+ 1 Aborted PCT
I am going to preface this with the fact that I'm not super eloquent or succinct.
I started my first cycle after about 8 almost 9 months of getting back into lifting. I lifted in high school and in the Army. Loved it.
Before my cycle my VA doc prescribed me anti depressants and anti anxiety benzos as well as sleeping meds that I never took. Instead I started working back into weights and cardio. I felt a lot better but I did not feel 100%. I was moody easily agitated and prone to start weeping,
I found this site and decided my symptoms were low Test and self medicated. Low and behold after the second week of Test E injects I felt like a brand new me. Like the me I knew and loved from my 20s early 30s. My wife and my children remarked constantly on the positivity of the change.
I finished my cycle and almost finished my PCT but towards the end of it I felt that old monster creeping up on me. The shitty attitude monster that made me unpleasant to be around and exist as. I did not finish. I went right back to the med cabinet and put 125 mg back into me and then subsequently 100mg or so after that. I feel better my family is very approving of my attitude and overall demeanor. On top of that I feel fucking fantastic. No mood swings, no weeping and deff no irritability. There is very very little that perturbs me even a little.
I have a blood pressure cuff and my BP is slightly elevated. 126/85 or something very similar every time I check which is fasted in the mornings.
My question to the community and I know ya'll aren't docs but does this sound typical of a successful TRT situation? I DO NOT trust my VA docs and they are all I can afford.
I am very aware of the possible flaming I could get. I welcome it if it can put what I'm doing (if it's stupid/dangerous) into a light of reason.
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I highly appreciate all the good advice here. I anticipated most of these responses. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get some blood work done. That also means I'm going to have to PCT again. Ugh. Not looking forward to that. I say though even if my testosterone comes back normal I will probably keep administering exogenous testosterone. The only alternative I can see is to take the other medications they prescribe me for anxiety and depression and I don't want to do that. I'd rather take one hormone and deal with its side effects.
Let me just say, my situation is similar with the underlying symptoms. The depression, mood swings, energy going up and down. Some days are good and some bad. The only difference is that my symptoms were caused by abusing drugs for 10 years. Specifically methamphetamine. I got sober and after a year I started looking for answers because all the side effects I just listed never got any better. The drug did something to my body and I just never felt the same even after a year of sobriety. I started hitting the gym and taking 100mg test E every 3.5days. All the previous symptoms I had are gone and have stayed gone. Because of this, I won't be stopping the test E. When you think about this conundrum philosophically, you must weigh the 2 choices. Is it better to live a happy, meaningful life; by taking exogenous test for the majority of my life? Or do I just stay miserable and fight each and everyday to be a normal member of society? When thinking about this, I believe the lesser of two evils is to continue taking the test and managing any potential physical symptoms with diet while using the lowest dose possible. You can live a long healthy "HAPPY" life this way, compared to being miserable everyday and making everyone else around you miserable as well. Think about these things deeply and then make your decision. I don't plan on having kids so the choice is simple for me. I'm 34 and my girlfriend has 3 kids that I help raise. I've made the best out of a shitty situation that I created by using drugs for 10 years. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds always did more harm to me than good. My advice would be stick to the test at the lowest dose possible, have a good diet, and get bloodwork once every month or two.
Huh. I had been prescribed Adderall for several years and quit taking it. Strangley enough just exercising has mitigated alit of tge worse symptoms of tge ADHD. Those are the same symptoms I had after stopping, though it is a dextroamphetamine not methamphetamine I wonder if the two are correlated. It seems highly likely. I managed to find a private Doctor Who's going to test my hormone panel. I'll keep everyone posted if I remember.
This is exactly what I do... I have a private doc I pay 50 bucks every 2 weeks usually. Sometimes I see him as needed... Amphetamines have some nasty side affects that don't go away after stopping them.. I learned this first hand. I believe your probably right, the Adderall does more harm than good in most cases.
Why do you think you need to do PCT again? I think the guys are meaning get bloodwork done while on TRT to see where your Test level is it to make sure it is correct. If you feel much happier and don't need the other meds then stay on the TRT mate - it's your life so do what makes you feel happy! I wasn't meaning you have to get on BP meds, its just something may be a little off thats all which will show in bloods.
In my head my reasoning was the exigenous testosterone has shut me down so getting bloods done is only going to show the quantity of testosterone I've been injecting not my natural levels. As far as the blood pressure medicine goes I was just going to consult my doctor to find out if I truly needed it as well as getting my cholesterol checked.
That is exactly why you need to get your levels checked. You don't want to be pinning to much and have elevated T levels for to long. That is not healthy. So if concerned about your health you need to be sure you are pinning the proper dose.
Get your total T level tested instead of just guessing.
The self administered TRT is obviously doing as it should.
I'm guessing you're in your 40s and let's face it the majority of men at that age could probably do with a bit of test.
My only concern is you mentioned your BP but no mention of blood work, this will answer a lot of questions and help dial in the dose needed.
It's clearly had a positive on life style and family life is greatly improved so get blood work taken care of and get on with the rest of your life.
Are you asking whether your TRT looks okay with the BP reading or whether you should choose to go the TRT for good route?
Little column A and Lil column B. I think I have my mind made. But would like to hear what others say about any further testing that may be pertinent. I'd like to weigh that info with what is affordable for me as well as maybe any personal experience from the community who have dealt with something similar or like to experiment on themselves and have done so with success.
This is just from a personal standpoint, but for me there is no way I could ever go back to being natural again especially seeing how slow and tedious my gains were at 34 (last time I was natty). If you are seriously into your training and you think it will be that way in some way or other for the rest of your life then I would far rather rely on a synthetic, slightly higher dose of test than a naturally and constantly declining natural testosterone level. But then again you have to be realistic with yourself and ask whether this is just a phase of life that you are enjoying - running gear and training, and maybe in 5 years time you will no longer be wanting to inject yourself every week. I would say your BP is a little on the high side for the amount of Test you are on so maybe something isn't quite right, unless it is naturally on the higher side.
I'll go see my primary care and maybe they'll give me some blood pressure medicine if it's warranted. I certainly need to get blood work done for my cholesterol level.
This is exactly how I feel. I don't ever want to go back to being small or out of shape ever again. The physical effects are second only to my mental stability. I mean I already had a vasectomy so being fertile is neither here nor there. I don't mind sticking myself it doesn't bother me a bit. So yeah I do believe I will bite the bullet and get some blood work done but regardless of the results I will be administering exogenous testosterone.