Anyone here on long term testosterone therapy?

[Blacksheep]

I would like to know how your life change doing that, some side effects of testo therapy and if it really worth?

I know that my testo was lower when I tested it, not that much lower but doc gave me a shot of testo, injected. Damn it made me feel like I wanted to dominate world, and I was not as depressed as I used.

I can add that I'm suffering from CPTSD for a long time, and I'm quite sure this have a impact on that and other things. As I'm treating it with therapy and a anti-depressive drug (bupropion) I'm asking if I could benefit from testo therapy.

I have a lot of abdominal fat and I need to lose it. But I'm basically not having enough energy/motivation to go workout and also doing things important to me like studying and focusing on growing up on that aspect. I can do that, but very slowly and not as much as I know I could do it.

So I would like to hear from the ones who did that and what was your experience so far.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

I would like to know how your life change doing that, some side effects of testo therapy and if it really worth?

I know that my testo was lower when I tested it, not that much lower but doc gave me a shot of testo, injected. Damn it made me feel like I wanted to dominate world, and I was not as depressed as I used.

I can add that I'm suffering from CPTSD for a long time, and I'm quite sure this have a impact on that and other things. As I'm treating it with therapy and a anti-depressive drug (bupropion) I'm asking if I could benefit from testo therapy.

I have a lot of abdominal fat and I need to lose it. But I'm basically not having enough energy/motivation to go workout and also doing things important to me like studying and focusing on growing up on that aspect. I can do that, but very slowly and not as much as I know I could do it.

So I would like to hear from the ones who did that and what was your experience so far.

Calories in vs. Calories out, anything else is nonsense... Calculate your current BMR, tear to see if your calorie range is correct over the span of a week, if you gain weight, drop calories, if you lose weight, gain calories.

Anymore than a 1% loss in body fat per week is going to result in muscle loss so you'll want to pace yourself in weight loss to around the 1% so you retain your already built muscle.

 

[Blacksheep]

Calories in vs. Calories out, anything else is nonsense... Calculate your current BMR, tear to see if your calorie range is correct over the span of a week, if you gain weight, drop calories, if you lose weight, gain calories.

Anymore than a 1% loss in body fat per week is going to result in muscle loss so you'll want to pace yourself in weight loss to around the 1% so you retain your already built muscle.

Agree with you about the CICO, I use that and it really works. I just can't maintain it a 100% yet because of those other issues, but I've already saw that this is the best method. I can lose up to 2kg on a week eating like beans, rice, meat and broccolis and some fruits like banana and apple.

And up to 4kg eating low carb. But it's hard to keep long term for me.

The problem is that I still use food to cope with my depression and psychologically issues I've been dealing, that's why its being a bit hard. Cause I lost it and then I gain it again. And this is very bad for my health.

Gonna calculate this 1% a week and try to keep it, maybe it can be a bit easier without losing muscle mass.

Thanks man!

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Agree with you about the CICO, I use that and it really works. I just can't maintain it a 100% yet because of those other issues, but I've already saw that this is the best method. I can lose up to 2kg on a week eating like beans, rice, meat and broccolis and some fruits like banana and apple.

And up to 4kg eating low carb. But it's hard to keep long term for me.

The problem is that I still use food to cope with my depression and psychologically issues I've been dealing, that's why its being a bit hard. Cause I lost it and then I gain it again. And this is very bad for my health.

Gonna calculate this 1% a week and try to keep it, maybe it can be a bit easier without losing muscle mass.

Thanks man!

This is the same thing for me, my entire family are all emotionally abused psychopaths for the most part, all of them except me struggle with severe obesity.

The secret is to manage your carb and sugar intake because if you do not, you will experience massive cravings... Basically a heavy carb meal in the morning is going to spike your insulin and cause you to crave food ALL day... You just cannot maintain an effective diet while experiencing cravings all day, it is not realistic, since you can undo a weeks worth of calories lost in an hour.

 

[Blacksheep]

This is the same thing for me, my entire family are all emotionally abused psychopaths for the most part, all of them except me struggle with severe obesity.

The secret is to manage your carb and sugar intake because if you do not, you will experience massive cravings... Basically a heavy carb meal in the morning is going to spike your insulin and cause you to crave food ALL day... You just cannot maintain an effective diet while experiencing cravings all day, it is not realistic, since you can undo a weeks worth of calories lost in an hour.

