Some TRT Experiments and Learnings

Have not updated this log for a few years but i get a bunch of DM questions regarding Estrogen issues on TRT so i ran two experiments so that i was confident in the advice i was providing and not just throwing out beliefs.

My philosophy is that AI are toxic and that they should not be used on TRT. The goal of TRT is improved quality of life and good health markers.

As a starting point - i have been taking 100-120mg per week for the past year with no deviation, plus 25mg DHEA. My BW showed estrogen at 92pmol/l or 25 pg/ml. At that level i feel good but as i get older i do find a get a little emotional. No big deal.

For the experiments below i did not bother getting BW. based on TONS of prior blood work, i am confident I know my body well and can decipher what is happening at these dosages.

Experiment #1
  • I added 100mg of DIM daily to TRT (pinning twice per week)
  • after about 4 weeks noticed,:
    • strength went up a little, nothing dramatic but a few extra reps on most exercises so free test has increased (reduced conversion)
    • emotions were more stable,
    • strength of erections increased
  • Conclusion: you can't compare it to an AI but it definitely did prevent conversion to E2 to some degree. Overall i felt better with the DIM than just straight TRT.
Experiment #2
  • I increased pinning to 3 times per week - i would have done EOD but i don't like to pin on days i train jiu jitsu (risk of infections, ring worm, etc )
  • end of week one...i started to get insomnia and a little anxiety which for me is the key sign that E2 getting too low. The i remembered that i was also taking the DIM. So i stopped DIM and everything returned to "normal" within a week.
  • After about 4 weeks of pinning 3 timers per week i noticed:
    • Libido took a huge drop
    • no other difference from experiment #1, benefit or negative
  • Conclusion: increased pinning from twice to 3X per week did reduce E2. for me it was too much on that low test dosage. I would have to increase test if i want to keep pinning that often
So.....Recommendations if on TRT and E2 issues arise (in order of priority):
  1. Get diet and body fat under control...this is the problem 90% of the time
  2. avoid AI (save them for blasts)...they are toxic and create significant changes to hormone level and make getting stable VERY difficult at low level of test
  3. Pin at least 2X per week
  4. Add in 100mg DIM. it will help to a degree and its cheap $15 at supplement source. skip all the products with other junk added for >$
  5. If still having issues increase pinning to 3X per week. this will have a larger impact on E2 that the DIM. I was surprised the difference between twice and 3 times per week
  6. IF STILL having issues pin 3X per week and add the 100mg DIM
  7. If all those fail...reduce test dosage.

OGJJ
 
Good read. Always enjoy your informative posts, OGJ. I will be doing some similar, frequent testing as soon as the border opens and I have to access to cheap blood work again. I will say that I'm very jealous that no dose of test, from 90-500mg has ever improved my libido or wood beyond that of my pre TRT days. 🤷‍♂️
 
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