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Thread: First bloods since starting TRT

  1. #1
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    UPDATED: First bloods since starting TRT

    Hey all,

    I'm starting to get some results back from my first round of BW since I started TRT 6 weeks ago. I took the sample right before an injection so it's in the trough, 3.5 days since the previous injection. I'm currently not feeling any better than before other than my libido is up. Still tired all the time.

    I'm currently on:

    50mg Test Cyp 2x a week
    .5 mg Caberoline 2x a week



    Test results (I'll keep posting these as they come in):


    Testosterone 430 241 - 827 This was 366 prior to TRT
    Estradiol 41 0-39.8pg/mL This was 25 prior to TRT


    Prolactin <0.3 This is very low because of caberoline
    PSA 0.79 0.0 - 4.0

    White Blood Cell Count 6.9 4.0 - 11.0 K/uL
    Red Blood Cell Count 5.16 4.40 - 6.00 M/uL
    Hemoglobin 15.3 13.5 - 18.0 g/dL
    Hematocrit 46.5 40.0 - 52.0 %
    MCV 90 80 - 100 fL
    MCH 29.7 27.0 - 33.0 pg
    MCHC 32.9 31.0 - 36.0 g/dL
    RDW 13.0 <16.4 %
    Platelet Count 211 150 - 400 K/uL

    Sodium 143 136 - 145 mmol/L
    Note New Normal Range
    Potassium 4.1 3.5 - 5.1 mmol/L
    Chloride 107 98 - 107 mmol/L
    Bicarbonate 28 21 - 32 mmol/L
    Glucose 92 70 - 99 mg/dL
    BUN 12 6 - 25 mg/dL
    CREATININE 0.8 0.8 - 1.3 mg/dL
    Note New Normal Range
    GFR Est-Other >60 >60 See Cmnt
    GFR Est-African American >60 >60 See Cmnt
    Calcium 8.9 8.2 - 10.2 mg/dL
    Total Protein 7.0 6.4 - 8.2 g/dL
    Albumin 4.1 3.2 - 4.7 g/dL
    Total Bilirubin 0.5 <1.1 mg/dL
    Alkaline Phosphatase 80 26 - 137 U/L
    AST 14 0 - 37 U/L
    ALT 19 15 - 60 U/L


    So injecting 100mg of T a week only took my level from 366 to 430 which probably explains why I'm not feeling much. And also my E2 shot up like crazy already and this actually doesn't surprise me, during puberty I developed gyno and still have hard glandular tissue under my nipples, which sucks because I'm a pretty skinny guy.

    I'm going to up my T dose but the only issue is even though I have a doctor prescribing all this, I pretty much write my own prescriptions. I really rely on the support I get on this forum.

    I'm thinking about going from 50mg 2x a week to 80mg 2x a week, then retesting in 4 weeks. Since my E2 is already past 40 should I be taking and AI? What should I take and what dose?

    I'll continue edit this post as the rest of my BW comes in.

    Thanks so much guys!


    UPDATE

    Here are some new results:

    VitD,25-Hydroxy Tot 58 30 - 100 (I'm taking 5,000IU Vitamin D 2x a day)

    DHEA SULFATE 164 110 - 510 (Should I start taking Micronized DHEA?)


    UPDATE 2

    SexHormone Bind Glob 9.83 10 - 57 (This got flagged as low, maybe from vitamin D?)
    Pregnenolone 41 13 - 208 (I don't know anything about this)
    IGF1 402 126 - 382 This got flagged as high, I'm really beastin' in the HGH lol


    Total cholesterol 149 <200 mg/dL
    Desirable: <200 mg/dL
    Borderline: 200-239 mg/dL
    High: >240 mg/dL
    Triglyceride 151 <150 mg/dL (This came down from the 180s since my last pull, very happy about that)
    Note New Normal Range
    HDL cholesterol 46 >40 mg/dL
    LDL Calculated 73 <130 mg/dL
    LDL CHOLESTEROL CLASSIFICATION
    <100 mg/dL Optimal
    100-129 mg/dL Near or above optimal
    130 - 159 Borderline high
    160-189 High
    >189 Very high
    Cholesterol to HDL Ratio 3.2 1.0 - 4.0
    VLDL (Calculated) 30 5 - 40 mg/dL



    UPDATE 3

    Total Testosterone 534 250 - 1100
    Free Testosterone 187.1 35.0 - 155.0 <-- This got flagged as high in the system
    Last edited by juice2012; 11-12-2012 at 01:46 PM. Reason: Updated results

  2. #2
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    Yes, take an AI even if you cant get a doctor to prescribe it.

  3. #3
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    My doctor is awesome and will prescribe anything I ask for. That's why I'm sticking with him and relying on what I should be doing here.

  4. #4
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    Raise the testosterone. You are like me. Your body metabolizes faster and differently. 200mg should take you where u should be.

  5. #5
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    What are the rest of the bw, did you test for shbg, free t, thyroid panel? As far as the AI go very slow, start with 0.125 mg a day after each test shot.