Sad to hear that man! =/

About carbs that makes a lot of sense. Whenever I ate junk food on weekends like sugar or pizza and similar I feel that my cravings goes really high and I took like 2 days eating healthy again to recover that.

When I'm eating like that, I see its easy to keep:

- 100g banana in the morning
- Lunch: 200g rice + 200g black beans + 200g chicken breast + 25g/50g of Mayo
- 1 apple afternoon
- Dinner: repeat the lunch. Sometimes I change meat for 4 eggs cooked.

I can keep a deficit of 200 to 300 calories with that based on my plan on myFitnessPal.

What's killing my diet is on weekends. I usually want to relax a bit and if I drink alcohol, I ate poorly. If I stayed at home alone I end up eating junk food too.

When my emotional are more ok I can keep good habits and avoid junk food, but I still need some escape valve to balance because sometimes its more a emotional craving by that sh1t called CPTSD. My therapist is helping me balance that, so we found that caffeine is a good thing as a escape valve to balance alcohol and junk food. But it depends on what's going on in my mind.

Some bad memories, or hearing something about my parents and also nightmares tend to be triggers for those cravings.

Bupropion also is not being as strong as it used before, as it used to kill my desire for alcohol.

 

[Machine10033]

I am going on 41

Been on for 2 years

I have had zero negative sides but some people experience hair shedding, higher blood pressure, acne and cholesterol issues... it is different for everyone.

The benefits I feel like I’m 16 again. Body fat melts off... insane motivation... crazy sex drive...I recover faster... build muscle faster....sleep like a baby and have insane energy.

Also, It might be coincidental but when I’m out with people my age and they are complaining about their health issues I have none of them.

I also seem to be much less injury prone than my friends my age... again this could just be my genetics ???

I have worked out religiously since I was 17... watched my diet and always took care of myself. If your diet, sleep and training are not up to par.. fix that and give it a few months before you start injecting testosterone.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Yes. Have been for about 8 years now. Abdominal fat is highly associated with low T. Even in studies simply taking levels from 300 to 600(lower normal to mid normal range) have demonstrated significant abdominal fat reduction.

My levels were 150 when I started. It's definitely had a positive effect on my life, less abdominal fat, better moods, easier time sleeping, etc. Low T is also very very bad for the heart in a male. The heart has T receptors on it.

It's no magic bullet, but it definitely is part of a solution to what you are doing.

Levels are usually around 800-850 or so.

I also give blood every 8 weeks because I get polythycemia(excess red blood cell production) which is very common. I would highly recommend giving blood every 8 weeks to prevent a higher risk for heart attack, stroke or blood clots. Or at least being tested regularly for it...a simple CBC test will give you what you need. Some people are at risk for this due to genetic factors and others aren't. Don't play Russian Roulette tho. If you aren't going to get tested for it routinely make sure you donate blood.

 

[SargeMaximus]

Yes. Have been for about 8 years now. Abdominal fat is highly associated with low T. Even in studies simply taking levels from 300 to 600(lower normal to mid normal range) have demonstrated significant abdominal fat reduction.

My levels were 150 when I started. It's definitely had a positive effect on my life, less abdominal fat, better moods, easier time sleeping, etc. Low T is also very very bad for the heart in a male. The heart has T receptors on it.

It's no magic bullet, but it definitely is part of a solution to what you are doing.

Levels are usually around 800-850 or so.

I also give blood every 8 weeks because I get polythycemia(excess red blood cell production) which is very common. I would highly recommend giving blood every 8 weeks to prevent a higher risk for heart attack, stroke or blood clots. Or at least being tested regularly for it...a simple CBC test will give you what you need. Some people are at risk for this due to genetic factors and others aren't. Don't play Russian Roulette tho. If you aren't going to get tested for it routinely make sure you donate blood.

I can’t donate blood because I may have taken medication as a teen that is on the list of meds they say eliminates you as eligible to give blood so what could I do if I had this?

 

[DonJuanjr]

I can’t donate blood because I may have taken medication as a teen that is on the list of meds they say eliminates you as eligible to give blood so what could I do if I had this?

