I found a TRT protocol that works

[UCFguy01]

Week 9

Starting to feel some ridiculous libido....borderline bothersome, lol. I do remember when I used to get pellets a few years ago that I would have this extremely high libido in the final few weeks leading up to my next round of pellets. Energy and sense of well being still good.

 

[psaufan]

I did pellets for a couple of years and enjoyed the experience very much except for one thing: getting insertions four times a year for, say 15 years, leads to 60 incision in my rear end. I am also a bleeder, so i had to get the incisions stitched each time...no big deal. However, the incision were always where they would rub against a car seat and such, so they wouse be irritated for a few days.

Now the good part: they were very low-maintenance otherwise.

Libido was much, much better on pellets. The peak of pellets was significantly better than injections and even the trough of pellets - towards the time in which a new insertion was due - was better than injections.

 

[goolapsh]

I did pellets for a couple of years and enjoyed the experience very much except for one thing: getting insertions four times a year for, say 15 years, leads to 60 incision in my rear end. I am also a bleeder, so i had to get the incisions stitched each time...no big deal. However, the incision were always where they would rub against a car seat and such, so they wouse be irritated for a few days.

Now the good part: they were very low-maintenance otherwise.

Libido was much, much better on pellets. The peak of pellets was significantly better than injections and even the trough of pellets - towards the time in which a new insertion was due - was better than injections.

Why would you not go back on the pellets then? I am also on injections (for the second time) and besides the first month my libido is in the toilet. I think it has something to do with dopamine as someone else mentioned on this thread. I’m definitely going to consider pellets as my next step now that I’ve read this.

 

[JA Battle]

Is there anyone anywhere that has the dht tested while on pellets?

 

[UCFguy01]

Is there anyone anywhere that has the dht tested while on pellets?

DHT: 107 ng/dl
Range: 12 - 65ng/dl

 

[JA Battle]

DHT: 107 ng/dl
Range: 12 - 65ng/dl

Very nice number. What was total t, e2, and shbg at the point this dht number was taken?

Also on a scale of 1-10, what was your sex drive and erectile function like at the time of this dht number? 10 being the highest you felt while at any point in a given pellet insertion cycle.

 

[UCFguy01]

Total T was 1100, E2 40. Didn't get SHBG but usually mine is pretty low.

8 out of 10 for libido.

 

[JA Battle]

Total T was 1100, E2 40. Didn't get SHBG but usually mine is pretty low.

8 out of 10 for libido.

This sounds exactly what I’m trying to emulate with injections. I’m getting closer. I need very high total t to get my e2 and dht up. So I actually inject estradiol and dht directly so I don’t need to have such a high total t.

Peak daily T:dht:e2
1000:100:45 is my goal.

Just curious what is a typical shbg for you?

 

[UCFguy01]

This sounds exactly what I’m trying to emulate with injections. I’m getting closer. I need very high total t to get my e2 and dht up. So I actually inject estradiol and dht directly so I don’t need to have such a high total t.

Peak daily T:dht:e2
1000:100:50 is my goal.

Just curious what is a typical shbg for you?

Typical SHBG for me is 15 - 20'ish range

 

[UCFguy01]

Next appointment for pellets is this coming Monday. I'm ready for round 2.

......Round 1 was a definite success

 

[goolapsh]

Next appointment for pellets is this coming Monday. I'm ready for round 2.

......Round 1 was a definite success

Did you get your second pellets implanted? Please keep us low shbg people updated! Thanks

 

[madman]

Did you get your second pellets implanted? Please keep us low shbg people updated! Thanks

Does it really matter?

He was already deadset on increasing his dose and driving up hit T levels further yet has absolutely no clue where his TT/FT/e2 let alone other blood markers sat on his current protocol as he did not get labs done 8 weeks in.

post #60

UCFguy01 said:
Week 8

Feels like I'm starting on the downward decent now. Still feel good but maybe a touch of energy loss. I get new pellets in 4 weeks which should work out perfectly timing wise.

My reply

As I stated earlier:

There is an initial burst release of T (small short-lived peak) within the first 2 days (48 hrs) and levels will stay elevated off the hop as there is a plateau phase lasting roughly 60 days which is then followed by a gradual decline over the following months.



Your T levels will be high for the first 2 months then levels will gradually decline.

Not like your T levels are taking a nosedive after 8 weeks!

This is the time when you should be getting labs done to see where your TT/FT/e2 levels sit let alone RBCs/hemoglobin/hematocrit.

As I have stated numerous times on the forum although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects.

