Wondering if I should up my dosage of T-Cyp

[kirkjamest]

Hello all, so I tried this (Austinite's) protocol last year with mucho guidance and help from KelKel, (thank you again for that) and ended up having to stop three weeks in due to unforeseen circumstances. I did a PCT waited 6 weeks pulled BW and everything was back to baseline. Pulled BW again a few months ago, everything looked good to I decided to run this protocol again.

I am able to do blood work every three weeks which I will do. I pulled the BW two days (about 60 hours) after my 6th pin, so the last pin of the third week (if that makes sense). The blood work indicates my total testosterone is 1927 and free is 45. I am making gains very slowly, 1.9 pounds so far but the reflection in the mirror is changing. Strength increase in certain areas of the body like legs, shoulders and arms. Not much strength gain with regard to the back or the chest at all. They both look different i.e. more muscular but no strength gain.

I hired a nutritionist who actually developed the Macros, does all the shopping and the food prep so I don't have to worry about any of that. The nutritionist is also aware of my current use of AAS and took that into account. My training partner is on the same dose and protocol as me and his Total T is 2697 with a free of >50 (not sure why that wasn't measured). He weighs the same as I do but is 3" inches shorter, making more gains (6 pounds) but eats a bit dirty so he is bloating a little whereas I am not due to a lack of NaCl in my diet.

Stats:
No cycle history other than a failed attempt last year that only lasted 3 weeks.
49
5'10"
181.7 up from 179.8.
BF was 18% when I started according the calipers.
Actual Anaerobic Lifting for 3years, marathon runner prior to that
Using T-Cyp 200 mg twice a week.
1/2 Adex twice a week (too hard to break that tiny pill into fours)
250 units HCG twice a week.

So, my question is due to the overall T reading of 1927 and the free T of 45 should I up the dose?

[Batmanreturns]

What are your actual cycle goals here?

[Kyle1337]

Considering the normal starting dose is 500 mg/week... I'd say yes increase to 500mg a week.

[Batmanreturns]

That was my initial thought as well, but 200mg seemed like trt so I was unsure.

[kirkjamest]

Well its is 200mg twice a weak so a total of 400mg/week. Increasing to 500 sounds like a good idea, so I will try it and pull the blood work again in three weeks. Today is the tenth pin and i will increase it today.

Batman, the goal really is to put on 4 to 5 pounds of lean mass and avoid as many side effects as possible at the same time. Mostly the bloat because I have pre hypertension as it is. BP usually 124/78 or so. It has continued to hover around that area because of the lack of salt in my diet which is cool.

Having said that, my liver is taking a beating, enzymes increased by 25 % over the first three weeks but are still within range. However, if they continue to increase at that rate I will be severely out of range in no time. I am taking NAC and I understand the liver may calm down after 5 weeks. Has anyone experienced elevated enzymes of the liver which level off?

[Strongblood]

Are you and your lifting buddy using the same brand Test Cyp? Is it UGL or Pharmacy grade? Did you check your estrogen? (Sensitive Essay)

[kirkjamest]

Strongblood,

Thank you for responding I appreciate it. Yes we are taking the same brand of T-Cyp. It is pharmacy grade from a US drug manufacturer, I can't name it so I will give hints. It is the manufacturer that produces the little blue pill for erectile disfunction. That is the company that produces the T-Cyp, it is called Depo T-Cyp.

When I pulled the blood work I did do a Sensitive Essay E2. My baseline sensative essay e2 was 24.9 during the original bloodwork and it tested at 16.9 on this round of bloodwork.

[kirkjamest]

Oh and by the way, when I pulled this round of bloodwork I did it the day after I took the .5mg Adex, which is also pharmacy grade. The lab I used has ranges for Sensative Essay E2 set between 8.0 and 35.0pg/ml.

[kirkjamest]

Bump

[Kyle1337]

No need to bump this thread anymore (yes, I am bumping it for you...) However, wasn't the question answered in my post? Increasing the dose to 500mg a week will be fine. Everyone's body metabolizes differently as well and can vary in test levels.

[kelkel]

How much NAC are you currently taking?
Know that simply working out can cause supraphysiologic liver values for up to 7 days or so.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2291230/

[Scorpion0922]

Never compare yourself to anyone else, there could be a million reasons why one person progresses ore than another, you don't just go adding MORE juice in place of PATIENCE.

350- 400 mg's is ideal for a 1st cycle.

The fact that you're carrying around over 30 pounds of fat indicates that you could achieve better results by improving your nutrition.

[kirkjamest]

Kyle Sorry for abusing the bump, I actually did it because I was curious about strongblood's inquiry into my E2 levels and I cannot pm as of yet.

Scorpion Ugh. 30 pounds of fat sounds pretty horrid when it is put that way lol. I'm fine with being patient however I am also inquisitive so I am garthering data before I make a decision to up the dose, hence my inquiry on the board. Nutrition is squared away.....now.

Kelkel good to hear from you again. I'm taking 600 mg of the NAC twice daily. Started taking at the same time as the beginning of the cycle. my liver values stay within certain ranges consistently Usually higher after exercise but not 25 percent higher. This happened to me last year also. I'm guessing my body is just reacting to the introduction of all these compounds in short order and will level out. I will see in two weeks where the enzymes are and go from there. GGT didn't move much so that's encouraging. Is 1200mg/day enough NAC?

Thanks again for the support from all who have been kind enough to help out.

[kelkel]

You can double the NAC without any issues. Won't hurt, only help.

[kirkjamest]

So, I am in my 9th week of the Austinite cycle. I drew bloods at week six but due to the holidays the results aren't in yet which I find pretty annoying. Anyway, earlier in the OP, at week 3, I had asked the question about upping dosage and came to the conclusion to wait it out which I did.

As a result I'm still taking 400mg/week depo-t cyp. Adex and HCG. Following the protocol exactly as suggested with liver support. Once the mid cycle BW comes in I'm sure I will have questions and probably have to give blood, I can't imagine my HcT hasn't gone up.

I gotta say wow, the results I'm seeing now are unbelievable. At 49 it's crazy how much change in confidence, stamina, muscle gain, gym performance, aerobic performance and overall looks in the mirror have manifested. Memory better, less migraines, sex drive up, better skin, social interaction etc. I can see how people could easily abuse these medications.

Anyway, my question concerns the liver support. At three weeks my liver enzymes had increased 25 percent so I upped the dosage to 1800mg/ week of NAC. This has caused a bit of heart burn and I already take a PPI in the morining and antacids at night. (I have and have had GERD for about 3 years). So yesterday I get my first migraine in 8 weeks and end up having to take a typical OTC that contains acetaminophen, caffeine and the dreaded aspirin. The NAC mixed with this caused some SERIOUS heartburn.

Heartburn from NAC is bad enough so I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas how to minimize this outside of PPI and antacids as I'm already taking that stuff. Any suggestions would be great as the only thing I can think of is drop the dose of NAC. I'm not even going to take it today to give my esophagus a rest.