Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

[Maninhisbriefs]

Hi all,

I'm a healthy 43yo guy, work out regularly, don't smoke, sleep well, yet have noticed my libido, energy levels, and recovery time after workouts gradually drop over the past few years. Fully aware that this is normal for middle aged dudes, but testosterone replacement therapy ads made me think maybe that was an issue for me. Got my T levels checked twice recently, and while still in the normal range, the average of both were in the very bottom of normal (7.7 pg/ml free testosterone / 273.7 ng/dl overall).

My primary care physician was not super keen on having the conversation of getting TRT, but went to a boutique medical facility that does lots of aesthetic treatments (i.e. botox treatments, facials, teeth whitening, etc) and they were of course all about it. Went over the pros and cons with a doctor there, and was basically told: (1) my levels put me in a gray area, (2) it's likely that TRT would help my "symptoms", (3) it will take some time for my body to level itself out going on and (more worryingly), I go off it. So, basically it was up to me whether or not to start, but medically it wasn't that dangerous to try.

Ended up starting a few days ago on a low dose. It's too early to judge if it's making me/my dick feel like they are in my 30s again, but just curious if others have gone through this? Any opinions or good/bad experiences to share?

 

[bravesoldier]

Hi all,

I'm a healthy 43yo guy, work out regularly, don't smoke, sleep well, yet have noticed my libido, energy levels, and recovery time after workouts gradually drop over the past few years. Fully aware that this is normal for middle aged dudes, but testosterone replacement therapy ads made me think maybe that was an issue for me. Got my T levels checked twice recently, and while still in the normal range, the average of both were in the very bottom of normal (7.7 pg/ml free testosterone / 273.7 ng/dl overall).

My primary care physician was not super keen on having the conversation of getting TRT, but went to a boutique medical facility that does lots of aesthetic treatments (i.e. botox treatments, facials, teeth whitening, etc) and they were of course all about it. Went over the pros and cons with a doctor there, and was basically told: (1) my levels put me in a gray area, (2) it's likely that TRT would help my "symptoms", (3) it will take some time for my body to level itself out going on and (more worryingly), I go off it. So, basically it was up to me whether or not to start, but medically it wasn't that dangerous to try.

Ended up starting a few days ago on a low dose. It's too early to judge if it's making me/my dick feel like they are in my 30s again, but just curious if others have gone through this? Any opinions or good/bad experiences to share?

I'm 60 and I have been on T and Pregnyl for a while now. After the shots my dick and balls will feel like they weigh 10 pounds each, lol. The shots make me horny as fuck but most of all I love the very noticeable longer and heavier hang of everything. T will give you energy and they say you will be leaner, as you were when you were young and brimming with testosterone. I'm due for the shots today. I always look forward to getting them.

However, too much T will naturally raise your PSA, so be sure you're taking the right dosage. My doctor told me T injections will NOT cause cancer, as some seem to believe. But if a man ALREADY has prostate cancer, T injections will make the cancer spread. Not trying to scare anyone, just sharing firsthand information from my doctor.

 

[Maninhisbriefs]

I'm 60 and I have been on T and Pregnyl for a while now. After the shots my dick and balls will feel like they weigh 10 pounds each, lol. The shots make me horny as fuck but most of all I love the very noticeable longer and heavier hang of everything. T will give you energy and they say you will be leaner, as you were when you were young and brimming with testosterone. I'm due for the shots today. I always look forward to getting them.

However, too much T will naturally raise your PSA, so be sure you're taking the right dosage. My doctor told me T injections will NOT cause cancer, as some seem to believe. But if a man ALREADY has prostate cancer, T injections will make the cancer spread. Not trying to scare anyone, just sharing firsthand information from my doctor.

Thanks, buddy. Really good to hear about your experiences here. "PSA" was not a known term for me. Looked it up: "Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland and is commonly used as a biomarker for prostate health, particularly in the screening and monitoring of prostate cancer."

 

[GrowingUpNY]

Hi all,

I'm a healthy 43yo guy, work out regularly, don't smoke, sleep well, yet have noticed my libido, energy levels, and recovery time after workouts gradually drop over the past few years. Fully aware that this is normal for middle aged dudes, but testosterone replacement therapy ads made me think maybe that was an issue for me. Got my T levels checked twice recently, and while still in the normal range, the average of both were in the very bottom of normal (7.7 pg/ml free testosterone / 273.7 ng/dl overall).