You have low SHBG and I would bet your FT levels are still high at the 8-week mark!

Keep in mind that you would need to use accurate assays when testing TT (LC/MS-MS) and FT (Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration).

Man up and get this panel on day 60 (or a few days after).

I and many would be interested to see where your FT level truly sits 8 weeks in.

Either assay would suffice and #1 includes hematocrit

Hit Nelson up maybe you will get a discount!


1. Testosterone, Total and Free (NO Upper Limit) plus Hematocrit

2. Testosterone, Total, LC/MS, and Free (Equilibrium Ultrafiltration)




Clearly, a case of one who claims success on a protocol yet has no clue where his TT/FT/e2 level let alone RBCs/hemoglobin/hematocrit sits and already had his mindset on increasing his dose next round and driving his T levels up further.

 

[UCFguy01]

Did you get your second pellets implanted? Please keep us low shbg people updated! Thanks

Getting them today. They had to postpone it a week. Definitely feel like I'm ready for another dose of pellets. Energy is fading and I can feel the depression and anxiety slowly creeping back in. These will be just in time.

 

[UCFguy01]

So she upped my dose to 1800mg which is 9 pellets. This is up from 1400mg which was 7 pellets last time around.

......and the next journey begins!!

 

[madman]

So she upped my dose to 1800mg which is 9 pellets. This is up from 1400mg which was 7 pellets last time around.

......and the next journey begins!!

No blood work at 8 weeks in (just before levels start to decline) from your current protocol (7 pellets/1400 mg) let alone 12 weeks to see your lowest point before your next round (9 pellets/1800 mg)?

Sensible doctor, you have there, and if anything you should have taken the reigns and did your own blood work at 8/12 weeks (lowest point) to see where your TT/FT/e2 let alone RBCs/hemoglobin/hematocrit sat.

Your whole thread.....I feel this that or the other yet only posted bloodwork for TT/E2 at 4 weeks in yet one of the most important markers free testosterone was not even tested let alone using an accurate assay (Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration).....go figure!

You have low SHBG and with a TT 1100 ng/dL your FT is going to be through the roof!

Let's just drive those T levels up further with no accurate labs to fall back on.


post# 38 (you):

It's also weird how the pellets don't raise my E2 like the injections did.

Total T: 1100
E2: 40 (used to be around 70-100 on injections without an AI)

I'm going to ask for one more pellet next time. I used to get pellets and my total T was around 1200-1400 and I really felt great. Plus the good feeling seemed to last longer.

post#37 (you):

Feeling good in week 5. Still have the libido in tact(on fire). Good energy, good mental sense of well being. Can't complain about a thing really.


My reply:

You are only 5 weeks in and stated that you feel great yet you already want to jack your T level up further?

Regardless you are fixating on TT!

As I have stated numerous times although TT is important to know FT is what truly matters as it is the active unbound fraction of testosterone responsible for the positive effects.

You should be far more concerned with where your FT sits.

The only way to truly know is to have it tested using the most accurate assays such as the gold standard Equilibrium Dialysis or Ultrafiltration.

Keep in mind that with a TT 1100 ng/dL one can easily achieve a healthy FT level even if with higher SHBG.

Again you have low SHBG and with a TT 1100 ng/dL your FT is going to be through the roof!




See it all the time here on the forum.

People ranting/raving about a protocol and how they feel yet in many cases:

*blood work is done too early (2-3 weeks of starting a protocol)

*switching their protocols (dose T/injection frequency) left and right every 6 weeks if they do not feel good/great.

*blood work is done using inaccurate assays especially when it comes to free testosterone let alone e2.

*neanderthal mindset that more T is better

*high T = raging libido/titanium erections

*high T = OPTIMAL as in that fairytale everyone is chasing.....you know the one with raging libido/titanium erections 24/7, unlimited amounts of energy, stellar mood (Mr. Rogers neighborhood), packing on muscle like the hulk with the recovery abilities of wolverine.....LMFAO.

Last but not least and the one that truly puts the icing on the cake

*Lack the understanding of how exogenous T works.

*This should be hammered into every patient's head before starting trt or tweaking a protocol (dose T/injection frequency).

Keep in mind many fail to realize that when starting trt or tweaking a protocol (dose T/injection frequency) that hormones will be in flux during the weeks leading up until blood levels stabilize (4-6 weeks when using TC/TE) and it is common for many during this transition to experience what we call the honeymoon period where there may be a strong increase in libido/erections and overall euphoric feeling due to increasing T levels/dopamine.

