Starting self prescribed TRT

YoungB

New Member
Hi people, I´m glad I found this forum as its seems like a huge source of knowledge and supplies.

I´d like to share with you my history, Im 28 years old and I´ve been dealing with low T and low T symptoms for the past 3 years until recently a few lab test confirmed it at 350 and 299 ng/dl in the last bloodwork. Not low enough to get treatment by a few doctors but not high enough to feel good, or even normal. I never did steroids or PEDS btw so this is just a natural shitty endogenous production.

Anyway, the last endo I visited appeared to be more likely to give me a prescription or something but she wanted to do a another bloodwork to see if my levels dropped even further from the last test, so, as they want to see really low numbers here and Im tired of all this bs i´ll give them low numbers and what I´m currently doing is running an LGD cycle for a few weeks before the bloodwork to show up with even lower T levels just in case. Then all the coronavirus thing happened and the clinic told me that they don´t know when the doctor would be able to start working again (she is an old woman, so potentially at risk of this). I really hope nothing bad happens to her. Lately I´ve been thinking that this is costing me too much time and effort and that I should take care of my own health because its seem nobody else is going to do it in the long run so I already placed an order for Test E and if this situation extends even longer I think Im going to start taking it by myself. Btw, Im on my 7 week of LGD and I still have to do the last bloodwork, maybe i´ll do by the next week.

Do you think is better to start at a standard medium dose (150mg/week for example) and take bloods 6 weeks after to see where I´m at or should I start lower and work up from there (100mg maybe?) I´m not a big man by the way, Im 168 cm and 64 kg or 5´6 and 145 lbs so maybe I don´t need too much of a dose.

I´d appreciate any feedback.

Cheers!
 
did you try first to boost your T level naturally? Heavy weights, high good fats, women, healing your masculinity, herb supplements, good sleep, meditation, getting your shit together in life, etc? Or you just want the easy way?
 
did you try first to boost your T level naturally? Heavy weights, high good fats, women, healing your masculinity, herb supplements, good sleep, meditation, getting your shit together in life, etc? Or you just want the easy way?
Haha well, I just wanted to resume it because otherwise it would be a huge text but I´ll give more detail if you ask it.
I think all started since I finished taking the famous accutane (isotretinoin) like 3 years ago in 2017 because I had a bad acne break out and was depressed af. I´ve told this to many different doctors and everyone of them laughed at me telling that there is not interaction with that compound and the things Im experiencing. Guess what?? Isotretinoin influences pituitary hormone levels in acne patients. - PubMed - NCBI here is a research that shows I´m true and the thing that most pisses me off is that I discovered it recently, but anyway, is astonishing that nowdays someone with a little bit of interest and acces to internet can learn and know better about a particular subject than a specialist. Since then I´ve been dealing with terrible insomnia, lack of libido and just feeling fucked up in general. On top of that I have to say that I feel like I never had a huge or at least normal high T levels as I don´t show too many signs of masculinity (well, I have a deep voice) but I lack on facial hair, small bone frame, etc...
And yes, I love doing boxing and lifting heavy weights of course. I think I´ve tried all the supplements related with this subject too in hopes of fixing it only to discover that them are bs for someone who actually has a condition like this. Those are Maca, Tribulus, Tongak Ali, Zinc, Magnesium, Boron, Cordyceps, Ashwaghanda ( this is actually very good at calming you down but I feel like I procrastinated a lot on it), Rhodiola rosea (good natural stimulant if you ask me), and I think like Im missing here a few of them but you get the idea.
As far for women, I always had a very good sex drive and honestly I don´t remember the last time I touched my d*ck haha. Fortunately never had erections problems even with the low T, the thing is that before I would always had the desire or the drive to pursuit women when I don´t really care now if I talk to them or not, I don´t know its just weird, I just don´t think about sex and I know that´s not right but I simply don´t care. With my last girlfriend, before feeling like this I would have sex 2-3 times maybe, and usually wanted to fuck all day but after that I was just ok with not having sex too often.
I meditated a lot but I stopped like a month ago and I want to recover that habit because honestly I just felt renewed, like having other perspective and taking the things more easily, but unfortunately didn´t do anything for my T.
All this coronavirus shit has made me think about how fragile our actual system is and how something so little can wreak havoc on our society. I guess I´m going a bit insane and having a bad time during this quarantine but life is too short to not live it on his fully potential and I think I´m missing a lot of things, thats why I´m determined to fix myself if nobody does.
 
Yes probably accutane is nasty enough to cause damage to endocrine system, I don't doubt it. But permanently? Damn.
I have a friend who took it in the adolescence, and never had any testosterone problem afterwards.

The body tends to heal itself.

If you have tried everything, okay, jump on trt, but understand it is a life long decision. And maybe it doesn't feel great for you right away, and you would have to be adjusting dose, AI, HCG and stuff, very annoying for the long term in my opinion.
 
Most TRt protocol will start you at around 150-200mg per week of testosterone Cypionate. Better if you split the dose. I do into 4 to keep my levels steady.

