HRT dosage question

Qwert · Jan 21, 2006

My friend, who's turns 40 this year, just found out that he has low test levels & was put on HRT. However, his Dr put him on 100mg every 3 weeks. He feels great for a week, then slowly crashes & by week 3, he feels awful. He asked his Dr to put him on a higher dosage & his Dr said he's going by what the literature says. He told me this &, to me, 100mg every 3 weeks seems ludicrous. I would've thought 100mg a week at least. Now he has to find some literature or proof to give to his Dr so that he can change his mind & be put on a higher dosage. The question I have is "what is the proper dosage for HRT"? Is there any data on this on the net that he can print out to show his Dr?

thebrick · Jan 21, 2006

I am suprised that doc is using injections only. When I was diagnosed with lo test levels, my doctor gave me an injection of test on the first visit and then immediately started me on a testosterone gel which I apply every morning. The gel is immediately absorbed into the skin and then the test is slowly absorbed into your system over the next number of hours. Your blood levels stay more even as they would naturally. One shot every three weeks seems like a recipe for constantly changing testosterone levels to me. I have been there. I am sure by week three your friend does feel like shit. Tell your friend to ask about Androgel or something simular. Go to androgel.com print some info and tell your doctor about it. Sounds like he is in the dark ages.

hompie · Jan 21, 2006

I get 250 mg every 10 days.
Wouldn't settle for less

Qwert · Jan 21, 2006

hompie said:
I get 250 mg every 10 days.
Wouldn't settle for less

Is that a Dr prescribed dosage?

MikeS · Jan 21, 2006

Fuck the damn doctor. Have him do it himself. I have a bud who was low-the Dr kept pissing around with low dose. God forbit he gets him in an anabolic state and he actually gains a bit of muscle-the world might spin off its axis.
Id say 200-250mg wk. Thats what I do when inbetween higher dose cycle,
and I feel great. Actually there is very little anabolic effect at that dose-I think it just replaces normal amounts. High end HTR might be 350mg or so.

thebrick · Jan 21, 2006

MikeS said:
Fuck the damn doctor. Have him do it himself. I have a bud who was low-the Dr kept pissing around with low dose. God forbit he gets him in an anabolic state and he actually gains a bit of muscle-the world might spin off its axis.
Id say 200-250mg wk. Thats what I do when inbetween higher dose cycle,
and I feel great. Actually there is very little anabolic effect at that dose-I think it just replaces normal amounts. High end HTR might be 350mg or so.

Agreed. A doctor is always going to be super conservative. Who could afford to go the the doctore every week or 10 days for a shot anyway?

cryptasm · Jan 21, 2006

MikeS said:
Fuck the damn doctor. Have him do it himself. I have a bud who was low-the Dr kept pissing around with low dose. God forbit he gets him in an anabolic state and he actually gains a bit of muscle-the world might spin off its axis.
Id say 200-250mg wk. Thats what I do when inbetween higher dose cycle,
and I feel great. Actually there is very little anabolic effect at that dose-I think it just replaces normal amounts. High end HTR might be 350mg or so.

I AGREE FUCK THE DR. I DO 250MGS A WEEK TOO..BETWEEN CYCLES..AS PRESCRIBED BY DR. MIKE S

..AND IT WORKS FOR ME.
OR FIND A DR. THATS WILLING TO GIVE HIM ENUFF TO WORK, 100MGS IS BARLEY ENUFF FOR A WEEK LET ALONE 3...HIS DR. DOESNT KNOW SHIT..TELL HIM TO FIND ANOTHER DR. IF HE DOESNT WANT TO GO TO THE DARK SIDE TO GET IT.

Massive G · Jan 21, 2006

Unfortunatley Q the way injectables are administered and what is available, the injectable route is a very ineffecient way of performing HRT.
3 weeks seems excessive, hell 10 days is pushing it with the CYP ester.
I did a little digging and searching and couldn't find anything medically speaking defining esters and treatment that I could link to that you could have him print off and show the doc.
He may have to switch docs, and go to an endo.
It was my interpretation the docs would tailor the dose to blood levels of Free T-shit he should go in and get a free T on the last day before he is to take his shot, that should show the doc the therapy isn't working as planned.
I'd search for a new doc and or ask for Androgel as Brick stated above it works and will give him a daily dose of test to function normally and avoid the crash and imporove his quality of life.

