Hypogonadism

[HatTRICK]

What if you are on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) for Hypogonadism (100mg Test Enanthate p/week) and you are considering an AS cycle? Any comments or concerns? Any added risks? Any changes to the standard 8 week cycle? etc. etc. etc.

[bigkev]

i would say if your doc has you on replacement therapy, then it would be very wise to follow his guidlines to the letter. you only have one set of jollys bro, dont want them screwed up forever.

[georgie24]

i think bigkev meant to say..no gear for you...i think

[TNT]

I'll assume you are asking this about yourself, so I'll be integrating some of your comments from your previous posts.

First, the "Huh?" There is no such thing as "the standard 8 week cycle." Everyone cycles as an individual based on their stats and their goals; there is no one standard. Now, the more answerable questions . . .

Considering a cycle while doing androgen replacement therapy? Talk to your doctor. Seriously. You've had past comlpaints of gyno, so bring it all home and discuss your entire AS profile, past and future, with your doctor. And if you can't do that with your current doctor, find another doctor. Don't expect help and don't expect prescriptions for gear - but do expect sound clinical feedback as well as your doctor's support when it comes to monitoring you through lab tests.

Any concerns? Yes, in light of your past history with gyno.

Any added risks? Yes. If you are now on androgen replacement therapy, it is likely because of your testosterone levels when you were tested a few weeks ago. This, I assume, occurred after your posts of 2/21/02, when you were planning to have your test levels checked the following week.

I see two problems operating here: First, your testosterone levels may have been low because you were post-cycle (yes, even if it was by four months, although that would be unusual). A few weeks ago, you wrote, "they tested for pituitary and testicular cancer as well as any problems with my thyroid. Everything is normal." One thing on which you were not clear was the scope of those tests. Did they do an MRI of your pituitary gland, or simply blood tests? And which blood tests did they do? (The normal tests for pre-androgen replacemet therapy are total testosterone, prolactin, free & weakly binding testosterone, sex binding globulin hormone, and follicle stumulating hormone. Once on test therapy, you should regularly monitor your livber and kidney functions with a comprehensive metabolic panel, as well as your cholesterol levels with a lipid panel.)

Next, the obvious problem is that you may skew your test replacement therapy by doing a cycle of other drugs that can impact your test levels. Obviously, you would not want to do more test - especially if you are prone to gyno, you would want to follow your doctor's instructions very closely. Moreover, based on the test of your previous posts, if you are going test for medical reasons, it has only been for a couple of weeks, and you do not yet even have an indication of how effective your current dose of 100 mg. enanthate per week is in terms of getting your total test levels where they should be.

Finally, you are 24 years old, which is a young age for acquired adult hypogonadism. It is possible that (1) your original diagnosis was based on a skewed profile caused by your last cycle, or (2) you do have hypogonadism, and it was caused, in large part, by your last cycle or even by a previous cycle or your AS history as a whole. Neither is necessarily true, but I present them as possibilities.

In which case you should face the nearest wall, bang your head against it once or twice, kick yourself in the butt, whistle a happy tune, look in the mirror, and admit to yourself that some people shouldn't do AS. Some guys can, some can't, and there is no shame in being in the latter group.

(By the way, campers, this type of post is one of the reasons that we so often say, "You're too young to do a cycle.")

My advice: Until you have an open, up front relationship with your doctor, don't cycle. And then do so only if you are 110% sure that there will ne no negative impact. Remember, in the world of intelligent, informed AS use, we do not cycle for our jollies - we cycle with specific goals in mind, specific routines done along with the cycle, specific research we undertake before the cycle, and a philsophy that errs on the side of caution and sound health.

Finally, if you have not done so, check in with an endocrinologist. I would hope you're seeing one already, since an endocrinology is the specialty that deals with both hypogonadism and thyroid issues (as well as related areas such as diabetes and fertility issues). The questions you are asking, the tests you have been going through, and the area of testosterone replacement therapy are beyond the scope of most general practitioners and family physicians. If you haven't done so, find a specialist.

[Dr.Evil]

great post tnt.

also, it seems strange to me that you'd be on testosterone therapy for hypogonadism. i'm not an expert on this, but wouldn't more test cause more gonad shrinkage?

[hockeyman20]

I just can't get over how ripped BigKev's arms are, no flame but it looks like you could use more chest work. You develope your chest and youd be jacked fu@#. Later.

hockeyman