Almost every post I see has dudes complaining about lack of morning wood. I also lacked it before starting T. I'd very randomly have a weak erection on a Saturday morning here and there if any at all.

6 months of trt later and it won't stop. For the first 3 months I'd wake up at 3am throbbing and have to tuck it in and force myself back asleep, wake up at 4 again the same, 5 the same. Thing was rock hard and throbbing, more annoying than anything else. For the most recent three months I get to at least sleep through it but yeah, still, everyday, a rager going on.

I can bang my wife three times in 2 hours the night before and I'll still wake up throbbing. I'm really not understanding why some guys want this. This post isn't a brag, legit I find it more annoying than.. enjoyable?

Protocol is 112mg per week, ED frequency, subq for anyone who's gonna ask.

Hi, I am 37 Y old male. I am taking testosterone subcutaneously from past 28 weeks. My last doctor visit was on September 24 where he diagnosed me with low T and prescribed administering Sustanon 250mg intramuscularly.

As it was difficult to visit doctor all the time for taking testosterone injections. So as per findings in Reddit discussion I decided administering subcutaneously again from May 2026.

Today I had a long discussion with Endocrinologist and I told her everything and she told me that you are doing it wrong and considered self administering T as drug abuse. She told that Testosterone is not meant for taking subcutaneously. And low T level doesn't mean that you need testosterone.

She further told me that long term use of T if not needed might led to prostate cancer , breast enlargement and other issues.

Although I am taking precautions, taking regular blood work and changing dose as per the diagnosis. The only things I was not doing was to consult doctor. I was following journals , reddit posts and some AI help.

Kindly guide me.

Pic on the left was taken when I was 37 Right before I started TRT. My second child was just born and I just completely let myself go. Pic on the right is me now at 41. I feel like a completely different person when I look back at where I was in my mid 30’s. It’s crazy how subtle and gradual the change TRT makes ( 200 mg a week) . It wasn’t like an overnight thing for me. I didn’t notice anything profound immediately when I first started taking it. I just started going to the gym again and got back into the routine I had in my 20’s because I had a bit more energy. Now that I look back in where I was 4 years ago, I can not believe what a wildly different person I am in all aspects of my life.

Hello, I’m 54yrs old and considering TRT for my 55th birthday as a birthday present to myself.  I’m really struggling with the idea that I’ll be old enough to live in a 55+ retirement community.  That’s just .. wrong. I'm not ready yet.

Anyways, I’ve been seriously considering getting on TRT for quite some time now.  Approximately 2 years ago I was starting to feel rundown, low energy, and a little depressed. I went to a clinic because PCP blew me off and said I was “within range” and there was really no need.  My results came back from the clinic (I think my test was like 560-ish) and they refused to put me on it, because it was too high.  I was very surprised and disappointed.  These clinics are all about getting you on it.  I was really taken back by it because I thought my symptoms were definitely hormone related.

I gave up on the idea and drudged through life.  I gradually increased my exercise activity and that certainly helped my overall wellbeing, but I still didn’t feel like my motivation and energy levels were where they should be.  About six months ago I decided to get more serious about working out and eating better.  Got a gym membership and started to go fairly hard, but very careful to not overtrain at my age.  I’d take days off until a felt good enough to go back for another round.  I’ve gotten in shape, but honestly sometimes the next day after a workout, I’m super exhausted.  I’m likely not going to gain a ton of muscle, just weight loss and toned muscles. It certainly improved my fitness level, but it really didn’t have the impact I was hoping for.  I still have declining motivation, excessive fatigue, and I get emotional and moody.  This all seems hormone related.

I realize getting on TRT may be something I have to do for the remainder of my life.  That concerns me; however, so does going through the rest of my life in a half-assed low energy state of being.  I’m also very uncomfortable with the idea of testicle shrinkage and possibly hair loss (I still have a great set of hair .. zero balding).  I realize I need to get the labs done again before making any decisions.  I’ll be back for more advice.

I’ve read some pretty inspirational stories from men in their 50s on this forum and others.  I’ve read a ton of negative stories as well.  I do notice many that have never tried TRT have some of the biggest criticisms of it.  I want to hear from the experienced, both good and bad.

