TRT/First Cycle Overlap Questions

[75 Dogs]

Hello,

I’ve been on TRT just under 3 years, and have some questions in preparation for my first steroid cycle. Since they are slightly more TRT-related than cycle-related, I thought I’d try posting here first.

Weight, age, training, body fat, diet all seem to be in line with the sticky about planning your first cycle…
So I plan on 500 mg/week Test E or C, along with HCG and an AI

I’ll do lots more research, but if I can get the following questions answered it will get me on the right track:

1) It took me over a year to negate the effects of having low Testosterone. If I go on a cycle, is it likely I’ll see negative effects again, or do things just go back to where they are now when I resume my treatment?

2) How long should it take for the extra Test to leave my system so I can take a blood test for my TRT therapy (and not get in trouble with my doc)? I currently go every 6 months, so imagine I would have to start right after one of those tests?

3) How do doctors deal with you taking a cycle, will they notice and kick you off if they see any signs?

Thanks for any help.

[charger69]

Hello, I’ve been on TRT just under 3 years, and have some questions in preparation for my first steroid cycle. Since they are slightly more TRT-related than cycle-related, I thought I’d try posting here first. Weight, age, training, body fat, diet all seem to be in line with the sticky about planning your first cycle… So I plan on 500 mg/week Test E or C, along with HCG and an AI I’ll do lots more research, but if I can get the following questions answered it will get me on the right track: 1) It took me over a year to negate the effects of having low Testosterone. If I go on a cycle, is it likely I’ll see negative effects again, or do things just go back to where they are now when I resume my treatment? 2) How long should it take for the extra Test to leave my system so I can take a blood test for my TRT therapy (and not get in trouble with my doc)? I currently go every 6 months, so imagine I would have to start right after one of those tests? 3) How do doctors deal with you taking a cycle, will they notice and kick you off if they see any signs? Thanks for any help.

1). On TRT you shut down your natural production. Increasing it for a cycle will just raise your levels. Going back to TRT will take you back to the TRT lvels as soon as the extra gets out of your system.
2)depends on the type of test you are using. Test e is approx 3-4 weeks, test c approx 6-7 weeks
3). If Dr knows you are abusing, it is up to him....in the US, i would assume that he would not prescribe anymore. The legal responsibility would probably be too high. Rememeber that test is a controlled substance.

[75 Dogs]

1). On TRT you shut down your natural production. Increasing it for a cycle will just raise your levels. Going back to TRT will take you back to the TRT lvels as soon as the extra gets out of your system.
2)depends on the type of test you are using. Test e is approx 3-4 weeks, test c approx 6-7 weeks
3). If Dr knows you are abusing, it is up to him....in the US, i would assume that he would not prescribe anymore. The legal responsibility would probably be too high. Rememeber that test is a controlled substance.

Thank you for answering all those.

So looks like if I'm on twice a year blood tests, I should start within 5 weeks of the blood test (assuming cypionate).

Breakdown:

6 months x 4 weeks = 24 weeks between blood tests (underestimating to be safe)

24 weeks - 7 weeks to get the extra out of my system = 17 weeks within to do the actual injections

17 weeks - 12 week cycle = 5 weeks from one blood test to start a cycle, and have it out of your system by the next blood test

[E5Charlie]

Thank you for answering all those.

So looks like if I'm on twice a year blood tests, I should start within 5 weeks of the blood test (assuming cypionate).

Breakdown:

6 months x 4 weeks = 24 weeks between blood tests (underestimating to be safe)

24 weeks - 7 weeks to get the extra out of my system = 17 weeks within to do the actual injections

17 weeks - 12 week cycle = 5 weeks from one blood test to start a cycle, and have it out of your system by the next blood test

This answers the same questions I had to the T. I'm also on 6 mo testing by endo and I also want to do 500mg test cyp after blood test in feb '17. I had the same questions reguarding the amount of time it takes for the higher test levels to go back to trt levels. Thanks for answering these. Looks like 75 dogs and I are in the same boat.

[JKW]

I guess I look at it different. I am very grateful to have found a true HRT physician that will get my levels of all hormones working to the optimum. I don't mess with the blasting anymore. For one I think HRT is a lifelong commitment and two I would not want to piss off my Doctor and he tells me not to come back. So I dont mess with taking extra and planning to stop hoping my levels don't spike or are high at the wrong time. Not saying you are wrong, just saying for me its not worth the risk of losing my Doc.

[75 Dogs]

This answers the same questions I had to the T. I'm also on 6 mo testing by endo and I also want to do 500mg test cyp after blood test in feb '17. I had the same questions reguarding the amount of time it takes for the higher test levels to go back to trt levels. Thanks for answering these. Looks like 75 dogs and I are in the same boat.

Haha, yeah. After cycling, we're gonna need a bigger boat, right?

