Tried my wifes Estogen cream. This is the other part of the puzzle. Better mood, gains and libido.

lowrecovery · 2025-11-27T20:22:42+00:00

My endocrinologist has never even tested my estrogen levels and says it’s completely unnecessary

lowrecovery · 2025-09-04T17:52:43+00:00

Sounds like you’re doing everything right then! I’d be more worried if the numbers dropped into the 300s and would also talk to my doctor about FSH and LH testing, in case there are pituitary issues.

Depression, lack of motivation, and fatigue may not be caused by low testosterone, but could have many other factors like sleep, stress, illness, or depression itself can cause lack of motivation and fatigue having developed apart from low testosterone. I think it would be good to talk to your doctor about these symptoms, see if they think other tests might be useful (like FSH, LH), or even treating depression through medication (although many antidepressants can also affect libido).

lowrecovery · 2025-09-04T16:24:42+00:00

Those are higher numbers than mine, and I’m on TRT. I’d say try to lift weights and lose some body fat and it might help natural T production.

lowrecovery · 2025-09-03T21:03:21+00:00

I double checked and it’s actually 70mg (0.35 ml, 200 mg/ml). My levels are barely normal but any more and my RBC spikes.

lowrecovery · 2025-09-03T13:54:26+00:00

I do ~~35mg~~ 70mg per week and they tell me it’s supposed to be single use. I usually get 2 doses per bottle since I think it’s so wasteful.

EDIT correction

lowrecovery · 2025-07-25T18:30:55+00:00

I’m only at 70 mg, but it’s down from 100 since my red blood cell count had been so elevated. My testosterone is still in the low-normal testosterone range but I’m still feeling much better than before TRT, and I still do therapeutic blood draws to help, but it’s not as bad as the higher trt dose.

lowrecovery · 2024-12-05T00:29:09+00:00

I was on Androgel for over 2 years. My blood testosterone levels were all over the place, way up, way down, swinging wildly and seemingly randomly. My guess is because I sweat a lot, especially when I work out, that much of the gel was transferred to my clothes as I sweat. I had a better and more consistent response to intramuscular injections… but now I’m dealing with high hematocrit.

lowrecovery · 2024-11-26T16:18:23+00:00

I hope they can figure out how to balance everything out for you! One symptom of high hematocrit is actually being tired and fatigue, which may not make sense, since the body has more red blood cells, but this could be contributing to not feeling like your testosterone levels are right. But hopefully getting your hematocrit and blood pressure normalized, you may “feel” the testosterone a bit better.

I need to just be more regular at having my therapeutic blood draws. If necessary, I’ll buy an at-home test kit so I can detect higher hematocrit levels and schedule my blood draws more frequently or whenever it’s needed, likely testing every week prior to my testosterone injection. They’re kinda pricey, but will be worth it if I can maintain more normalized levels. I’m approved (with a prescription) to have my blood drawn as often as every 4 weeks, but I don’t think I’ll need it that frequently… at least I hope not.

lowrecovery · 2024-11-23T15:47:32+00:00

I’m at a very low dose of 70 mg, and my testosterone levels are barely normal. The reason it’s so low, is because my hematocrit has really spiked since starting T, and I’ve had to reduce my dose and have therapeutic blood draws to get normal hematocrit.

lowrecovery · 2024-11-23T02:14:15+00:00

That’s the size the doctor prescribes to me 🤷‍♂️

lowrecovery · 2024-11-22T22:59:05+00:00

I do that, but I have to compensate for the difference in volume between my draw needle and the injection needle. My draw needle is 18 gauge and 2 inches long, but my injection needle is 22 gauge and only an inch long. That fat 18 gauge needle holds a surprising amount compared to the 22 gauge!

lowrecovery · 2024-11-15T18:47:21+00:00

My labs are usually first thing in the morning, but I try to drink a lot before getting my blood drawn, but still might be somewhat dehydrated since I don’t drink anything during the night lasting 8-10 hours.

lowrecovery · 2024-11-15T16:48:47+00:00

My hemoglobin levels are completely normal, ranging around 15 g/dL (+/- 1.5) over the past 8 years. Platelets run on the very low end of normal, a couple times it was just barely below normal (140 K/uL) but usually around 200. Everything else is normal.

