r/Testosterone

I’m questioning the quality/dosage of some test cyp I’m using and wanted opinions.

Quick context: I’ve been on TRT (from an online clinic) 200mg split 2x/week since Dec 2025 with great results, only mild E2 issues managed with an AI. On 3/22/26 I started a 500mg blast (daily pins) using a verified UGL and brand.

Now in week 3, I’ve noticed some muscle loss and a dip in energy/performance. I know hormones fluctuate early on, but should that cause muscle loss?

Do you think this points to under-dosed gear, normal hormonal adjustment, or a protocol issue?

I was planning bloodwork at week 6, but now considering testing the vial sooner

Hey my E2 is to high on test C on 300mg weekly pinned EOD I took .5mg amridex on April 2nd then the 5th and then I took 1mg last night I still have puffy nips, moon face, and hella water retention any help?

So a nurse told me he tries it.

I saw a YouTube video on the estrogen and prostate benefits. Even studies show it reduces suicide in men! Reduce prostate cancer! Blocks Estogen without side effects!

I tried one of my wifes 200mg pills. Best sleep ever with vivid dreams and morning wood.

Who else has experience with it?

Male, 42 years old, work out 5x a week and in a slight caloric deficit. Started testosteron (sustanon) last week (250mg split in two days). I know this is early but I literally do not feel anything...Is it too soon and am I overreacting or should I look into it?

TLDR; I did my research and the sustanon is under subscription from my GP.

Thanks so much!

Does anybody else feel it is difficult to get up from bed and do whatever you need to do in the day?

for the longest time I have had zero libido, social awkwardness can't even look women in the eyes, can barely self groom or clean my room from low energy and lack of care, I feel like shit.

what's going on can you feel this way even with high T????

I’m 33 and my doctor put me on enclomiphene instead of TRT because we were trying to keep things simpler first. After a couple months, Total T went up enough that my doctor was pretty happy with it but I don’t really feel any different.

I’m not expecting superhero energy. I just thought I’d notice more than this. Still tired in the afternoons, still not much drive, still waking up not feeling refreshed. This is the part I find annoying about hormone stuff. The numbers move, but my actual day doesn’t always move at the same pace. Anybody else get decent lab improvement on enclo without a huge real-world difference?

Been on TRT for about 8 months, clinic charges me $280 every time I get bloods done. They run total T, free T, estradiol, CBC, CMP and lipids. Every 10-12 weeks so that's roughly $1,100-1,400 a year just on bloodwork.

Talked to a buddy at the gym who said he pays way less ordering his own panels from Goodlabs but I didn't really dig into it, wanted to see what everyone else is doing first. What are you guys paying and where are you going?

I'm not talking about your self prescribed TRT or your cruise. Im curious as to what dose your legit doc has you on a week. I been in the game for 25 years. I just turned 53. I've only done TRT for the last 10 years. I go to a pretty aggressive doc and he's got me on 200mg a week, which I would guess is probably the ceiling of what you can prescribed. Anyone out there getting prescribed over that per week by a doc? 200mg a week puts my blood pull #'s at about 1000 at day 6 post injection.

I just started TRT (+ hcg), been on Reta for 5 months and quit cause it wrecked my sleep and switched to tirz and have been having great results. The only problem is, the little libido I had before glp’s has been completely nonexistent after starting. Both with Reta and Tirz. Does test + hcg mitigate this or am I gonna have to deal with this until I get lean and ween myself off of the glp?

I've been holding off on going on TRT for reasons, but one of them is the fear of testicular shrinkage. I already have small testes, in my opinion, and am concern of how much smaller they can get. What is the likelyhood of shrinkage and how much in percentage can I expect. I understand everything is diff for everyone, just trying to get an overall idea.

Despite similar blood results to IM

I'm soon to be 50. I was tested and I have low testosterone. I have all the symptoms including way too much visceral fat. I carry about 50-70 pounds too much fat. I have worked out and been disciplined over the years but generally I haven't had the best results and I typically give up.