Don't tell them that, and donate anyways... They'll still analyze your blood and just discard it. If it is not acceptable for them to use.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I can’t donate blood because I may have taken medication as a teen that is on the list of meds they say eliminates you as eligible to give blood so what could I do if I had this?

You could talk to your doctor and he could give you a script where they take blood like normal but then throw it away and don't use it.

Might cost a nominal amount(like $40-60) but far less than a hospital visit or a funeral...

 

[Blacksheep]

I am going on 41

Been on for 2 years

I have had zero negative sides but some people experience hair shedding, higher blood pressure, acne and cholesterol issues... it is different for everyone.

The benefits I feel like I’m 16 again. Body fat melts off... insane motivation... crazy sex drive...I recover faster... build muscle faster....sleep like a baby and have insane energy.

Also, It might be coincidental but when I’m out with people my age and they are complaining about their health issues I have none of them.

I also seem to be much less injury prone than my friends my age... again this could just be my genetics ???

I have worked out religiously since I was 17... watched my diet and always took care of myself. If your diet, sleep and training are not up to par.. fix that and give it a few months before you start injecting testosterone.

That's amazing man! When I took one dose of it I felt like I could do anything I wanted.

About fixing those stuffs I'll definitely do that. My habits were not the best lately and I know some changes can have a big impact. For example, eating healthy gave me more energy, as going for a walk or doing calisthenics.

One thing I realizes I should do more was getting more sun exposure, my d vitamin levels was always low and I remember when I used to get more sun a lot of things improved.

 

[Blacksheep]

Yes. Have been for about 8 years now. Abdominal fat is highly associated with low T. Even in studies simply taking levels from 300 to 600(lower normal to mid normal range) have demonstrated significant abdominal fat reduction.

My levels were 150 when I started. It's definitely had a positive effect on my life, less abdominal fat, better moods, easier time sleeping, etc. Low T is also very very bad for the heart in a male. The heart has T receptors on it.

It's no magic bullet, but it definitely is part of a solution to what you are doing.

Levels are usually around 800-850 or so.

I also give blood every 8 weeks because I get polythycemia(excess red blood cell production) which is very common. I would highly recommend giving blood every 8 weeks to prevent a higher risk for heart attack, stroke or blood clots. Or at least being tested regularly for it...a simple CBC test will give you what you need. Some people are at risk for this due to genetic factors and others aren't. Don't play Russian Roulette tho. If you aren't going to get tested for it routinely make sure you donate blood.

That's very interesting!

I had a appointment yesterday with a nutrologist, talked about that but she said she was affraid of prescribing testo to me because it could make me more angry. Idk if it was because she is a woman and she doesnt understand that.

What kind of doctor did you go to started that? And do you use injections or those testo stickers you put on skin?

One more thing, do you use to get sun exposure? Just checking as d vitamin seems to be very important to keep a good health.

 

[RBK]

Also on it here. 37. Been on two years now. My T was 150-200 for roughly 10 years before I knew it. Wish I knew it 10 years ago but it does affect sperm production so if you want kids better do that now or store it because it turns off natural T production and you can't go backwards sometimes.

My opinion is you need to find a GREAT doctor who will work with you on titrating levels. Do not go to a GP for this. Find a good urologist or mens health doc. Too much T is bad (high estrogen) then you have to deal with an estrogen blocker which is a nightmare. I take 120mg a week (injected every 3.5 days because I have **** SHBG).

One of the best things I ever did, you do have to keep an eye on hematocrit because external T will thicken your blood.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

That's very interesting!

I had a appointment yesterday with a nutrologist, talked about that but she said she was affraid of prescribing testo to me because it could make me more angry. Idk if it was because she is a woman and she doesnt understand that.

What kind of doctor did you go to started that? And do you use injections or those testo stickers you put on skin?

One more thing, do you use to get sun exposure? Just checking as d vitamin seems to be very important to keep a good health.

That's a bunch of bull. Unless it is at a steroid level dosage which is like 4 or 5 times the dose you would be taking.

I wouldn't talk to them about it. They clearly are clueless to how that works. If anything, at elevating it to normal range, it has a calming effect.
You want to either see an endocrinologist or a doctor that specializes in hormone replacement therapy.

