Hey everyone, First time poster here so I hope I am posting in the right place and this is allowed. I know similar questions have been asked before and I have read through those threads, but still had some questions so hope my post is okay.
I am currently on TRT for about 8 months, been at 200mg/week divided into 3 shots for about 4 months now, and am going for my first bloodwork at this dosage soon. For reference at 140mg/week pinned 20mg daily , my Total T was around 38nmol/l and my free T was 1000pmol/l. My doctor decided to up my dosage and added in 300ui of HCG a week. I've been feeling good and most my low T symptoms are gone but I've always had a chronic fatigue and so far Testosterone is the only medication that's helped but I am already pushing above the reference range and really can't increase my dosage. So I was thinking maybe there were other horomones I could optimize.
Originally I was interested in adding pregnenolone or DHEA into my protocol but my doctor said he doesn't do any of that, just TRT , HCG and HGH ( which i came back as naturally high so don't qualify for). From what I read it seems like by adding HCG there isn't much of a need to add pregnenolone or DHEA anyways, is my thoughts correct or would it still be worth testing my DHEA and pregnenolone?
I noticed in the US a lot of people add things like Anavar and Deca to their protocols. Are these solely for athletic performance? Do any people find they improve their quality of life?
On a side note because I know some people here cycle while on TRT or were past users. I was curious what people with experience thought about cycles while on TRT. Since I am now on TRT and my natural system is already shut down I've also thought about trying a cycle just for muscle and strength gains. The thing is i don't want to mess with my TRT as it is medically needed and it seems like it would be really easy to screw myself over by adding additional test and my levels coming back way too high. Is it realistic to do a cycle within 3 - 4 month blood work ? Would lets say upping my Test to 400mg a week for 8 of the 12 weeks really make a worth while impact while also not jeopardizing my TRT ? From what I understand unless I am doing blood every 6 months or annually I really shouldn't think about adding anything to my TRT but It never hurts to ask and learn what other people experienced or do.
I was originally thinking about adding something to my TRT test dosage but from what I read everyone says your first cycle should be just Test and around 400mg, it seems fairly safe because I know how my body reacts to Testosterone but it seems like its more risky with messing up my blood work. I have never touch an AAS or Sarm , and have only done TRT. I had left over testosterone cream from a previous doctor and my current doctor told me I can use it all up as a "boost" for fun so i was adding around 200mg-600mg of Testosterone cream daily (I have very poor absorption) on top of my 200mg injected IM for about a month and noticed no additional sides but also no change other than extremely high Libido. I am not an experienced lifter but have been lifting for about 2 years and since I am not natural anymore anyways It's something I started to consider since i'd imagine being on TRT would make it easier for me to retain the majority of the gains I'd make while also negating the biggest potential side effect ( a poor recovery of your natural system).
I appreciate anyone with experience giving some honest feedback. For both ways to improve my protocol , if anyone found any thing added to TRT improved energy and if the possibility of a cycle while on TRT is actually worth it or reasonable.
I am currently on TRT for about 8 months, been at 200mg/week divided into 3 shots for about 4 months now, and am going for my first bloodwork at this dosage soon. For reference at 140mg/week pinned 20mg daily , my Total T was around 38nmol/l and my free T was 1000pmol/l. My doctor decided to up my dosage and added in 300ui of HCG a week. I've been feeling good and most my low T symptoms are gone but I've always had a chronic fatigue and so far Testosterone is the only medication that's helped but I am already pushing above the reference range and really can't increase my dosage. So I was thinking maybe there were other horomones I could optimize.
Originally I was interested in adding pregnenolone or DHEA into my protocol but my doctor said he doesn't do any of that, just TRT , HCG and HGH ( which i came back as naturally high so don't qualify for). From what I read it seems like by adding HCG there isn't much of a need to add pregnenolone or DHEA anyways, is my thoughts correct or would it still be worth testing my DHEA and pregnenolone?
I noticed in the US a lot of people add things like Anavar and Deca to their protocols. Are these solely for athletic performance? Do any people find they improve their quality of life?
On a side note because I know some people here cycle while on TRT or were past users. I was curious what people with experience thought about cycles while on TRT. Since I am now on TRT and my natural system is already shut down I've also thought about trying a cycle just for muscle and strength gains. The thing is i don't want to mess with my TRT as it is medically needed and it seems like it would be really easy to screw myself over by adding additional test and my levels coming back way too high. Is it realistic to do a cycle within 3 - 4 month blood work ? Would lets say upping my Test to 400mg a week for 8 of the 12 weeks really make a worth while impact while also not jeopardizing my TRT ? From what I understand unless I am doing blood every 6 months or annually I really shouldn't think about adding anything to my TRT but It never hurts to ask and learn what other people experienced or do.
I was originally thinking about adding something to my TRT test dosage but from what I read everyone says your first cycle should be just Test and around 400mg, it seems fairly safe because I know how my body reacts to Testosterone but it seems like its more risky with messing up my blood work. I have never touch an AAS or Sarm , and have only done TRT. I had left over testosterone cream from a previous doctor and my current doctor told me I can use it all up as a "boost" for fun so i was adding around 200mg-600mg of Testosterone cream daily (I have very poor absorption) on top of my 200mg injected IM for about a month and noticed no additional sides but also no change other than extremely high Libido. I am not an experienced lifter but have been lifting for about 2 years and since I am not natural anymore anyways It's something I started to consider since i'd imagine being on TRT would make it easier for me to retain the majority of the gains I'd make while also negating the biggest potential side effect ( a poor recovery of your natural system).
I appreciate anyone with experience giving some honest feedback. For both ways to improve my protocol , if anyone found any thing added to TRT improved energy and if the possibility of a cycle while on TRT is actually worth it or reasonable.