3 ms·

(throw away because some employers know my actual) I have been on TRT for several years as a result of a damaged pituitary from a tumor that was removed. I hav

(throw away because some employers know my actual) I have been on TRT for several years as a result of a damaged pituitary from a tumor that was removed. I have played with the dosages alongside my doctor, and definitely found that (to a certain extent) it really has an effect on my mood. From personal experience, I don't know if it would call it an anti-depressent, but it seems to stifle anxiety at the right doses. Some people say it's a "confidence drug" but my opinion is it performs more like an anti-anxiety drug. I can have a terrible week of work with little sleep, bump my dose a bit and I calm down - as long as the dose is not high enough to put my estrogen (e2) levels out of whack. Dosage and duration are extremely important. If you mess either up it can make you moody and full of anxiety. Many doctors today are incredibly unskilled and uneducated regarding hormones. I know many doctors perscribe trt in one shot per two weeks, and even one shot per month. I had to go through four doctors to find my current who is a specialist and very well educated. With a half life of about 6 days, test-c should be administered at MINIMUM weekly. Ideally bi-weekly. Dosage should be enough to get you in the 600-1000ng/dl range. You also need to carefully observe the hormones that coorelate closely with testosterone, like e2. If that goes to high (aka high converter) your mood will be worse. Some people will also see a rise in hematocrit which thickens the blood and can be a risk factor for a number of things. I do not have this issue as my hematocrit is very stable on or off trt. My blood pressure has actually dropped on TRT. If you can do the balancing act it is overall very good. -- Feel free to ask me anything about TRT and it's effects on mood, hormones, etc. I will try to answer. I have been researching it for years.

