Quiting HRT

[DirtyDusty]

If you start treatment for low T., and decide a year later that you cant afford, or don't want to continue treatment, can to stop it and get your natural production back going?

[austinite]

Hmmm. Were you self treating or under a doctors care? Depends on what the cause your low T was. Why did you go on TRT?

[JackedJesse]

Its possible, but most likely no. It also depends on your age.

[bass]

this question gets asked once or twice a month, we should have a sticky on this topic. LOL! if you try to reverse you may go back to where you were minus the natural reduction due to being one year older. but odds are you wont go back to where you were.

[EverettCD]

If I had to stop TRT I would be willing to bet a chunk-o-change that I would be worse than when I started. Personally after living the benefits of TRT I will never stop unless I was forced to due to a life threatening medical condition such as cancer, God willing this will not happen.

Why would you want to stop TRT? Are you not seeing & experiencing any benefits from your TRT protocol? If loss of insurance is a concern the cash price of Test Cyp is about $11 for a 10 week prescription, that's less than $1 per week.

[EverettCD]

this question gets asked once or twice a month, we should have a sticky on this topic. LOL! if you try to reverse you may go back to where you were minus the natural reduction due to being one year older. but odds are you wont go back to where you were.

I vote yes for a sticky on this subject as well. This comes up very often.

[jomamma007]

yeah seriously if you truly need TRT like most of us here, it's the number one financial priority in your life.
You should really try to make it work.
You can try a restart, best case scenario you end up with how you were before you started.

[NWIron]

Google Clomid therapy

[powerlifterty16]

11 dollars? where?? cyp is like 50 minimum.

[powerlifterty16]

this question gets asked once or twice a month, we should have a sticky on this topic. LOL! if you try to reverse you may go back to where you were minus the natural reduction due to being one year older. but odds are you wont go back to where you were.

yes there would be a reduction due to age but would your levels be lower than if ou had never gone on trt inthe first place..that is the ops question?

[PistolPete33]

I think the only people that would come off are people on bad protocols. My buddy gets 80mgs every 10 days and wonders why he doesn't feel any better. He won't listen to my advice about switching it up. Would you really ever want to go back to feeling like you did prior to try?

[austinite]

OP where are you?

ps. powerlifter, click like..............>

[DirtyDusty]

I haven't started yet, but was just wondering how that would work. Go to a new Dr. Oct 2 that supposed to have a lot of experience in this area. I have several post that TRT is a one way trip, so I was just wondering if this was fact or opinion.

[powerlifterty16]

I haven't started yet, but was just wondering how that would work. Go to a new Dr. Oct 2 that supposed to have a lot of experience in this area. I have several post that TRT is a one way trip, so I was just wondering if this was fact or opinion.

ditydusty, is the new dr an endocrinologist? If so, dont be surprised if he isnt as good as they say he is. ive heard it all before, and when igot there i was disappointed . there are good drs though but some are falsely claimed good.

[DirtyDusty]

No he is a G.P., but my ortho Dr. Recommended him.

[powerlifterty16]

No he is a G.P., but my ortho Dr. Recommended him.

i think educated gp's could make good trt docs. keep us posted.

[DirtyDusty]

OP where are you?

ps. powerlifter, click like..............>

North Louisiana

[AnabolicBoy1981]

with insurance my test is 15 bucks. without insurance my test would be 85, and each bottle is 10cc, i take half a cc a week, so i need like 2-3 refils a year. Its a cheap ass drug insurance doesnt care about paying for those, it's unlikely theyd stop or raise your rates because of it. So 170 bucks a year, big deal some drugs are that much a month. its aint shiit bro. your averaging like 15 bucks a month even paying out of pocket.

[Metalject]

with insurance my test is 15 bucks. without insurance my test would be 85, and each bottle is 10cc, i take half a cc a week, so i need like 2-3 refils a year. Its a cheap ass drug insurance doesnt care about paying for those, it's unlikely theyd stop or raise your rates because of it. So 170 bucks a year, big deal some drugs are that much a month. its aint shiit bro. your averaging like 15 bucks a month even paying out of pocket.

