Some Fatigue 3 Weeks Into Dose Increase: Normal?

[JYD21]

Primo!

At least you tested using accurate assays.

Keep in mind that you did not test at the true trough which would be Monday morning on such protocol (M/W/F).

Even then your dose was bumped from 100--->120 mg/week split (M/W/F).

Your peak let alone trough TT, FT, and estradiol are going to be even higher.

You are missing some critical blood markers such as CBC which includes RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.

Keep in mind increasing your FT is also going to drive these up further!

Need to throw SHBG in there too.

Yup, good points and doc and I were ok pushing up to 120 to see. Here are the labs below you mentioned from the same draw.

For some reason they posted above; May have to “click expand” to see them.

Also, I will add that today I feel 90% better than I did the last two days. So it's weird...

• I pinned on Monday this week at 8am. Felt fine most the day.
• Tuesday, intense brain fog most of the day (day after pinning)
• Weds, pinned at 8am; anxiety and brain fog all day
• Thurs (today); feel so much better with more head clarity and energy.

This makes me feel like I'm spiking something somewhere that's not helping me.

 

[madman]

Yup, good points and doc and I were ok pushing up to 120 to see. Here are the labs below you mentioned from the same draw.

For some reason they posted above; May have to “click expand” to see them.

Also, I will add that today I feel 90% better than I did the last two days. So it's weird...

• I pinned on Monday this week at 8am. Felt fine most the day.
• Tuesday, intense brain fog most of the day (day after pinning)
• Weds, pinned at 8am; anxiety and brain fog all day
• Thurs (today); feel so much better with more head clarity and energy.

This makes me feel like I'm spiking something somewhere that's not helping me.

Why would you even consider driving up your FT further when your hemo/hemato is already above the top-end and your RBCs top-end?

You have normal SHBG and were hitting a high TT 1000+ng/dL on your previous protocol which would easily have your FT level high.

Iron, TIBC, and TS are high.

Even then your ferritin is low!

Need to look into this.

Could be numerous reasons.

Have you ever seen a hematologist?

 

[JYD21]

Why would you even consider driving up your FT further when your hemo/hemato is already above the top-end and your RBCs top-end?

You have normal SHBG and were hitting a high TT 1000+ng/dL on your previous protocol which would easily have your FT level high.

Iron, TIBC, and TS are high.

Even then your ferritin is low!

Need to look into this.

Could be numerous reasons.

Have you ever seen a hematologist?

Thanks for the feedback. ...Yes, the doc and I agreed to go slightly higher and he was aware of my CBC being slightly over range, and me not having any symptoms related to elevated H/H, RBC, etc., we went higher for symptom resolution and since I was just over 4 monts in and my body was still adjusting.

I'm testing again tomorrow and will see what labs look like at the 6 month mark.

No, haven't seen a Hema as my labs never looked like these prior to TRT. In fact, they always looked great, except my FT was on the cusp of clinically Low and my TT was on the low-normal side.

Looking back, TRT was not going to solve the main issues I was having, so chalk me up to starting it a bit early, which I was reluctant to do and it was a way to help supplement the work my wife and I were doing in our relationship.

At this point, we'll see what my labs tomorrow look like.

I am prepared to go lower or stop completely and kickstart an HPTA protocol. ...I'm sure I could get 'shamed for this' as it's not a unique story, but it's just what has happened.

Thanks again for your input...and I have watched that video before. I understand Ferritin will natually drop on TRT and I also did a blood donation when I didn't need to upon my previous providers bad advice, so that didn't help.

 

[Systemlord]

I understand Ferritin will natually drop on TRT

Mine did, I went from no iron supplementation and ferritin @128 no TRT, went on TRT and within 2-3 months ferritin dropped to 24 on two separate occasions, iron saturation 48->14 (ranges 20-50%)

I felt bad the second week on TRT.

 

[JYD21]

Mine did, I went from no iron supplementation and ferritin @128 no TRT, went on TRT and within 2-3 months ferritin dropped to 24 on two separate occasions, iron saturation 48->14 (ranges 20-50%)

I felt bad the second week on TRT.

