do feel a little weaker the little time i've spent in the gym and my face definitely appears thinner
• sleep has improved as i can fall asleep quicker and wake up feeling substantially more refreshed

Side note, I have put in an order for enclomiphene and am debating giving this a go as opposed to the clomid. Although I may want to ride out the clomid for the full 4-6 weeks, take bloods, and assess from there. Open to thoughts and suggestions.

Also trying to put general thoughts to paper here that are purely subjective and anecdotal, but it almost feels as if my body was rejecting the test. Or possibly rejecting the other down stream effects/side effects. For example, my HCT had crept up to 52 upon my last blood work, and this was on a under 100mg/week. This pattern has repeated as throughout history i can look back and see periods of time feeling great but ultimately ending at this same place.

 

[Vince]

I’m happy it’s going OK for you. I hope you continue your protocol for 4 to 6 weeks and then have labs. I do think enclomiphene may work better. But since you started with clomid, I hope you continue for now.

 

[FLguy123]

Week 4 update

Not a ton to update as there hasn’t been major changes from the last updates. Less overall anxiety and better at coping and talking through things when something comes up. This equates to managing stress better. Weight is holding now at 5lbs under trt weight. I’m going to get labs next week and most likely give the enclomiphene a try after that.

 

[Smokin Joe]

FLGuy,
This is my 22nd day with no T.
Clomid 12.5 mg 2-3 times a week.
DHEA-15 mg daily in the morning.

Short History on TRT: On and off for seven years.
Down side-Little interest in sex and testicles/scrotum shirking up tight.
Upside-Felt good mentally, very fluid but almost to the point that I would just blow tings off
that needed attention.

This week being the third week I am waking up with morning wood which is usually after I pee at 4:00am and lay back down. My libido is up especially in the am.
But my energy is low in the afternoon and I'm pretty nervous most of the time.

Planning to switch to Enclophimene soon I hope through Defy and see how it goes.
Miss my TRT but if I can get by wit a different protocol and have good results then thatwill be the way.
Time will tell.
Joe

 

[3DMission]

Word of caution on Clomid. Beware of any ocular side effects. I was on Clomid long term to bring back fertility. It worked great, but it started to affect my vision. There was also a mental side effect that drove me crazy. I was unable to get songs out of my head. I know this sounds weird, but it was definitely related to Clomid. Weeks after stopping Clomid this side effect started to fade. If I heard a song or a catchy tune it was near impossible to get it out of my head, to the point it was driving me crazy. It’s odd, but makes me wonder how else Clomid may be impacting my brain. Once it started affecting my vision it really freaked me out. In the beginning it was great, but from my experience I would not recommend long term usage. I am not familiar with enclomiphene.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Word of caution on Clomid. Beware of any ocular side effects. I was on Clomid long term to bring back fertility. It worked great, but it started to affect my vision. There was also a mental side effect that drove me crazy. I was unable to get songs out of my head. I know this sounds weird, but it was definitely related to Clomid. Weeks after stopping Clomid this side effect started to fade. If I heard a song or a catchy tune it was near impossible to get it out of my head, to the point it was driving me crazy. It’s odd, but makes me wonder how else Clomid may be impacting my brain. Once it started affecting my vision it really freaked me out. In the beginning it was great, but from my experience I would not recommend long term usage. I am not familiar with enclomiphene.

I agree as I have been very moody and grumpy.
I'm trying not to stay on it long as I've encountered the same plus some before.
Hoping Enclophimine will be better.
Thanks for your comments.

