How long before the effects of TRT work...you ask?

[steroid.com 1]

We see this question asked a lot! I believe it's different for all men for a ton of reasons (see conclusion below) BUT there's been enough studied on it that some clinical guide lines can be established:

See this study:

ONSET OF EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE TREATMENT AND TIME SPAN UNTIL MAXIMUM EFFECTS ARE ACHIEVED.

Eur J Endocrinol. 2011 Jul 13;

Authors: Saad F, Aversa A, Isidori AM, Zafalon L, Zitzmann M, Gooren LJ

Objectives: Testosterone has a spectrum of effects on the male organism. This review attempts to determine, from published studies, the time-course of the effects induced by testosterone repla***ent therapy from their first manifestation until maximum effects are attained.

Design: Studies in PubMed on testosterone repla***ent so far providing information on time course.

Results:

• Effects on sexual interest appear after 3 weeks plateauing at 6 weeks, no further increments beyond.

• Changes in erections/ejaculations may require up to 6 months.

• Effects on quality of life manifest within 3-4 weeks, but maximum benefits take longer.

• Effects on depressive mood appear after 3-6 weeks with a maximum after 18-30 weeks.

• First effects on erythropoiesis after 3 months, peaking at 9-12 months.

• Prostate specific antigen and volume rise, marginally, plateauing at 12 months; further increase related to aging rather than therapy.

• Effects on lipids appear after 4 weeks, maximal after 6-12 months.

• Insulin sensitivity may improve within few days, but effects on gly***ic control become evident only after 3-12 months.

• Changes in fat mass, lean body mass and muscle strength occur within 12-16 weeks, stabilize at 6-12 months, but marginally continue to improve over years.

• Effects on inflammation occur within 3 to 12 weeks.

• Effects on bone detectable after 6 months but continue at least for 3 years.

Conclusion: the time-course of the spectrum of effects of testosterone shows considerable variation, probably related to pharmacodynamics of the testosterone preparation. Genomic and non-genomic effects, androgen receptor polymorphism and intracellular steroid metabolism further contribute to such diversity.

PMID: 21753068 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

[Jadam]

Pretty interesting, thanks for posting. I've been on for almost a year. I want to say I noticed mood and well being effects about six weeks into it.

[Bigfoot66]

For the most part the results above are dead on. Still, after two years of IM I'm seeing changes in fat mass, LBM and strength increase.

BTW GD...great tat!

[GotNoBlueMilk]

Great post! Have to admit, I fit within the values too.

[JD250]

Sticky this post....good stuff

[paulzane]

Brilliant post!

[steroid.com 1]

How can we get a mod to make this a sticky? It's asked soooo many times by men who come here looking for the answers. This helps does it not?

[Ibreakspawns]

Awesome post. This should be a sticky! This is exciting for someone just starting testosterone treatment.

[Sicko]

Good read..strangely worded for a study or a medical journal though..Almost like a regular joe put an article together. The authors are not MD's ?

[steroid.com 1]

Not sure Sicko if MD's or not. A lot of research studies like this are conducted by PHD types in the bio-med field or conducted by pharma's and the like. Here's the link to the abstract that I found on PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21753068 Also looks like Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany did the analysis.

[Sicko]

Rite on bro...still a good read either way...

[zaggahamma]

a succesfully tailored testosterone therapy (as to include AI, hcg , etc.)

[powerliftmike]

Changes in fat mass, lean body mass and muscle strength occur within 12-16 weeks, stabilize at 6-12 months, but marginally continue to improve over years.

I have noticed this myself in cycles. Now extending cycles to test this further and hopefully benefit more..

[Narkissos]

Great post mate.

[yannick35]

Great article thanks again, for someone on TRT its really helpful.

[ConArmas]

Thanks for the great explanation. cheers!

[ecdysone]

A visualization:

[gbrice75]

Thx GD!!

[oldschoolfitness]

this already answered a lot of my questions!! thanks. this is actually what i was expecting.

[Narkissos]

bump!

[zasko7]

All that info sounds spot on, my dad started TRT about 2 years ago and it took a couple of months for him to really start getting really noticable results.

[zasko7]

What is the minimum age to get TRT?

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Got a question here and not a joke . I am 53 and took my 1s 1cc dose on the 29th and I was a foolish young man and went on a 4 year cycle at the age of 22 . Have I ever paid for it the past 12 year and doctors treated me for everything from depression which by the way thanks doctors for addicting me to zanx for the past 12 years and I don't even want to take it now but my body absolutly Freaks out if it doesn't get the correct dose and I have to increase it dfrom time to time when ever my body tells me to and if you have ever had this issue you know what I am talking about. Prisoner to a pill !

