So I recently was put on this TRT routine:
- Begin T Cyp 200 mg/ml – 0.25 ml inject IM/SQ three time weekly
- Begin HCG 350 iu inject SQ three times weekly
- Begin Anastrozole 0.25mg by mouth three times weekly
- Begin DHEA 25 mg by mouth at night
My first week I was feeling great. Within one month, I had gained about 12lbs despite no change in my diet and had extremely sore feet and hands. I ended up retesting all my levels, and everything was looking great and within bounds. But I still was not feeling good, and ended up stopping the routine all together. My weight returned to normal rather quickly and so did the sore hands/feet.
Reading up on this some more, I think I was dealing with peripheral edema. Is this a treatable side-effect of TRT? Does it only happen in the beginning and then subside? Should I go back to the doctor to restart?
I starting reading this & right away your story caught my attention. Please listen to what I have to say. I wanna help you. This was very similar to my story and it took 2 years to straighten out what I had started.
First off my protocol was as follows:
200 mg/ml test cyp. 1x per week.
1mg. of anastrozole per week
500 iu x 2 times per week.
This did the same to me & gained weight, swollen ankles, nausea, lazy, and just feeling terrible overall. I tried to alter and modify the protocol every which way but correct.
I then quit and after haggling for 2 years had some homework to do. At this point, I did what they call a washout and I went through feeling better, then worse, then better.
After 3 months of washing out, I did a lot of homework and now knew how to go about
getting back on TRT. I watched a guy on youtube named Danny Bossa and Danny clarified everything I needed to know to use TRT in an effective way.
I started the protocol with just Testosterone cyp./propinate blend 180/20 totaling 200 mg per 1ml.
I went and got my labs done like I did the first time out to establish my baseline and after this, I started on 100mg per week doing every other day subqutaneous of 25mg. per injection. I ran this protocol for eight weeks and retested it again. My total and free were still low so I increased my dose by 10mg per week totaling 110mg per week and ran it for another 8 weeks. I was still a little low and now I ran 120mg per week and once again retested and my numbers are as follows:
FT = 174
TT = 974
e2 = 35
All numbers are at trough level meaning right before I'm supposed to dose my next shot Monday Morning even though I'm doing EOD subQ.
I noticed Once I got up to the 120mg I was starting to feel lousy again and after 4 weeks from going from 110mg to 120mg I started taking the anastrozole.
I now use .25mg of anastrozole a week and this is all I need. I take it Monday morning so when I draw blood I can see the highest point of my e2 for the week. I tried to control my e2 with zinc and other things but it seems as though with .25mg this puts the protocol on point.
One of the problems I had along with many others is no one wants to give the therapy time to change the chemistry of their bodies. WHEN YOU START A THERAPY YOU MUST, MUST, MUST, run it for 8 weeks. No one does this and they just start altering doses left and right which causes a bad snowball effect to end up where you were.
To make the therapy work you must be willing to:
Invest some money.
Take your time.
RUN PROTOCOLS FOR 8 WEEKS.
Be patient, let it work, and just start with the testosterone itself.
You should not be adding HCG or anastrozole until you have blood drawn.
Many people complain TRT is very hard to manage using HCG along with Testosterone and Anastrozole.
When you restart please, Run your 100mg per week for 8 weeks and recheck your blood work every 8 weeks to see where you are at. Don't modify what you start because you will end up at square 1 once again. I don't plan on running HCG. I have found my protocol as I told you up above and it works very well now. As I said, doing it this way takes time & money but this made all the difference in my life at 43 years old and I'm so glad I washed out, and now I have returned. Remember, more is not always better. TRT therapy is for the long haul like the rest of your life long haul.
In case you're wondering, All my other labs are spot on, and my Primary Care said to me I wish all my patients' numbers were like yours. I really hope this helps you and anyone else who reads this. TRT can really help your sense of well-being but don't expect to become a world-class athlete or some raging sex machine after finding your protocol.
I have never had a problem with sex drive but this did in fact increase sensitivity And make things better than they were. Then again, everyone is different. I went on TRT because my test levels were low and I dragging my ass everywhere I went.
Again I hope this helps you and anyone who reads this that has had trouble honing in on a protocol. TRT protocols are probably the most difficult protocols to customize out of all medicines on the market. Every person's needs are so different. SO tailoring your needs over someone elses' needs is going to be most likely all together different. The standard
200mg/ml per week
500iu x 2x per week
1mg of anastrozole
is most likely not going to work for you. Please keep this in mind. Thank you.