 

[FLguy123]

Got my labs back from Tuesday which is about 5.5 weeks from my last injection. Still feeling better overall. I’m still doing clomid 25mg/day

LH 6.5 Range 1.5-9.3
fSH 2.8. Range 1.6-8
TT 547. Range 250-1100
FT 92.4. Range 35-155
Estradiol ultra sensitive 23. Range <29
DHT 39. Range 12-65
HCT 44.6. Range 38.5-50

didn’t get my shbg for some reason and am very curious to see where this lands as it has been low historically.
debating giving enclomiphene a try as I have it on hand and curious if anyone has any thoughts. I am surprisingly happy and satisfied with most of my symptoms at current. What I would like to still see improvements on:

A little more energy
A little more libido
Little better in muscle recovery and energy in the gym
Still no morning wood

 

[TLawyer]

Got my labs back from Tuesday which is about 5.5 weeks from my last injection. Still feeling better overall. I’m still doing clomid 25mg/day

LH 6.5 Range 1.5-9.3
fSH 2.8. Range 1.6-8
TT 547. Range 250-1100
FT 92.4. Range 35-155
Estradiol ultra sensitive 23. Range <29
DHT 39. Range 12-65
HCT 44.6. Range 38.5-50

didn’t get my shbg for some reason and am very curious to see where this lands as it has been low historically.
debating giving enclomiphene a try as I have it on hand and curious if anyone has any thoughts. I am surprisingly happy and satisfied with most of my symptoms at current. What I would like to still see improvements on:

A little more energy
A little more libido
Little better in muscle recovery and energy in the gym
Still no morning wood

Keep at it! I stopped cold turkey after 6 months on TRT 4.5 weeks ago. It hasn't been unbearable. I felt like I hit a low point from 2-3 week mark, but the last week or so have gone pretty well, and I've been lifting 3 days a week and light cardio everyday (1.5 hours of walking). Physically, I have actually felt better. I've dropped about 10 pounds, erections good and still having sex, and I think that has actually been better than when I was on TRT. I was having trouble with sensitivity and orgasm, and that is gone. I've been taking Tongkat Ali 5 days per week since I stopped, not sure whether that has helped. The 2-3 week mark issues were more just a "well-being" issue - I felt anxious, a little depressed, not quite in control, but that seems to have improved. I'll probably get some labs in a week or so, but it doesn't feel like my T-level is ridiculously low. Hopefully, working out like a madman with a clean diet can help avoid needing to go back on. I really stopped just to see what difference I would feel, and I definitely do feel it. I am naturally low SHBG, and I think a big part of it is that my dosage just had my levels way too high for me.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Right.
This is week five for me and as u stated week 3 was kind of rough but I'm moving on now.
I switched from clomid to enclophimene last week but have not started it yet due to a retinal detachment which requires surgery tomorrow.

The positives so far are increased libido for sure. I hope it continues to get better.
More focused on the things I should be where as before I'd low it off.
Energy coming back to a good level and still lifting some weights.
to help me stay fluid.
No negatives really-still a bit tempered at times and that is what I miss the most about TRT.
If this works out I'll be looking for a natural.
No labs yet and will wait till the 90 day mark to do them.
Hopefully the enclophimene will shine in the numbers.
Will post as it goes.
Joe

 

[FLguy123]

Encouraging to hear others are doing well also after TRT. I started enclomiphene today at 25mg and will report updates along the way.

 

[TLawyer]

Right.
This is week five for me and as u stated week 3 was kind of rough but I'm moving on now.
I switched from clomid to enclophimene last week but have not started it yet due to a retinal detachment which requires surgery tomorrow.

The positives so far are increased libido for sure. I hope it continues to get better.
More focused on the things I should be where as before I'd low it off.
Energy coming back to a good level and still lifting some weights.
to help me stay fluid.
No negatives really-still a bit tempered at times and that is what I miss the most about TRT.
If this works out I'll be looking for a natural.
No labs yet and will wait till the 90 day mark to do them.
Hopefully the enclophimene will shine in the numbers.
Will post as it goes.
Joe

Yes, I think this is similar to me. I feel better physically (including libido), biggest difference is the mental aspect (I can be a bit grouchier off T), but I can live with it and hopefully improve. I was on HCG along with testosterone, so going cold turkey probably hasn't been as bad for me as would be if you weren't taking HCG and had completely shut down production.

