42M

I've been on TRT for a little over 2 years now. I've probably used my ai the clinic gives me with every pickup a half dozen times. I've only used it when I've felt noticeably not as well for a few days to a week. For me that is bloated, itchy nips, G.I. discomfort and at times breaking out on my back and upper shoulders/arms, and softer erections or losing an erection shortly after getting one.

I'll usually take my ai (anastrozole) .5 or .25. I will usually feel improvement in 24-36 hours. I've tried to really watch how I feel versus relying on labs and taking an ai as they prescribe me. My clinic historically wants me under 40 e2 and they always get on to me for not taking my ai regularly. It has me wondering sometimes if I would feel even better with my e2 in the range the want me at.

I've been around the 900 test range and usually 60-80 e2 for the last year. That being said they always seem to want me within the same test range and my e2 around 30-40 is what they say.

I wonder if this is just a range they are trained to push on most patients or if they are using any data from all of their patients....

Hello everyone!

First of all, I’d like to thank you all and congratulate you on this community. Sharing information and helping each other is undoubtedly essential.

Over the past few years, I’ve struggled with episodes of anxiety and experienced emotional burnout, largely due to working abroad and being away from my family and my two young children for an extended period.

I’ve since returned home and was feeling better after undergoing psychological treatment and taking antidepressants and some anti-anxiety medication.

I follow this sub regularly. I’ve been training and maintaining a healthy diet, but my sleep quality and daily mood are still very poor. I experience constant fatigue and sleepiness, a feeling of mental emptiness, very little patience, significant brain fog, short-term memory lapses, and even difficulty understanding and interpreting everyday situations.

After having several blood tests, which I’ve shared here, I started considering TRT as a last resort, since my testosterone levels are low. I’ve seen several members here describe TRT as life-changing, particularly regarding the very same symptoms I’m struggling with.

Since I live in Portugal, I’ve found it difficult to find doctors willing to prescribe this treatment, even privately, as we don’t really have the kind of men’s health and longevity clinics that exist in other countries.

However, I consulted a urologist who confirmed that my testosterone levels are indeed low, although he doesn’t believe they are the sole cause of all my symptoms.

I’ve been under the care of a psychiatrist for several years, and she agreed with my suggestion to investigate the hormonal side of things as well.

According to the urologist, who is well known in Portugal for working with athletes and focusing on performance, TRT is justifiable in my case and could indeed provide a noticeable boost. However, he doesn’t believe there is a direct link between my low testosterone and the entirety of my current condition.

There is also an important consideration: if I decide to start TRT, it will need to be very carefully monitored, particularly because my haematocrit is relatively high. ( I drink around 3 liters p day and donate blood every 6 month. )

As far as I can remember, my haematocrit has consistently been between 45% and 50%. I’m currently 37 years old, weigh 120 kg (265 lbs), and am 197 cm (6'6") tall.

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and opinions. If you were in my situation, would you go ahead with TRT? Do you think it would make sense to start treatment under medical supervision, with regular blood tests, and assess how things develop over a few months?

And if the results were disappointing or the side effects outweighed the benefits, would it be possible to stop treatment and restore natural testosterone production? In other words, undergo some form of Post Cycl Therapy and try to return to baseline?

Thank you all for your help and for sharing your experiences.

A big hug from Portugal!

My libido has improved, but I'll have days or even occasional weeks where it's practically non-existent. Even right after an injection. I'm only about 5 months in and need to get my levels checked. I'm injecting every 2 weeks, IM. I'll have weeks where everything feels perfectly, then I'll have a week like I've had this past week where the drive is barely there. Anybody experience this?

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Hey everyone,

I'm 46 and have been on TRT for years, currently taking 32 mg of testosterone cypionate three times weekly (96 mg total).

My latest Quest bloodwork:

- Total Testosterone: 793 ng/dL

- Free Testosterone: 145.9

- SHBG: 35

- DHT: 78 ng/dL (High)

- Estradiol (Ultrasensitive): 57 pg/mL (High)

- PSA: 0.91 ng/mL

- Hematocrit: 48.4%

Bloodwork was taken Tuesday morning before my injection, with my previous injection on Saturday.

Lately, I've been experiencing urinary hesitancy, occasional weak or stop-and-go streams, and difficulty getting started. Sometimes my stream is completely normal.

