after ~3 years on trt, i have some interesting observations and questions

[bartman314]

Started trt about 3.5 years ago (aged 49) with diagnosed low t. have been on test cyp since at ~2x100 mg/week and have measured bw at ~1200 (i forgot the units - apologies), which is a little above high end of range.

i went on trt primarily for mood and energy, which have overall been great since. libido was never an issue, but has arguably become an issue as my wife's libido is lower (see separate threads if interested). body fat wasn't an issue either, but i'm certainly enjoying the perceived benefits. i cycle too, so hard to separate baseline from cycle based gains/fluctuations. Here are the observations and questions:

1. i've had chronic congestion as best i recall that started when i went on trt. i've been to an ENT and allergist, and there is no smoking gun there (i have mild allergies to grass, trees, and mold). Has anyone else correlated chronic congestion with trt?

2. i've started snoring heavily over the last couple of years and may have sleep apnea (my father and brother have it, and i will head into a sleep doctor shortly). i recently read on the web that sleep apnea can be a side effect of trt. does anyone have any insight here?

3. i'm curious if others have felt a change in libido associated with different test dosages while on trt. it would ease some strain in my marriage if our libido's matched and am considering dialing my dosage back. any insights would be appreciated!!!

4. and at the same time, i'm worried that i will lose some mood, energy and bodyfat benefits by dialing back (say to 750 whatever the serum units are!). again any insights or experience here will be helpful!

i'm scheduling an appointment with an endocrinologist to see if he has more direct experience insight into trt - i'm currently working with a urologist. again, any experiences with various endos would be helpful, but i'm expecting that each endo ends up having his/her bias's so it's very much case by case... that being said, anyone in boston with a great trt endo, please pm me!!!

[Chauffeur]

1. I can't say that I've heard of a link between TRT and congestion, but I don't doubt that it's possible. Maybe a reaction to the carrier oil or something? I don't know, I've never heard of that side effect before.

2. TRT can definitely cause and/or exacerbate sleep apnea. Many of us have experienced that first hand, including myself. I didn't have any issues prior to TRT, but after a few months I started snoring, and was subsequently diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea.

3. Yea. I definitely noticed an increase in libido once I got dialed in. Like many guys, I initially assumed that higher testosterone = better. That wasn't the case for me at all. My doctor is super cool and had no problems trying out various protocols to get me squared away.

4. Don't get so hung up on total T. Being successful on TRT hinges more on your free T and estradiol levels. When my total T is ~1200 ng/dl, my free T and estradiol are waaaay over the reference ranges. Once I brought things down to earth a bit, I felt a lot better.

[LeeSin1]

I've actually felt better on much lower doses of TRT. Really almost trivial doses by some people's standards, e.g., 50mg/week. But I get almost a god status when I have it that low. As for congestion and snoring, not sure but I don't think there is a correlation.

[Charger Hemi]

This is really interesting. I started my TRT almost 10 weeks ago. The dosage is 100mg of Test. Cyp., twice weekly. What I noticed is that my sleep became better and I snore much less than before I started the therapy. I'm not really sure if there is a direct relationship between TRT and sleep quality.

[kelkel]

This is really interesting. I started my TRT almost 10 weeks ago. The dosage is 100mg of Test. Cyp., twice weekly. What I noticed is that my sleep became better and I snore much less than before I started the therapy. I'm not really sure if there is a direct relationship between TRT and sleep quality.

Yes, there's a relationship between hormone levels and sleep. It's all about balance and hormones and neurosteroids play a big part in it.