 

[FLguy123]

After about 10 days of enclomiphene I’m feeling a little worse. Little more aches, less libido, less energy. I’ve had very busy active days but had a few days rest here and there and not feeling great. Contemplating going back to standard clomid for a few more weeks or riding out with enclomiphene to get bloodwork. Open to suggestions.

 

[TLawyer]

Yes, I think this is similar to me. I feel better physically (including libido), biggest difference is the mental aspect (I can be a bit grouchier off T), but I can live with it and hopefully improve. I was on HCG along with testosterone, so going cold turkey probably hasn't been as bad for me as would be if you weren't taking HCG and had completely shut down production.

I've been off everything for 6 weeks now, cold turkey. Didn't feel great in week 5, no motivation, anxious, just not happy. Physically didn't feel too bad, more mental. The last few days, however, I've had a noticeable change. I had more energy and motivation, and had a good week this week in the gym. I noticed that my "boys" felt more full this week, and it definitely feels like my natural production has kicked back in. Not sure to what extent, but night and day compared to last week. I'll be getting some bloods next week.

 

[Lozza24]

I've been off everything for 6 weeks now, cold turkey. Didn't feel great in week 5, no motivation, anxious, just not happy. Physically didn't feel too bad, more mental. The last few days, however, I've had a noticeable change. I had more energy and motivation, and had a good week this week in the gym. I noticed that my "boys" felt more full this week, and it definitely feels like my natural production has kicked back in. Not sure to what extent, but night and day compared to last week. I'll be getting some bloods next week.

Hi
I can't tell you just how encouraging it is to read your post. I feel like there is hope and I now have a way out. The mental stress trt has caused I can't even put into words. Knowing that I could stop and not go through living hell has given me some light at the end of the tunnel.

Keep us posted on your progress as I think to help me through it I'll also document my journey.

 

[TLawyer]

Hi
I can't tell you just how encouraging it is to read your post. I feel like there is hope and I now have a way out. The mental stress trt has caused I can't even put into words. Knowing that I could stop and not go through living hell has given me some light at the end of the tunnel.

Keep us posted on your progress as I think to help me through it I'll also document my journey.

I definitely haven't felt like I've been on death's door. Up and down as the weeks have passed, but coming up on week 7 I am feeling pretty good. I have made a concerted effort to workout every day and doing heavy lifts (squatting 3 times per week on the Stronglifts program) and walking for 5 miles a day on the days I don't lift. I've lost weight and can tell that I've lowered by body fat percentage, and I think the heaving lifting and cardio have made a difference in helping my natural production. I feel better now that I did right before I started TRT. Still haven't made my way to a lab for blood tests, hopefully this week. Honestly, I am shocked at the size increase in my testicles over the past week. I was taking HCG during my TRT and didn't really think I noticed any decrease in size, but clearly there must have been as the difference now is very noticeable.

 

[Lozza24]

I definitely haven't felt like I've been on death's door. Up and down as the weeks have passed, but coming up on week 7 I am feeling pretty good. I have made a concerted effort to workout every day and doing heavy lifts (squatting 3 times per week on the Stronglifts program) and walking for 5 miles a day on the days I don't lift. I've lost weight and can tell that I've lowered by body fat percentage, and I think the heaving lifting and cardio have made a difference in helping my natural production. I feel better now that I did right before I started TRT. Still haven't made my way to a lab for blood tests, hopefully this week. Honestly, I am shocked at the size increase in my testicles over the past week. I was taking HCG during my TRT and didn't really think I noticed any decrease in size, but clearly there must have been as the difference now is very noticeable.

This is all very positive. I will be following your updates closely. I have had a few lifestyle changes in the time I've been on trt so I think I'll be in a much better place physically. I think I've had low T for years but my body is kind of used to it. Having the constant ups and downs of high e2 low e2 high t high hct low ferritin constant blood..... This takes it s toll. The sad thing is there are many like this with very little support.