Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

[Tphilatl]

I was taking testosterone shots weekly and experienced the atrophy and hated it. My doctor switched me to Natesto. It’s a nasal gel that you have to take three times a day. That part sucks but my T averages in the 700s and having no issues with blood counts, bp and my nuts returned to the original size. Best of luck to you.

 

[Torabraaten]

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've had bioidentical hormone replacement. Test was mixed with cholesterol, formed into pellets and injected under the skin to the side of my navel. Every 4 months I would have the procedure to maintain a level that would ensure healthy prostate and libido. Works fine, but should have been on DIM for aromatase. I lost that provider and ha e since used over the counter support products successfully. My balls are back and I have good erections. Prostate support comes from CBD concentrate and CoQ10. I like LEVIATHAN WELLNESS for my test support. Good luck and I'll be around for the long haul if you have questions. Cheers

 

[PegBoy]

I started my T in August this year. My levels have naturally started fluctuating. One month very low and another month higher.
I do a low dose and feel so energized the day I do it. The rest of the week I’m active and not feeling like I’m walking through mud and staying awake at work.
Waking up with a boner again is awesome as well as “surprise” gym boners.

 

[Ben Tramer]

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.

Accelerated beard and body hair growth is something I would welcome. I don’t have any sign of hereditary head hair loss (I’m 58 with a thick head of hair). I want my chest, arms and legs to turn into a gorilla carpet.

 

[WilliamG]

I've been on TRT for 15 years. Use the minimum.

Take the minimum dose required to keep you "in range". No... Not the amount to keep you at the very upper end. Not the amount that you think will grow muscles or hardons. No, just enough to solve the issue of low T if you feel it affects you. For many that equates to no more than 100mg a week. And yes... Donate blood. And just accept the reduced ball size and hang.

The reason I started on it was not for sex drive or muscles. It was for generalized anxiety that was somehow related to low testosterone (that's a whole discussion). Turns out to be the off label use for it. But that's IF your T is below normal levels.

Also, if you are getting all that "backne" or other issues... Your dose is most likely high. Having to take other meds with it too work with other side effects is another sign your dose is too high. If you call it "gear"... You're dose is way too high.

 

[Kippmann]

I started TRT 2 years ago. I was 48 at the time. My testosterone level was around 300. I had no energy at all for a year or two prior and my sleep was terrible and felt like constant brain fog. Since around 45 or maybe before if I got 4 hours of sleep a night that was great. My primary would not talk to me at all about TRT. All he would say is you need more exercise that will help sleep. I was already doing 2 gym workouts a day (albeit not great ones with low energy). I decided to go to a similar doctor at the OP did. They were all about doing TRT. So I began it.

Positives: I sleep like a baby now 7 or 8 hours a night is easy to get. My energy is all new levels. My sex drive will that is like I'm 18. In last 2 years I've added roughly 20lbs of muscle mass now and dropped my bodyfat from 18% to 12%. My mental attitude and overall feeling is so much better.

Negatives: there are always some. I do pellets for TRT so those hurt and cause you down time. Still working on some of the yoyo effect with timing of the dosage. I come down low to 300 range last time before my dosage. I have had some estrogen level issues. After TRT treatment it gets above normal and that actually causes some ED issues. I've been taking DIMM now regularly and that has helped a lot in lowering estrogen.

For some of the other comments: I've had no hair loss. Actually exact opposite. I have more hair growth much faster. On face, chest, head and so on. I've never been able to grow a beard and now all of a sudden I have to shave every other day. I do blood work every 6 moths to keep things in line and make sure nothing is out of levels it should be. So far doing great.

It really has changed so much of how I feel and act daily.

 

[Newpumper]

Low T can cause depression, that’s the main reason I got on it. research both Clomid, also known as clomiphene citrate and Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Re testicular atrophy. I use hCG to keep my balls as big or bigger than before I went on test. It’s imperative to get regular blood work, and like mentioned above, get a red blood cell draw if red blood cell count is high… very important! When you get into the world of hormones… it gets complicated fast and everyone will most likely react a bit uniquely.