@BOOGIE MAN here yah go bud, as requested a thread on TRT. This is a great idea and I encourage everyone here to share their experiences with TRT.
***Disclaimer*** I am not a doctor, just a meathead sharing his experience.
There is no supplemental T per say. Once you start taking TRT (exogenous injections of testosterone) your HPTA will pretty much shutdown your natural production. Basically your pituitary gland will no longer signal your balls to make testosterone, you also will suppress sperm production. So if you don’t have kids and want them, bank your sperm. This isn’t a cycle that you start and stop. You will likely take TRT for the rest of your life. Now that said, if you stop, in most men natural production and fertility returns after awhile once the compounds clear your system. You can also take clomid, hcg etc to quickly restart natty production, restore fertility. I will speak more on this later.
****How I started ***
I will try to keep my origin story short, lol. In my mid twenties I got more and more into weightlifting and started to dabble with pro hormones and oral steroids.. off and on for years. By time I hit my late thirties, noticed my energy and drive weren’t what they used to be and my workouts just weren’t producing results like they used to. I started looking into TRT, but didn’t start it until I was 41. I wish I had never waited that long to start.
Starting off, try having a talk with your GP, urologist etc.. in my experience I didn’t get far, but I know a few guys that have gotten somewhere with their GP. Most though will look at you like you just asked for heroin when you bring up testoseterone during a consultation. They will want to question you, why do you think you need it, do you know its dangerous (bullshit). Testosterone/TRT in therapeutic doses is cardio protective and neuro protective, it no different than a woman needing estrogen. Testosterone is the king hormone that makes us men. Unfortunately Testosterone has been a taboo thing ever since doping scandals in sports, olympics etc, so a lot doctors are reluctant to truly educate themselves on it or specialize in it. Just keep that in mind when bringing it up.
I tired of this and went the telmed route, its just what it sounds like, consultation with a provider over the phone, boom done, it was fairly easy.
I started my TRT off with Defy Medical and I would recommend them to any guy looking to start. There is a new patient consultation which is an hour long, the cost is 275 for new patients. For additional cost they can order your labwork/bloodwork, they use labcorp. You can also get your gp to order your labs and probably have insurance cover most of it. I would do this before contacting defy so you have your labs in hand.
Lab panels needed
CBC
CMP
PSA
Lipids
Hormones - testosterone, estradiol, SHBG( calculates free testosterone) and TSH (thyroid)
The actual phone consult with Defy will take place after they have your labwork results. I will say this, they will try and talk you into starting on multiple compounds, don’t.. I like to keep it simple and start with the king, Testosterone. You don’t want to be dialing in your TRT protocol by starting off on more than one compound and trying to figure out what’s working etc. Most providers will also try and start you with an AI/aromatase inhibitor, which crushes estrogen. When you take testosterone, there is also a rise in estrogen, this is normal and believe it or not, even men need some estrogen. You don’t need AI as we are taking therapeutic dosages, not super physiological bodybuilder doses of testosterone. They might also mention trying HCG with your testosterone or by itself as a way to boost natty production. Unless you are trying to protect fertility, then you don’t need HCG. I can speak more on fertility later.
***delivery methods of testosterone***
Injections at home, gels, creams and pellet.
I personally prefer injections as I believe this to be best and most efficacious way to take your vitamin-T and you only have to do it 1-2X a week. I split my weekly dose in to 2 injections M/F.
The andro gels just aren’t effective, almost no one uses or prescribes them these days.
The cream is effective, but I don’t want to have to remember to rub this on my nuts twice a day.
Testosterone pellets for men are huge and from what I understand the injections are very painful.. and once you drop a dime in the jukebox you are on that ride for 2-3 months and apparently its a mood rollercoaster.
I like doing my injections at home and after 5 years of this, its 2nd nature and no bother to me at all. This is the best way to achieve stable blood serum levels of testosterone. That keeps your mood and energy levels predictible and stable. Most providers will start you off anywhere from 120mg to 200mg a week.
*** when will TRT start to work***
I want to say right off that TRT is not a magic bullet, or bolt from the blue. You will not have that aha moment. If your diet, sleep, exercise habits are shit, its not going to fix that. Though most men looking into TRT tend to be more fitness oriented, athletic and not couch potatoes. Most men will start to see results in 6-8wks. I honestly felt better right away, but that could have been the placebo effect. Oh and prepare for the morning wood. I wake up with hard-ons that could drive a spike thru a railroad tie..its like being 18 in that regard for me.
I will be adding more posts with where to get your needles, supplies, etc. I source a lot from amazon and direct from EasyTouch. Though some states won’t let you, but there are ways around that.