I've also been dealing with constipation, which may be contributing.

I've been off aromatase inhibitors for several months. Although my estradiol is 57, I don't have nipple sensitivity or other obvious high-estrogen symptoms. In the past, when my estradiol dropped too low, my urinary symptoms were noticeably worse.

My main question is whether my elevated DHT of 78 could be contributing to these urinary issues.

I'm considering discussing a slight reduction in my TRT dose from 96 mg to 90 mg weekly to see whether it helps.

Has anyone experienced similar urinary problems with elevated DHT? Did lowering your TRT dose improve things?

I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks in advance!

16 weeks into trt 25mg test E pinned daily IM. Baseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeks blood work. Week 5 started feeling a firmer/denser tissue around the outer areola/lower chest on both sides. No nipple sensitivity, no lump but uncomfortable/stinging feeling when pressing on the area. Figured it was early gyno so I started 60mg of raloxifene daily. Week 8 bloods showed senstive e2 at 49 which isn't that high but I was getting a side effect. 2 months of raloxifene daily has eradicated everything I was feeling.

Finished 4 months of CJC1295/Ipamorelin by week 10 of trt. Bumped igf-1 to high 300s. Latest blood work shows igf-1 around 260.

Started hcg 135iu pinned daily by week 10 of trt. Week 16 bloods has E2 at 31 even with an increase in free t, total t and DHT.

Question, do elevated igf-1 levels contribute to higher e2? I want to start HGH but I'm clearly sensitive to estrogen. I feel great with my current test levels and libido is really good so I'm happy with my test and hcg dosing

Has anyone run a similar protocol.

Ive tried 3 times a week and completely lost libido

2 times a week was working ok but I increased dosage and got suuuupppperrr lethargic

So I decided to skip a shot and see how I felt and I actually felt better with a once a week bulbus shot against Reddit forum ideology. Energy levels were stronger and the beginning of the week but werent far off by the weekend definitely much less lethargic.

So im going to try this new protocol that I basically did by accident.

Masteron helps me as an AI I’m a very high aromatizer. Also it helps me with general well being and libido

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

I been on trt for almost 10 years at this point, always trying to find the best solution. Currently I’m on 140mg test cyp split into daily doses. As you can see my results came back with high e2 due to most likely to much free t. What approach would you take next. For context i was on 100mg split into 3 doses results where, e2 39 pg/ml, free t 145pg/ml and total t 714ng/dl.

I know this has been covered before, but figured I’d bring the topic back up.

I pin test cyp subcutaneously in my abdomen M/W/F, 0.20 mL per injection. Moderately low BF. Never had any lumps with my current setup.

31G draws pretty slowly for me, so these seem to be the sweet spot. Depending on the injection site and body fat, the length might also work for shallow IM.

Curious what everyone else uses. SubQ or IM? How much per injection, what gauge and length, and have you noticed any differences between needle brands?

25mg clomid , 300mg Rifampicin. Gonna update yall next week

Study showed 600mg Rifampicin for a week upped shbg about %75 . Ill use it for a week max then ill drop it and continue with 25mg clomid for a while

How are you a different person on TRT vs previously? Personality, attitude, cognitive, relationships, physically - how are you a different person from when you started?

Hey all, some quick info about me, I've been on trt for 2.5 yrs now. Bloods are done every few months to keep an eye on things, numbers have been consistently good for over a year now. I'm looking to add a low dose of deca to help with my joint pain. I do strength train 3 days a week. Couple questions, how often do you guys inject? I currently do test c twice a week. Is the 2:1 ratio of test and decca still the standard?

I have extremely low Shbg , its 5. And e2 sides hits me like a truck.(on trt)

Anyone used clomid successfully and rised their shbg on trt ?
Anyone have any blood work with it?

Hello, after 2 full blood panels I got diagnosed with Secondary hypogonadism (doctor thinks so). I got prescribed 25mg Clomid EOD for 1 month and then we retake the blood test. Thing is, after 3 weeks in, I feel the same, even shittier than before. No energy, sleeping a lot, no motivation and I keep getting random migraines.

Do you have any experiences with Clomid and do you think it's just piss in the wind before getting treated with TRT?

