First week off HRT

[Guest guest]

I just wanted to give a quick check in on how I was doing going off HRT.

Some of you know my story, some don't, the short version of the story is I

am 32yrs old now and my total test was 257-263 on two different tests a

little over a week apart. My LH was in the bottom 1/3rd of the range, which

seems to mean I am secondary, MRI is clean for tumors I have not gotten E or

cortisol tests done but that is in the plan eventually. It is my belief

that my low T is due to stress or other factors and not necessarily damage

to my pituitary. I wanted to have T checked because I have had some

difficulty losing weight, specifically the last 30lbs or so, even though I

was in great shape (better then when I was playing football in High school

except I am heavier). I also seem to have a general lack of confidence, I

have a lot of willpower but that is not always enough, when I was younger I

really didn't even need willpower I just had this drive that pushed me to my

goals (I really want that back!).

At any rate I went on 2.5g of Androgel initially and I did feel a little

better and had no testis atrophy, after several weeks on this dosage my

total T was 347 so my doctor told changed my dosage all the way up to the

10g mark to see how I do. Unfortunately in the middle of this I was forced

to go on several business trips so I have not been able to follow up with

him, after 2 weeks at this dosage I didn't really feel any different then

when using 2.5g except I knew my system was no longer producing as much T

because my testis were starting to atrophy. I know there is HCG to take

care of this, but again I am out of country on a business trip so I can't

really follow up on that and I did not realize how much atrophy would bother

me psychologically. It is also a nuisance to put on 10g of Androgel every

morning.

At this point, I seemingly had not really gained much from the Androgel and

being that I cannot follow up with labs at the moment, and that I should not

have low T at 32 anyways, I wanted to go off it and try cycling herbals to

see if I could normalize my T that way. Maybe it is a myth but I have read

some stories of guys going from 250 total T to 800 range when combining

herbals, diet, working out, and controlling E. However I could not find any

guide on how to go off HRT and everything I read was that I would crash if I

just stopped it. The Androgel packet says that within 4-5 days your T will

return to pre-treatment levels so I just reduced my dosage to 5g for 5 days,

and then stopped using Androgel after 5 more days of the 5g. I started the

herbals before I changed the Androgel dosage.

It has been about a week now since I have been totally off Androgel and only

doing the herbals, honestly I feel very similar as to when I was on HRT

except my libido is actually up and testis are returning to normal. Granted

I don't have any tests to show me where my T is yet and I probably won't for

a couple of weeks because of this business trip, but I think at worst I am

back to my original T range but I would not doubt I am slightly higher at

least just from my feel of things. Keep in mind 250+ T is still a lot better

then some that have been under 200 T without HRT, those guys may crash

really hard when going off HRT.

For T boost I am taking (cycling through them, originally it was one per day

and cycle through them to avoid the body adapting to them, but currently I

am trying taking 3 of them per day and rotate through):

Tribulus

Tongkat Ali

Deer Antler Velvet

Horny Goat Weed

Catuaba

Mucuna

Mon-Fri I am also taking Driven Sports " Activate Extreme " which is a

combination of Stinging Nettle, Icariin, Rhodiola Rosea, pine bark, I3C,

Basella Alba, and Zinc. I am also taking up to 10g of fish oil a day in

divided doses, as it is these type of fats that supposedly support

testosterone production.

For E suppression I am taking these daily, maybe I need to alternate? I

don't know my E levels but considering I sometimes feel more emotional then

I should I think its at best normal-high. I will do labs when I get back to

my normal routine:

Resveratrol

DIM

Chrysin

I am also rotating between Rhodiola and Ashwanaghanda daily since I am under

a lot of stress (I worked a 20hr day Friday!), I may need to find a better

way to do these so my body does not adapt.

If anyone else has any suggestions on herbals to add to this rotation please

let me know, I think I should try to get Maca into the bunch and there may

be others I have not had much time to research due to work.

My physical activity has plummeted since being on these business trips, I

used to workout 12-15hrs a week between martial arts and general workouts

and lately its been relatively nothing. I originally tried to keep up with

workouts but when your working 12hr+ days its very hard to get up earlier

then normal to do them. Food has also been a chore, I am a stress eater so

that has been a huge battle and I have been drinking more then I ever have

to unwind (which can lower T from what I read because it can cause muscle

wasting and fat storage, the hops also have phytoestrogens).

At any rate I am trying this route out, I think if I can lower my stress,

get my workouts going again, get at least 7hrs of sleep each night, and get

my diet in check I will probably feel even better. I may also explore

acupuncture to see if there is anything I can gain from that. I may not be

able to reach 800 readings but if i could get to 450-500 range I think I

would feel better and could live with that and I would still have room for

TRT when I am much older. I am not saying this will work for everyone who

is secondary or even work for me, but I thought I would share my experience

thus far.

If anyone else has more suggestions on how to naturally build T please send

them my way.

-Matt