  6. #6
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    ^^^^What the wise one said above.

    Was your Estradiol panel a "sensitive" assay? If not, I would not trust the reading...this is one test where you need to make 100% sure the assay is the "sensitive" type not the default which is the standard for women.

    At this point, Total Testosterone is less relevant than wanting to know Free Testosterone and/or Bio Available.

    Your E2 is high and will continue on this path especially if you increase your dosage...you need to add in an AI as noted in bass's post.

    I'd like to see more hormonal panels as noted in our stickies...

    BTW, have you noticed a nice kick in your libido with the Caber?
    Last edited by steroid.com 1; 09-22-2012 at 11:49 AM.

  7. #7
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    kelkel is offline HRT Specialist ~ AR-Platinum Elite-Hall of Famer ~ No Source Checks
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    Good advice above. Op you realize that just adding in an AI will in fact elevate your T level. So, adding an AI and increasing your T simultaneously will be a balancing act. Slow and steady wins this race.

  8. #8
    i dont get what my doctors bloodtest bases normal estrogen on. mine was 95 on a scale from 40 to 110 being normal.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by bass View Post
    What are the rest of the bw, did you test for shbg, free t, thyroid panel? As far as the AI go very slow, start with 0.125 mg a day after each test shot.
    My shbg and thyroid bw is in this old thread before I started TRT:

    http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ions-about-TRT

    I got Free T tested but I probably won't get the results until next week.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by gdevine View Post
    ^^^^What the wise one said above.

    Was your Estradiol panel a "sensitive" assay? If not, I would not trust the reading...this is one test where you need to make 100% sure the assay is the "sensitive" type not the default which is the standard for women.

    At this point, Total Testosterone is less relevant than wanting to know Free Testosterone and/or Bio Available.

    Your E2 is high and will continue on this path especially if you increase your dosage...you need to add in an AI as noted in bass's post.

    I'd like to see more hormonal panels as noted in our stickies...

    BTW, have you noticed a nice kick in your libido with the Caber?

    It was a sensitive assay, I made sure of that. Free T result should be coming next week.

    What specific AI is recommended?

    I have been taking the Caber for months before I started TRT and never really noticed any change in libido. It wasn't until about week 3 of TRT when my libido shot up like crazy and my girlfriend started complaining lol.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by kelkel View Post
    Good advice above. Op you realize that just adding in an AI will in fact elevate your T level. So, adding an AI and increasing your T simultaneously will be a balancing act. Slow and steady wins this race.
    So you are saying I should add the AI first and then retest bloods before I up the T? If so, how many weeks?

    How much should I up the T dose by in general when I get to that point? Is going from 100mg a week to 160mg too much at once?

  12. #12
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    Usually one change at a time is the best way to go if possible. This way you can see exactly what the substance contributes to your protocol. I'd wait 4 weeks to re-test. After that you may find going up to 160 is to much and you can adjust accordingly. We know it's hard not to just slam it up there but this is a marathon, not a sprint. You'll get there juice.

    But, if you choose both I'd only up the T slightly, say maybe 60 x 2.

    kel

  13. #13
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    fit2bOld is offline Knowledgeable Member- Recognized Member Winner - $100
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    As for the AI I have been using anastrozole .25 ed but I convert very quickly and you may need much less.
    Kel is right bump the test up very slowly. Slow and steady will get it dialed in.

  14. #14
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    Is there any reason to take Letrozole instead of Anastrozole?

  15. #15
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    Got the rest of my bloodwork back guys:

    SexHormone Bind Glob 9.83 10 - 57 (This got flagged as low, maybe from vitamin D?)
    Pregnenolone 41 13 - 208 (I don't know anything about this)
    IGF1 402 126 - 382 This got flagged as high, I'm really beastin' in the HGH lol


    Total cholesterol 149 <200 mg/dL
    Desirable: <200 mg/dL
    Borderline: 200-239 mg/dL
    High: >240 mg/dL
    Triglyceride 151 <150 mg/dL (This came down from the 180s since my last pull, very happy about that)
    Note New Normal Range
    HDL cholesterol 46 >40 mg/dL
    LDL Calculated 73 <130 mg/dL
    LDL CHOLESTEROL CLASSIFICATION
    <100 mg/dL Optimal
    100-129 mg/dL Near or above optimal
    130 - 159 Borderline high
    160-189 High
    >189 Very high
    Cholesterol to HDL Ratio 3.2 1.0 - 4.0
    VLDL (Calculated) 30 5 - 40 mg/dL



    Any thoughts?

  16. #16
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    Just got back from seeing my doctor. He was a little hesitant while prescribing the AI. He started saying something about "we need to keep in mind the big picture here", when I kinda stopped him and asked him what the issue was. He said if his endocrinologist buddies found out what he was treating me with, they would give him hell. I just laughed and told him those guys are behind the times. Then he asked me for more literature on TRT, so I recommended "Testosterone for Life". It's funny how after I've been injecting myself with T for over 7 weeks does he now want to start actually researching it.