I am 23M, 96KG.

Blood results BEFORE starting Clomid:

Total T: 7.32 nmol (210ng)
E2: 92 pmol
FSH: 5.4 mUI/mL
LH: 6.2 mUI/mL
SHBG: 16.6 nmol

44YO , 5”11 , 210 pounds, Male

I’m into my first ever trt dose and I just finished week 1 at 75mg a week which is divided into two shots a week with my doctor.

Am I good to start Reta at 2mg next week along with the trt injection you think? Or should I wait for the trt to fully saturate first in my body and then introduce Reta?

I’ve done Reta before several times just in case that info is needed. I’m just curious if Reta will interfere with me knowing what med is actually doing with or am I overthinking things ?

Thanks guys

63M, 6-1, 225lb, CPAP. Started TRT on 8/28/26 with baseline T of 302 and HCT of 45.8%. Taking 84 mg/week test-c SQ, split MWF, without HCG or AI.

First labs on 10/12 showed total T of 773 (Monday trough), free T of 122.9, E2 of 36, prolactin of 17, and HCT of 50.6% (a 4.8 increase in just 45 days). I’m feeling noticeably better in terms of energy, strength, and libido. Donated whole blood on 10/14 because of the rapid HCT increase and am thinking about reducing to 60 mg/week, still MWF, to deal with HCT.

Anyone experienced this kind of HCT increase on a relatively low dose? Did reducing your dose bring it down, or did it eventually stabilize?

My question is - Do you require less protein for muscle when on TRT?

6’ 235 lbs. On about 100/wk, trying to lose weight while gaining muscle if possible, lifting weights like 5/6 times per week, 10k steps. Trying to get 200g protein while keeping calories below 2500. I feel like im not getting enough carbs. Thinking about dropping some protein for extra carbs. Thoughts and experiences?

I’m a 51‑year‑old guy in good shape who trains hard (CrossFit + lifting + conditioning almost daily). I’ve dropped `20LBS over the past 4 months and sit around 215 lbs now. I eat clean, don’t drink, don’t smoke, and generally take care of myself, but I’ve been dealing with low libido, lower drive, slower recovery, and just not feeling like I’m firing on all cylinders.

I’ve been digging into my labs and trying to understand whether TRT makes sense for me, but the risk/reward feels complicated.

My recent biomarkers :

• Total Testosterone: 518 → 646 → 702 ng/dL (normal range)
• Free Testosterone: consistently low across multiple methods
• SHBG: 60–63 nmol/L (high)
• FSH: elevated
• LH: normal
• Estradiol: 35 pg/mL (normal)
• Prolactin: 3.2 ng/mL (normal)
• PSA: 3.0 → 2.39 (borderline but stable)
• Lp(a): 75.6 nmol/L (mildly elevated)
• Lipids, kidney, liver, thyroid, inflammation: all normal
• Sleep: 4–6 hours/night
• Training load: high
• Stress: high

So I’m in this weird spot:
Normal total T, low free T, high SHBG, elevated FSH.

Not classic hypogonadism - more like SHBG-driven low free T with partial age-related testicular decline.

My hesitation:

I’ve been researching TRT heavily. I understand the commitment, the suppression, the monitoring, and the potential risks (hematocrit, PSA, estradiol volatility, cardiovascular stuff). I’m not anti‑TRT - I just want to make a smart decision.

My Hone consultation this morning:

I had a remote consult with Hone. The doctor basically said:

• My total T is “falsely good” because SHBG is high
• Free T is what matters, and mine is low
• Estradiol is “high-normal” and should be lowered
• SHBG is “killing my free T”
• He recommended immediate TRT
• Dose: 0.4 mL (80 mg) twice weekly
• Plus anastrozole 1 mg twice weekly starting day one
• Said he’d “bet his career” my estradiol will go high without an AI
• Mentioned enclomiphene but clearly preferred TRT
• Said TRT would help libido, energy, gym performance, cognition
• Follow-up labs at 90 days

I’m not saying he’s wrong - just that this was a very aggressive plan compared to what I expected. Especially the AI at initiation.