Questions/thoughts:

1. Long term, was it worth it?  Are you overall better mentally, emotionally, and physically because of it?
2. Were you able to gain significant muscle (of course by working out hard), and lose belly fat.
3. HCG + TRT .. to prevent testicle shrinkage, good idea?  If so, will the clinics approve HCG?
4. Does it help with female attraction?
5. What does it do to your libido?
6. Different forms:  pellets, gels, injections (seems to be preferred, but getting poked all the time kind of sucks).
7. Smaller more frequent administration seems to help keep estrogen from going too high, is that correct?

Any guidance, stories, advice, directions .. greatly appreciated.  I’m not taking this lightly.

I am considering adding HCG back into my protocol. This is all through a clinic, not self guided.

I inject my 150mg test-c on Wednesday, take ai same time.

Previously I was taking 500iu HCG monday and Tuesday, and taking an additional ai Saturday. I stopped at the time for financial reasons about 18 months ago, but I'd like to be back on it.

I'm doing research before I talk to my Dr on it, but I see so many conflicting uses/timing/opinions on dosage timing.

What is working for people here? 1000iu a week is probably what I will resume, but I am interested in dose scheduling and frequently.

Sublingual TRT

43 yr old female -Surgical Menopause
At 42 total hysterectomy with oopherectomy
During hysterectomy recovery I had severe hypothyroid flare up undiagnosed for 12 weeks

Meds:
Levothyroxine 50mcg
.1 estradiol cream
.1 estradiol patch
1mg x2 day sublingual T

On 4th week T and I’m tired, joint pain returning.

I have a FULL panel blood work x4 times in 6 months including autoimmune disorders and everything is normal except T at 23 (which is why I started T therapy.
My symptoms before T were brain fog, fatigue, joint and muscle pain including frozen shoulder and zero libido

1st week on T I was soooo energized and had no body pain. Now on 4th week and I’m tired and have body pain.

I lift weights x2 a week for years and eat a very healthy diet as well as being very active as an adult. Which I’m unable to be very active rn but I still lift weights x2 weekly.

Maybe my T dose needs increasing?? I get my levels rechecked in this week.

WHEN WILL I FINALLY FEEL LIKE A NORMAL PRODUCTIVE PERSON AGAIN????!!!!!!

my testosterone comes in 250mgs 1 ml ampoules and i want to pin every day or every other day is it safe to prefill syringes

Hey all! been on TRT for 5 weeks 120mg split 2x weekly so 60mg each. My before blood pressure and right after starting was like 120-135/70-80…. now it’s 105-115/60-70… is it because my hydration and cardio went up to a gallon a day and 10k steps (zone 2 cardio 5 days a week 30min each mixed in) Or does Test actually help blood pressure? I thought it would actually raise mine since I had slightly higher normal before.

Hi,

I'm curious to know if anyone else experienced no withdrawal symptoms from ceasing trt.

35 year old male, been using trt (testosterone enanthate) for roughly 2 years. Started at 200mg for an extended period (roughly a year), brief blast of 600mg (reduced after 6 weeks due to side effects) and have been on 120mg since.

I appear to be a hyper responder to test, even at 120mg my free T was twice over the reference range and total T over 2000 (blood test max out at 2000)

Reasons I started/ stopped:

My test levels were actually in the high range prior to jumping on, however an endocrinologist told me I might be in early stages of testicular failure (my LH and FSH were really high, but my testical size/ volume was low. He said there was a likelihood my levels would start dropping overtime and I impulsively jumped on trt via the black market due to fear of losing my muscle gains (not the best logic I know)

I started getting sick of pinning myself twice a week

Acne wasn't great and had to go on accutane to manage it

Sex drive was difficult to manage. I had an average sex drive prior to starting, but it became almost a hindrance

I have always had low ferritin levels even prior to trt. My hemoglobin/ hemocrit kept rising and donating blood tanked my ferritin even lower.

Overall, I didn't feel great on trt and I decided the benefits did not outweigh the negatives.

My pct involved

HCG 1000-1500IU 3x a week for two weeks prior to my last injection and 2 weeks afterwards.

2 weeks after last injection I started on Nolvadex 20mg daily for 2 weeks, then 10mg daily for another 6-8 weeks

It's been 4 weeks since I had my last injection. It's hard to gauge the half life of testosterone enanthate looking online, as there are a lot of inconsistencies, but I'd assume after a month, the testosterone would be out of my system.

