Starting TRT at home, any help for first timer?

[Bocacolony]

41
6'6"
200 lbs

Total Testosterone: 358 ng/dL (low-normal)

Free Testosterone: 5.7 pg/mL (very low)

LH/FSH: Suppressed (secondary hypogonadism)

DHEA-S: 70.4 µg/dL (very low)

Estradiol (sensitive): 13.1 pg/mL

SHBG: 43.7

I'm starting TRT at home, I tried peptides, tongkat, DHEA zinc, helped a tiny bit, but I'm ready to feel better, gaining muscle will be a side benefit, but getting my energy back will be the best

I would like to start daily subQ, test c, but where should I start my dose per week? Seems like 200mg/wk is a good place to start. Any thoughts?

Also I want to hold off on any AI until I see how I feel and judge my symptoms and get follow up blood work, but should I have some on hand just in case?

Is test c the best way to go? I'm about to pull the trigger and any help or wisdom or opinions would be appreciated

Thank you guys for all the help already, even if it's just a link

 

[nullandvoid]

Why not try hCG monotherapy at first? You're a good candidate. Much better to let the body do most of its own work in this case. Also, I personally feel 200mg/week is way too high starting out. The body normally produces 6-8mg of Test per day, Accounting for the frequency and ester, that's roughly 20mg a day you'd be getting, way beyond a replacement dose... and you do still produce some. That's a simple way of looking at it, but I'm a simple person. But I'd try monotherapy before committing to iniections, unless you are just absolutely ready and done with feeling like shit. I had that level of test from my teens and upward to late 30's. It blew.

Also, regarding the above, I've never been able to figure out why I needed to increase my dose over the years. When I first started, I had trouble even with very low doses, like 5mg a day. Over time (15 years), I'm now up to 175mg/week (25mg/day).

I will be shit on for recommending this, but I'd say try something small at first, like 5mg a day. Work your way up based on labs and how you feel... quality of life. Find the minimum dose needed to keep you feeling good. There is probably a point where the rest of your natural production will drop off though, so maybe you should just skip to something like 10mg a day. Accounting for ester, that'd give you a replacement dose. A lot of this is guesswork and painstakingly slow trial and error over a long period of time.

 

[SpaceGhost]

41
6'6"
200 lbs

Total Testosterone: 358 ng/dL (low-normal)

Free Testosterone: 5.7 pg/mL (very low)

LH/FSH: Suppressed (secondary hypogonadism)

DHEA-S: 70.4 µg/dL (very low)

Estradiol (sensitive): 13.1 pg/mL

SHBG: 43.7

I'm starting TRT at home, I tried peptides, tongkat, DHEA zinc, helped a tiny bit, but I'm ready to feel better, gaining muscle will be a side benefit, but getting my energy back will be the best

I would like to start daily subQ, test c, but where should I start my dose per week? Seems like 200mg/wk is a good place to start. Any thoughts?

Also I want to hold off on any AI until I see how I feel and judge my symptoms and get follow up blood work, but should I have some on hand just in case?

Is test c the best way to go? I'm about to pull the trigger and any help or wisdom or opinions would be appreciated

Thank you guys for all the help already, even if it's just a link

200 mg might be a bit high to start if you're truly just seeking trt levels benefits. It's better to start low and work your way up because you feel nothing than start too high and have to address issues you aren't knowledgeable enough to handle as someone who's getting ready to take their first injection.

I would absolutely have AI on hand, but you hopefully won't need it at trt level doses. Test C will be fine for what you're doing.

 

[buck]

Depending if you want high T levels or true TRT. 200mg/week is towards the top end of what most Dr provide. TRT clinics soften use that amount but Dr.'s i have been to tend to prescribe about half that. In general if doing true TRT is is belter to start with a lower dose and go up from there Starting higher may cause side effects that need to be dealt with that do not happen at lower doses.

 

[BigDadd7]

Read this forum like it's your new hobby. Obsess over it. Blow a week of free time. You'll be amazed how much you'll learn. And you won't have to ask a single question or worry about bad advice from some friendly scammer.

 

[undersc0re]

Don’t expect a miracle, it took 6 months before I was happy with the treatment. Everyone is different of course but you can reduce sides with eod injections, you might be better off keeping it lower for first few months like 40 mg eod. The oils aren’t really meant for subq inj and depending where you inject could cause long lasting lumps and slower absorption. I rotate shoulders and ventroglutes and works well. You shouldn’t need an a.i. with trt doses.

 

[Bocacolony]

Depending if you want high T levels or true TRT. 200mg/week is towards the top end of what most Dr provide. TRT clinics soften use that amount but Dr.'s i have been to tend to prescribe about half that. In general if doing true TRT is is belter to start with a lower dose and go up from there Starting higher may cause side effects that need to be dealt with that do not happen at lower doses.