Any way took 1st dose for TRT Mon the 29th 1cc and wanted to have my dose taken on a different day and advied to cut in half and take weekly any way I took 2nd dose on Fri 11-2 .5cc and I will not take another until next Fri .5cc od cyp. My Low T level was extremly extra low (78) I started a fluid regiment that I have done before with noTRT and it disapates fluids in the body and I was preparing for the TRT an did not want to look puffy or fat after I started taking until the energy part kicked in. A side effect that I have had is not dangerous but being a single father and not been on the dating market ,nor do I have plans to rush out and seek a girl friend this reaction is a curse, As I said I am 53 with a Test level of (78) took 1st dose Mon. and by Wed I was having 23 yr old atomic erictile over functioning ! Now this can't be in my mind because there has not remotely been an issue with this, as a matter of fact quite the contrary I have not been dating but had Vigra on stand by but required 2 tabs for a moderate errection and out of the blue I wake up in the morn and I have to wait about 5 minutes before I can pee and I can be at Home Depot buying paint and out of no where it happens ? This is a little funny but not if you are the one with the issue and no outside assistance. I am not going to complain I just am courious as to how and oil dased dose of that small amount could cause this effect or action/reaction so soon. I welcome comments and I am sure there will be some jokers out there . I understand if it were not me I could come up with a bunch of Ha Ha Ha's. What I wonder about is how quickly I had this very noticeable issue ?

Now by all means feel free to chime in ?

[TennTarheel]

Buzzard, after reading a couple of your posts, I've concluded that you are on opiates as well as benzos right? Do you drink at all? Muscle relaxers like carisiprodol aka Soma?? Just trying to get the full picture bc I've been there bro

[TennTarheel]

What is the minimum age to get TRT?

There really isn't a minimum age, but if someone is far too you to have age related testosterone deficiency, then there is an underlying cause to the problem and need to see an Endocrinologist and get ALOT of testing done. You really want to find out the root cause to low test or symptoms of low test.

[Cheifjuana]

For the most part the results above are dead on. Still, after two years of IM I'm seeing changes in fat mass, LBM and strength increase.

BTW GD...great tat!

How old are you

[ufc8581]

Just started my hrt last thursday and was wondering these questions myself! Thanks for the info!

[steroid.com 1]

Welcome.

Tell us more about yourself in the forum.

[ufc8581]

Welcome.

Tell us more about yourself in the forum.

Well I'm 26 been dealing with fatigue n slight depression for about a year so tried a lot of depressants n they never worked so doc had me do blood work n I came back with a level of 313 serum.. Still not sure about everything and learning.. Saw a urologist last Thursday n see started me on trt the day I went! Told me I had the levels of a 80 year old man! So now I go back for five more weeks every Thursday to receive my injection of test n hcg n get blood work ! Then on sixth week they will set me up for home administration! I kno I'm young but it's only been a couple days since injection and I can already feel a difference n just a over all well being!

[Torqued]

Total Test was 195. Started my TRT 3 weeks ago. 50 mg IM Test C every 3.5 days, DHEA, Pregnenolone, Vit D daily, started HCG MWF last week. Feeling a hell of a LOT better. Mental fog lifted almost immediately. General mood, concentration, drive have all improved considerably. Things have also gotten a lot better in the bedroom. This week has been a boner-rama. It's been at least 5 or 6 years since I've had this much wood. Drawing 1st follow-up labs in 3 more weeks.

[steroid.com 1]

Start a new thread; this is a "sticky" and your post would do you much better justice in the general HRT forum.

[asiandudexxx]

So this original paper only included studies with testosterone or DHT treatments. As I understand it, this means they did not include hCG monotherapy, clomid, or any other treatments that raised testosterone but did not directly include administration of testosterone.

Even though I was only receiving hCG mono in the form of a leydig stim test, I experienced the same symptom alleviation time frame. Obviously this only goes for effects that manifest prior to 5 weeks, but wanted to throw that in there in case anyone was interested.

[20YO]

hi there, just wondering how testosterone creams might differ to IM esters (which are what were used for this study)? I understand the esthers have a half life of 5-6 days, but many of the benefits dont manifest for a month... do we then assume its 4 half lives until you feel effects (or in the case of creams 4 days?)
Alternatively, if u were pinning 150mg test a wk for 4 wks thats 600mg of test theray before u start getting effects... so would it follow that you need to administer 6g of test gel (assuming 10 percent absorption rate) before effects really onset?
Any further ideas on this topic? cheers

[Ever4menU]

Cool post! Thank you so much for posting! I've been on for almost six months! I do noticed good outcomings and well being effects from it.