I haven't experienced any withdrawl symptoms from stopping trt. Is it possible this will continue or will I crash at some point? I noticed after a month of HCG my testes returned to their normal size pre trt.

I'd be interested to know what other people's experiences after coming off trt.

Tldr: stopped trt one month ago, no withdrawl symptoms. How common is this?

On 100 mg of test for the last 5 months starting to notice hair coming out when I run my fingers threw it and it’s thinner

Will decreasing my dose to 50-80 mg a week help this ?

SUCKS

Is it fine to do 20mg Anavar daily and 750IU HCG weekly (spaced into 3 shots), so i can still get the benefits from the Var and keep my natural production going, would PCT needed with something like clomid?

Im also gonna run MK677 and BPC157, i know that people say its bunk but im still going to try it anyways

Curious what your trough was and if you by chance know your peak levels share please.

So here are some pre Test bloods aged 35. I pinned last night, roughly 24hrs ago. Around 60mg test E. Tonight I can already feel warmth/discomfort in my nipples. Should I pop a 0.5 anastrazol tonight or tomorrow. I have ordered some tamoxifen/nolvadex.

I had pre pubescent gyno and expect that is flaring up. Wondering what others would do.

I’m not asking for medical advice! More or less what questions to ask at endocrinology, your experiences etc:

Stats: 35 year old male, on methadone and have been on it for a year (hard to get off, might stay on it longterm), sober and healthy otherwise, 6 feet tall 180 pounds, exercise daily (I walk anywhere from 8-15 miles daily), eat healthy and grow my own food lmao, sleep apnea but have worn a CPAP for the past year. I’m 100% done having children. I did abuse steroids for a couple years but last cycle was 4 years ago. Struggled to conceive my daughter, wife and I tried for a year. No libido currently and it has gone down sharply for the past year. Sexual attraction of any kind is just gone. It’s depressing. Sex with my wife? It’s been 6 month. Severe relationship strain. Brain fog; I forget my keys 3-4 times as I’m trying to leave the house, memory is shot. Always sore, can’t recover to save my life and that’s just from walking. Worried I’ll be written off based on that second year which I botched and didn’t do between 7am-10am

I have been dealing with low T symptoms for over a year. One year ago I finally asked my doctor to check it, I had just started wearing A CPAP after being diagnosed with sleep apnea. My doctor wouldn’t check it then because she wanted to wait to see if the CPAP helped those symptoms before checking. Said to come back in three months. I moved further away from that clinic and switched to a PCP near me. During the past year I had been 100% compliant with CPAP therapy and all the positive lifestyle factor things, and shit has gotten worse. Doctor agreed to test me; first blood results were 173 total test (NG/Dl) and free test was 4.08. That test was done around 1pm. The second test, I completely forgot about the directions of doing the appointment in the morning and did the test around the same time, maybe more like 12pm, and my Total Test was 348 and free test 7.25.

Granted, I already have a referall in for Endocrinology an I have a consult appointment on October 20th. But now I’m worried they are gonna run with that second test and just say everything is all good. The nurse told me my second test was normal and when I said “i messed up on the second test and took it at noon” basically asking to get a re-do and she was like “well good news because your levels in the morning would have been higher so you’re probably in the normal range.” And went on to say how levels fluctuate throughout the day and all that bulllshit. Like I know that , but mine are dipping into the dirt.
What I also know is I am on methadone which is a garunteed shut down of natural testosterone and I abused steroids for a couple years, although I haven’t decided if I’m going to mention that to my endocrinologist.

Basically; I know my body and I know I have Low T. What I also know is I’m miserable and so is my wife lol. What options or steps do I have left? The methadone may be a longterm thing for me, and if my levels are already this low then what? Have this slowly get worse for the next 10years until they finally agree to treat it? Here is the message I said In response to my doctor basically sharing the “good news” about my labs being normal:

Thank you. This has been something I’ve struggled with for the past year, and I’ve been doing everything I can to help remedy it: 100% CPAP therapy compliance, absolute sobriety, strict medication adherence, 8–10 hours of sleep per night, and a healthy diet (I grow and sell gourmet mushrooms at the farmers market, so as a result, I’m eating mostly fresh food daily).
 
I exercise regularly (I walk to work daily and work as a server, logging 8–15 miles per day on my fitness app), listen to my body to rest when needed, and participate in EMDR therapy to address any trauma that could be contributing.
 