I've heard that starting too low comes with it's own negatives, like shutting down production but not getting enough of an increase. But I'm definitely wanting to avoid sides and use the smallest amount needed to get to feeling better. How low should I start

 

[Bocacolony]

Read this forum like it's your new hobby. Obsess over it. Blow a week of free time. You'll be amazed how much you'll learn. And you won't have to ask a single question or worry about bad advice from some friendly scammer.

I'm on it brother, doing as much digging as I possibly can

 

[Bocacolony]

Don’t expect a miracle, it took 6 months before I was happy with the treatment. Everyone is different of course but you can reduce sides with eod injections, you might be better off keeping it lower for first few months like 40 mg eod. The oils aren’t really meant for subq inj and depending where you inject could cause long lasting lumps and slower absorption. I rotate shoulders and ventroglutes and works well. You shouldn’t need an a.i. with trt doses.

So what is best for sub q? I've been handling peptides really well and rotate the glutes and love handles, and some in the belly. When people say they're doing sub q test, what is common?

 

[buck]

I've heard that starting too low comes with it's own negatives, like shutting down production but not getting enough of an increase. But I'm definitely wanting to avoid sides and use the smallest amount needed to get to feeling better. How low should I start

As the average person makes 5-10 mg a day of test so lets say 7.5 on the average In a weeks time that is 52.5 mg. 100 mg of TC supplies about 70 mg of test so you would be roughly ahead of most guys on the average. We are not talking about being at that dose forever. Just a few weeks till levels stabilize then retest and adjust as needed. And repeat as needed. You are looking to start at the destination without going down the path. But do what ever you think is best for you.

 

[undersc0re]

So what is best for sub q? I've been handling peptides really well and rotate the glutes and love handles, and some in the belly. When people say they're doing sub q test, what is common?

Everyone is different, I tried it and stopped as it wasn’t agreeing with me. I did have the most luck with love handles area. The lumps would hang around for 2 to 3 weeks especially in the stomach or glute area. Some people it works well and I would imagine the slower absorption would reduce sides. Maybe the base oil needs to be considered for subq, just read a lot and or give it a shot in different areas of the body and see how it goes.

 

[Grey Spartan]

I would like to start daily subQ, test c, but where should I start my dose per week? Seems like 200mg/wk is a good place to start. Any thoughts?

Don't do subQ oil injections, do shallow IM with a 29g 0.5 inch back filled insulin syringe. Start at 150mg/week (split Monday and Thursday), wait 12 weeks and get blood work to see if you will need an AI and what your T levels are.

 

[forhealth87]

How on earth can people always ask the same shit over and over again. Forums are full of it, thousands of videos. Doing some research does not hurt. Having no knowledge and starting TRT fits that society.

Everyone is different and there is nothing like one fits all. I put so much time into that and I never thought about opening a thread like this. Knowledge is what you need, to be confident about what you do. Put in some work.

 

[Bocacolony]

Don't do subQ oil injections, do shallow IM with a 29g 0.5 inch back filled insulin syringe. Start at 150mg/week (split Monday and Thursday), wait 12 weeks and get blood work to see if you will need an AI and what your T levels are.

Thanks brother, this is the tiny bit of reassurance I was needing. Seems like sub q with oils is a bad idea, thanks for the helpful info on the specifics. I'm pulling the trigger on my order, and backfilling is a great tip, I was just reading up on that.

 

[undersc0re]

Don't do subQ oil injections, do shallow IM with a 29g 0.5 inch back filled insulin syringe. Start at 150mg/week (split Monday and Thursday), wait 12 weeks and get blood work to see if you will need an AI and what your T levels are.

This is what I have good results with except 50mg eod and not backfilling.

 

[AlexDavis43]

So what is best for sub q? I've been handling peptides really well and rotate the glutes and love handles, and some in the belly. When people say they're doing sub q test, what is common?

SubQ or IM is fine, but since this is your first time, should probably start with around half. Like 50 or 60 mg twice a week and see how you like it or if you get sides.

Some guys blow up with acne & oily skin when they start with 200 mg/wk.

 

[ThinBulk]

200mg is too much to start. My recommendation is 100-125mg/wk of test C/E. Test U is nice to transition to after you know your reaction. Weekly pins with test U are great. My recommended amount has a higher "feels" value than when im tested at over 900mg/dl when on a serm. The dose is individual, and you don't need a lot for trt.

If you need an AI on TRT, you're taking too much. Something else is going wrong outside your test levels.

 

[SBD1]

6’6 200? Eat more food

 

[Ateam2023]

I've heard that starting too low comes with it's own negatives, like shutting down production but not getting enough of an increase. But I'm definitely wanting to avoid sides and use the smallest amount needed to get to feeling better. How low should I start

100+ mg a week for someone with truely low testosterone, will help tremendously, and you can only "fine tune it from there" , so before you scoff at to low of a dose, try it and see, ymmv

 

[Ateam2023]

Don't do subQ oil injections, do shallow IM with a 29g 0.5 inch back filled insulin syringe. Start at 150mg/week (split Monday and Thursday), wait 12 weeks and get blood work to see if you will need an AI and what your T levels are.

that's Reasonable, ,