Where I’m stuck:

I’m trying to weigh:

• The desire to feel better
• The fact that my free T is genuinely low
• The risks tied to PSA and Lp(a)
• The commitment of TRT
• Whether I should try enclomiphene first
• Whether lifestyle changes could lower SHBG
• Whether starting TRT at a lower dose and monitoring closely is a safer path
• Whether I’m overthinking this entirely

My question for the community:

For guys who’ve been in a similar biomarker situation — normal total T, low free T, high SHBG - how did you decide between TRT, enclomiphene, or waiting?

If you’ve gone the TRT route, how did you weigh the risks?

If you’ve tried enclomiphene, did it actually help free T and symptoms?

If you were in my shoes, what would you want to know before making the call?

I’m not looking for medical advice - just real-world experience and perspective.
This feels like a big decision, and I want to make it deliberately.

Thanks in advance.

I inject subq 3x a week. Same days, same times, haven't changed the dose in a while. Got my latest labs back and free T was quite a bit different from last time even though total T hadn't moved nearly as much.

Then I realized the first blood draw was the morning after an injection and this one was right before my next one.

Clinic mentioned adjusting my dose and I asked if we should maybe repeat the labs under the same conditions first. Didn't really get an answer on that. So I ordered total/free T and sensitive E2 through Goodlabs and I'm getting the draw done before my next injection again. Would rather have something consistent to compare before messing with a protocol that's been working fine. For the guys injecting 3x a week, are you always getting bloodwork done at trough?

Also curious how much the free T assay matters when comparing results. I log my injections, sleep and gym sessions religiously. Can't believe the blood draw timing is what I managed to screw up.

Last week I met with my urologist again and was told I was a hyperresponder to testosterone.

My question is, get wrecked beta cucks. How’s it feel to not even be able to efficiently metabolize and use testosterone. Imagine having a bitch body that doesn’t even want to be a man.

Good luck!

Been on the juice since June. Love the way I feel. Everything in my life is better… except erectile dysfunction and no libido.

Blood work is solid. Including prolactin, e2, free test, etc. The only time I have any libido and functional erections is when I completely crash my estrogen with anastrozole to the point of achy and cracking joints

Both the provider and I are clueless.

Going to start Enclomiphene 12.5mg daily while stopping injections in hopes of getting my body back to “normal”

Anyone have experience with this?

I should take 500 ui twice a week. This pen have 26 clicks so i should inject " 2 clicks ". But 2 clicks is not marked as dose on pen. It shows "dot" that is mentioned in instruction as "preparation dose before first use" . What should i do? Do you guys have any experience with this device

Looks like you can just buy Ancillaries on Talon wellness website now does anyone know if this is real or do you still need to jump through all the hoops ?

41M, been on testosterone cypionate IM for about two years. Recently switched from 200mg every two weeks to 100mg every Monday morning against my Dr’s order. He wouldn’t budge on me pinning every two weeks.

My previous labs, taken four days after a 200mg injection, showed:
Total T: 881 ng/dL
Free T: 35.1 (flagged high)
Hemoglobin: 16.1

I’ve been on the new weekly schedule for about two months and have noticed an increase in libido. But I’m sure I’m missing other markers.

I’m wondering how my current levels might compare to my previous results.

Would Thursday afternoon (3.5 days after injection) be the best time to test? Should I expect similar numbers, or would the smaller, more frequent injections produce noticeably different results?

Anyone made this switch and have labs to compare? Also curious whether your libido stays consistent or fluctuates throughout the week.

Does anyone have experience ditching their TRT Clinic and switching to just using Amazon Pharmacy or a local Pharmacy to refill prescriptions?

I am tired of paying $100 a month for a vial of test which should cost at most $30 with insurance. The “check-ins” are pretty useless and bloodwork is still a pain in the ass.

Edit for clarification: I will still obviously do blood work after the switch - was just making the point that for the amount they charge you they should really make it easier.

Any advice on how to retain the prescription without paying for an online clinic? I’d like to be able to keep having it shipped to me every 8-10 weeks.

Is this something a normal doctor can prescribe and I can just order on Amazon?

Thanks in advance!

What do you think about my blood results. Should I start with trt?
I'm 43, active, more ore less dialed up with food, but for the last few years I'm having all the low T simptoms, the one that bothers me the most is the downfall of the libido.
Wanna start with 100mg cyp weekly and see where this goes.