Advice for TRT use and upcoming drug tested competition

[vitamind]

Hi guys. Need some advice on TRT and an athletic event I have coming up at the end of May (1.5 months away) where they do randomized drug testing. I've been on TRT for about 5 months now (200mg Test Cyp and 500 units of HCG per week - which I think is pretty standard). I'm 39 and my total test now is around 1160. When I started it was in the low 600s (which is in the normal range) but my free testosterone was very low. Hence why I was able to get on TRT. Anywho, I could have applied for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) but I missed the window (as I didn't know they did drug testing). They say they follow the standard WADA (world anti doping agency) protocol for testing which allows a 4/1 T/E ratio (testosterone to epitestosterone). So if I understand T/E ratios correctly, my E should be what my T was before starting TRT correct - say around 650 or so? If that is the case, I would only be at a 2/1 ratio, right - and well within the legal limit? But would they be able to tell it is Test Cyp and not my normal test that is achieving the 1160 T result? Similarly how long would it take to get out of my system if I do decide to come off? The other issue is the HCG, which is also banned by the WADA. If I do decide to come of the Test Cyp, I'll want to bump up the HCG after to help get my normal test levels back, right? How long is HCG detectible in your system? Fundamentally I'd like some advice on if I need to come off the Test and or the HCG. I feel like I could stay on the test and still have my levels well within the legal limit, but I would probably need to stop the HCG since they do test for that and it's not naturally accruing (like the Test is). Any/all help and suggestions are certainly welcome. Let me know if I can provide any other info.
Thanks very much.

[fearthis_66]

theres some where on the form that tells you about a steroid cleanse. if youre really that worried about being tested. i have no clue about the ratios though. good luck im sure some one else will comment and try helping u.

[lovbyts]

If you are on TRT via a prescription I dont see the problem. I would take your prescription and a doctors note to them well before the testing so everything is clear and they dont think you are hiding anything or waiting to see if you get tested or not then everything is up front.

[17chester6]

As of December 2013 I have been on T cypionate , HCG and DHEA and Arimidex for low T at age 59. I compete internationally in a sport that I will not name. We also abide by the WADA rules. I looked into this and essentially from what I could gather they can differentiate normal T from exogenous T by the metabolites and other methods. They will detect the AI and HCG as well.
Further, A TUE will not be accepted. The above medications are banned. Full stop. Doesn't matter if you were castrated surgically, you still can not take them. Women, however, are allowed to take HRT (estrogen and progesterone) as long as they file a TUE. They are not allowed to take Testosterone in any dosage.
Finally, I found conflicting reports on how long the metabolites stay in your body and the longest seems to be T cypionate which could be picked up even at three months. The rest are shorter and likely cleared in a week or even two.
So you would have to stop the T cypionate, change over to dermal testosterone (the gel) as that is cleared much faster and probably stop taking everything about 3 weeks before the competition. But by that time you will crash with low T and feel dreadful. So that is a problem. The big boys (like Armstrong) had knowledgeable people who could manipulate the doses and drugs and avoid detection but us little guys can't do that.
As an aside, I am put off that I have a medical problem that requires T if I am to feel well and function at my best. And for this I have to cheat the system. But cheat is what I am doing and if I get caught I have no idea how I will deal with it. My saving grace is that, though my sport follows WADA, testing is almost unheard of and so I am taking a calculated chance that I won't be tested.

[vitamind]

Thanks yeah, I missed the deadline to submit a TUE (therapeutic use exemption) as I didn't even know about this contest when the deadline came and went. I probably will next year tho. Thanks.

[vitamind]

Hi 17chester6, yeah I agree. My sport does allow for TUEs tho I think they only approve them in EXTREME situations. Thanks for the advice.

[lovbyts]

Well that would suck because if you stop hrt ot trt you are going to feel like crap and not compete nearly as well as normally.

Good luck.

[Metalject]

If they're testing testosterone to epitestosterone levels, they will not be looking for specific steroid hormones. They wouldn't be able to tell if you're using Testosterone Cypionate , Testosterone Propionate or any other form...they're just looking at the test to epi levels. Now the steroid cleanse product does work well to remove evidence of specific steroid use . If you use it you will feel like crap for a few days but it does work. However, I'm not sure if it would work to beat a test to epi test, because again they're not testing for specific compounds, at least that's what it sounds like from your wording. In a test to epi drug test, the most common means of beating is is increasing epitestosterone levels. This isn't hard to do but it is if you don't have access to blood testing regularly while you're doing and checking both.

I'm sorry, this probably isn't much help but it's how I see it.