My primary care physician was not super keen on having the conversation of getting TRT, but went to a boutique medical facility that does lots of aesthetic treatments (i.e. botox treatments, facials, teeth whitening, etc) and they were of course all about it. Went over the pros and cons with a doctor there, and was basically told: (1) my levels put me in a gray area, (2) it's likely that TRT would help my "symptoms", (3) it will take some time for my body to level itself out going on and (more worryingly), I go off it. So, basically it was up to me whether or not to start, but medically it wasn't that dangerous to try.

Ended up starting a few days ago on a low dose. It's too early to judge if it's making me/my dick feel like they are in my 30s again, but just curious if others have gone through this? Any opinions or good/bad experiences to share?

54 here. At 53 was easily tired. Less motivated. Somewhat depressed. And even though I worked out a lot had a hard time fighting the bulge or putting on muscle. Got tested twice. Once 320 and primary said if I wanted TRT to go to a Urologist. I didn't want to go through all the appointments and arguments so I went to a clinic. I then tested at 280 which is BELOW normal. 300 being the base as Im told. Went onto 160mg cypionate, hcg, and estradiol. Within 3-4 weeks started to feel much better. Continued to get tested and got into the 500s. Upped to 170 per week and shot up to 700-800 range. BP which was slightly elevated before still slightly elevated, and while a concern it's not going higher, at least for now. I've put on at least 5 lbs of muscle and my weight is below where it was a year ago.

Sexual desire is way higher. Morning wood back. I feel way better about myself, though honestly Im a bit more emotional than I was before, but I guess that's expected.


Overall it's been a game changer for me. Happy to answer any questions as well.

 

[Uncutsouthernboy]

TRT can mess up your hematocrit and hemoglobin and some other blood components. It can make you make an abundance of red blood cells and put you in danger of a stroke. Be careful.

 

[JockFull]

I've been on TRT for more than 15 years now, and if you need it, I recommend it.

In my 40s, I was noticing I was feeling more tired, and starting to have some trouble with occasional ED. Morning wood was something that hardly ever happened anymore. My doctor tested my T twice. Once it came out at the very bottom of the normal range, so tested again, and that time it came out lower than the normal range (don't recall the actual numbers.)

I got my first injection of cyp from the doc, and the very next day I noticed I was feeling better. Getting a shot every two weeks, I was soon getting morning wood or waking up briefly during the night with wood about 4-5 times a week. That compares with about 2-3 times a year before the TRT.

After a while, doc and I decided it would be better to do a smaller shot every week, as I was experiencing a wide swing from high to low from the every-other-week shots. Weekly shots smoothed out those highs and lows for the most part.

I've been doing weekly shots at home for 15 years now. Aside from the better wood, I've also noticed these positive changes:

I had lost some body hair on my legs and arms, and most of that grew back. I got some new hair on my chest. I was sleeping more soundly, and had a more positive emotional outlook on life, just felt more satisfied with life in general. Better erotic sensitivity and better libido. Didn't feel as tired much of the time.

Also some negative changes:

Scalp hair began thinning out on top, but that's been a very gradual process, and might have happened sooner or later anyway.

Testicular atrophy. Balls are smaller and carried higher. For some time they also felt cold a lot of the time. Doc then gave me a prescription for HCG (Pregnyl) which restored my normal size and hang, and no more cold sensation. More recently, been having trouble getting that prescription filled, but doc and I are working on it. I haven't been able to use HCG for past 3 years. Balls are shrunken up once again, but not feeleing cold, and not causing me any worry this time, unlike earlier.

All in all, TRT can make life better. But once you go on it, you may need it for life. Some men's bodies will rebound to their normal T production if you go off TRT, and others won't. I tried that with my doc's assistance, and it didn't work. TRT can accelerate balding, but probably only if that's in your future anyway. TRT can be dangerous if you have early prostate cancer, so get your PSA checked and keep an eye on that.

Bottom line, now in my mid-60s, I like being on TRT, and would not want to give it up, but be aware and be cautious.

 

[GrowingUpNY]

TRT can mess up your hematocrit and hemoglobin and some other blood components. It can make you make an abundance of red blood cells and put you in danger of a stroke. Be careful.