Based on my research being obese increases the chances of side effects from TRT. My thought was do the best I can for a few months to drop as much body fat as possible before starting TRT. But as I stated , I have not had the best results and I do have many of the symptoms of low testosterone, depression, low energy, poor exercise results, etc. The diet and cardio I would do will likely drop my testosterone even further. I am wondering if I am making the right choice to wait. My doctor is not giving me a definitive answer and leaving the choice to me. Any opinions/ perspectives are appreciated.

Date	Total T	Free T	Interpretation
07/2015	220	—	Low
11/2015	203 / 188	38.5	Low (confirmed LC/MS)
2015 (Theranos)	161	4.17	Low free T
08/2018	478	—	Peak
05/2021	360	—	Mid-normal
09/2022	375	11.3	Low free T
01/2024	200	—	Low
10/2024	156	31.8	Very low
02/2025	331	—	Low-normal
04/2025	283	50.3	Low-normal
01/2026	291	51.8	Low-normal (current)

I am about to turn 55. I am male and have an appointment to ask my doctor about starting TRT at the end of the month. Have any of you started with similar numbers and symptoms? I have tested low for years and then every once in a while it jumps up to "normal range." I wasn't put on it earlier because my symptoms didn't seem that bad. I am fully functional as far as every day life but I don't have much "extra" drive even though I want to do more. I have recently lost over 70 pounds in the last year and a half and while I feel better over all, my numbers have not really improved, my motivation is about the same and although I can build muscle it seems to build really slow...but I am in my mid-50's. Anyone have experience starting with similar numbers and symptoms?

I'm learning now that the energy dip we get as we age can directly be related to a drop in RBC's and low T correlates with less RBC's. But if your T isn't fully low but just borderline instead, did your labs corroborate that with "lower than previous" RBC's and folate and B12 and Iron levels?

I'm trying to get some energy back without hopping on the hormones just yet and I thought it might be worth supplementing those things even if I'm not at the lowest levels.

Hey all. 40 yo male, 105 mg/week test cyp for about 10 weeks now. My wife and I weren’t sure if we wanted to have a second kid and, if so, when so I finally went on TRT after being diagnosed 12 years ago.

Anyway fast forward only 10 weeks later and she is keen on it and I’m wanting to as well. Did an at home sperm test that I bought a while back and never used and it showed basically zero sperm. Balls are also super small.

Preface: years ago I tried HCG monotherapy to try to increase my T without TRT and it was a huge failure. 500iu 3x per week was the dose at the time. That’s when I realized I was primary hypogonadal as LH and FSH were already med-high and all it did is shoot my E2 and prolactin up and actually DECREASED my test. Gyno, itchy skin, cystic acne. Was awful

So now I spoke to the men’s health practitioner I’m using who suggested due to my previous shitty experience and rate at which I aromatize that I should do 100 iu every day which I’ve been doing now for a week. Can feel testicles slightly bigger. Sort of feel like garbage all around - flat, irritable, oily skin, but manageable.

Anyway - is 700iu / week enough for me to regain fertility? Prior to TRT I had a semen analysis done last year and my numbers were incredibly high all around. Hoping that plus it only being 10 weeks will work in my favour but not sure and wanted to get some opinions.

Ideally I’d prefer to not come off test even though it hasn’t been long, as it’s been nice to finally have some libido and morning wood back, but will if necessary.

I just got my blood work back and finally got to see my testosterone levels. I have been feeling lethargic for the last 3/4 years. Nothing in my blood work has jumped out to be an issue besides being low on iron. I struggle with muscle gain, sleep and brain fog. Although I’m active 4-5 days a week, eat very clean and prioritize protein intake.

Fertility is important to me and I have done research on HCG to take with TRT to help preserve my fertility. One clinic has suggested a product called Elevate-T which is a enclomphene compound (DHEA/Enclomiphene Citrate/Pregnenolone/Zinc Sulfate) for $169 a month. Seems a tad bit high and I can’t find much research on this. But she’s said she’s gotten men’s T levels up with while also preserving their fertility.

Most of the other clinics have just recommend TRT with HCG (I don’t mind spending the extra money) but maybe I could just do it when I am ready to have a child?

Im just looking for feedback and if anyone could help guide me a little on this journey. I appreciate it