Unfortunately, this is temporary and short-lived for most as the body will eventually adjust.

It is also very common for many men to experience ups/downs in energy/mood/libido/erections/recovery during the transition as the body is trying to adjust which can be very misleading.

Even then do understand that once blood levels have stabilized (4-6 weeks) it will take another 2-3 months for the body to fully adapt to those new levels and this is the critical time period when one should gauge how they truly feel overall regarding relief/improvement of low-t symptoms.

When looking at the big picture the first 4-6 weeks is very misleading for most!

 

[UCFguy01]

Got the 2nd round of pellets last Monday 4/12. My butt hurt for about 7 days but feels better now. I do like how I don't have to do anything for 3 months until I go back. It's a convenient TRT protocol I think.

 

[UCFguy01]

Today marks 2 weeks since I had my pellets inserted. Overall feeling good. Feelings of well being are good, libido good, energy high. I noticed that the slight depression and anxiety feelings I was getting at the end of the last round have faded away already.

I'm 42 years old now. But starting around 30 years old I started getting morning anxiety and I had it for 6 years until I started testosterone pellets at 36. It was like clockwork.....The anxiety and depressed feelings would go away about a week or two after my pellets were inserted. Then at about the 3 month mark when I was due for more pellets, the anxiety would creep back in. When I went on injections for a few years, I didn't have anxiety either similar to pellets. My only problem with injections was lack of libido (and I tried many protocols for months at a time with no luck).

So maybe it's a cortisol thing and the testosterone lowers the cortisol which helps the anxiety? Not sure, but there is definitely a correlation with testosterone useage and lowered anxiety with me. It's my magic bullet!!

 

[Gman86]

Today marks 2 weeks since I had my pellets inserted. Overall feeling good. Feelings of well being are good, libido good, energy high. I noticed that the slight depression and anxiety feelings I was getting at the end of the last round have faded away already.

I'm 42 years old now. But starting around 30 years old I started getting morning anxiety and I had it for 6 years until I started testosterone pellets at 36. It was like clockwork.....The anxiety and depressed feelings would go away about a week or two after my pellets were inserted. Then at about the 3 month mark when I was due for more pellets, the anxiety would creep back in. When I went on injections for a few years, I didn't have anxiety either similar to pellets. My only problem with injections was lack of libido (and I tried many protocols for months at a time with no luck).

So maybe it's a cortisol thing and the testosterone lowers the cortisol which helps the anxiety? Not sure, but there is definitely a correlation with testosterone useage and lowered anxiety with me. It's my magic bullet!!

Man I would pay money to know why on pellets ur libido is high and on injections it’s not. I’m racking my brain trying to think of the most likely culprit. What’s ur thoughts? U think it could be something as simple as the way u convert into E2 on one compared to the other, or it’s a bit more complicated?

 

[UCFguy01]

Honestly, I spent a few years trying to figure it out myself. At first I thought it was estrogen being too high or two low. I tried protocols that kept estrogen between 15-30 and that definitely didn't help libido. Then I tried protocols that didn't treat estrogen at all and that was better but not really good. And then I tried everything in between and I stuck to the protocols for long periods of time with not much luck.

The only thing that sticks out to me is that on pellets I get this slow ramp up and slow ramp down in regards to testosterone and estrogen levels. My estrogen on pellets without any AI stays lower on pellets than injections and I think that's because of the slow ramp up..... but that's all bro science really. I don't have a definitive answer. I think there are so many moving parts to this whole equation that it's hard to really figure out why something works and other things don't. I'm just glad I tried pellets first and felt how good TRT can feel because I think I would have quit TRT altogether if I would have tried injections first.

 

[Vince]

Honestly, I spent a few years trying to figure it out myself. At first I thought it was estrogen being too high or two low. I tried protocols that kept estrogen between 15-30 and that definitely didn't help libido. Then I tried protocols that didn't treat estrogen at all and that was better but not really good. And then I tried everything in between and I stuck to the protocols for long periods of time with not much luck.

The only thing that sticks out to me is that on pellets I get this slow ramp up and slow ramp down in regards to testosterone and estrogen levels. My estrogen on pellets without any AI stays lower on pellets than injections and I think that's because of the slow ramp up..... but that's all bro science really. I don't have a definitive answer. I think there are so many moving parts to this whole equation that it's hard to really figure out why something works and other things don't. I'm just glad I tried pellets first and felt how good TRT can feel because I think I would have quit TRT altogether if I would have tried injections first.

Did you ever try daily injections?