Hey Guys,
Rarely post here, but love this site and visit pretty much every day. Thank you Dylan for being such a class act and such a help to so many.
About me: 57 yr/old
Heavy weight lifter, almost 40 years (still squatting 495 weekly)
5' 11" / 225 lbs (BF estimate 15%)
Never did a steroid (until now) or pro-hormone in my life. (Just Sarms from SamrsX!)
Couple questions for the resident experts. My Urologist put me on TRT about 18 weeks ago. (Total Test was: 250 ng/Dl. Had all the classic symptoms.)
Let me say, my Urologist is a top doc in the Philly area, but is definitely 'old school' when it comes to TRT. Of course, he wanted to start me on Androgel, but I requested the Cypionate route, and he obliged.
Starting dose: 100 MG Test Cyp IM per wk. My total test would peak to >500 but would trough to 300 by week's end. Little improvement in symptoms.
Surprisingly, he doubled my dose for the next 8 weeks to 200 mg/Wk.
Felt tons better, and before my follow up visit with him, he requested blood work done the day after my 8th wk injection of 200 mg (Peak), and again, six days later (the day before seeing him -Trough).
Up till then, he had only requested 'Total Test' levels. (old school) along with other bloods...Prostate, Hepatic, LFT etc...all normal. But, he hadn't tested my 'Free Testosterone."
Well, after my 8 weeks at 200 Mg Cyp, the blood tests showed my peak total test: 972, and my trough total test: 743. Nice. Felt great.
HOWEVER, my "Free Testosterone (Direct)" = 40.9! Labcorp's normal reference range: 7.2 - 24.0 pg/mL!
Of course that was a massive red flag for him (which I guess it should be) so we've dropped the dose to 150Mg/wk and we'll take it from there.
That was a long round-about explanation to get to my questions:
1) What are some likely/possible causes for this High Free Test reading?
2) Are there things I should be doing/taking to control that besides lowering the dose of the Cyp> (Which of course we are doing)
3) I have been running LGD & S-4 alongside of my TRT. (Wonderful), but would they in any way contribute to a high free test reading? Asking out of ignorance there.
Thanks guys. Greatly appreciate any insights.
Rarely post here, but love this site and visit pretty much every day. Thank you Dylan for being such a class act and such a help to so many.
About me: 57 yr/old
Heavy weight lifter, almost 40 years (still squatting 495 weekly)
5' 11" / 225 lbs (BF estimate 15%)
Never did a steroid (until now) or pro-hormone in my life. (Just Sarms from SamrsX!)
Couple questions for the resident experts. My Urologist put me on TRT about 18 weeks ago. (Total Test was: 250 ng/Dl. Had all the classic symptoms.)
Let me say, my Urologist is a top doc in the Philly area, but is definitely 'old school' when it comes to TRT. Of course, he wanted to start me on Androgel, but I requested the Cypionate route, and he obliged.
Starting dose: 100 MG Test Cyp IM per wk. My total test would peak to >500 but would trough to 300 by week's end. Little improvement in symptoms.
Surprisingly, he doubled my dose for the next 8 weeks to 200 mg/Wk.
Felt tons better, and before my follow up visit with him, he requested blood work done the day after my 8th wk injection of 200 mg (Peak), and again, six days later (the day before seeing him -Trough).
Up till then, he had only requested 'Total Test' levels. (old school) along with other bloods...Prostate, Hepatic, LFT etc...all normal. But, he hadn't tested my 'Free Testosterone."
Well, after my 8 weeks at 200 Mg Cyp, the blood tests showed my peak total test: 972, and my trough total test: 743. Nice. Felt great.
HOWEVER, my "Free Testosterone (Direct)" = 40.9! Labcorp's normal reference range: 7.2 - 24.0 pg/mL!
Of course that was a massive red flag for him (which I guess it should be) so we've dropped the dose to 150Mg/wk and we'll take it from there.
That was a long round-about explanation to get to my questions:
1) What are some likely/possible causes for this High Free Test reading?
2) Are there things I should be doing/taking to control that besides lowering the dose of the Cyp> (Which of course we are doing)
3) I have been running LGD & S-4 alongside of my TRT. (Wonderful), but would they in any way contribute to a high free test reading? Asking out of ignorance there.
Thanks guys. Greatly appreciate any insights.