Keep in mind TRT will destroy your sperm count. You will stop producing sperm or drastically reduce. You're a young guy and you probably may want to have kids etc... So you have to include in your TRT an equivalent of PCT (post cycle therapy) into your protocol. There are some studies which you can find, Google it, which will give you guidance. There are protocols to just keep your nuts from drying up, others to keep you virile and able to reproduce.

TRT is a serious thing and needs proper Knowledge, especially if a Dr is not going to monitor you.

The final thing to look out for is estrogen spike. This is not as problematic on TRT doses, but humans are all different and some dudes spike E2 which can introduce other issues (bitch tits etc...) Keep Nolvadex handy in case you have issues, and Arimidex as well if E2 is a problem for you long term.

There is a lot to this. Do your research before you do anything.

Finally, research very well where you are going to buy your Testosterone. This is also a tricky game with many scumbags trying to rip you off etc... There is no oversight in the underground labs except for these forums. I would say, Meso is best at keeping the game clean. This is the only forum where sellers or vendors routinely get their asses kicked. No shills which is why I love all of these fuckers here.

I hope this helps you a bit
 
Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! Yes, I totally understand how of a life commitment TRT is, this is not something I decided from one day to another, as I told you I´ve been feeling off for 3 years almost and I know this is forever.

I´ve been doing my research for months and honestly and at least for me at this point the benefits this treatment could give me outweights the negatives (in fact I don´t plan to have kids, its not something I think about) and sticking a needle twice or maybe more weekly doesn´t seem like a big deal. I´m not gonna lie, the main reason I´m going into this is to feel normal or even better again and enjoy my life but I´ve never seen steroids with bad eyes, in fact I always had the curiosity of doing one in the future but as you can see doing a classic one with a pct to recover this shitty endogenous production may not be a smart idea... Anyway, this is not the main priority and its something I would evaluate in a future when everything is dialed correctly with the trt.

As far for the source, I placed an order of 2 Test E vials from Hilma as I´ve seen everyone talks very good about them and Exemestane to have an AI on hand, I have raloxifene too in case of any gyno symptom. My plan is to make everything as simple as it could be throwing into the mix the least amount of compounds, in the best scenario I wont need an AI but you never know. The plan would be then taking around 120 mg spread into two weekly injections of 60 mg and then, 6 weeks after take bloods to see where my levels of T and E2 are and adjust from there and know better how I react to that dose and if I need an AI or not. I know that my balls will shrink (even more haha) and that HCG can fix this but it can spike E2 too so is something to evaluate once I know how I react to the dose first, is not a big deal for me at the moment.

I don´t know where you guys are from, but here in Spain the hormone replacement therapy is not something well researched by medicians like in the USA for example where there is a lot of men health clinics. The protocols of doctors here can do more harm than good, I´ve seen people getting a shot of 250 mg of T once every two weeks so that makes me think that maybe I can do a better job with myself if I keep reading about this subject and sharing experiences with you guys here.
 
I am from Spain too.

Don't worry, once you're on trt you will blast, thus you'd have green light all the time lol

Yeah definitely your natty T-level is low, it makes sense what you are thinking. I wouldn't fuck with less than 600ng/dl, 700-1000 ideally.

And you better be always economically on point, you have a new source of fixed costs. And each time you buy vials, make sure you buy some more for the reserve.

HCG I think it is absolutely necessary, libido is better with it.
 
I am from Spain too.

Don't worry, once you're on trt you will blast, thus you'd have green light all the time lol

Yeah definitely your natty T-level is low, it makes sense what you are thinking. I wouldn't fuck with less than 600ng/dl, 700-1000 ideally.

And you better be always economically on point, you have a new source of fixed costs. And each time you buy vials, make sure you buy some more for the reserve.

HCG I think it is absolutely necessary, libido is better with it.

Compañero!! Hahaha, well, as I told you blasting is not my main concern now but for sure at some point in the future when everything goes as it should be. Yes, with those initial 120 mg a week Im aiming for 700 - 1200 ng/dl and maybe Im being a bit optimistic here but as far as I know there is not "fixed" dosage to reach a certain range as each individual reacts and metabolizes T different.

My main concern would be about getting E2 out of whack or something or having a low free T after all.

I ordered only 2 vials because they should last me several months and honestly I don´t even know which is the average expiration date for those compounds, any idea? and of course want to see how I react to it first.

I´ve seen mixed opinions about hcg, some say they feel great on it, some others its not necessary... I guess I have to figure out myself.
 
I didn't see above but is fertility a concern to you or don't you care? My TRT doc suggested 500iu if hcg a week so I went with it. I noticed no difference on how I felt/performed but I wasn't trying to have kids. I have read it can increase estrogen though. It can be good if you just don't aromatize testosterone very efficiently or it can be bad if you aromatize at the higher level and don't need more estrogen.

If fertility is a concern I would say keep hcg in. If not then you have to see how you react with how you feel and bloodwork because for each person that says it makes them feel great there will be one that says it does nothing for them. Highly individual...
 