I have used both the pellets that get inserted into your hip fat and last for 3-4 months(testopel) and injections. I wouldn't use the cream...it can have negative effects on females because it can rub off onto them and increase their hormonal levels. It also doesn't work nearly as well and tends to aromatize heavily.

Speaking of that..I would make sure to take aromasin/exemestane to keep your Estradiol levels in check. I tend to aromatize more heavily than normal and exogenous T seems to naturally aromatize more than endogenous T to begin with. This keeps your Estradiol(estrogen) levels in check. Definitely do not want them too high. Mid 20s is a good place for them. Make sure they give you aromasin and NOT arimidex. There is a big difference and I could write a lot about it but I don't have the energy to right now. Just trust me on that one. Aromasin, not Arimidex.

I take Vitamin D regularly...10,000 IUs daily. It's the key to your immune system and literally regulates almost everything in your body. Depending on where you live sun exposure only generates enough vitamin D for a few months of the year during the peak summertime months. The further north you live from the equator (or south), the fewer months that you will be able to get adequate vitamin D from the sun. Interestingly, you can determine how far north or south a person's ancestors were by their skin. People with very fair skin that burn easily are from far north/south climates where the body maximized the amount of vitamin D taken in because of the weak sunlight. Darker skinned people lived in areas where it acted as a barrier to sunlight so they wouldn't overproduce Vitamin D. People who are darker skinned that live in Northern climates are in for a world of health issues if they don't regularly supplement with Vitamin D because they aren't getting enough from the sun no matter how much they are out in it.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Also on it here. 37. Been on two years now. My T was 150-200 for roughly 10 years before I knew it. Wish I knew it 10 years ago but it does affect sperm production so if you want kids better do that now or store it because it turns off natural T production and you can't go backwards sometimes.

My opinion is you need to find a GREAT doctor who will work with you on titrating levels. Do not go to a GP for this. Find a good urologist or mens health doc. Too much T is bad (high estrogen) then you have to deal with an estrogen blocker which is a nightmare. I take 120mg a week (injected every 3.5 days because I have **** SHBG).

One of the best things I ever did, you do have to keep an eye on hematocrit because external T will thicken your blood.

You should always get your Estradiol levels tested. It is more of an issue the higher the T dose is typically but depending on genetics, ANY exogenous T can cause excess aromatization to Estradiol. Gotta get your levels checked.

Exactly how is it a nightmare? It's a small pill you take 1 or 2 times a week. No side effects. Just make sure it's aromasin and not arimidex or in some cases they will even do letrazole which is way overkill for TRT doses...that is more common for people on steroid doses. Gotta be super careful tho with both Arimidex and Letrazole because they can crash your E levels...Aromasin cannot. It will only lower them to baseline levels no matter how much you take. Key advantage. It's also a suicidal inhibitor, meaning no chance for estrogen rebound once it wears off...another key advantage. Ironically even the hormone doctors are not educated on this area of it. You will need to insist on it. Don't listen to their nonsense...I have done much research on this issue and lectured my doctor on it to the point he now prescribes only aromasin now to his patients.

Estrogen is actually very important in the male body...Interestingly it repairs T receptors..lack of Estrogen makes testosterone less effective because the receptors get degraded. Gotta have some, just not excessive levels.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve your SHBG. Nettle root is one off the top of my head. It binds to the SHBG and renders it inactive.

 

[RBK]

You should always get your Estradiol levels tested. It is more of an issue the higher the T dose is typically but depending on genetics, ANY exogenous T can cause excess aromatization to Estradiol. Gotta get your levels checked.

Exactly how is it a nightmare? It's a small pill you take 1 or 2 times a week. No side effects. Just make sure it's aromasin and not arimidex or in some cases they will even do letrazole which is way overkill for TRT doses...that is more common for people on steroid doses. Gotta be super careful tho with both Arimidex and Letrazole because they can crash your E levels...Aromasin cannot. It will only lower them to baseline levels no matter how much you take. Key advantage. It's also a suicidal inhibitor, meaning no chance for estrogen rebound once it wears off...another key advantage. Ironically even the hormone doctors are not educated on this area of it. You will need to insist on it. Don't listen to their nonsense...I have done much research on this issue and lectured my doctor on it to the point he now prescribes only aromasin now to his patients.

