New to TRT need advice

[OILman10]

I am 54 years old, just started TRT ( 200mg Cypianate/1000IU HCG weekly). I am very fit for my age, currently recovering from Shoulder surgery and looking for advice for supplements to strengthen my ligaments and tendons. I lift and do Crossfit, I am 5'10" 170#. As I am knew to all this I would very much appreciate some advice.

Thanks in advance ..........

[OingoBoingo]

If your doctor started you on 200mg weekly, my suggestion is to start looking for a new one.

[OILman10]

Can you give me some detail please, this is the kind of info I am looking for. Thanks for your response....

[jasondd1]

Most of us are on 100-140 mg test cyp split into 2 doses per week, or 50-70 mg each. You may very well need 200 but starting there is kind of foolish. Bloods after 6-8 weeks will tell you what your dosage should be. Also 700 mg hcg per week is more the norm. Your doc is better than most though and is in the ball park imo. Your ligaments will see a improvement in the first year but may reverse after that. That is my very non professional opinion. There are a lot of guys on here that will chime in and inform better

[OingoBoingo]

Can you give me some detail please, this is the kind of info I am looking for. Thanks for your response....

A lot of users on the forum (including myself) started Testosterone at around 100mg per week. Last year Dr. Crisler and Dr Gordon (two big names in TRT) reduced their starting doses to 70mg and 60mg respectively. If the starting dose needs to be changed (up or down), Dr. Crisler recommends titrating in 20mg steps.

HCG should be started closer to 700IU per week. If injecting Testosterone weekly, 350IU hCG is usually injected the day before and two days before.

I prefer to inject hCG daily to keep the boys busy.

[lovbyts]

A lot of doctors seem to do this, start high and then lower the dose. I'm not sure why, maybe just not educated enough about hormones. At least your doctor is smart enough to ad in HCG although I agree it's a little high and using high test and high HCG can lead to high estrogen especially if you are not using an AI and you really dont want gyno at your/our age. lol

A note of caution about greatly increasing your T dosage

During the first months of T therapy, many men feel impatient waiting for changes to happen. Some may consider doubling or tripling their dose, thinking that the more they put in, the faster the changes will come. However, dramatically increasing your dose might have the effect of slowing your changes. This is because excess testosterone in your body can be converted into estrogen by an enzyme called "aromatase." This conversion is part of the body's natural feedback system-- if there is an abundance of testosterone in the body, it is converted ("aromatized") to estrogen in order to maintain a "normal" hormonal balance. Therefore, taking very large doses of testosterone might not be a great idea. Be patient; if you are not seeing results in a reasonable period of time, and/or your T levels are low, discuss modifying your dosage with your doctor.

Testosterone - A Basic Guide

[OILman10]

Good info guys. Question, what is AI? Is it by prescription only? My doctor also suggested Zinc and Fish Oil supplements.

Now, just not sure how to approach my doctor about the dosage....

Thanks again

[OILman10]

Jassondd1, will EQ or Deca help with my Rotator Cuff recovery?

[lovbyts]

AI = Aromatase Inhibitors

Another good article to read. Even though it's written for cycle use it still applies to TRT. It's important to keep an eye on estrogen and most people are using an AI now along with TRT especially since starting HCG . Some doctors are still a little behind on that part.

Estrogen, Prolactin, Progesterone Management + Gynecomastia Prevention & Reversal

Like the other article I posted says, dont be quick bumping things up and this includes adding new hormones such as Deca or EQ. It could take longer to get things sorted out.

Yes some people add Deca or NNP to their HRT at a low dose to help with some joint issues but test alone has helped a lot of people and you will never know unless you give it a try. Not many doctors are prescribing deca yet, only a few. I dont think EQ will do much but??? I also have not heard of any doctors prescribing it.

Best thing you can do is let your shoulder heal. It takes time. Or you can do like many here (myself included) have done and work through the pain until you have no choice but have surgery. I dont recommend the 2nd choice.

[OILman10]

Ok, I will sit tight and carry on. I did read a good article on AI. Sorry to ask stupid questions, just trying to absorb all this info that is available here. I have had surgery on both shoulders and seem to have lost some muscle mass and unable to get it back naturally with the amount of weight I am able to lift.

I will continue to read and educate myself, thanks for all the input guys. I welcome any and all advice or opinions.

Thanks again...

[kelkel]

When you get your first set of blood work after initiating TRT be sure you get a Sensitive Estrogen Assay to check your E2 level. Standard estradiol is geared for women and not sensitive enough for men. Many doc's who use standard estradiol end up putting their patients on AI's when they are really not needed. It's a more expensive test but worthwhile.

[jasondd1]

Jassondd1, will EQ or Deca help with my Rotator Cuff recovery?

Test alone will for awhile but then there seems to be some kind of rebound effect at least it seems. Kellkell knows this shit way better than me. After 2 years of test and peptides my joints ligaments were great but then started to really hurt. I'm on my 7th week of decca and wow they feel great and put on 12 pounds with no change to the diet and roughly 300 over maintenance on calories. I know most if not all is water but I feel better and my strength is back. I had lost 50 pounds on bench and I'm right back in 6 plus weeks.