How did you resolve it?

Also, in case anyone is interested, here’s a recent video I watched on it:

 

[Systemlord]

How did you resolve it?

I resolved it by supplementing 140 mg elemental iron daily. It didn’t help matter for the fact I was forced to get monthly phlebotomies and just recently my endocrinologist and hematologist said I no longer have to get phlebotomies even though my hemoglobin is above range.

 

[madman]

Thanks for the feedback. ...Yes, the doc and I agreed to go slightly higher and he was aware of my CBC being slightly over range, and me not having any symptoms related to elevated H/H, RBC, etc., we went higher for symptom resolution and since I was just over 4 monts in and my body was still adjusting.

I'm testing again tomorrow and will see what labs look like at the 6 month mark.

No, haven't seen a Hema as my labs never looked like these prior to TRT. In fact, they always looked great, except my FT was on the cusp of clinically Low and my TT was on the low-normal side.

Looking back, TRT was not going to solve the main issues I was having, so chalk me up to starting it a bit early, which I was reluctant to do and it was a way to help supplement the work my wife and I were doing in our relationship.

At this point, we'll see what my labs tomorrow look like.

I am prepared to go lower or stop completely and kickstart an HPTA protocol. ...I'm sure I could get 'shamed for this' as it's not a unique story, but it's just what has happened.

Thanks again for your input...and I have watched that video before. I understand Ferritin will natually drop on TRT and I also did a blood donation when I didn't need to upon my previous providers bad advice, so that didn't help.

Looked over all your previous threads.

Seems as though you are doing reruns here!

You already tried a slightly higher dose (120 mg/week) previously.

Your ferritin has been in the gutter for a while now!

 

[JYD21]

Looked over all your previous threads.

Seems as though you are doing reruns here!

You already tried a slightly higher dose (120 mg/week) previously.

Your ferritin has been in the gutter for a while now!

I started at 120mg, yes. On a Cyp/prop blend. It was good in the beginning, overall.

6 weeks labs showed slightly elevated HCT of 50 so my then provider told me to dump, which was dumb, but I didn’t know better and he’s no longer my provider.

I started off with bad management. Dumping blood with an HCT of 50 on TRT isn’t a good call; I’ve researched it. So that didn’t help my ferritin.

I can tell you my ferritin has come up from where it was, but not by much.

I lowered the dose down to 100mg weekly to let my bloods stabilize a bit.

Then 8 weeks ago we went back up to 120.

 

[Systemlord]

I can tell you my ferritin has come up from where it was, but not by much.

Without iron supplements, your iron will always be subpar at least on TRT, but you know that already.

 

[JYD21]

Without iron supplements, your iron will always be subpar at least on TRT, but you know that already.

So admittedly, I am still a little confused about the Ferritin/Iron thing. If I supplement, it seems I'll creep toward iron overload. If I don't supplement, it'll take a while for my ferritin to get back up to a better level, although while on TRT it could remain 'low' based on labs.

I've tried to research this all over and I still find it inconclusive as to what to do in my situation (per my labs above).

Took bloodwork this morning, so I'm eager to see where we land here.

 

[Systemlord]

admittedly, I am still a little confused about the Ferritin/Iron thing.

It’s possible excess androgens could be to blame for the ferritin and out of whack iron. The best thing to do is decrease your dosage and find out. If your iron profile improves, maybe consider dropping your dosage again.

I have seen other members who run very high T have similar issues with crushed ferritin and reducing the T dosage or stopping the TRT normalizes their ferritin/iron.

 

[Sly]

Before starting TRT, I had brain fog. My first protocol was 70 mg. Of testosterone twice a week and 500 IU of HCG twice a week. I injected both on the same day and all my issues were solved.

The only issue I had after that was high HCT which took 2 years to stabilize and then I no longer had to donate blood.

It also took about 2 years for mine to stabilize after increasing the dose. I still have to donate, but only twice a year instead of every 2 months.

 

[Gladiator]

How did you resolve it?