Insurance doesn't care about paying? Lots of insurance plans won't cover anything TRT related, it's not considered a necessity. Give it about a year maybe a year and a half and a whole lot more insurance companies are going to feel the same way.

[APIs]

I think someone mentioned this before, but if you have a competent Doc who puts you on a good protocol (with proper follow-up) you'll feel & perform soo much better there would be no reason to stop TRT. The majority of issues we see are from Doctors (with poor knowledge of TRT) putting patients on terrible treatment plans...

[powerlifterty16]

Insurance doesn't care about paying? Lots of insurance plans won't cover anything TRT related, it's not considered a necessity. Give it about a year maybe a year and a half and a whole lot more insurance companies are going to feel the same way.

i htought most plans pay for cyp or androgel/testim....but not hcg or clomid. i think ai's are covered.

[AnabolicBoy1981]

you might be right. but in the grand scheme of things so many other drugs you could be on that are way expensive. I dont know. So far i have once plan that covered it 90% (blue cross/shiled) and my new one covers %100(aetna)

[Low Testosterone]

Insurance doesn't care about paying? Lots of insurance plans won't cover anything TRT related, it's not considered a necessity. Give it about a year maybe a year and a half and a whole lot more insurance companies are going to feel the same way.

Correct on all points.
Many insurance companies that do cover TRT (cover it in part) will discontinue in an effort to reduce cost in the near future. It may not seem fair but they really don't have a choice.

i htought most plans pay for cyp or androgel/testim....but not hcg or clomid. i think ai's are covered.

Some insurance plans will cover TRT meds if your test is below 350, others it needs to be below 300 and still others it needs to be below 200 for Total testosterone. The real problem is very few insurance plans will cover anything at all if Free Testosterone is low but Total Testosterone isn't under their common less than 300. For example, a man has a blood test, his Total T comes in at 450 and his Free T at 8...his insurance company in most cases will not pay for anything. The man's Total test could even be as high as 800, but with Free T levels that low he's going to display nearly every symptom of low testosterone.

[MuscleInk]

Correct on all points.
Many insurance companies that do cover TRT (cover it in part) will discontinue in an effort to reduce cost in the near future. It may not seem fair but they really don't have a choice.

Some insurance plans will cover TRT meds if your test is below 350, others it needs to be below 300 and still others it needs to be below 200 for Total testosterone. The real problem is very few insurance plans will cover anything at all if Free Testosterone is low but Total Testosterone isn't under their common less than 300. For example, a man has a blood test, his Total T comes in at 450 and his Free T at 8...his insurance company in most cases will not pay for anything. The man's Total test could even be as high as 800, but with Free T levels that low he's going to display nearly every symptom of low testosterone.

Correct on all accounts. I had a total test level of 151 and insurance denied TRT as they felt TRT was more a quality of life issue, not a therapeutic necessity.

[APIs]

Correct on all accounts. I had a total test level of 151 and insurance denied TRT as they felt TRT was more a quality of life issue, not a therapeutic necessity.

Wow, that's horse sh*t right there. Dont know if I believe all the hype about meds not being covered in the near future though. Guess I'll wait to see & keep my fingers crossed for sure...

[bass]

^^^ horse shit indeed! poor quality of life in this case is caused by medical condition, who are they kidding?! so is depression considered quality of life issue? they seem to sign off on all depressant medication with no questions asked.

[Low Testosterone]

It's not an issue of hype or not, it's an issue surrounding new healthcare laws. And you guys are right, it is a necessity of life for many men, but it doesn't matter what we call a necessity of life if it's not deemed one by your provider.

[APIs]

No offense to anyone, but I'd disagree in that it is hype as it has been promoted on this site without any documentation (Maybe I've missed it?). While I could be wrong, I havent seen anything in writing that validates this claim. I probably wont know for sure, until one day, I get charged full-price at the pharmacy counter. I'm just hoping this doesnt happen...

[NWIron]

I have been on TRT for 3yrs and recently have been using bunk Test cyp for 6wks and didn't know. My total T was 214 (300-1080) which is the same it was 3 yrs ago. My free T is within normal range. I'm 27 and I am about to try a restart.