yasp 8y ago
What's the advantage of IV over oral / nasal ingestion? What is your experience with side effects (testes shrinkage, hair loss, acne, etc.)? For someone with recurrent anxiety and depression that has been resistant to other, more conventional, treatment approaches, do you think TRT is worth exploring and how does one find a good doctor?
- throwawaytrt 8y ago
  I do not know of a testosterone formulation approved for IV or nasal. Only for IM which is into the muscle before absorption. Some doctors will allow Sub-Q (in the fat) because several studies have showed it also gets absorbed in fat but at a different rate. Shrinkage is not as bad as you would think, in my case maybe 25%. However, my doctor also prescribes HCG to be injected IM bi-weekly. HCG is an analog to LH - the signaling hormone that tells the testes to produce testosterone. As a result mine are still producing a little bit of test to keep their size and prevent atrophy (I am still fertile as a result). Acne pops up when dosage is going up or down but tends to go away if you maintain a stable dose and blood level concentrations (aka dose timing) for a long period of time. Most people in my family suffer from depression, and I have in the past. I think most of mine was caused by anxiety though. SSRIs when I was a teen never did anything for me. I now am fine with no drugs for it though. If yours is based in anxiety I strongly believe it will help.
  - mobilejdral 8y ago
    I would second the HCG (or similar, clomid?) for anyone that wants to prevent atrophy by keeping your LH levels up. From a medical perspective I would be curious if you could play with HCG or similar by itself to cause your natural T levels to rise without having to take T. As an anecdotal single data point of how far you can go after keeping my LH levels as low as I could after around eight months straight my testes decreased around 75% in volume.
  - rootsudo 8y ago
    This is really interesting. Previously, I asked my doctor to try it, and my first dose of the T Pill sent me into a panic attack and scared me from it. Same history with family and SRRI use.
- jperras 8y ago
  > What's the advantage of IV over oral / nasal ingestion? Generally, oral anabolic steroids are more hepatoxic than their IV counterparts. So the advantage is that you end up with less liver damage.
  - yasp 8y ago
    Didn’t realize that TRT is a form of “taking steroids”. Makes sense in hindsight.
amelius 8y ago
> I have been on TRT for several years as a result of a damaged pituitary from a tumor that was removed. If that's the case, wouldn't it make more sense to take the hormones produced by the pituitary that stimulate the production of testosterone? I'm not a doctor, but I suppose that would take away some of the downsides of TRT.
- throwawaytrt 8y ago
  I also take HCG, but since I am already doing injections I opted to add TRT because even prior to the tumor my T was in a lower range (low 300s) in my early 20s. I now keep it in the 700-900/dl range which I have found is where I feel the best. My energy levels in particular are much higher at this range than at 300 where I was frequently tired.
- bluedevil2k 8y ago
  Cost is a big reason - HcG is much more expensive than testosterone. The body also stops responding to artificial HcG in a relatively quick time (desensitizes), and as a result most doctors advise cycling on for a few weeks and off for a few weeks.
CompelTechnic 8y ago
Do the mood-changing effects of the TRT medication have any resemblance to the mood-changing effects of exercise? I often notice that in the days during/following good exercise, I not only feel happier, but also more "virile" for lack of a better word, and also more aggressive. I partially attribute this to testosterone increasing. Do you have any particular opinions on global trends in sperm count reduction? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sperm-count-dropping-in-western-world/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sperm-count-dropp...
- throwawaytrt 8y ago
  I still feel happier after exercise. Running a mile or two always making me an optimist for a couple hours afterwards. I actually remember the first time I took it, I was euphoric for like 24 hours. It was as if all of the sudden I felt like I had control over my life. I used to freak out over deadlines and staying late at work, and even if mentally I told myself not to worry about it I'd get visible anxiety symptoms like pressured speech and shaking. On TRT those anxiety symptoms are significantly diminished. I don't freak out over things that aren't life threatening much anymore. It's like my body's response system to danger had it's threshold increased.
- Slimbo 8y ago
  I think it's potentially the same thing. I noticed some years ago that I exhibited some of the symptoms of low testosterone but blood tests showed that I was low but still 'normal' so no TRT required. I made an effort to improve my natural Testosterone, lifting (particularly compound lifts like squats, deadlifts), more sleep, dealing with stress better, eating more fat and protein and getting more sun. I definitely feel happier, and that could be not related to T levels as I've not retested but it appears to be linked for me. I know it's a trope, but all men should lift (bro).
codeaken 8y ago
Could you father children while being on TRT? I have heard that there is a chance that you can become infertile while on it, and after you quit, there is a chance that your "system" does not start up again.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- bluedevil2k 8y ago
  Yes, TRT doesn't make you sterile. But it likely lowers the quality of your sperm. There is a small chance of becoming infertile and there's a small chance your system won't start up again if you decide to stop. Generally though, for people that have naturally low levels and are on TRT, they wouldn't want to stop and return to those levels after experiencing life at normal/high levels.
Florin_Andrei 8y ago
Aren't there ways to also control the level of e2? I thought the conversion pathway is susceptible to various suppressors.
- perardi 8y ago
  There are a variety of aromatase inhibitors which prevent conversion to estrogen. But they tend to have not great effects on cholesterol and lipids. And, the stronger ones, notably exemestane, can bring your estrogen levels too low on a TRT dose of T, which has its own bad side effects.

yasp 8y ago

What's the advantage of IV over oral / nasal ingestion? What is your experience with side effects (testes shrinkage, hair loss, acne, etc.)? For someone with recurrent anxiety and depression that has been resistant to other, more conventional, treatment approaches, do you think TRT is worth exploring and how does one find a good doctor?

throwawaytrt 8y ago
I do not know of a testosterone formulation approved for IV or nasal. Only for IM which is into the muscle before absorption. Some doctors will allow Sub-Q (in the fat) because several studies have showed it also gets absorbed in fat but at a different rate. Shrinkage is not as bad as you would think, in my case maybe 25%. However, my doctor also prescribes HCG to be injected IM bi-weekly. HCG is an analog to LH - the signaling hormone that tells the testes to produce testosterone. As a result mine are still producing a little bit of test to keep their size and prevent atrophy (I am still fertile as a result). Acne pops up when dosage is going up or down but tends to go away if you maintain a stable dose and blood level concentrations (aka dose timing) for a long period of time. Most people in my family suffer from depression, and I have in the past. I think most of mine was caused by anxiety though. SSRIs when I was a teen never did anything for me. I now am fine with no drugs for it though. If yours is based in anxiety I strongly believe it will help.
- mobilejdral 8y ago
  I would second the HCG (or similar, clomid?) for anyone that wants to prevent atrophy by keeping your LH levels up. From a medical perspective I would be curious if you could play with HCG or similar by itself to cause your natural T levels to rise without having to take T. As an anecdotal single data point of how far you can go after keeping my LH levels as low as I could after around eight months straight my testes decreased around 75% in volume.
- rootsudo 8y ago
  This is really interesting. Previously, I asked my doctor to try it, and my first dose of the T Pill sent me into a panic attack and scared me from it. Same history with family and SRRI use.
jperras 8y ago
> What's the advantage of IV over oral / nasal ingestion? Generally, oral anabolic steroids are more hepatoxic than their IV counterparts. So the advantage is that you end up with less liver damage.
- yasp 8y ago
  Didn’t realize that TRT is a form of “taking steroids”. Makes sense in hindsight.