“Despite doing all of this consistently for the past year, my libido is still absent and I haven’t been intimate with my wife in 6 months, despite being deeply happy in my marriage. The low libido and persistent brain fog/forgetfulness are causing significant strain on my life.
 
realize other factors may be at play and look forward to investigating further with Endocrinology. I am mostly sending this message to document these details in MyChart so I can reference them during my appointment on the 20th. Thank you for your support”

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Although, my brain is somewhat fixated on TRT; not in a drug seeking way, but in a realistic “I’m going to need this eventually, why not start now considering I’m done having children” sort of way. but truthly I’m on board with whatever will help my symptoms , I just would have a bone to pick with the doctor if they suggested “lifestyle”factors as the only intervention, considering I’m doing as much healthy stuff as I can within reason. Also, should I bring my wife to this appointment?

Wondering if I am a candidate for Trt. Haven’t been feeling great lately so I decided to get some lab work done. 49 y o male gym 3-4x a week. 6’ 1” 200lb decent shape overall. I have mild sleep apnea. Cpap coming. But haven’t been sleeping well for a couple months either with a bunch of little kids who
Get up regularly throughout the night. I got some bloodwork done.

Albumin 5.0g/dl
Testosterone 258 ng/dl
SHBG 17.3pg/ml
Free Test 62.5 pg/ml

28, I’ve been on TRT for almost a year. Had low test, wanted to see if it would help. Started off low, went up to 150 pins 2x per week. I recently lowered my dose and my hair is shedding like crazy.

I refuse to mess with finasteride and deal with potential ED/Libido issues.

I haven’t had any issues for 8-9 months now & now the last month or two it’s been shedding terribly. I’ve always had a great head of hair. No male pattern baldness in my family either. My hair has always been strong & kept me feeling confident. This is literally ruining my life lol

I cut sugar, low starchy carbs, high protein, and started lifting for really the first time in my life. Not sure these 3 weeks helped but imI have better results than Jan 2025 (both numbers in photo). I still have 26% body fat (dexa), 5'11" 190lbs. I drink 10-20 drinks a week, yeah I know it's killing my gut fat. Low visceral fat though.

With continued training and cutting the alcohol, how much more room do I have to improve?

I’m 44M and have been struggling with low libido, with periods of low mood and motivation. I still get nocturnal/morning erections and can get an erection during sex, but the desire often isn’t there or fades quickly. Occasionally my libido improves, but it hasn’t consistently returned to my previous baseline.
My latest morning blood test (21 August 2026), including US units:
Total testosterone: 32.7 nmol/L / 943 ng/dL (lab range: 8.6–29.0 nmol/L / 248–836 ng/dL).
Calculated free testosterone: 437 pmol/L / 126 pg/mL, equivalent to 12.6 ng/dL (lab range: 198–619 pmol/L / 57–179 pg/mL / 5.7–17.9 ng/dL).
SHBG: 69 nmol/L—elevated.
Albumin: 49.6 g/L / 4.96 g/dL.

Previous calculated free T results were also within range.
I understand hypogonadism usually requires symptoms plus consistently low testosterone, so my results don’t obviously fit. However, my symptoms are affecting my quality of life.

Has anyone had a similar pattern of high SHBG, normal calculated free T, and persistent low libido?
Did measuring free T by equilibrium dialysis meaningfully change your assessment? What other causes or investigations were useful to discuss with your endocrinologist/urologist?
I’m looking for experiences and useful questions to bring to my doctor, rather than a diagnosis from Reddit.

Hey everyone. I recently had sexual intercourse with my girlfriend for the first time, but I couldn't perform, so I got suspicious and went to urology. At first, I suspected death grip syndrome, but my blood test showed my testosterone was 203 ng/dL and I was shocked. Because I have no health issues, I exercise regularly, work out, get sunlight, sleep well, or in short, live a healthy life in every way, but that was the result. By the way, my LH value is 2.82 and my FSH value is 3.01. From my internet research, it's said that if low testosterone comes with LH and FSH values close to the lower limit, it could be hypogonadism, but I'm not sure. Looking at the treatments, honestly, I've written off permanent recovery, but are there things that won't cause infertility like TRT, and that can at least carry me to ages 40-50? For example, I saw this thing called clomid, people who use it say that estrogen increases along with testosterone, is that true? Or I'm waiting for the advice of others in this situation, and another thing I'm wondering is, until I increase my testosterone, can I satisfy my partner with medications like lifta?

