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Originally posted by DanH:
I can tell you that Joe Rogan is a big proponent of it, and several MMA fighters used it until it was banned as a steroid. You definitely won't lose any of your gains on TRT, and you'll probably make even more. Something I have heard that you should ask your Doctor about is you'll be on TRT the rest of your life to keep your testosterone levels up.

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Originally posted by valkyrie1:
Testosterone treatment has its issues. My endocrinologist and primary thought that it would do me more harm than good. I have the medication to inject myself but have not taken it. Do your research

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Originally posted by Sig2340:
I use injectable TRT an hav for several years. I just restarted after 20 weeks off (knee eplacmets).
It makes a difference.

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Originally posted by Beancooker:
I do, and have been taking it for almost two years (injectable). It makes a huge difference. Under 200 is really low. My doctor keeps mine between 800-1000. Benefits are muscle recovery, mood is elated, I have more patience, libido is increased, there are a lot of upsides.

Downsides are higher cholesterol. I’m not a fan of taking shots, so weekly shots kind of sucks, but it’s subcutaneous, so that helps a lot. Aggressive behavior was mentioned, but that’s usually only if you take too high of a dose.

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Originally posted by 6guns:
It sounds like you're getting re-tested? Hopefully that number will be better and that there was something up with the first test. Seems like a drastic change from not long ago, especially as active as you are. Good luck!

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Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Check out Dr Abraham Morgantaler for good information about TRT. Dr. Rena Malik did a podcast with him that was very informative, though it now seems to be cut into shorter bits of about 13-15 minutes each. Find the one about diagnosing low T where he talks about looking at more than just total and free T.

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Originally posted by Mboroman:
I was on it for about three years, from 2011-2013, if I remember correctly. My experience was not good. I had tested low. I can't remember the exact number but I think it was around 400. The doc suggested TRT. He said he was on it and it worked great so I went ahead and gave the okay. He did have a wellness/hormone specialist on staff at the time but he wanted to treat me himself (I think it was mostly about the billing to pad his numbers). That should have been my first red flag but I was uneducated about TRT and went ahead and let him do it. I was on the daily gel. My test levels eventually rose to 800+ with a one-time high of 1100+. Again, if I am remembering correctly.

The first year was great. I made great gains with my cycling and resistance workouts. I felt fantastic; as though I was 30 again. The second year was simply a plateau. No more gains and I didn't feel as good as before. However, my cycling was still doing okay. The third year was when things went bad. I started feeling odd. I seemed to be losing the gains that I had made. I was more tired and not recovering as well. Something was off but I didn't know what. At that point, I should have put 2 and 2 together and asked to see the wellness specialist but I didn't. My last few tests should have been the biggest red flag of all. My doc kept telling me that my estrogen was higher but he wasn't worried since I did all of that working out. I should have asked specifically what my levels were but I still trusted him. I got to feeling really weird and having occasional, what I would call "hot flashes". Then one day, my body just broke. I had a massive hot flash and pretty much collapsed. I was mostly impotent for a brief time and quite weak overall. When I realized that it had to be the TRT, I then "secretly" met with the wellness specialist. She looked at my numbers and the expression on her face was almost one of horror.

She liked to keep her male patients estrogen levels in the low twenties. According to the scale, a male should absolutely not be over a level of 49; I was in the upper fifties! My body had been converting all of the extra T to estrogen. She was furious with the doc for letting it happen and did her best to try to get me back on track. She explained that she would cycle men on and off of T. If you just do T all the time, your testes will stop producing it and will shrink. On the off cycles, she would have them use a subcutaneous injection of a drug that I can't remember the name of. Basically, it prompted the testes to start producing again. That's what we used to try to get me back to being more normal. It took me about a year to get back to about 80%-85% of my previous self, by my estimate. By that, I mean my perception of my exercise performance as well as my overall life. I never did recover completely.

Now, 12 years down the road, I'm 62 and definitely feeling it. My recovery isn't what it once was. I think my T levels the last couple of years have been in the upper 300s. A small part of me wishes that I could have at least some of those fantastic abilities back but the rest of me is terrified of trying TRT again. I take quite a few supplements, including the ones you do, to try and give myself every chance of keeping things going naturally, and that's where I'll stay for now. I saw Fly-Sig saying that things are different these days but, given my previous "injuries", I'm afraid that it might mess me up even more. All I can say is to please do your research before you run out and try it. Find a specialist, weigh all the pros and cons, and then make an informed decision.

Sorry for the book but you did ask for anyone with experience!

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Originally posted by btanchors:
I can speak to this as I have been on TRT for over 10 years.

First, some comments based on information from 4 different urologists:

1) TRT does not cause cancer, nor does increase the risk of cancer. It does not increase cholesterol in my experience. However, it can increase the risk of heart attack in some patients. The reason is that it increases the density of red blood cells in the blood, essentially making blood “thicker”. This is easily detected in a routine blood test - specifically, the Hematocrit level. This can be easily addressed by donating a pint of blood every 3-4 months or so.

2) There are several ways to administer Testosterone: there are patches that can be worn, injections, gel that can be applied, and finally, implants in your butt that have to be replenished every 3-4 months.

The patches did not work for me, but the gel does. That’s what I have been using for 10 years.

Regarding cancer, as I said, it won’t cause cancer. BUT, if you get (or already have) cancer, it will cause the cancer to grow faster. If you are at risk for prostate cancer (as I am, since my father had it), your urologist should monitor your PSA and perform a DRE every 6 months or so.

My PSA was stable at 1.3 for many years, until I had Aquablation on my prostate for BPH. This removed about 40% of my prostate, and now my PSA is stable at 0.3. Note the TRT therapy did not cause the enlarged prostate, it was unrelated.