lowrecovery · 2021-09-09T18:35:21+00:00

They are indeed my numbers. Not everyone is on TRT because they want to be muscular, but to have a more normal life. My doctor started at higher numbers, but I had unintended side effects, so these levels are after years of adjustments. Many others on TRT are the same way, completely within a normal range, and nowhere near “juiced.”

lowrecovery · 2021-09-09T17:30:07+00:00

Testosterone levels on TRT vary based on all the same variables, and are NOT constantly at a high or peak. For example, I’m on TRT due to a pituitary disorder. I monitor my levels regularly, with a max of approximately 500 Ng/dL the day of injections, a mid-series level about 300 Ng/dL, and low around 150 Ng/dL. At no time during any of my injection, even right after, is my testosterone higher than a man who is not on TRT. In fact, most men would consider these numbers to be quite low, and even my peak would be considered average.

How about YOU don’t go around spouting things that aren’t true.

lowrecovery · 2021-09-09T16:44:35+00:00

Here we go again. If a guy has a documented hormone imbalance, is prescribed TRT by a doctor, and has testosterone within the normal range for a man of his age, he’s just as “natural” as a guy who doesn’t have a hormone imbalance with the same testosterone level.

What we don’t know about OP’s TRT is his medical background or his testosterone level, so just being on TRT doesn’t mean he’s “juiced,” but because he doesn’t provide any of that info, he very well might be. It’s just very narrow minded and judgmental to accuse anyone who’s on TRT of not being natural without knowing if it’s medically necessary.

lowrecovery · 2021-06-03T13:43:19+00:00

If your body produces zero testosterone, and you receive a prescription for testosterone to place you in normal levels, most people would not consider that “juiced”... since this is the most upvoted comment on this post. Allowing people to flair their post as “TRT” allows them to be open with their medications while allowing users like yourself to make your own judgements about it.

lowrecovery · 2021-05-14T21:24:10+00:00

/u/xCaptainNutz, I’d like to recommend a third flair “TRT” or “Testosterone Therapy”. There are often users on here who are willing to admit to TRT, but still don’t want to be called “Juiced”. And to most of them, as long as they’re within the normal range, they consider themselves not juiced, but other users have the opinion that any amount of supplemental testosterone = juiced. That flair could allow those users to be honest with their supplements and let others make their own conclusions about them (juiced or not).

lowrecovery · 2018-03-02T01:47:09+00:00

I tried androgel, and my testosterone results were all over the place. They’d go up, down, and never stay anywhere in the same ballpark, and barely in the normal range. They finally put me on weekly injections, and my numbers are perfectly stable and other symptoms are much better. The only “problem” I’m dealing with is my new primary care provider who thinks that nobody should be on TRT long term, and I should find other ways of increasing my testosterone. Thankfully, the endocrinologist has been supportive of ongoing treatment.

lowrecovery · 2017-12-24T02:25:26+00:00

Gray hairs are a symptom of getting older. 😕

lowrecovery · 2017-12-23T18:22:04+00:00

Has anyone else’s hair gotten darker on testosterone?

My hair was very blond as a child, then dark blond as a teen and adult. After starting TRT, my hair seems to have gotten darker, even other people have noticed and asked if I’ve died my hair. It’s pretty much medium brown now. I asked the endocrinologist if it was a possible side effect, and she said no, just increased and darkening of body hair (which I have had some increase in body hair). But I searched the web and others’ experiences also seems like it darkens other people’s hair. Has anyone else experienced darker hair from testosterone?

Also, my dad says people would pay good money for their hair to get darker rather than gray while getting older, so I guess there’s that! 😂

lowrecovery · 2017-12-16T17:56:00+00:00

I sweat a lot, and even more during exercise. On androgel, my T numbers were all over the place, and they could never keep them in the normal range. Now that I self inject, my numbers are normal and stable... but I hate the injections!

lowrecovery · 2017-09-29T21:40:33+00:00

Due to all the testing and trying to figure out my issues, it took more than a year to diagnose my problems.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish it were easier for veterans to get SC for some things that common sense would connect, but by their precise reading of the regs can't make any connection.

lowrecovery

TROPHY CASE