Questions for beginning TRT protocol

Hello everyone this is my first post, Im glad I found this site and this forum and I look forward to becoming an active member of it.

Anyways a brief history of me: Im 21, Ive suffered from low T for at least 4 years (that Ive noticed). I had cancer when I was 3-5 years old and I believe the chemotherapy is the root cause of my problem. My testosterone is not incredibly low, my blood draw showed me at 530 but it is definately low enough to leave me with a low libido, weak erections and little to no morning erections, and Ive seen my athletic performance go down by the year. Its time to take control

My basic bloodwork prior to starting:
Total testosterone: 530ng/dL ref range 280-1146
Estradiol: 104 ref range <156
I will post the full shabang briefly.

Now my question: I plan on starting 100mg T cyp E5D and am wondering if I should add low dose arimidex to start or wait to see how I react. At the levels Im at now I occasionally get itchy nipples and I do have some mood swings which I believe may be Estadiol related if that helps. I also plan on adding HCG once the rest is figured out. I appreciate any responses!

Almost forgot to mention. Yes I eat well, lift weights 3-4x/week, aim for 8 hours sleep etc all with little to no improvements

Sorry to hear of your issues Rjay.
Do you have full BW to post that includes a complete thyroid panel, cortisol, prolactin, etc....
What is your free T level as total T really doesn't mean anything?
In the future always get a Sensitive Estrogen Assay, not estradiol. The sensitive assay is geared to men. Basic estradiol to women.
I would suggest 50mg's every 3-4 days if you go this route. It's doubtful you need 100 E5D. Best to move up slowly based on BW.
No, do not start with adex until BW shows you need it. Hence the lower recommended starting dose and twice weekly protocol.

Welcome to the forum Rjay. Take some time and be sure to read all the stickies at the top of the forum please.

Thanks kelkel. I do have full bloodwork Im just waiting to have my doctor send it all to me. What level can 50mg every 3-4 days put the average guy at? Do you recommend subQ injections? I was initially leaning towards doing twice weekly injections but I personally thought it would get confusing when I add hcg and arimidex if needed.

Your better off joining the low t network...you will get everything you need for a set price of $199/month and you will have a doctor that knows how to treat low t properly.

Welcome Rjay. You're in the right place. Listen to Kel's advice above. Best to go slow when you start off.

Many here do SQ. It's easy. You can load the hCG into the same insulin syringe along with the T. (hCG first, then T). It also gives you more latitude with injection frequency. I do low dose hCG and T daily.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rjay

Thanks kelkel. I do have full bloodwork Im just waiting to have my doctor send it all to me. What level can 50mg every 3-4 days put the average guy at? Do you recommend subQ injections? I was initially leaning towards doing twice weekly injections but I personally thought it would get confusing when I add hcg and arimidex if needed.

---

100 mgs per week is a normal starting dose. Where you land with your serum & free T level remains to be seen. Thing is to start low to avoid side effects and then titrate up if needed. Remember it's not a race, it's a journey here. Slow and steady wins.

HCG can be initiated at the same time as your T and in the same syringe if you like. SQ injections are a proven effective method for TRT. Let personal choice prevail whether you go IM or SQ, or both:

Subcutaneous administration of testosterone. A p... [Saudi Med J. 2006] - PubMed - NCBI

The main point of twice weekly injections is more stable serum levels of T as well as better estrogen control. Think less injected at one time = less spike in E2 levels. Your goal should be to avoid AI usage if at all possible.

I appreciate all the feedback! I like the idea of doing hcg and T together that saves me lots of injections. Does including the hcg in the same day make the T any less effective?

Also on the topic of Estrogen and AI's does anyone have an opinion on chrysin?
I know its probably not insanely effective but anything that helps stay off an AI would be awesome. In order to hopefully eliminate the need for an AI i plan on supplementing with zinc, eating more cruciferous veggies, frequent subQ injections, and possibly supplementing chrysin and occasionaly calcium d-glucarate depending on what you guys think and how they make me feel

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 2Sox

Welcome Rjay. You're in the right place. Listen to Kel's advice above. Best to go slow when you start off.

Many here do SQ. It's easy. You can load the hCG into the same insulin syringe along with the T. (hCG first, then T). It also gives you more latitude with injection frequency. I do low dose hCG and T daily.

---

Why load hCG first?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OingoBoingo

Why load hCG first?

---

It draws out very fast and by pulling the plunger back and forth you can expel most of the air in the syringe to get a truer reading. Also, the oil of the T makes it difficult to do the same thing, has a tendency to go to the top, and if you overdraw it can be a problem. It's kind of hard to describe but once you do it with the T first, you'll see what I mean.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 2Sox

Welcome Rjay. You're in the right place. Listen to Kel's advice above. Best to go slow when you start off.

Many here do SQ. It's easy. You can load the hCG into the same insulin syringe along with the T. (hCG first, then T). It also gives you more latitude with injection frequency. I do low dose hCG and T daily.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kelkel

100 mgs per week is a normal starting dose. Where you land with your serum & free T level remains to be seen. Thing is to start low to avoid side effects and then titrate up if needed. Remember it's not a race, it's a journey here. Slow and steady wins.

HCG can be initiated at the same time as your T and in the same syringe if you like. SQ injections are a proven effective method for TRT. Let personal choice prevail whether you go IM or SQ, or both:

Subcutaneous administration of testosterone. A p... [Saudi Med J. 2006] - PubMed - NCBI

The main point of twice weekly injections is more stable serum levels of T as well as better estrogen control. Think less injected at one time = less spike in E2 levels. Your goal should be to avoid AI usage if at all possible.

---

I was wondering what happened with the "does sub q test injections work as well as Im" debate from a year and a half ago.

Good link kel and I'm glad it sounds like I can go either route for my injections.