It's tooo bad this isn't used here as it looks like it would solve the problem of the uneven blood levels of test and the crash.
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15058

Snarf · Jan 21, 2006

Your doctor is an idiot. First of all he should titrate your dose based on the results of your labs. Saying that 100mg every three weeks works for everyone is stupid.

He needs to do another lab on you and see where your total and free test is at. At the very least you should be getting a shot every two weeks and that is not even that great. Three weeks is too long based on the half life of that drug.

Androgel is a great solution becuase it gives steady blood levels and you can do it yourself and docs are not worried about you carrying needles. That stuff is selling like crazy over the past 5 years. Docs are finally getting the idea that hormone replacement for men is just as important as it is for women.

hompie · Jan 21, 2006

Qwert said:
Is that a Dr prescribed dosage?

It is...........

dragonfire101 · Jan 22, 2006

when i qualified for HRT, which was intentially to get a script they gave a script for 200mg ew of test cyp. They said if it did not keep me within normal ranged they could go high as 300mg ew or add in a little androgel.

The literature they sent 200mg was the average dose along with hcg at 1000iu for 10 days after 10weeks of test. They would break you for 2 weeks and start you over. If you wanted they would start you at 1iu of gh ed also and wante dyou to take 100-200mg of dhea also.

Qwert · Jan 22, 2006

dragonfire101 said:
when i qualified for HRT, which was intentially to get a script they gave a script for 200mg ew of test cyp. They said if it did not keep me within normal ranged they could go high as 300mg ew or add in a little androgel.

The literature they sent 200mg was the average dose along with hcg at 1000iu for 10 days after 10weeks of test. They would break you for 2 weeks and start you over. If you wanted they would start you at 1iu of gh ed also and wante dyou to take 100-200mg of dhea also.

Do you know where I can get a hold of that literature. My friend can give it to his Dr to show him that 200mg a week is a good dosage.

Ashop · Jan 22, 2006

Qwert said:
My friend, who's turns 40 this year, just found out that he has low test levels & was put on HRT. However, his Dr put him on 100mg every 3 weeks. He feels great for a week, then slowly crashes & by week 3, he feels awful. He asked his Dr to put him on a higher dosage & his Dr said he's going by what the literature says. He told me this &, to me, 100mg every 3 weeks seems ludicrous. I would've thought 100mg a week at least. Now he has to find some literature or proof to give to his Dr so that he can change his mind & be put on a higher dosage. The question I have is "what is the proper dosage for HRT"? Is there any data on this on the net that he can print out to show his Dr?

My advice would be to locate another doctor.

dragonfire101 · Jan 22, 2006

Do you know where I can get a hold of that literature.

You can most likely look up some literature on pubmed. What they gave me was a newsletter and usage article put out my thier own clinic for thier clients. I dont have it anymore.

Like Alin said I would go o another Doc or clinic.

dragonfire101 · Jan 22, 2006

Your DOC is most likely going on this article which is outdated, in 26 years alot has changed.

1: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1980 Dec;51(6):1335-9. Related Articles, Links

Treatment of male hypogonadism with testosterone enanthate.

Snyder PJ, Lawrence DA.

To determine the relative efficacy of several dosage regimens of testosterone enanthate in the treatment of male hypogonadism, we treated men who had primary hypogonadism with the following dosage regimens: 100 mg once a week, 200 mg every 2 weeks, 300 mg every 3 weeks, and 400 mg every 4 weeks, each for 12--16 weeks. Twenty-three men completed 37 dosage regimens. The 100-, 200-, and 300-mg dosages all suppressed the initially elevated serum LH concentrations to normal, but the 400-mg dosage did not. The 100- and 200-mg regimens suppressed the initially elevated serum FSH concentrations to normal, and the 300-mg regimen almost did not so. All four regimens produced serum testosterone concentrations that fluctuated largely within the normal range, the average concentration between doses was highest with 100 mg and lowest with 400 mg. The regimens of 200 mg every 2 weeks and 300 mg every 3 weeks appeared to be the most effective of those tested in terms of suppression of the serum LH concentration to normal and infrequency of administration. The close parallel of the FSH response to that of LH suggests that testosterone is the major physiological inhibitor of FSH as well as of LH.

PMID: 6777395 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]