***Disclaimer*** I am not a doctor, just a meathead sharing his experience.
There is no supplemental T per say. Once you start taking TRT (exogenous injections of testosterone) your HPTA will pretty much shutdown your natural production. Basically your pituitary gland will no longer signal your balls to make testosterone, you also will suppress sperm production. So if you don’t have kids and want them, bank your sperm. This isn’t a cycle that you start and stop. You will likely take TRT for the rest of your life. Now that said, if you stop, in most men natural production and fertility returns after awhile once the compounds clear your system. You can also take clomid, hcg etc to quickly restart natty production, restore fertility. I will speak more on this later.
****How I started ***
I will try to keep my origin story short, lol. In my mid twenties I got more and more into weightlifting and started to dabble with pro hormones and oral steroids.. off and on for years. By time I hit my late thirties, noticed my energy and drive weren’t what they used to be and my workouts just weren’t producing results like they used to. I started looking into TRT, but didn’t start it until I was 41. I wish I had never waited that long to start.
Starting off, try having a talk with your GP, urologist etc.. in my experience I didn’t get far, but I know a few guys that have gotten somewhere with their GP. Most though will look at you like you just asked for heroin when you bring up testoseterone during a consultation. They will want to question you, why do you think you need it, do you know its dangerous (bullshit). Testosterone/TRT in therapeutic doses is cardio protective and neuro protective, it no different than a woman needing estrogen. Testosterone is the king hormone that makes us men. Unfortunately Testosterone has been a taboo thing ever since doping scandals in sports, olympics etc, so a lot doctors are reluctant to truly educate themselves on it or specialize in it. Just keep that in mind when bringing it up.
I tired of this and went the telmed route, its just what it sounds like, consultation with a provider over the phone, boom done, it was fairly easy.
I started my TRT off with Defy Medical and I would recommend them to any guy looking to start. There is a new patient consultation which is an hour long, the cost is 275 for new patients. For additional cost they can order your labwork/bloodwork, they use labcorp. You can also get your gp to order your labs and probably have insurance cover most of it. I would do this before contacting defy so you have your labs in hand.
Lab panels needed
CBC
CMP
PSA
Lipids
Hormones - testosterone, estradiol, SHBG( calculates free testosterone) and TSH (thyroid)
The actual phone consult with Defy will take place after they have your labwork results. I will say this, they will try and talk you into starting on multiple compounds, don’t.. I like to keep it simple and start with the king, Testosterone. You don’t want to be dialing in your TRT protocol by starting off on more than one compound and trying to figure out what’s working etc. Most providers will also try and start you with an AI/aromatase inhibitor, which crushes estrogen. When you take testosterone, there is also a rise in estrogen, this is normal and believe it or not, even men need some estrogen. You don’t need AI as we are taking therapeutic dosages, not super physiological bodybuilder doses of testosterone. They might also mention trying HCG with your testosterone or by itself as a way to boost natty production. Unless you are trying to protect fertility, then you don’t need HCG. I can speak more on fertility later.
***delivery methods of testosterone***
Injections at home, gels, creams and pellet.
I personally prefer injections as I believe this to be best and most efficacious way to take your vitamin-T and you only have to do it 1-2X a week. I split my weekly dose in to 2 injections M/F.
The andro gels just aren’t effective, almost no one uses or prescribes them these days.
The cream is effective, but I don’t want to have to remember to rub this on my nuts twice a day.
Testosterone pellets for men are huge and from what I understand the injections are very painful.. and once you drop a dime in the jukebox you are on that ride for 2-3 months and apparently its a mood rollercoaster.
I like doing my injections at home and after 5 years of this, its 2nd nature and no bother to me at all. This is the best way to achieve stable blood serum levels of testosterone. That keeps your mood and energy levels predictible and stable. Most providers will start you off anywhere from 120mg to 200mg a week.
*** when will TRT start to work***
I want to say right off that TRT is not a magic bullet, or bolt from the blue. You will not have that aha moment. If your diet, sleep, exercise habits are shit, its not going to fix that. Though most men looking into TRT tend to be more fitness oriented, athletic and not couch potatoes. Most men will start to see results in 6-8wks. I honestly felt better right away, but that could have been the placebo effect. Oh and prepare for the morning wood. I wake up with hard-ons that could drive a spike thru a railroad tie..its like being 18 in that regard for me.
I will be adding more posts with where to get your needles, supplies, etc. I source a lot from amazon and direct from EasyTouch. Though some states won’t let you, but there are ways around that.
