Questions

[Mimotofumei]

Hello,
I have a few questions and a couple of personal statements. I realize that many peoples posts that I have read relate to accumulating muscle mass, and I am not opposed to this, in fact I could use some in my mid to late 40's. My questions stem from my recent PTSD and depression diagnosis 4 years ago.

I have tried every medicine in the book and none is working for my depression from the VA (Im a disabled vet) so I started to see information about TRT helping my situation. I went with a larger company (NuMale) to give this a try seeing as I had 90% of what they were explaining happens when you have Low T. I went on in and my T level was in the 400 range, which they deemed qualified me to receive "treatment". They do bi-weekly injections from 1cc to 1.5cc of TestCyp every other week for a STUPID amount of money. I am not happy with this due to what I have read about and physically felt with the half life of this particular medication. I spent half of a week wanting to go back because my mood swings were so LOW that it was almost unbearable after the amazing feeling diminished. I believe that this is helping my depression and mood swings considerably.

I was interested in self injecting at home, and of course the "BIG" corporation I was dealing with wanted me to get implants, etc, for a huge amount of cash that I personally do not have, because it is even difficult for me to work with my waves of depression. So I pursued my option of "self treatment" and have recently set myself up into this situation to make it happen.

My question: Should I run cycles on and off, with AI ?? Or is TRT different than an actual body building regimen? Let me say ( I don't mind the achievements the I have had muscularly while on this ) but ultimately I like the way it makes me feel in a happiness way. Is there anyone out there with any information or suggestions on how I should manage my intake with TestCyp? I don't want to stop and shrivel up to a pice of cheese cake! I also want to do what is proper for my situation and am having a hard time finding a "non-anti-aging" person bullshit me about buying a Testosterone membership, because to be completely honest NuMale has not really made me happy or healthy, with the exception of introducing me to this lifestyle.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Joey

[Euroholic]

A test of 400 is not that bad. I know we all feel it differently but that is pretty good. Are you sure your depression is not caused by other things? If you are taking cyp you should be injecting at minimum once a week or twice to keep your blood levels more stable. It takes time to lock in a protocol to get your self in the range you want to be in. There is also hcg to consider. Im just going to assume your depression might not be hormone related cause of your circumstances.

[ScotchGuard02]

First of all, let's talk about your PTSD. Going on a cycle isn't going to help alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. You have a brain injury and taking Test isn't going to affect your brain much. Phychiatrists prescribe Gabapentin for PTSD patients.

From Drugs.com "Gabapentin is an anti-epileptic medication, also called an anticonvulsant. It affects chemicals and nerves in the body that are involved in the cause of seizures and some types of pain.

Gabapentin is used in adults to treat nerve pain caused by herpes virus or shingles (herpes zoster).

What they discovered is that the Gabapentin not only blocks the pain nerves but the nerves that associate past trauma to current stimuli. In other words, Gabapentin blocks the flash backs. Then they prescribe Prozac or some generic equivalent to prevent the obscessive mental focus on events that's ocurring currently. It takes about 2 weeks for Gabapentin to take hold and about 6 weeks for the Prozac. Between the two medications a lot of people have found mental relief from PTSD. Treat the PTSD first then you can concentrate on the AAS cycle.

Now, the AAS cycle. TRT will bring your total and free Test level to "normal" range. You do know tha the "normal" range is HUGE. If you want to cycle, then you should run AI along with the additional Test. Just run a simple cycle of Test E @ 500mg/wk and Adex @ .25mg/eod. Run for 12 weeks and then go back to your TRT dosage.

Don't count on the AAS cycle helping your depression/PTSD. You have a brain injury, treat that first. Get your brain healthy. Then you can work on your body. Good luck.

[Mimotofumei]

Thank you for the information. I will have a chat with my psych at our next appointment. They have had me on the gamut of pills, etc and none seem to really help all that much. I appreciate your honesty and knowledge and will definitely try to bring up this information to her.

[Mimotofumei]

If you could elaborate a bit more, what exactly is Adex. From what I have read it is an Estrogen blocking chemical / steroid correct? What is the actual importance in the AI? I read people dosing 2-400mg/wk of Test Cyp, but not using anything but for a 12 week cycle before going back to my TRT dosage.