Managing Testosterone

Have a look at ergo-log.com. There’s heaps of info on there. For example they recently listed a study where it was found that a certain amount of Ashwaganda improved testosterone by 17% ( though I think it was a rat study).It’s my go to web site for supplement info.

I read up on testosterone replacement therapy before starting the injections. Though the prescription was for two vials monthly, about 15 days apart, after looking at the data on Pfizer’s web site, it looked like weekly would be much more efficient, so I started that way a bit over a year ago.

At my 6-month follow-up I asked the endocrinologist about doing daily subdermal injections. They’re supposed to make more efficient use of the testosterone. She was vehemently opposed to that. At the next 6-month visit she asked if I was still doing the weekly injections. She seemed relieved when I answered ‘yes’.

Two weeks ago I got some .3cc insulin syringes and started an every-other-day schedule. It takes quite a bit of force to move testosterone cypionate through the tiny needle. I was also surprised to find that it burned noticeably. The intramuscular injections into the thigh don’t have any feeling other than the needle itself.

By the third injection I was developing acne again. Fortunately it went away after a few days. The “oily face” thing also came back, and hasn’t gone away yet. So I think the every-other-day schedule might be giving me more bang per bottle, as various people have claimed.

That was the third visit to the endocrinologist - the initial visit and labs, 6 months, and the next 6 months and labs. Nobody told me not to take the injection on my regular schedule before the first 6-month visit. She was upset and said there was no use running the labs then. The last time I called to check, and they wanted at least a week between the last shot and the next visit.

It seems the endo is only interested in my base testosterone reading, presumably to justify continuing the therapy to my insurance carrier. Which is fine with me, but she apparently has no interest whatsoever in what her prescribed dose (the usual 200mg/ml twice a month almost everyone gets) is doing to my testosterone numbers. I got my regular doc to run a test after the first 6-month endo visit; the number was 756, which was OK. But the endo doesn’t know or care.

Took my first 1600 mg dose of Fadogia Agrestis with Tongkat Ali today. Some people swear it works wonders for upping the T.

A friend told me today it whipped him up into a rage all the time… Lately, I have barely a pulse anymore, so wouldn’t mind some rage.

I don’t know what it would do to me now, but I tried that stuff about 15 years ago for gym performance. I don’t have a clue what the dose was. My ex described it as “roid rage”. I didn’t take it very long. I noticed it too, made me a short-fused powder keg. Life was kind of miserable being pissed off all the time.

Huh! Second person that’s described it being similar to “roid rage.” I do seem to recall being “fucking pissed off” all the time in my 20s. Maybe it’ll transport me back to the past!

I read a pubmed abstract about Fadogia Agrestis. It sounds promising as a aphrodisiac and muscle building supplement. Aphrodisiac potentials of the aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis (Schweinf. Ex Hiern) stem in male albino rats - PubMed

Has it worked you up a rage Don?

Some interesting counter-claims, though it should be noted the author is trying to market his own herbal booster:

Does Fadogia Agrestis Work?: 6 Things To Know (UPDATED 2022)

No rage yet. If it’s good enough for albino rats, it’s good enough for me. "Increase in mount frequency." Hellyeah!

I quit taking celery seed extract and L-arginine at the beginning of December, to get a clean base lab for my biannual testosterone check. EQ dropped noticeably.

However, it has been improving slowly, and rapidly since I went to the every-other-day testosterone injections. Which is interesting; testosterone didn’t do a damned thing for my EQ before, and I’ve read similar comments from people on several forums. Yet not only has EQ improved, for the last few days I’ve been getting occasional spontaneous wood. I haven’t seen that since I quit taking the supplements.

Testosterone breaks down over time; at the prescribed two-week interval most of the last week isn’t doing much. Then you get a big spike for a few days after taking the shot.

I’m guessing it takes a while for the body to respond to testosterone, and even at the 1-week interval I was using, it was being metabolized below some critical limit before it could start showing obvious improvement. On the every-other-day schedule testosterone fluctuates much less.

This morning was the ninth every-other-day injection, and it still stung like a bastard for a few minutes.

Friday I’ll try my leg instead of my stomach; there’s still plenty of fat down there. Maybe it’s where it goes, not intramuscular vs. skin pop.

Toxicity is very important indeed. Hope to know more about short/long term adverse side effects.

Celery seed (spice version) that I make soup with beets in my pressure cooker give me excellent EQ throughout the night. I tried DIM before but it caused me going bald at the crown - It worked too well. Stopped taking it and got my hair back.

Almost everything is toxic if the dose is high enough. The question is if the stuff has a useful effect before its toxicity becomes a problem.

If something comes from plants, toxicity is a matter of degree. Even for common foodstuffs.

For what it’s worth, I’ll put down my own experience on free testosterone. I’ve had a low libido for some years now, and EQ hasn’t always been that great, plus last year was a tough one with bereavement and lots of anxiety coming in which didn’t help. A friend of mine had suggested early on that it could be male menopause, which when looking into it is all about male hormone levels. So in Feb 2022 I’d had a full blood test for male hormones, and free testosterone was 0.33 nmol/L. I also checked myself into a mens health clinic in Jan 2023 for a full blood test and review, similar result (0.35 nmol/L). Mens health guys suggested Testogel as I was on the low end (even though not below the threshold) but I didn’t go for it. Instead I decided to try photobiomodulation / red light therapy on my balls daily for 15 mins, and will retest after a 3 month period - will be interesting if it increases free T as has happened with other guys, I’ll try and remember to report back here about it.

Another thing re. erection quality, I’m looking into shockwave therapy as an option - seems it’s done by ED clinics and helps to clear plaque and create new capillaries, and can help sort out age-related ED. I’d be interested if anyone has had experience with that as well, but anyway that’s another thing I’m going to try and report back on!