Well, with a 36 year old Russian girlfriend, I'm starting to wonder if I need more than 100mg/week depo test.. If I describe what she does, no one would believe me. Lol (I'll try to get the paragraphs.) I understand the ads, and all the trt propaganda. 60 year old, smoking, drinking, steak and potatoes guys get on trt, and minimum labs done MONTHLY thereafter, looking for abnormal lipids, kidney function, elevated liver enzymes, etc., The resulting deep vein thrombosis risk sure goes up, as well as numerous other serious possibilities. Add that to testosterone already being demonized, and bad laws come out. Convexx here likes a half aspirin/day, and I agree, and do the same thing. Very smart! And your Dad 'may' have been on a low tank as well (low test is very hereditary), and with that, heart disease and low test go hand in hand... As does low libido, depression, diabetes (adipose tissue), no energy, can't think, etc., Yeah, you're on a low tank. Find a hrt doctor, not a GP. The supra-physiological doses, and trt are worlds apart. When I was going from "cruising" on 200mg/week depo test (dose is a shade too high for me), to 1,500mg/week, the difference is mars and Venus. As so are the side effects. And yes, testicular atrophy occurs with massive doses, but even therapeutic doses. Ask about HCG, and HMG. Yes, the two combined, clomid, etc., and the results are amazing. On both, I can feel an actual ache on occasion, as the axis is restored. Lol! And nine years with the above issues, and yes, can imagine is bad. The trt will certainly make a massive change for the better. And the propecia.. Used before, and was like I castrated myself. Never again! Oh, and look up cabergoline. And the Aromasin, you're smart to use over HDL destructive Arimidx, and total estrogen crushing femara 2.5mg. As for "getting it right," the only way is through blood labs IMO. If you crush your estrogen, you're right back at not able to function sexually. There's a host of other problems with estrogen too low.. And, of course, of too high, another set of problems. Did you know you can order blood labs on line? http://www.privatemdlabs.com/lab_tests.php?view=all Last, the propecia and androgen blockage.. Haven't looked, but wonder what kind of studies are out there on this? I'll say, no chance I'd ever touch that mess again. Last time I used Finasteride, was over a decade ago, was on 1g+/week test, and was almost like I was chemically castrated. Went from wanting my now ex Wife numerous times/day to nothing. Was a nightmare. Let us know if you go with the depo test, as IMO, you absolutely need it.
Oh I'd believe. My girlfriend ... fucking wow. I don't know if it's healthy for a guy my age to go like I have been. And I'm seriously doubting if I will be able to keep up this pace without some chemical help in the future. Once started is TRT a lifetime commitment?
The best way to describe it is that you get the benefits of TRT for as long as you are on it. As soon as you go off, the benefits stop. Most guys don't stop once they start because they don't want to go backwards.
The risks associated with TRT are numerous. I've cycled, but I do so rarely and I doubt that I would ever go on a lifetime of TRT. I would go with hCG and clomiphene before taking that step.
Your estrogen will be through the roof if you use HCG for HRT purposes. Been there done that. I went to an older doctor in his late sixties and he gave me HCG and it was a nightmare because the output of the testes in response to HCG is not linear by a longshot. So what you end up with is big random spikes in endogenous testosterone being produced which the body EASILY converts to estrogen. If you try to do a small amount everyday, then the testes eventually get desensitized which is a dead end. Using HCG to kickstart the system back in gear coming off a cycle is one thing, but using it for HRT is not viable over the long term.
I would take an AI, but I am immune to estro-sides at a gram of test (no AI) and fairly large doses of hCG. Got to concern yourself with the Leydig cells. I wasn't suggesting chronic use, at all. Small doses (Crisler) with clomes.
I've taken more w/o an AI. No difference. I would try a short (4-6wk) hCG at 250IU, twice a week. No AI should be needed at that dose. Then a couple months of clomid. Sure, it's no sub for TRT, but you're married to that position if you go on. Shutdown will be arduous if you decide to go off after a year or two.