[NWIron]

Daily dose 25 mg Clomid doubles men's T levels

[powerlifterty16]

Daily dose 25 mg Clomid doubles men's T levels

mine went from 370 to 631.

[powerlifterty16]

I have been on TRT for 3yrs and recently have been using bunk Test cyp for 6wks and didn't know. My total T was 214 (300-1080) which is the same it was 3 yrs ago. My free T is within normal range. I'm 27 and I am about to try a restart.

did u feel different due to placebo, or did u still feel low testosterone symptoms?

[ZenFitness]

Regarding AI, I heard from one doc that it is likely many carriers will stop supporting adex for men as it is technically a breast cancer med and the AI usage is off-label.

My insurance also doesn't cover anything anymore... fortunately my pharmacy has a huge discount plan on test cyp (I spend less than $200/yr out of pocket), and I can get hCG from a compounding pharmacy for about $100 for three months. The blood tests at LabCorp are expensive, though!!

[NWIron]

^^That's REALLY cheap for HCG

[ZenFitness]

deleted

[shooter7561]

I guess this thread could apply to me as well. Reasons for stopping?

1. Shrunk testicles even while on HCG. Am I destroying my natural ability to produce, which is a non-starter? I didn't feel terrible in the 300 range before starting. My primary benefit is increased strength and lost fat. I don't feel much better at what I think is above 1000. No recent BW, however.

2. Lost hair. No recent BW, but my guess is that my DHT is sky high. I'm not going on a blocker and experiencing those side effects. I'd rather go back to 300 than go bald.

3. Cost-benefit. I could change doctors and lower the cost, but is it worth it?

At just 2 months in, I'm seriously considering halting the test and sticking with just HCG.

[powerlifterty16]

good to see you be the guinea pig LOL...i think ill try doing long term hcg mono...i didnt feel much different, but i did feel a lil better. i am seeing a dr tomorrow..but dont have high hopes for him

[Low Testosterone]

I guess this thread could apply to me as well. Reasons for stopping?

1. Shrunk testicles even while on HCG. Am I destroying my natural ability to produce, which is a non-starter? I didn't feel terrible in the 300 range before starting. My primary benefit is increased strength and lost fat. I don't feel much better at what I think is above 1000. No recent BW, however.

2. Lost hair. No recent BW, but my guess is that my DHT is sky high. I'm not going on a blocker and experiencing those side effects. I'd rather go back to 300 than go bald.

3. Cost-benefit. I could change doctors and lower the cost, but is it worth it?

At just 2 months in, I'm seriously considering halting the test and sticking with just HCG.

1. If your testicles are still shrinking while on HCG, it very well could be because your HCG dose needs to increase. That's something you'd need to talk to your doctor about. Most men will find 250-500iu/2x/wk to work well, however, where you fall in that depends on you. However, if you have primary hypogonadism, HCG isn't going to do much if anything at all for testicular atrophy.

2. You may have felt better at 300 than you do on TRT. If this is the case, your hormones are probably not balanced with the protocol your on. This is something you need to talk to your doctor about. MORE IMPORTANTLY, low testosterone is not just about the symptoms of feeling bad. Prolonged low testosterone that is ignored will almost always get worse and it's also a gateway to many far more serious conditions. Longterm low testosterone has been directly linked to Alzheimer's Disease. Men with low testosterone who ignore it are more than 200% more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than men with healthy testosterone. Longterm low testosterone has also been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.

3. DHT can be controlled with proper protocol without the need for 5-AR inhibitors.

[Megalodon6]

11 dollars? where?? cyp is like 50 minimum.

About 80 where I live

[NWIron]

did u feel different due to placebo, or did u still feel low testosterone symptoms?

Honestly I have never felt that great on TRT anyways. My sex drive was always screwy as well. I DEF had placebo effects going but now that I know I can tell that I cannot concentrate as well since I came off. I am more spacey. I also have gained about 4lbs of fat (I thought this was being caused by an OTC insulin shuttler the whole time lol!). I am not depressed at all though or unmotivated. I just took a shot of HCG and .5mg of adex. I think I will try .5mg adex and 500iu HCG daily until I get clomid from my doc. What was your experience with clomid powerlifter? Feel free to PM me if needed.