amelius 8y ago

> I have been on TRT for several years as a result of a damaged pituitary from a tumor that was removed. If that's the case, wouldn't it make more sense to take the hormones produced by the pituitary that stimulate the production of testosterone? I'm not a doctor, but I suppose that would take away some of the downsides of TRT.

throwawaytrt 8y ago
I also take HCG, but since I am already doing injections I opted to add TRT because even prior to the tumor my T was in a lower range (low 300s) in my early 20s. I now keep it in the 700-900/dl range which I have found is where I feel the best. My energy levels in particular are much higher at this range than at 300 where I was frequently tired.
bluedevil2k 8y ago
Cost is a big reason - HcG is much more expensive than testosterone. The body also stops responding to artificial HcG in a relatively quick time (desensitizes), and as a result most doctors advise cycling on for a few weeks and off for a few weeks.

CompelTechnic 8y ago

Do the mood-changing effects of the TRT medication have any resemblance to the mood-changing effects of exercise? I often notice that in the days during/following good exercise, I not only feel happier, but also more "virile" for lack of a better word, and also more aggressive. I partially attribute this to testosterone increasing. Do you have any particular opinions on global trends in sperm count reduction? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sperm-count-dropping-in-western-world/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sperm-count-dropp...

throwawaytrt 8y ago
I still feel happier after exercise. Running a mile or two always making me an optimist for a couple hours afterwards. I actually remember the first time I took it, I was euphoric for like 24 hours. It was as if all of the sudden I felt like I had control over my life. I used to freak out over deadlines and staying late at work, and even if mentally I told myself not to worry about it I'd get visible anxiety symptoms like pressured speech and shaking. On TRT those anxiety symptoms are significantly diminished. I don't freak out over things that aren't life threatening much anymore. It's like my body's response system to danger had it's threshold increased.
Slimbo 8y ago
I think it's potentially the same thing. I noticed some years ago that I exhibited some of the symptoms of low testosterone but blood tests showed that I was low but still 'normal' so no TRT required. I made an effort to improve my natural Testosterone, lifting (particularly compound lifts like squats, deadlifts), more sleep, dealing with stress better, eating more fat and protein and getting more sun. I definitely feel happier, and that could be not related to T levels as I've not retested but it appears to be linked for me. I know it's a trope, but all men should lift (bro).

codeaken 8y ago

Could you father children while being on TRT? I have heard that there is a chance that you can become infertile while on it, and after you quit, there is a chance that your "system" does not start up again.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
bluedevil2k 8y ago
Yes, TRT doesn't make you sterile. But it likely lowers the quality of your sperm. There is a small chance of becoming infertile and there's a small chance your system won't start up again if you decide to stop. Generally though, for people that have naturally low levels and are on TRT, they wouldn't want to stop and return to those levels after experiencing life at normal/high levels.

Florin_Andrei 8y ago

Aren't there ways to also control the level of e2? I thought the conversion pathway is susceptible to various suppressors.

perardi 8y ago
There are a variety of aromatase inhibitors which prevent conversion to estrogen. But they tend to have not great effects on cholesterol and lipids. And, the stronger ones, notably exemestane, can bring your estrogen levels too low on a TRT dose of T, which has its own bad side effects.