TRT - different results every 6 months

[rose0295]

Hello,

My husband has been injecting testosterone enanthate for a while now. 300 mg every 2 weeks. He gets tested 7 days after the injection. His results are different (big differences)every time. For example over the past 3 years tested every 6 months -
(range is 241-827)
612
399
187
577
369
495

Can anyone explain why the results would differ so much, why are they not more consistent? It's always the same dose, same day of the week and always tested 7 days after injection.

I would appreciate your advice.

Thank you

[hawk14dl]

Hello rose.

To start, bi weekly injections are a terrible protocol. He should really talk to his doctor about switching at least to weekly, preferably twice weekly.

I can't think of any real reasons he should be that different. if you're sure he's injecting the proper volume and taking blood at the same interval every time. . I'm sure there may be differences depending on physical activity, diet, hydration, etc.. I can't imagine they'd be that much different though.

Imagine, the one test he was at 187.. he still has a wk before another injection, he was likely below 100 the day of his injection. He can't be feeling better with this protocol, there's no way. It would be a roller coaster of hormones, he never feels settled in.
Twice weekly is the way to go. Weekly can work, but there's still a roller coaster going on. It's definitely better then bi-weekly

[APIs]

As Hawk mentions, injecting once every two weeks is a terrible protocol. This is a major mistake by many Doctors and we see it here quite frequently. Your Husband should be injecting a reduced amount every 4 days. The half-life for Test is 5 to 7 days. Meaning that only 1/2 or less of the Test is present in his body after this period creating a rollercoaster effect. So by the time the blood is being drawn, very little of the Test is present in his body. Many people start off with only 50 mgs dosing every 3.5 to 4 days. Doing it this way creates stabilized blood levels and he will feel much better. There's a number of other tests that should be monitored using Blood Work. What else is your husband being tested for on a regular basis?

[rose0295]

Thank you for your responses.


I do know weekly injections are recommended. The only test the doctor orders related to testosterone is his total testosterone. He has never tested anything else since he started the injections.

The doctor also tests every 6 months - CBC, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, Thyroid, IGF-1, Prolactin. All for his pituitary adenoma.

My concern is really why such big differences in his results.

Thank you

[APIs]

The "big differences" are from his bi-weekly injections. Total test levels are good to have, but it's only a small picture. What's really important is your husband's free-testosterone levels . This is the amount of Test in the body that's biologically available. The Doc should be testing for this also. They should also be giving him Anastrazole & testing his Estrogen levels (sensitive assay) too. With bi-weekly injections I would suspect his Estrogen levels are high unless he's also on Anastrazole as part of his protocol?

There are stickies on top of the 1st page of this forum with valuable info. They are labeled; "IMPORTANT'. Please review the various topics covered...

[Thc Sargon]

Just to repeat what others has been saying, once every two weeks is terrible, I do it myself and I feel great 24-72 hours after injection but then I can feel I am falling off a cliff, its kinda crazy but try to look at 2 a week to keep stability.

[bullshark99]

Rose,

Sorry to be so repetitive but API (and others) are spot on. My biggest concern besides the schedule being way to far off (14 days) is what API said, estrogen. 300mgs is pretty stout, it no doubt is creating a big spike in his E2. His testosterone in essence is then being neutralized or offset by the estrogen. Basically defeating the whole purpose of treatment.
As already mentioned, he has to be on a roller coaster probably 1200-1600 ng for 3 days down to maybe 200-250 by day 14.
Lot of guys swear by pinning twice a week, that's fine and appropriate but not imperative, I and many others pin once a week.
It is a pain in the ass, no pun intended, personally I do fine once every 7 days and feel no difference thru out the week. I have been tested on day 2 and day 7 with somewhat minimal variance.
Lastly, as indicated, Free Tes is what matters, TT is somewhat irrelevant. TT could be sky high but if availability is nil then it doesn't matter.

[kelkel]

You guys give good advice!

[rose0295]

Thank you guys for your advice. You've been helpful and we will be speaking with his doctor.