[bartman314]

this article is helpful setting expectations (albeit considerations for hcg and ai not included). thank you for posting.

[Rrexy]

Great Post!
Love the stickys on this site . . . . . . .
So Much to learn!

[Metalject]

We see this question asked a lot! I believe it's different for all men for a ton of reasons (see conclusion below) BUT there's been enough studied on it that some clinical guide lines can be established:

See this study:

ONSET OF EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE TREATMENT AND TIME SPAN UNTIL MAXIMUM EFFECTS ARE ACHIEVED.

Eur J Endocrinol. 2011 Jul 13;

Authors: Saad F, Aversa A, Isidori AM, Zafalon L, Zitzmann M, Gooren LJ

Objectives: Testosterone has a spectrum of effects on the male organism. This review attempts to determine, from published studies, the time-course of the effects induced by testosterone repla***ent therapy from their first manifestation until maximum effects are attained.

Design: Studies in PubMed on testosterone repla***ent so far providing information on time course.

Results:

• Effects on sexual interest appear after 3 weeks plateauing at 6 weeks, no further increments beyond.

• Changes in erections/ejaculations may require up to 6 months.

• Effects on quality of life manifest within 3-4 weeks, but maximum benefits take longer.

• Effects on depressive mood appear after 3-6 weeks with a maximum after 18-30 weeks.

• First effects on erythropoiesis after 3 months, peaking at 9-12 months.

• Prostate specific antigen and volume rise, marginally, plateauing at 12 months; further increase related to aging rather than therapy.

• Effects on lipids appear after 4 weeks, maximal after 6-12 months.

• Insulin sensitivity may improve within few days, but effects on gly***ic control become evident only after 3-12 months.

• Changes in fat mass, lean body mass and muscle strength occur within 12-16 weeks, stabilize at 6-12 months, but marginally continue to improve over years.

• Effects on inflammation occur within 3 to 12 weeks.

• Effects on bone detectable after 6 months but continue at least for 3 years.

Conclusion: the time-course of the spectrum of effects of testosterone shows considerable variation, probably related to pharmacodynamics of the testosterone preparation. Genomic and non-genomic effects, androgen receptor polymorphism and intracellular steroid metabolism further contribute to such diversity.

PMID: 21753068 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

I've never noticed this thread until someone referenced in another.

The timeline I would say is accurate but also misleading. Explanation - this time line of when benefits begin to manifest and/or peak would assume all things are perfect, which they rarely are. This is eluded to in the original posters conclusion (not sure if it's his or part of the copy pasted information).

Let me use myself as an example: 6wks into TRT i did start to notice some improvements in libido and energy, nothing major. From that point everything sort of flatlined. It was not until 12wks or so into TRT that my libido and energy really started to improve, as well as my insomnia, the latter not one of the more common low t symptoms but definitely a miserable one. I had a lot of ups and downs throughout the first year of TRT; it did continually get a little better and better, but there were and I believe with many men circumstances that have to be taken into account.

When I started TRT, my total testosterone was 63 ng/dl. Now I had done a lot of damage to my hormone production through bodybuilding, but this 63 reading was after more than a full year of no steroids of any kind. For those that cared, my E2 reading was undetectable, as was vitamin D, vitamin B, and while I can't remember the number, IGF1 was very low. Thyroid (despite years of T3 use, sometimes non-stop) was fine. My point, that took a lot longer to recover from than the chart implies.

I think the chart can be useful but it can also give false hope or rather too early of a hope to many men.

[PROCKET]

How long did you TRT guys wait before doing your first blast (cycle) on top of the TRT... Seeing you may need 12-14 weeks, or 6 months to ground on TRT gains... would it not make sense then to wait through that period before jumping into a cycle?

Curious the ups and downs of tossing an oral only 4 months into treatment.

[joeybull]

hi,i have been on trt now for 3 years(nebido 1000mg every 10 weeks)due to my pituitary giving up,my problem is with nebido it only seems to last about 4 weeks then i feel like shit again anxiety,depression severe fatigue and more,ive told my endo this put he just wont listen,so six months ago out of desperation i started self medicating with test e, (at 3 weeks i take 250mg and again at 6 weeks)i was just wondering would my test levels be really high with blood test at 9 weeks,thank you in advance

[RIB]

Thank you!