Doc is adding Deca to my TRT for joint pain

[Ctheli]

I've been on TRT for 7 months now currently at 190mg test c weekly. My Dr wants to add 100mg a week of Deca to my protocol without adjusting my testosterone. What is typical therapeutic dose and what is a performance dose? Just curious if I'll get other benefits than just joint pain relief.

[i_SLAM_cougars]

100mg is a therapeutic dose, and you’ll feel joint relief after a few weeks or a month at that dose. I imagine there will be some anabolic gain as well coupled with the testosterone. Might not be a ton, but it’s there.

[Ctheli]

Thanks, I'm good with just joint relief. At that low of a dose I shouldn't retain much water if any correct?

[Beetlegeuse]

If you're looking for joint pain relief, ask about diclofenac gel.

My TRT dosage is too low for me to use enough Deca to get therapeutic benefit from it, but on my knees the diclofenac gel was incredibly effective. I'm not exaggerating when I say it gave me back a lifestyle that I thought was gone forever.

[i_SLAM_cougars]

Thanks, I'm good with just joint relief. At that low of a dose I shouldn't retain much water if any correct?

No. Even at higher doses water retention is largely from diet. You have to remember guys in the 70’s use to cut for competition on Deca and dbol.

[Youthful55guy]

I've been on TRT for 7 months now currently at 190mg test c weekly. My Dr wants to add 100mg a week of Deca to my protocol without adjusting my testosterone. What is typical therapeutic dose and what is a performance dose? Just curious if I'll get other benefits than just joint pain relief.

100-200 mg/week seems to be the what's recommended for a therapeutic affect (e.g., joint relief). Recommended higher doses for an anabolic affect range from 300-600, though 400 seems to be the magic number for most. Somewhere in this website there's a listing of monographs describing most of the major anabolic hormones. I have a One Note file of many of them that I downloaded years ago. Here's an excerpt for DECA regarding dosing:

The standard dosing range for Deca Durabolin normally falls in the 100mg every 2-4 week range for basic therapeutic treatment and 100-200mg per week for the treatment of anemia. For the athlete looking for rejuvenation and relief, 100mg per week is a fine starting point, but most will be much happier with 200mg per week results. Such a dosing will ensure recovery, relief, and endurance are all enhanced as well as provide a slight anabolic boost. For true anabolic gains, 300mg per week is normally considered the low-end dose. Many will find 400mg per week to be the perfect dosing level, and more importantly, well within a controllable level. Many men may be able to tolerate doses as high as 600mg per week. This will increase the risk of adverse effects and often 400mg per week is more than enough, but varying circumstances will dictate the individual outcome.

I did a short 6-week experiment with DECA's cousin, NPP not too long ago. I started at 111mg/week (daily dosing) and increased it mid-cycle to 117 mg/week (daily dosing). My T dose was 140mg during the first half and 130 mg during the second half. Basically, I shifted the ratios of T and NPP in my blend. Overall, I did feel an improvement in chronic joint pain in my left elbow as a result of triceps reconstruction surgery 3 years ago (I was in an accident). I also noticed a sizeable boost in my muscle recovery too. I was able to push the weights up much faster then before the experiment, even at this relatively low dose of nandralone.

I took 3 weeks off to withdraw completely for a blood donation. Now I'm starting a second experiment with 126mg T-cyp/210mg DECA. I'm only 2 days is, so nothing to report.

Here's a link to a nicely done randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical study of 200mg/week DECA with 18 experienced bodybuilders. You can download the paper for free: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15076791

Half (n=9) received 200mg/wk DECA and the other half received a placebo. The group receiving DECA gained 2.2 kg (4.9 lbs) muscle over the 8 week study. The placebo group gained 0.5mg (1.1 lbs) muscle over the 8 wek study. They also followed the subjects for an additional 8 weeks after discontinuation of the DECA and the subjects that received the DECA only lost 0.6 kg (1.3 lbs) of their prior gain. They utilized underwater weighing to determine lean body mass. All subjects signed a declaration that they were drug free for at least 3 months and they also conducted random drug testing on 1/3 of the subjects prior to the study. Four of the subjects had previous experience with AAS and they were randomized equally between the DECA and placebo groups.