    I think he just wants some ammo to come back with in case anyone "calls him out". The other thing he was concerned with is for my monthly bloodwork followups he doesn't want to do SHBG and other things, mainly because he doesn't want to raise any "red flags" with the medical board. (His words not mine). I'll see be doing T, Free T, and sensitive E2.

    I really like him as a doctor and I have an HMO so it would be hard to find some one else. I told him I want to keep him as my doctor but don't want him to "get in trouble." I think he's just being extra cautious because he hasn't been a doctor for very long.

    I walked out with a prescription for arimidex, 30 1mg pills which I'm going to start out taking 0.125 twice per week until my 4 week bloodwork. Also upping my T dose to 120mg a week.

  17. #17
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    A doc who cares more about his ego and values his peers opinion over the health of his patients?!

    You don't say!

    If you can't guess already, my advice is to look for a new doc . I know it can be hard, but it's possible. You might have to drive further though but I can only say it it's worth your health.

  18. #18
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    I'll switch doctors when he stops prescribing. Biggest issue is my HMO.. Every time i switch PCPs I would have to wait a month, It's terrible.

    On a side note. How do I split a 1mg arimidex pill in to 8ths?

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by juice2012 View Post
    I'll switch doctors when he stops prescribing. Biggest issue is my HMO.. Every time i switch PCPs I would have to wait a month, It's terrible.

    On a side note. How do I split a 1mg arimidex pill in to 8ths?
    Get a pill cutter and cut it into four.Take a quarter tablet 3 times a week and you should be set.Been there my friend.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by havanakid View Post
    Get a pill cutter and cut it into four.Take a quarter tablet 3 times a week and you should be set.Been there my friend.
    I used a knife and a crappy milligram scale. Gave up on trying to weight out 0.125 so I took 1/4th a pill. It's been 24 hours since my injection and I inject twice a week so I'm just going to dose the arimidex 2x a week for now. Bloodwork in a month.

    Thanks man

  21. #21
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    Total Testosterone 534 250 - 1100
    Free Testosterone 187.1 35.0 - 155.0 <-- This got flagged as high in the system

    Totally forgot the doctor had ordered extra test and surprisingly got the results back today.

    Since Free T got flagged in the system I'm kinda concerned my doctor is going to say I should lower my dose, even though we just upped it to 120mg a week.

    How big of a deal is it for Free T to be that high? I really have no clue about FT, I do know my SHBG is really low, so low it got flagged.

  22. #22
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    It's high but nothing to be too concerned about especially in light of Total Testosterone.

    The discrepancy between two needs to be understood.

    One reason you stated is that SHBG is low; and that explains that...

    But what is SHBG so low? This is a assay you'd like to see near mid range for a host of reasons.

    Did you also get Albumin tested?

    What type of supplements are you taking?

  23. #23
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    Here is my albumin from my bloodwork in May, months before I started TRT:

    Albumin 4.3 3.2 - 4.7 g/dL



    Right now I'm only taking a multivitamin, 4 grams of fish oil and 10,000 IU of vitamin D. My diet is vegetarian but I think I'm going to change that soon.

    I forgot I got this tested again less than 2 weeks ago:

    Albumin 4.1 3.2 - 4.7 g/dL

    Just went down a bit since May.
    Last edited by juice2012; 10-01-2012 at 07:05 PM.

  24. #24
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    So I started taking .25mg of arimidex 2x a week last week and I've noticed my libido has kinda taken a dive in the last 5 days or so. It's not completely gone, I just don't really feel interested in sex and don't really look at my girlfriend with "lustful thoughts" like I normally do. Can arimidex affect libido or am I just experiencing more placebo issues lol. I've been lifting 5x a week recently so maybe I'm just physically too tired to care about sex?

  25. #25
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    After upping my dose to from 100mg / week to 120mg a week (60 2x a week), and adding arimidex (.25 mg 2x a week) my results went from:

    Total Testosterone 534 250 - 1100 ng/dL
    Free Testosterone 187.1 35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL
    Estradiol 41 pg/mL Males,16 and over : 0-39.8pg/mL

    to:

    Total Testosterone 1009 250 - 1100 ng/dL
    Free Testosterone 386.9 35.0 - 155.0 pg/mL H
    Estradiol 33 pg/mL Males,16 and over : 0-39.8pg/mL

    My doctor now is concerned it's too high and wants me to back off the dose. Free T is so high because SHBG is so low. Also, it's crazy how high my T is after making such a small bump in dose, I really think adding the arimidex is the reason it shot up so much. Unfortunately my symptoms haven't really gone away either. At this point I think whatever is wrong with me isn't solely T related.

    I look forward to hearing all your comments.

  26. #26
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    solid info man! that is crazy how your total and free increased 100% with a little bump in t and some ai...

  27. #27
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    I'm not really sure what I should do, waiting for the vets to chime in on this one.

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