Regular blood work is a MUST, for sure.

 

[JockFull]

Regular blood work is a MUST, for sure.

My doctor said if T pushes your red blood cell count too high, you can manage that by donating blood regularly. That's assuming you're healthy enough and otherwise eligible to give blood.

 

[Maninhisbriefs]

My doctor said if T pushes your red blood cell count too high, you can manage that by donating blood regularly. That's assuming you're healthy enough and otherwise eligible to give blood.

Interesting. Have you been on TRT long? If so, how have you felt about it?

 

[JockFull]

See my rather lengthy post a little higher up on this page.

 

[Bigbenny96]

Just throwing this into the conversation, but I was on TRT and experienced the negative side effects such as testicular atrophy and hair thinning. Yes I'm 27 years old but I was diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism.

I didn't like TRT Injections because of the effects over time and it wasn't an abundant amount. It was the minimum the doctor could allow actually.

Got off TRT for a couple of months and hair came back and balls came back with some of the original size but my testosterone levels remained low.

Then I looked into a different way to get my body to "jump start" the production of testosterone. And discovered enclomephenine.

I'm not a doctor and I'm not giving medical advice. But I did speak to my doctor, he wrote a prescription for it to a compound pharmacy. And well if you want to hear me explain the results and also how it works biologically speaking you can watch my TikTok video. I won't be returning to TRT shots and I'll stick to enclomephenine (until something changes).

Tldr; enclomephenine tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have enough estrogen. The body responds by creating the signal (LH) to produce more testosterone so that it can convert into estrogen. But eventually you find the right balance in dose and boom. Balance. Also higher LH level results in HUGE balls. Mine are heavier than before.

 

[Maninhisbriefs]

Just throwing this into the conversation, but I was on TRT and experienced the negative side effects such as testicular atrophy and hair thinning. Yes I'm 27 years old but I was diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism.

I didn't like TRT Injections because of the effects over time and it wasn't an abundant amount. It was the minimum the doctor could allow actually.

Got off TRT for a couple of months and hair came back and balls came back with some of the original size but my testosterone levels remained low.

Then I looked into a different way to get my body to "jump start" the production of testosterone. And discovered enclomephenine.

I'm not a doctor and I'm not giving medical advice. But I did speak to my doctor, he wrote a prescription for it to a compound pharmacy. And well if you want to hear me explain the results and also how it works biologically speaking you can watch my TikTok video. I won't be returning to TRT shots and I'll stick to enclomephenine (until something changes).

Tldr; enclomephenine tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have enough estrogen. The body responds by creating the signal (LH) to produce more testosterone so that it can convert into estrogen. But eventually you find the right balance in dose and boom. Balance. Also higher LH level results in HUGE balls. Mine are heavier than before.

This is super helpful, buddy. Had no idea about enclomephenine. Lots to learn here...

 

[Weapon933]

I was on TRT for a while and might go back to it. While you have basically said everything, on top of the negative side effects you have mentioned (hair thinning and hematocrit) I'd add a few more: acne (if you are sensitive to DHT and androgen receptors it's gonna be bad - like it happened to me); hair growing a lot slower (this was irreversable for me) and of course sterility, so if you want to be dad by surrogacy, think twice before jumping on test.

The problem is the good side are so good it can be addictive (more sex, drive, muscles etc...).

enclomephenine tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have enough estrogen. The body responds by creating the signal (LH) to produce more testosterone so that it can convert into estrogen

From what I got, it functions similarly if not equally to Nolva, which is used in PCT in bodybuilding, it suppresses estro to force the LH/FSH production of test. My hair was destroyed in the process though. Was everything ok for you in that regard?

 

[Maninhisbriefs]

I started on a hair loss treatment (through HIMS) years ago when I noticed a lot more hair loss all at once. That’s kept that stable…hoping the TRT doesn’t make it less effective.

(Better living through chemistry…)

 

[gethard71]

My doctor said if T pushes your red blood cell count too high, you can manage that by donating blood regularly. That's assuming you're healthy enough and otherwise eligible to give blood.

Yep, I donate blood every 2 months for this reason. Plus, it’s good to donate blood.