Estrogen is actually very important in the male body...Interestingly it repairs T receptors..lack of Estrogen makes testosterone less effective because the receptors get degraded. Gotta have some, just not excessive levels.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve your SHBG. Nettle root is one off the top of my head. It binds to the SHBG and renders it inactive.

Clearly i know e2 needs to tested. What im saying is messing with e2 with arimidex and crashing it is bad news. E2 is not easy to dial in. Much better taking smaller doses of T

My levels are checked every 3 months

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Clearly i know e2 needs to tested. What im saying is messing with e2 with arimidex and crashing it is bad news. E2 is not easy to dial in. Much better taking smaller doses of T

My levels are checked every 3 months

That's why you don't take arimidex. I keep telling people over and over and over. Aromasin ONLY. It is impossible to crash your levels on Aromasin. It will never happen. It will get down to low normal and stay there no matter how much you take.

Doctors are stubborn. They don't want to educate themselves on the differences and then they force people to take things that are suboptimal and that cause issues for no real reason when there are far better alternatives.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Calories in calories out is a terrible paradigm to get as this says you can eat just enough snickers bars to reach you calories limit day in and day out.

There are metabolic consequences. Huge consequences.

A few years ago I was at around 300 mg/dl on my blood test. Now I am close to 900 mg/dl.
when the test came in it said “abnormal”. At first I thought my testosterone dropped even more until I read it. It said my testosterone was too high.

In 1950’s this would have been normal range but the bar has been lowered to show the average Male in 2021. This should throw up a serious flag.
I have attached my test for inspection…
I am doing NO enhancement shots or implants.
Testosterone is a metabolic issue.
Calories in and calories out without metabolic evaluation of that food is a death sentence. So yes it’s true and no it’s not true.

In some cases. But in mine, I was at the gym regularly, working hard with weights...I was extremely muscular but had a layer of fat that would never come off no matter how hard I worked or did cardio. My diet was on point, I was literally obsessed with diet and exercise.

Nothing worked for me. What you say is true but that doesn't always help fix the issue. Sometimes the body just won't work properly no matter what you do.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I know two men who fixed this. It is unconventional for sure. They did a metabolic reset
So many know that sometimes HCG is administered at the same time that testosterone is injected.
HCG actually causes a man’s reproductive system to activate and thus increases fertility and even enlarges his testicles which is used to counteract the causes of shrinking testicles and lowered fertility initiated by injecting testosterone.

So what these two guys did was inject HCG only and went low carbohydrates (only cruciferous vegetables for carbs). So what this did was reset their reproductive system. After the 20-40 day cycle of HCG they stayed on the low carb pattern for another couple of weeks. Then slowly started instituting their regular diet minus all sugars and heavy starches. Fat came right off. I know them personally.

Diets over long periods of ones life render reproductive systems suppressed. People say it’s age. This is false data. It’s prolonged periods of bad diet. I personally know a 78 year old man who’s testosterone is over 900 mg/dl. Without any injections. So just know that what calories you put in your body and how many meals a day you eat is very instrumental in your condition. Drinking? Who the fuk would do such a thing unless it’s very occasional? I like to sip tequila now and then and it’s in my freezer along with a bottle of
Courvoisier Cognac. Maybe some every few months. If you drink beer regularly, you have zero chance of getting it off, IF it’s coupled with ridiculous carbs and wheat. But some will say otherwise. Let them.

“The level of fat on your body is directly proportional to your levels of testosterone after poor diets and beer drinking.”

Im sure there are plenty of mid 20s guys who will argue and argue over this but they haven’t had poor diets of breakfast cereals and extended periods of just working combined with marginal diets yet. Ignore them. Their opinion is valueless.

When I say my diet was on point I mean no processed foods, no alcohol, lots of veggies, good fats, good carbs, lean protein. Calories were within range for my weight and activity levels. I tried lots of different things with those...fat levels got down to a certain point and then the fat just remained no matter what.

I'm good with my decision. I definitely do believe the majority of T problems are diet related, but unfortunately mine was not.

 

[SargeMaximus]

You could talk to your doctor and he could give you a script where they take blood like normal but then throw it away and don't use it.

Might cost a nominal amount(like $40-60) but far less than a hospital visit or a funeral...

Damn that scared me. I recently got a full blood work and the doc said everything looked fine. Would too many red cells show up in such a test?