42yrs old and ignorant about trt

[Trich27]

Got bloodwork done before a surgery about 8months ago and Dr. found test to be a little below normal. Months later my test. went from being just below normal to so low I just did a cycle to try to get up to almost what it was before I started trt. I was ignorant to the whole trt program and now wish I would have looked into it before doing the treatment. Now my body has stopped making test and with the cycle I just did I'm sure my e2 is up because I gained about 8lbs in the last 7days mostly in my mid section with no major life change. At 42yrs of age is there anything I can do to jump start my body to make test. so I can get off the needle? I've never been a person who likes to medicate unless all options have been exhausted. Seems the more test. you do the more chances you have to worry about being a woman getting breast and estrogen.. Any info. is appreciated..................

 

[thegodfather]

Sounds to me that your dose just wasn't dialed in properly. Keeping the dose lower and more frequent can mitigate estrogen rise as well as make your blood levels more stable. What was/is your protocol like?? You could try running HCG and some clomid to restart your natural production, but chances are you will never get them up anywhere near what proper TRT treatment could. Kind of a double-edged sword.

 

[rixrix]

Might as well try a restart before you go on TRT permanently. You can always go to TRT if it doesn't take. You can look around for a restart protocol on most of the boards. Typically, as godfather stated above, it involves HCG and clomid for a period of time.

Restart does not always work, some people have good luck and some do not. I have read of someone who had to do two or three takes on the restart with different protocols.

 

[Trich27]

I wish my Dr. would have tried some type of supplement instead of going right to a trt since I was just a little below normal. Now the test. is a must have since the trt. I just hate knowing I'm tied to a needle the rest of my life now. As stated in other post I think this is a new thing for most Dr.s when it comes to men. How bad is the crash being my test. was around 195 the last time I checked before the 1cc a week for four weeks. That's when I started feeling side effects of test. Sucks that my levels were a little out from normal. Wasn't having any issues with sex drive are anything. Now I'm all f^^ked up. Is there a supplement out there that makes your body think it's producing test. to prevent testicle shrinkage and other issues because of trt. Would be nice to find someone who dropped out of trt. and did the jump start. Sorry so scatter brained, trying to gain as much knowledge about this before my options are gone. I feel like such an idiot for going with trt before doing some research being I wasn't having a physical need for it yet!!!

 

[threeFs]

IMO, you are so worried about 3 minutes of injection once/twice a week that you can't see or feel how outstanding a proper level of testosterone makes you. I spent so many years tired and lazy, grumpy and depressed that I look forward to my trt. I have never felt better in my life.
But there are needle alternatives like a clomid test restart or testosterone gel. But for me, my quality of life from one year on trt is better than any I can remember. Good luck and I wish you the best, whatever that may entail for you.

 

[napalm]

I just hate knowing I'm tied to a needle the rest of my life now

When you've been on trt for a while, and have the test levels of a 25 yr old and feeling better than you have in 20 yrs, you'll get over this...

 

[Trich27]

Your probably right about 25yr old test levels but for me I'm not there yet and all screwed up so why not try options. That could be my ignorance talking just trying to get a grip on this since Dr. seems to be grabbing dosages out the air. I've gotten more insight from this site than from Dr. and just don't want to go trt route just because the Dr. says so. Dr. maybe right on the money with trt but so far I feel it has made it worse than better. My numbers went from mid to hi 500's to 190's in 8months with trt. Started with daily gel and went to needle to get better results after the drop.

 

[thegodfather]

When you've been on trt for a while, and have the test levels of a 25 yr old and feeling better than you have in 20 yrs, you'll get over this...

Exactly. And chances are in 10-15 years the FDA will approve a once daily oral tablet which will allow us to do away with the needle if we so choose to go that route.

 

[LMuscle]

Your probably right about 25yr old test levels but for me I'm not there yet and all screwed up so why not try options. That could be my ignorance talking just trying to get a grip on this since Dr. seems to be grabbing dosages out the air. I've gotten more insight from this site than from Dr. and just don't want to go trt route just because the Dr. says so. Dr. maybe right on the money with trt but so far I feel it has made it worse than better. My numbers went from mid to hi 500's to 190's in 8months with trt. Started with daily gel and went to needle to get better results after the drop.

Definitely! TRT totally sucks if you can't get your numbers just about perfect. Too little and you're f-cked, too much and you're f-cked. If I had listened to my doctor and continued on his recommended protocol, I might have literally killed myself. Using a lower dose has helped, but I'm still not 100%. Numbers look good, but something is missing that has me in an off and on depression. I really think I am missing something my testicles were producing before the TRT shutdown.

 

[threeFs]

And why haven't you gotten a second opinion? Doctors are a business and we hope they are all vested in our health...but clearly yours isn't in this case.
Not really sure what you're looking for from an online forum but so far it's been complaints about your doctor and questions about better treatment....
New doctor today! Don't be a victim any longer

 

[Trich27]

Yeah going to an endo. next week. What I'm looking for here is info. from patients no Drs. so when I go in I can talk hormones with Dr.

 

[LMuscle]

I've been to 3 different endos and 1 urologist with no luck. I'm hoping to have a chance to visit Dr. Crisler as soon as I have a chance to make a trip to Michigan. If he can't get it right, I'll try a restart and live with low T. Low T was better than this actually. At least I'll feel human again.

 

[Trich27]

My plans exactly. I felt better when the Drs. weren't trying to make me better.

 

[Trich27]

Can anyone tell me what blood test need to be done. Want to have results in hand when I go to Endo.

 

[bigguyn10ec]

Just subbing too all this info.

 

[Trich27]

Ok here is an update. Three weeks ago I ended a one month cycle of 1cc a week for one month which dropped my test to 198. Like I stated it's been 3 weeks with no trt and my numbers are up to 400 again and my E2 is on the high side but feeling better and found that my body is still producing test because I had the whole male hormone work up with blood test. My Dr's first thoughts were to just start back up on an every two week trt program. Fortunate for me I convinced him to think outside the box as far as clomid and hcg goes. Dr's don't really like it when you sound like you know more than they do about medicine just in case you didn't know. So going with clomid but Dr. has no idea what type of program to put me on, all he knows is it's a fertility drug. So anyone out there doing clomid instead of trt? Any thoughts are appreciated.......

 

[rixrix]

There is a 64 year old guy in my gym who is on clomid therapy on a permanent basis. He previously was on test but prefers clomid.

I did clomid for some time. It raised my test modestly but the spouse was irritated as it made me moody and hurt my work product. I have to be extremely detail oriented at my work and clomid made my head screwed on not quite right.

Crisler might be a good choice; there aren't that many who do this for a living and it's worth paying for good advice. Guys like Crisler are the cutting edge. They don't have to care about the insurance companies, and since it's a cash business, nobody really prevents them from trying new things.

Edit: 25mg Clomid, 0.5 Arimidex M,W,F was what I got prescribed initially. Didn't work much until the dose got doubled. In retrospect, the Arimidex dose was way too high. A little goes a long way with Arimidex and too much is worse than too little.

 

[Trich27]

All good info. I pretty much need to gather as much info to take back to Dr. Now that I've pretty much put in his head I want other options it has put him in an area he hasn't been. Now he's doing research about clomid and the dosage he should administer but I'm sure his urgency isn't as high as mine. I see on here that HCG is also an add on to the clomid.

 

[rixrix]

FYI, Crisler publishes his TRT protocol online in great detail. I follow it.