Shop around for a good doc that actually understands it. TRT clinics will find any excuse to put you on, but they don't know how to optimize well. They are usually just a bunch of PAs fresh out of school.
Check out google and hit up some of the message boards to find a GOOD T doc in your area...may be an endo or may be a GP...but finding someone that knows what they are doing (or is flexible enough to let YOU call the shots) goes a long way in having a successful run. [Reply]
Shop around for a good doc that actually understands it. TRT clinics will find any excuse to put you on, but they don't know how to optimize well. They are usually just a bunch of PAs fresh out of school.
Check out google and hit up some of the message boards to find a GOOD T doc in your area...may be an endo or may be a GP...but finding someone that knows what they are doing (or is flexible enough to let YOU call the shots) goes a long way in having a successful run.
Do you think this guy seems like he knows his stuff? He's not cheap (like $800 up front and $249/month flat rate for TRT). My other option is a standard endo in my PPO network.
Obviously he does a lot of clients who aren't exactly getting prescriptions. Which isn't what I'm looking to do - I just want TRT-level. But I also need to worry about blood pressure apparently. [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
Do you think this guy seems like he knows his stuff? He's not cheap (like $800 up front and $249/month flat rate for TRT).
Obviously he does a lot of clients who aren't exactly getting prescriptions. Which isn't what I'm looking to do - I just want TRT-level. But I also need to worry about blood pressure apparently.
Oh yeah, he's very well known and he definitely knows his stuff. But that's EXPENSIVE AS HELL and quite unneccessary.
After starting at a T-mill/men's health type place, I finally found a good general practitioner. I've been on for a while and I'm dialed in, so I just show up twice a year for bloodwork. Insurance pays for the visits 80/20 as a physical (depending on where I'm at with my deductible). The labwork ends up costing me $20 or so after insurance. The actual testosterone costs $40 at Walgreens with a GoodRx coupon (enough to last 10 weeks). I inject at home. The whole thing costs maaybe $400 per year (depending on deductible).
Shop around doctors. Look on message boards for good TRT docs in your area. You are in LA, right? You should be able to find a recommended one that is in network. [Reply]
Originally Posted by loochy:
Oh yeah, he's very well known and he definitely knows his stuff. But that's EXPENSIVE AS HELL and quite unneccessary.
After starting at a T-mill/men's health type place, I finally found a good general practitioner. I've been on for a while and I'm dialed in, so I just show up twice a year for bloodwork. Insurance pays for the visits 80/20 as a physical (depending on where I'm at with my deductible). The labwork ends up costing me $20 or so after insurance. The actual testosterone costs $40 at Walgreens with a GoodRx coupon (enough to last 10 weeks). I inject at home. The whole thing costs maaybe $400 per year (depending on deductible).
Shop around doctors. Look on message boards for good TRT docs in your area. You are in LA, right? You should be able to find a recommended one that is in network.
Yeah sounds like he's unnecessary for TRT. The one thing I liked was him recommending stuff like magnesium for high BP.
My GP just wants to put me on pills and I'm really resistant because I suspect those things usually get you dependent and hooked for life. I've never had high BP until the last year. I figure it has to be the sust. I've been off a while and my BP is going down, but not as fast as I like.
I gave blood and they did a thing where they take just the red blood cells (which were high) and put the rest back with some kind of Inception-machine. That instantly dropped my systolic by 20 and diastolic by 5. But it seems to be creeping back up a little. [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
Yeah sounds like he's unnecessary for TRT. The one thing I liked was him recommending stuff like magnesium for high BP.
My GP just wants to put me on pills and I'm really resistant because I suspect those things usually get you dependent and hooked for life. I've never had high BP until the last year. I figure it has to be the sust. I've been off a while and my BP is going down, but not super fast.
Yeah, high BP is BAD. It really is the silent killer - it wreaks havoc on your kidneys. Don't be afraid to take something for the blood pressure, prescription or not. The sides of that are better than having high BP. It's probably the worst side to have from TRT.
A lot of time the blood pressure is caused by estrogen symptoms (water retention). Is your E2 in check? How much test are you on? 200ish a week? [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
Yeah sounds like he's unnecessary for TRT. The one thing I liked was him recommending stuff like magnesium for high BP.
My GP just wants to put me on pills and I'm really resistant because I suspect those things usually get you dependent and hooked for life. I've never had high BP until the last year. I figure it has to be the sust. I've been off a while and my BP is going down, but not as fast as I like.
I gave blood and they did a thing where they take just the red blood cells (which were high) and put the rest back with some kind of Inception-machine. That instantly dropped my systolic by 20 and diastolic by 5. But it seems to be creeping back up a little.
Oh yeah, you did the double reds. That's great for getting your HCT down too (blood thickness can be an issue, but is easy enough to solve). [Reply]
Yeah cyprionate is what I did first - through a prescription so it wasn't stepped-on. I didn't like the spikes. Seems like I'd need to do it twice a week. But you probably get used to it after a while. [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
Yeah cyprionate is what I did first - through a prescription so it wasn't stepped-on. I didn't like the spikes. Seems like I'd need to do it twice a week. But you probably get used to it after a while.
every other day shallow IM with an insulin syringe is easy, fast, and smooths the spikes. no crashes, no acne, and no AI needed that way. [Reply]
Originally Posted by suzzer99:
Yeah cyprionate is what I did first - through a prescription so it wasn't stepped-on. I didn't like the spikes. Seems like I'd need to do it twice a week. But you probably get used to it after a while.
It takes a while to adjust to the spikes. Took me a couple of months. I take an injection once every two weeks. A guy I know got his doctor to let him do it once a week but my doc says that the body needs to cycle.
Also gels\creams suck. I did the gel you rub on your shoulder for 6 months and nothing improved. When I did my labs my doc asked if I was skipping injections and when I told him I was on the gel he told me to get on the needle. Said he thought I was on that from the start.
I was similar to someone else here that was having trouble losing weight even though I was working out a lot and eating healthy. I do have high cholesterol so that doesn't help but a friend suggested I get my T level tested. When I did I was dangerously low. Everything else was "working fine" just wasn't losing weight. So I would say when you hit your 40's you need to have that shit tested. [Reply]