Journal: Switching from Clomid mono to TRT

[ShredBundy]

Man this entire thread timed out as I was writing and got deleted before I could post it so I’m going to rewrite this but with less information so bear with me.

I never recovered from my last cycle and have been experiencing most all of low T symptoms. I’ve felt truly awful for months and had never experienced these symptoms ever before. See thread here:
https://forums.steroid.com/pct-post-...after-pct.html

It’s been almost 2 years since that cycle and over a year since cessation of PCT. After not recovering from PCT, & after a year of no exogenous substances I tried HCG then Clomid mono therapy, doctor prescribed. I saw modest improvements with HCG, stopped and symptoms returned, then began Clomid mono which worked better at first but after about three months my symptoms began to return. At this point I decided to commit to lifelong TRT. It has been going well and at week 6 (as of this OP) overall I’m feeling better with a noticeable improvement in motivation, mood, and a slight improvement in sex drive which is one of my main goals. It’s worth mentioning that I had Gyno removed from my right pec in college many years ago. My left pec now acts as a sort of estrogen thermometer and has been exhibiting symptoms of elevated estrogen while on my TRT regimen.

Protocol is:

35y.o Male
200lbs/20% bf (trying to lower now)
5’11

Test Cyp 40mg every 3 days
HCG 250iu on the day before T injection

Journal entry:
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12/8/20-1/8/21: First month- slight improvement in libido, but diminished around week 4. No improvement in mood/motivation, sleep quality is mediocre.

2/8/21: On 1/13/21 left nipple sore for over a week also extremely light headed and dizzy, took .25mg arimidex and it subsided in 24hr. 1/14/21 Began DIM @150mg 2x day to combat E2. 1/19/21 Nipple slightly tender, libido still a little unpredictable. Mood and motivation seems better. 1/23/21 took .125mg arimidex again to help further reduce nipple swelling. Will get Nolvadex on hand and cease using dex asap. A little tired but feel pretty good and depression is gone, libido and erection quality is better. Going to hold this regimen until week 8-10 then readjust if necessary.

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So I’m hoping that my hormone levels will get acclimated in the next 2 to 4 weeks to where I can maintain this dose and not have to worry about estrogen and I will get blood drawn to see where I’m at. I started at 120 mg because I felt like that was a nice starting dose based on other peoples experience, however I’m aware that I might need to dial this back to maybe 90 mg in order to prevent the need for an AI. I was hoping this dose would put me in the high-normal range and I might see an anabolic boost from it. I also got Deca and Caber to add in once I get everything dialed, but now that I’m reacting poorly to such a low T dose I am hoping that I didn’t waste my money and can’t use it.

What do you think so far? Am I on the right track in maintaining this dose for a few weeks allowing my body to adjust and then re-evaluate?

[ShredBundy]

I will be following. Our situations are slightly different in that my HRT started with Clomid, but I think that has done as much for me as it can. In the next few months, I expect to talk to my doc about moving to the needle, but I have another variable that I am introducing (HGH) that I want to evaluate with Clomid mono-therapy first.

Hey Cylon, yeah I finally took the plunge! I feel pretty good but I can tell I’m not quite dialed in yet. Feeling annoyed w the amount of aromatization I’m experiencing at 40mg e3d. There’s a slight knot or lump developing and I have some Nolvadex on the way. I developed the same knot during my last cycle where I crashed my E on arimidex trying to combat it and had all the muscle cramping we discussed previously. The arimidex got rid of the lump though. It seem obvious now I need to lower the dose as it is not improving with time unsurprisingly. I’m starting my dream job in a month and it will require me to move and I’ll be very busy. I really want to get as dialed in as I can before then so hoping some experts might lend some advice on how to better control my estrogen and test sensitivity. Concerned if I lower the dose it might not be sufficient, or I should do smaller daily injections at the current dosage per week to keep things more stabile. Sadly I was fooling myself by thinking I’d get things right immediately.

[PistolPete33]

From the pic you posted I'm assuming you're self treating? If that's the case please be consistent with pulling bloods. Some people have E2 issues from HCG so don't rule that out. It "might" be what is triggering the elevated E2. Doing injections every 3rd day is a good idea. Might even cut that back to EOD but keep at 120mg. I know others that do this and I did it for a short while before it was just too much of a pain. Libido should start going up around now. When I went on TRT when I hit week 3 I couldn't even control myself. It was awful. haha. Have you had your Thyroid levels checked as well?

[ShredBundy]

From the pic you posted I'm assuming you're self treating? If that's the case please be consistent with pulling bloods. Some people have E2 issues from HCG so don't rule that out. It "might" be what is triggering the elevated E2. Doing injections every 3rd day is a good idea. Might even cut that back to EOD but keep at 120mg. I know others that do this and I did it for a short while before it was just too much of a pain. Libido should start going up around now. When I went on TRT when I hit week 3 I couldn't even control myself. It was awful. haha. Have you had your Thyroid levels checked as well?

Yes you are correct in that I’m self treating. I have Kaiser insurance and it’s extremely difficult to get TRT Through them. I visited a clinic but didn’t like the one size fits all approach they were proposing with a ton of AI thrown in for $3-400 a month. I forgot to mention, the gyno symptoms showed up around the same time I began adding in HCG. I want to keep my fertility and testes from shrinking so I don’t want to stop entirely, so would lowering the HCG be a first step before reducing the Test? Funny you ask, I have thyroid problems on my moms side of the family. Had it checked before my last cycle and all appeared normal (see attachment). I will include it on my next panel. Thanks for any insight


1/27/20: left nipple still sore and developing a slight lump. Nolvadex inbound

[ShredBundy]

Can anyone help me troubleshoot protocol and gyno symptoms?

My current dose is 40mg of Test Cyp every 3 days, and 250iu HCG on M-W-F (750iu week)

I am at the end of week 7 and haven't felt any significant change in sex drive/desire specifically, erections do feel stronger, and I feel better otherwise. I don't want to make too many changes abruptly but my nipple continues to be sore and I want to make some adjustments to my protocol as im going to use Nolvadex to get rid of the lump soon and don't want it to return. I think the addition of HCG at week 4 of my TRT had something to do with the gyno flare up. I know some people recommend getting Test dialed in before adding HCG. Having said that I was thinking of reducing the HCG to 125mg but am not sure of the total amount/week I should be taking?

Is my Test dose too high causing the HCG to induce high E2? Is my HCG dose too high? Do I need to spread the dosing out more or do more frequent injections? I am surprised that im reacting this way to such a low dose of testosterone. I wasn't planning on pulling blood work yet but I know I probably should to get insight. Any suggestions would be appreciated