After three years of being on TRT

[Guest guest]

After being on TRT for over three years and trying various different forms of

T, I have

come up with a few observations and conclusions. My experience is from having

the type

of Hypogonadism (Secondary) that is due from insufficient pituitary activity.

So please

keep this in mind when you read my post.

I was first on the androderm patch. This treatment system did next to nothing

for

increasing my T levels and it made for some major skin irritations. This was

ridiculously

expensive even with decent insurance.

I then tried androgel. This worked much better, but it is still very cumbersome

to apply

this gel each day, and it is grossly overpriced even with insurance.

Testosterone itself is

not something that can be patented, so the big drug companies get their patents

through

the gel and suspension mechanisms and technology.

For a brief time, I tried some another big name gel. My only complaint is that

this gel

smelled real musky.

I was on a bio-identical compounded T cream for some time, and this was ok.

However,

there were still transference issues that I did not like and it is still high

maintenance. This

was a bit more affordable though.

HCG shots-these will make your testicles start to return to their pre-TRT size

which is a

very pleasing side effect of the treatment. Why this stuff costs so much, and

why many

doctors do not include this in their over all TRT program is a mystery to me.

HCG is

distilled from the urine of pregnant women and getting HCG via this manner is

old

technology and is not that expensive.

rHCG is also available, but studies seem to indicate that the synthetic stuff is

not any

better than the HCG from urine, so many companies do not bother. HCG and rHCG

are

used in the fertility side of medicine and this label alone results in a

unjustified major

price jump to the end user

While on the topic of HCG, If your doctor will not prescribe you a " cycle " of

HCG to

rehabilitate your testicles from time to time, I would find a new doctor or

endo.

Also, if your doctor or endo does not keenly monitor your T (not just total

T-see Dr.

Shipmans book if you have questions) levels and your E levels and the T/E ratio,

and use

aromatase inhibitors, you may want to get a new doctor. If a doctor is going to

manage a

man's T levels, by default the doctor has to watch, monitor, and possibly treat

the

patient's E levels.

If your MD does occasionally check your prolactin levels and you are on

antidepressants,

you need to get your doctor to check this. Increased prolactin will induce

and/or worsen

hypogonadism and can cause gynocomastia. Many of the big name pharmaceutical

companies have been less than honest about the sexual side effects of various

psycotropic

medications and one of the culprits is an increase in prolactin. Raising T when

there is too

much Prolactin in the system will not accomplish very much and you will likely

get some

aromatase activity that you do not want in the process.

Pelletts-this is a low tech method, but the release is constant and it is low

maintenance.

In many aspects this is superior to the gels and shots. This is such a common

sense way

to go, and the testosterone pellets are not that expensive. If you get the in

fashion " bio

identical " type, the pellets are more expensive.

FSH/LH shots-This is by far and away the best method for those of us whose

testicles can

make their own T, and this is so low tech and simple that it is an insult to

those of us who

suffer with the malady of low T. A very cheap source of these hormones is

commonly

called HMG, and HMG is obtained from the urine of menopausal women (this is a

very

renewable and constant source!!!). rFSH and rLH are commonly available, but due

to the

fact that they are viewed as fertility medications, the prices and profits are

not kept in the

real world.

If I could get a doctor to prescribe me a blend of rFSH and rLH for injection

along with

some arimidex, i would change to that Dr in a heart beat!!!! The ideal

treatment would be

to use a pump to automatically inject a blend of FSH and LH

Dr. Crowley at Harvard University has been working on a study using a pump

system

similar to those used by diabetics to " inject " normal amounts of LH and FSH in

to the body

according to the body's natural rhythms. I only worked with his team for a

short period of

time, so he may also be working directly with the hormones that release FSH and

LH as

well.

In my own experience, having FSH and LH in your system making your own T and

kick-

starting sperm production just feels better. Even though fertility may not be

desired or

needed, having the FSH in your system and producing sperm is brining the body

closer to

its normal function. In addition, it lets the body approach normal sexual

function. I plan

to research the psychological and physiological benefits of having FSH and LH in

your

body in the ranges that normal men have.

In the end we are being victimized by the gluttonous drug companies, and I for

one would

like to see concerned parties to build up a co-op type of pharmacy where paying

for big

execs, stock holders, drug reps, and huge advertising budgets are not the focus.

After all

this is not rocket science!!!!

my .02

S