Also, in case anyone is interested, here’s a recent video I watched on it:

If you follow anything that comes from this malpractice YouTube channel you need help

 

[JYD21]

If you follow anything that comes from this malpractice YouTube channel you need help

My provider is a Dr./uro who is on that channel. I take everything with some gains of salt, because, well… let’s just say the last two years the corruption and incompetence of science and Medicine have been just that.

but I trust my doctor who backs up his assertions with peer reviewed studies.

I also go question a lot of what I see and hear on that channel, but I tend to question the “old ways” of doing things that more recent research had debunked.

…remember in the 50’s when doctors would suggest which brand of cigarettes were best for preggers? …it pays for all of us to do our own research and question all of it,

 

[Charliebizz]

I want to know how many people raise dose , feel worse for a few weeks than actually get better. most things I’ve ever done. if I feel bad I stay bad. So every time I try and raise my dose I feel shitty. Then bail a few weeks in.

 

[Systemlord]

I want to know how many people raise dose , feel worse for a few weeks than actually get better. most things I’ve ever done. if I feel bad I stay bad. So every time I try and raise my dose I feel shitty. Then bail a few weeks in.

You should feel good when you raise your dosage, unless you’ve gone too far. It’s one thing to feel swings, good and bad, quite another to feel bad all the time.

On Jatenzo I never felt bad, I felt amazing, then ok, than amazing leading up a steady state but never bad. It was the same on injections, but beyond the first week things headed to the real big swings that were unpleasant.

 

[JYD21]

You should feel good when you raise your dosage, unless you’ve gone too far. It’s one thing to feel swings, good and bad, quite another to feel bad all the time.

On Jatenzo I never felt bad, I felt amazing, then ok, than amazing leading up a steady state but never bad. It was the same on injections, but beyond the first week things headed to the real big swings that were unpleasant.

My doc who is also on TRT and very knowledgeable switched to cream 7 months ago after years on injections and says he feels best on the cream. He said many of his patients also switched to cream and have felt as good on cream, if not better, and had less sides, with better management of CBC levels and E2.

Curious to learn if others have had a similar experience, and know some tried cream and switched back to injections.

 

[Gladiator]

I want to know how many people raise dose , feel worse for a few weeks than actually get better. most things I’ve ever done. if I feel bad I stay bad. So every time I try and raise my dose I feel shitty. Then bail a few weeks in.

I raised my dose to 500mg a week. I felt like a god. I told my trt provider I feel best on 400mg a week. He laughed. I get enough on script to do one cycle a year for 10 weeks or I just stay on 175mg a week instead of dropping to the safe level of 125

 

[madman]

I raised my dose to 500mg a week. I felt like a god. I told my trt provider I feel best on 400mg a week. He laughed. I get enough on script to do one cycle a year for 10 weeks or I just stay on 175mg a week instead of dropping to the safe level of 125

Go spew this nonsense on one of those other bumass forums!

WTF does this have to do with TRT/HRT?

 

[Charliebizz]

My doc who is also on TRT and very knowledgeable switched to cream 7 months ago after years on injections and says he feels best on the cream. He said many of his patients also switched to cream and have felt as good on cream, if not better, and had less sides, with better management of CBC levels and E2.

Curious to learn if others have had a similar experience, and know some tried cream and switched back to injections.

My doc who is also on TRT and very knowledgeable switched to cream 7 months ago after years on injections and says he feels best on the cream. He said many of his patients also switched to cream and have felt as good on cream, if not better, and had less sides, with better management of CBC levels and E2.

Curious to learn if others have had a similar experience, and know some tried cream and switched back to injections.

I’ve tried cream a few times. And while it gives Me a major boost in libido. And better erections, I just don’t feel quite right on it. I do not feel great on trt period. But lower dose injections has me feeling best over all. It’s funny I recently did labs 5 hours after applying one click of cream in the morning. (1click am one pm ) and my levels were awful. Tt250 and ft 64 on quest. But my libido and erections were fantastic. However I had a good amount of fatigue and moodiness.

i just seem to do best on lower injections with 2x or 3x a week injections. Any more frequent I get super depressed and flat. And any higher dose I get better libido but more fatigue. I just haven’t been able to ride higher doses out long enough to know 100% if They will work or not.