Self prescribed trt isnt easy. Took over a year to get it right. Here are some tips. Total testosterone dont mean shit. Its all about free. If your total is only 600 but your free is top of scale then that is great. Everyone focus to much on total. Shbg plays a substantial role in your therapy. I have very low shbg so the key is free test. Blowing your free test out of the scale just because you think 150mg is where its at will only cause you issues. Anything over will leave you at an uphill battle with estrogen. Start at 125 and split it up 2x a week. After 8 weeks get bloods. Check free total and e2 sensitive. If free is high drop dose. If e2 is high drop dose. The answer is never just add an AI unless for some odd reason you cant get free in range without e2 staying in range. Adding an AI just causes 10x the headache. Good luck. Oh if getting own test reevaluate every bottle change just to make sure levels are consistent as the bottle may or may not be. Keep exemstane on hand for emergency high spikes while dialing in. Ed and nipple sensitivity are always tall tale signs.
 
Self prescribed trt isnt easy. Took over a year to get it right. Here are some tips. Total testosterone dont mean shit. Its all about free. If your total is only 600 but your free is top of scale then that is great. Everyone focus to much on total. Shbg plays a substantial role in your therapy. I have very low shbg so the key is free test. Blowing your free test out of the scale just because you think 150mg is where its at will only cause you issues. Anything over will leave you at an uphill battle with estrogen. Start at 125 and split it up 2x a week. After 8 weeks get bloods. Check free total and e2 sensitive. If free is high drop dose. If e2 is high drop dose. The answer is never just add an AI unless for some odd reason you cant get free in range without e2 staying in range. Adding an AI just causes 10x the headache. Good luck. Oh if getting own test reevaluate every bottle change just to make sure levels are consistent as the bottle may or may not be. Keep exemstane on hand for emergency high spikes while dialing in. Ed and nipple sensitivity are always tall tale signs.

600 is pretty much natty average, so I wouldn´t say "only".
 
I didnt mean it to sound insignificant but most people like to get closer to 1000 tt without ever considering their free.
 
Considering this whole thread is about a guys journey to trt yes all my total t references were to trt not natty. The guys who are running 200mg weekly probably are way over 600tt which is a good starting point I gave him but like I said before total t doesnt mean a thing and he instead should look at free t.
 
Hey! Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! Well, fertility is not an issue for me at the moment and it would be an advantage if any.

About the Total T reference ranges, from what I´ve been reading about it I think its completely subjective and it varies from person to person as one may feel fantastic on 600/900 ng/dl if his Free T, E2, Shbg and etc are in good range while other at 1000/1200 may or may not.

By the way, the bloodwork after the LGD came in... Total T 42 ng/dl, LH 0.42 and FSH 0.8. I honestly feel the same as I was before with 299 ng ( I guess you don´t notice shit from bad to worse). The bad thing is they didn´t give me an estimated date for the endocrinologist appointment, it could take months maybe.

Self prescribed trt isnt easy. Took over a year to get it right. Here are some tips. Total testosterone dont mean shit. Its all about free. If your total is only 600 but your free is top of scale then that is great. Everyone focus to much on total. Shbg plays a substantial role in your therapy. I have very low shbg so the key is free test. Blowing your free test out of the scale just because you think 150mg is where its at will only cause you issues.

Yeah, that´s what I was thinking about, the less thinks I have to throw in the better and easy would it be as this is for life. I ordered exemestane to have an AI on hand but I hope never have to use it and of course if E2 is in place and Free T in a healthy high end range I wouldn´t care about total as long as a I feel good. I´m at around 14% bf and dropping that number already because fat cells contains the aromatase enzime (I don´t know how stupid is doing this but I´m shedding fat anyways just in case haha) Do you have any tip about lowering shbg or you just have it like that?

Start at 125 and split it up 2x a week. After 8 weeks get bloods.

That´s the dosage I was planning to take, 120/125 but I´ve seen a lot of poeple getting into 1000/1200 TT with only 100 mg a week, do you think this is more about how your body uses test or about size? I´m 64 kg / 143 lbs
 
"Hey! Thanks a lot for the feedback guys! Well, fertility is not an issue for me at the moment and it would be an advantage if any."

Brother you are very young, you have to account for this. Not doing so is reckless. It's just advice, not taking this into account may get you to a point where you can't reverse it. We're all different, but if you take TRT long enough, and not take precautions, may lead to irreversible condition.
 
Also how are the blood test in your country because in mine we dont have any values going to 200 TT.

I have free test:
pmol/l average : 30,1 - 189,8
pg/ml average : 8,7 - 54,7

And Test/average for men between 20/49yo of 2.49-8.36 :

ng/ml

How do you guys have results of 600/900 etc
 
Hello! since i see a lot of people who know about what they are talking about is 3,39ng/ml low for a 30yo ?

Yes it’s on the low side of “normal” but if you feel good it doesn’t really matter.

Also how are the blood test in your country because in mine we dont have any values going to 200 TT.

I have free test:
pmol/l average : 30,1 - 189,8
pg/ml average : 8,7 - 54,7

And Test/average for men between 20/49yo of 2.49-8.36 :

ng/ml

How do you guys have results of 600/900 etc

2.49-8.36ng/ml = 249-836ng/dL.
 
Back
Top