*imaginary Jaws emoji*

[75 Dogs]

I guess I look at it different. I am very grateful to have found a true HRT physician that will get my levels of all hormones working to the optimum. I don't mess with the blasting anymore. For one I think HRT is a lifelong commitment and two I would not want to piss off my Doctor and he tells me not to come back. So I dont mess with taking extra and planning to stop hoping my levels don't spike or are high at the wrong time. Not saying you are wrong, just saying for me its not worth the risk of losing my Doc.

Point well taken, and your comment certainly made me think long and hard. But I believe this is an individual choice for everyone. On the one hand, it's probably a Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs thing. Once I've got everything in place, human nature dictates I have new priorities and new needs, even if it seems irrational to others.

To get deep into it, I read this on Wikipedia:

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming."

The bottom line is who I am on the outside doesn't match up with who I am on the inside. And that's almost as much of a driving force within me as getting my TRT numbers back in range.

I don't know yet if I'm going to do a cycle (I don't even know how to get ahold of the stuff yet) but I want to be well-informed if I pull that trigger. I wouldn't even have thought a cycle was a reality because of my fear of needles, but now that I'm over that and am taking at least two injections a week for the rest of my life, plus I wouldn't need PCT, it's become a possibility. I may post in the Steroids section to ask what kind of experiences anyone has gone through if they've been on TRT, done a cycle, and gone back.

Are you someone who used to cycle, then needed to get on HRT afterwards? Or were you on HRT before blasting, and then did a few blasts? I'd be interested to know what you've gone through and your health concerns for someone who is going to alter their levels and then try to come back to what is currently working.

[Magnum II]

75 Dogs...Can't help but be curious. You stated that you're using "at least two injections per week" as part of your TRT? Can I ask what your dosing protocol is? I have recently started TRT (200 mg IM every two weeks). I'm seeking information on the dosing levels used by other members.

[75 Dogs]

75 Dogs...Can't help but be curious. You stated that you're using "at least two injections per week" as part of your TRT? Can I ask what your dosing protocol is? I have recently started TRT (200 mg IM every two weeks). I'm seeking information on the dosing levels used by other members.

Absolutely. I'm taking .45ml of 200mg Test Cyp twice a week. (the other injections are HCG which I do three times a week)

So I would be taking 180mg Test Cyp each week...dosed out every 3-1/2 days. One I do in the morning, the other at night.

Are you taking 200mg all at once, and only taking it every two weeks? I've heard people are moving away from injections that infrequently because it doesn't maintain sustained levels of testosterone in your system. Are you working with a doctor?

T from last labs (everyone responds different):
1075 ng/dL on a 348-1197 scale
26 pg/mL Free Test on a 6.8-21.5 scale

[Magnum II]

Yes, my initial script calls for one injection (200mg/ml Test Cyp) every two weeks. Clearly, my blood saturation levels will vary over the two-week period. My sense is that my Dr. isn't all that familiar (or all that concerned) with even blood serum levels. By gathering info from others on TRT, I may be able to form a case for changing my script. I'm waiting (impatiently as you can see) for the results of my first set of labs--the blood draw was done on Monday of this week. I've done Test-based cycles in the past. I'm hoping to get the script increased to indicate weekly injections at 200mg/week.

[75 Dogs]

Yeah, my initial impression is you are right to be concerned. I was working with an Endocrinologist for my first year and nothing was happening. I really liked the doctor too. But it wasn't until I saw a TRT specialist that I realized how many of these other doctors don't really know what they are doing yet. I wasn't even getting the right labs that people on this board suggest! It seems many Endos still need to be educated with what is really going on out there.

Telling my endo that I was going somewhere else was about as hard as breaking up with a girlfriend, but I knew I had to do the right thing for me and my body function mattered more than their feelings. One of the best decisions I've made.

Anyway, I'm not telling you to drop your doc (someone else might, though) but your doctor is supposed to be working with you, not against you. And if you don't feel that is happening you might want to investigate a TRT specialist. It's a long enough process when you have someone who knows what they are doing, no need to drag it out even longer while someone is learning as they go.

[Magnum II]

Roger that Dogs. Thanks for your thoughts. I actually had an Anti-Aging Dr. a few years back. He closed his practice and I haven't been able to find a good alternative in my area--still looking.

[75 Dogs]

If you can afford it without insurance, I can endorse remote therapy. Hard to believe, but for me it's actually been way more convenient than having a doctor geographically nearby. In my mind there are so few people out there who are experts, it really limits our options. Plus you can call a few to interview and ask questions first before you commit to becoming a patient.

[E5Charlie]

My endo also started me on 200mg test cyp every 2 weeks. After reading these forums for a while I realized maybe that wasn't the best protocol so I brought it up to him. He was very receptive and asked me how I felt about it. I explained what little I knew about cyp half lives and how I thought I might benefit from more frequent injections and he agreed. He lowered my dose to 150mg a week but I honestly only take 100mg a week. The rest I just save up for a blast. What I suggest is maybe suggest things to your doctor and make him feel like he's the one who is coming up with these new ideas.

[Magnum II]

I'll look into that, thanks.

[Magnum II]

Good thoughts--especially regarding the psychology of dealing with doctors. Play to their ego/get what you want.