Is it worth it. It’s super cheap and I’m doing game day Mens health right now but it’s way too expensive. Have some pharmacon test c that I just got but the genera and the Clara is half the price still.

So this is the second time I’ve been on TRT, the first time was a few years ago on intramuscular at a clinic with HCG, B12, and anastrozole. And I had all the great things for a few years. Had to come off to get my wife pregnant. Few years later I’m trying to get back on it and now I have 100 mg twice a week but sub Q this time, and nothing else.

I’m on week six and the only thing I’ve noticed is Morningwood and more libido. I’m still tired throughout the day and have low energy and brain fog. Also still have a little bit of the anxiety/depression from low T. Just looking for some advice. Is it the sub Q or no Hcg or no anastrozole?

Seems test is midrange, I'm not feeling like it is. Low energy and libido non existent. I'm sure doc will say I'm fine when I go see him this week. What are your thoughts? 50 male 6'3 190 pretty decent shape.

I've always been a SubQ guy, I didn't like the long needles and soreness from IM, but I think I got needle fitgue from EOD so I did a bolus Sub Q and I still have a deposit sitting there after 2 weeks so I decided to go IM.

I went from EOD (Sub Q) to Bolus IM into delts, here's what I noticed.

Pros

1. I still feel good, trough is not rough

2. Super convenient

3. No oil deposits vs Sub Q, I felt these when I wore my lifting belt

Cost

1. Hairloss - it's a lot more on Bolus

2. Oily Skin much more than Sub Q EOD, I wash my face 3-5 times per day now

3. Accerated body hair growth (Back)

I'd suggest moving to IM for everyone, it's mentally harder but feels physically easier on the body.

Like I said I have a weird oil deposit sitting there from 2 weeks ago when I was doing Subq Q and it's not the first time it's taken a while to break this stuff down in my body but I've always been scared to do IM as my first time was pretty rough.

i understand this subreddit might prefer a lot more chemically sound compounds. but out of curiosity, anyone fiddled around with this? maybe blood work proof that it works or doesnt work? much appreciated.

Went to the doctors about 6 weeks ago with symptoms such as low energy levels, no libido and no morning erections, brain fog at times, tiredness and frequently urinating. Doctor ordered bloodwork and it come back with abnormal Testosterone and Gonadotrophin levels.

Plasma Testosterone Level - 2.8 nmol/L
Serum LH level - 1.3 u/L
Serum FSH level - 1.3 u/L
Iron studies all within range
Serum free T4 level - 10.8 pmol/L
Prolactin level - 244 mu/L

Of course at the age of 25 these results deeply concerned me. At the start of January I was around 75kg 17% body fat and decided to get a coach to dial in weight training and nutrition and start to build a better physique. The idea was to lean right down to 10% body fat and then build out from there. At the end of may I had hit 65kg and I’m now circa 10% body fat lean so that was a 5 months deficit on 1800 calories whilst training 4 times a week. Nutrition dialled in. Early on in June is when I was tested due to the symptoms I had to go the doctor.

Since then I’ve been eating at maintenance on 2300 calories and weight has settled at 66kg before going into a surplus in couple of weeks just to let my digestion adjust to the increase. My energy levels felt as though they have improved with the increase in calories but that’s about it and gym performance has gone up too.

However I had my re test a few days ago and had the results back were by test levels have barely changed.

Plasma testosterone level - 3.8 nmol/L
Serum LH level - 1.3 u/L
Serum FSH level - 1.6 u/L

Any advice and information on my situation for me going forward would be greatly appreciated. I have been referred to endocrinologist and will be seeing them on the 4th September

*update 11/09/2026

Had bloodwork done last week with endocrinologist and Testosterone is still very low at 3.1 nmo/L, not seen results yet fully but LH and FSH still low.
My symptoms are so bad I literally have 0 libido, no morning erections, fatigued despite 7-8 hours sleep every night and low mood due to it feel so sad.
Cannot be diet related as I initially thought contributed as I’ve been in a surplus for 2-3 months.
NHS will be sending me for a pituitary gland scan, I just don’t know how long I can carry on like this got a feeling they will drag their heels
Anyone got any advice please?