+ 1 TRT Help
This panel is from a few months ago but I still feel the same. I’ll post an updated one at my next checkup. But maybe can provide some answers.
41, 5’8” 210lbs Athletic frame
Main issues - testicular atrophy and low to no labido
Script Meds Test C 200 .5 twice a week, Anstrozole .5mg twice a week & Rosuvastanin for cholesterol. (I’ll be honest I stopped taking the AI and feel much better but not great) HCG 500iu (ugl) eod just to try to get something going.
My main issue is my sex drive is gone. Comes back here and there but nothing to get excited about. ED issues and maintaining erections periodically. To top it off most of the time I’m experiencing testicular atrophy. My beans and frank tend to shrivel up and become very uncomfortable. I’ve ran HCG (ugl) with little to no help kick starting the boys. The drs are no help, this has been going on periodically for years. I’d just like someone to help shed some light. I feel I’m doing very little when it comes to hormone therapy and it’s taking its toll. To the point I just want to stop if that’s a possibility but I’ve been on TRT for 5 years due to the same symptoms I’m explaining above after 10 years of cycling on and off. Any help/info would be great. Thanks
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What cholesterol medications are you taking?
Rosuvastanin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20141585/#:~:text=Finally%2C%20subjects%....
Read this study i think it’s definitely the culprit
Interesting rosuvastatin is usually good with libido. It could be effecting your prolactin though, it is shown in studies to lower it. I would talk to your doctor and look into ezetimibe probably the best medication for cholesterol management and has very little to no side effects for most. Any idea of your body fat percentage?
Your prolactin is crushed. I would expect ED issues with it that low. Boost that and you should feel much better. That is a shit-ton of AI for only 200mg of test/wk. I would expect estro to be crashed with that much AI also leading to ED. That is 2x the amount most people would need blasting 500mg of test. Estro looks much better now. You really shouldn't need any ai on TRT if everything is in balance.
If your nuts are shriveled up from TRT you need to do a restart protocol with the HGC. That entails 1500 - 2500 iu's 3x per week, for at least 3 weeks and you may need to double that time depending on the response. I blast 2500iu 3x/wk until things plump back up to where I want them. Could easily take a month depending on severity of atrophy. You are just spinning your wheels right now with 500iu EOD.
You are also going to need to be cognizant of estro when blasting the HCG. Ditch the adex and get aromasin if you need an ai to combat the potential estro spike from the HCG. Adex fucks your lipids up and yours are already bad so no need to exacerbate that problem. It also screws with IGF levels. Asin is just so much better in so many ways. Once you get things plumped back up then go to a maintenance HCG dose. You want to use the lowest effective dose obviously. Start with 250iu 1x/wk and move up to 3x/wk if needed. The lower you keep your HCG the less influence it will have on estro. You shouldn't need an AI with trt and maintenance HCG.
I really appreciate the response. I’ve been spinning my wheels for years now. I’m seeing drs just throw scrips at me and kick me out the door with little info. Which I understand to an extent. I feel much better when I run a cycle so I guess that explains why. Not 100% but much better for sure. Definitely going to jump on that protocol asap and report back. Also I’ll be doing bloods again soon so I’ll have a baseline of now and then my body’s response? Should I ask for LH and FSH to be ran in my tests or would those numbers not matter under those circumstances.
Those numbers are a moot point on TRT.
Spot on. Makwa i trust more than just about anyone on here. Hes absolutely right. I dont take my AI unless i get itchy nipples which i need to be on a ridiculous amount of test for that to happen. AI gives me tendonitis in like a week. Get that prolactin under control with caber.
Also your HCG is pretty fucking high. I always took 250iu twice a week. That's good enough to maintain your jubblies. These days I tend to use it when my volume of semen is low. Pretty much The precursor for shrinkage before it happens. Then I'll hit they HCG for a few weeks then lay off again. With your libido small balls I would stay on it. 250iu twice a week was my sweet spot and what my trt doc recommended.
Yeah I was running 250 but bumped it up trying to remedy things but I like the comment above running a protocol so I’ll try that.
Ya like spartan said, my guess is the low prolactin. I’ve never had low, but I know high prolactin definitely messes with erections and stuff. Also the estrodial is on the high side. It’s technically in range but if you see the range, if you were 3 points higher it would’ve flagged as high. Idk if that’s contributing or not. Also idk how to bring prolactin up other then using a 19-nor and I DONT recommend that.
+1 for the bloodwork
Keep in mind, I'm not a doctor, but I would say it's your low prolactin levels cause low libido. I would think that's the main culprit. You will probably have some atrophy since you're on TRT now, testes have no reason to plump up.
Good ways to increase prolactin levels is to eat a good amount of protein through the day, get enough solid sleep, have regular orgasms, and continue a good strength training regiment. I know my family has had a lot of issue with their cholestrol medicine fucking up their hormones and making them feel like shit, so maybe discuss that with your doctor. I don't want to recommend it, but try dropping the cholestrol medicine for a few days and see if you feel better. (Just be sure to eat healthy to control cholestrol yourself)
When was your last test done?
Edit: Also well done on dropping your cholestorl so much! I know you were blasting before, but that still a good win!
Any info helps brother. I’m grasping and straws at this point. My diet honestly hasn’t been the greatest through the holidays so I’m sure that can attest to it. Yes, I have a hereditary issue with cholesterol so it’s a beast to maintain. I will def get back on the protein and eating correctly.
It just aggravates me guys are on TRT feeling like a million bucks and I’m having nothing but issues.
Last panel was 10/30/23 but I’ll go for another here soon and I’ll repost it. I know I’m going to have changes but I don’t understand the why to this extent. I can run a cycle with all the protocols and feel great then come off and back to this. It’s a mystery I’ve got to get figured out.
I definitely feel you. I'm also on TRT at the same dosages, but half the dose of AI every week and feel great, but my prolactin is in normal range which leads me to assume that your prolactin may have something to do with it. Too low or too high prolactin can wreck havoc on your sex drive. My free test is also high because I naturally have low SHBG (Basically binds and uses free testosterone).
Yeah, clean up your diet a bit, exercise both aerobic and anaerobically, and question your cholestrol meds. I hope this helps man. Before I got on TRT I was in the same boat as you and I know how much it sucked, but you can do it!
Side note - I dumped blood immediately after this panel. I knew my count would probably be high so went ahead and did that.