Please Help: Testosterone Protocol Advice Needed (Low Libido)

[KenLowT]

How long would you suggest I stay with that if I drop down? 4-6 weeks? If I see no improvement, how much would I go up?

I'm not speaking for Nelson, but I suggest you keep Dr. John Crisler's mantra in mind: Start Low and Go Slow. It's always easier to increase the doses associated with a TRT protocol, easier than pulling them back. If I were you, I'd start at 100mg, 50mg every 3.5 days.

 

[MarkM]

If it were me, I would drop down to 50 mg every 3.5 days and do that for a minimum of 6 weeks, preferably 8 weeks, so you reach a steady state. After that, if needed, I would increase 10 mg up to 60 mg every 3.5 days. Nice and slow.

 

[CoastWatcher]

How long would you suggest I stay with that if I drop down? 4-6 weeks? If I see no improvement, how much would I go up?

You have to, at a minimum, wait for six weeks before serum levels become stable. That's true for any protocol change. You'll find that patience is a virtue in this game...it's a marathon and not a sprint. But it's worth it.

 

[Kirk001]

Pre-treatment labs are showing LH is near to top of the range so testosterone should be higher and it's not, usually this indicates primary hypogonadism, a failure of the testicles.

High LH pre-treatment and also the fact that his pretty large HCG protocol failed to raise T levels at all... definitely seems to indicate primary.

 

[KenLowT]

High LH pre-treatment and also the fact that his pretty large HCG protocol failed to raise T levels at all... definitely seems to indicate primary.

Yes, it seems like the consensus from what everyone is saying. If I am primary then that really stinks since fertility was important to me. If primary is the case, would HCG be necessary with the testosterone cypionate if it won't help with the testes to produce more sperm and semen?

 

[MarkM]

Is it necessary? No. However, if you wish to prevent atrophy of the testes you may want to consider it. If you don't care if they look like raisins, then maybe you don't need it. Also, as stated earlier, TRT will completely shutdown your HPTA axis. This means that other hormones like pregnenolone, progesterone, and cortisol will have their pathway disturbed. Each of the hormones plays a role in your health and well being. Many believe as I do that HCG backfills those pathways.

 

[Kirk001]

You should really get a semen analysis if fertility is a concern, which you can do through Discounted Labs if not through your current doctor. I don't think you mentioned getting one. Then you will see where you stand on that. Working with a doc who is knowledgeable in this area there might be things you could try such as FSH, but being primary hypogonadal makes it more difficult so I'm not sure... One thing I can tell you is that sperm count and T levels do not always go hand in hand. I think they do generally but my pre-treatment testing showed testosterone in the crapper yet a high sperm count. So I don't think you can really know where you stand until you get a semen analysis.