 

[lapdog2001]

Testicular atrophy. Balls are smaller and carried higher. For some time they also felt cold a lot of the time. Doc then gave me a prescription for HCG (Pregnyl) which restored my normal size and hang, and no more cold sensation. More recently, been having trouble getting that prescription filled, but doc and I are working on it. I haven't been able to use HCG for past 3 years. Balls are shrunken up once again, but not feeling cold, and not causing me any worry this time, unlike earlier.

I learned from a urologist years ago that steroids and Testosterone replacement trick your testicles into thinking there's enough testosterone in your system, so they stop producing it, thus the shrinkage.

Any kind or hormone therapy should be thoroughly discussed with a doctor that has no stake in a clinic or pharmaceuticals or supplement business

 

[JockFull]

I couldn't agree more, hormone therapy should not be undertaken without learning and understanding how it works and without the advice of a good doctor. Too much could go wrong if things aren't done right.

The whole reproductive endocrine system works similarly to a furnace and thermostat. Once your body has enough testosterone, the pituitary gland stops producing LH and FSH, the hormones that signal your testicles to produce testosterone and sperm. When you're getting testosterone from an external source, your testicles shut down. Your body then regards them as less necessary, and so cuts back on the resources for their support. That's why they shrink.

HCG (Pregnyl) mimics LH in your blood stream. That restores the signal for your balls to produce , so they will at least try their best, and often grow back to their former size in the process, but only as long as you keep using HCG.

I had not heard of enclomephenine before, so that's very interesting. My doctor a I tried a fertility drug that I suspect is similar to try to re-start my body's T production, but it didn't work for me. I'll have to try to remember what it's called.

 

[Infernal]

Keep up with regular blood work. If the hematocrit gets too high, it can do ugly things to you. You can expect your body hair to grow, like going through puberty again. My back turned into a carpet, and a forest sprouted from my ears. It didn't go away when I stopped taking it for a few years, and when I did start it again, the hair thinned out.

 

[burikos]

TRT is for life. One must learn and become auto didact about it because doctors are clueless or do not want to go forward with TRT. It is a pain in the ass to find a doc that knows exactly what is TRT.

Regular blood work is needed for getting numbers to know if there is variation, NOT for lowering Hb or hematocrit . Why? Because in the next 2 or 3 hours your body will enter in a panic alert due to low hb and hematocrit and will "work" to raise them much more to compensate. In a week it will be the same or more.
We must stop this stupidity with donating blood to lower hb and hematocrit. You can lower it administering less exogen testosterone and divided in two doses per period.

TRT induces balls shrinking but manageable, raises bp, induce aggressive behavior if already present as mental or emotional status, induces hair loss and yes, it SHORTENS lifespan. There is a lie that TRT prolongs life.

 

[burikos]

W

Just throwing this into the conversation, but I was on TRT and experienced the negative side effects such as testicular atrophy and hair thinning. Yes I'm 27 years old but I was diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism.

I didn't like TRT Injections because of the effects over time and it wasn't an abundant amount. It was the minimum the doctor could allow actually.

Got off TRT for a couple of months and hair came back and balls came back with some of the original size but my testosterone levels remained low.

Then I looked into a different way to get my body to "jump start" the production of testosterone. And discovered enclomephenine.

I'm not a doctor and I'm not giving medical advice. But I did speak to my doctor, he wrote a prescription for it to a compound pharmacy. And well if you want to hear me explain the results and also how it works biologically speaking you can watch my TikTok video. I won't be returning to TRT shots and I'll stick to enclomephenine (until something changes).

Tldr; enclomephenine tricks the body into thinking it doesn't have enough estrogen. The body responds by creating the signal (LH) to produce more testosterone so that it can convert into estrogen. But eventually you find the right balance in dose and boom. Balance. Also higher LH level results in HUGE balls. Mine are heavier than before.

Why would you play with your health going on clomiphene derivates if you were diagnosed with secondary hypogonadism?? Your condition would not improve because you DO NOT have, your testicles actually, the ability to produce testosterone. You cannot trick testes to produce because you are closed for good. You will hurt your health. Stop using clomiphene derivates when you have secondary.

Estradiol/ testosterone balance in the body is very important. There is a reason the body tries to compensate rising estrogen/ aromatize testosterone if present in the blood too much.