Adding hcg to trt saved my life

[tommyg130]

So basically for 2 years I’ve been feeling poor following an oral only steroid cycle. I went on trt after and my levels of Test and Estrogen were optimal but I still felt poor.

Now as time was continuing I started to feel awful. Real awful. Sky high cholesterol. Sleeping 8 hours and tired. Extreme sensitivity to artificial light. Adrenaline through the roof and no interest in anything . I wouldn’t say suicidal but as close to is as you could think.

After finding Ray I realized the importance of Prog, preg, dhea. So I checked those and they were in the GUTTER. Extremely low. On TRT your LH shuts off but for the sake of Test it doesn’t matter bc you are getting it exogenously. What I didn’t think to consider was how the cascade of upstream hormones would turn off now.

I tried supplementing preg, prog.dhea but I couldn’t get the ratios right and felt off still. Adding hcg mimicks LH basically and backfills those hormones. I feel so much better. I lowered my trt dose to make up for the extra aromatizing from hcg.

I was legit 2 years with these steroid hormones non existent.. my god lol.. why isn’t this more studied or known on trt.. is there a better long term option to fill these hormones besides hcg.

I suppose everyone is different because some people will be on trt and no hcg and feel fine but yeah for me those upstream hormones turned off basically

 

[tommyg130]

I find this to be extremely fascinating . How this isn’t more known in the TRT world. It’s not even tested on routine blood work.. I needed to go out of pocket. My endo said those hormones being low doesn’t matter if my Test and estrogen are in range lol. He clearly doesn’t understand that these hormones all work in ratios

 

[opethfeldt]

I think this is why people taking testosterone tend to look more "masculine" in terms of how we define it in the west. Think Joe Rogan. Probably high cortisol or at least unopposed cortisol combined with high androgens. High androgens with proper youth hormones seems to have the opposite effect and make one look younger and healthier. Testosterone and DHT can probably somewhat make up for the deficiency if their levels are high enough because they do reduce cortisol but it's more the ratio of DHEA(S) and cortisol rather than the absolute level of cortisol that matters. Hcg or concurrent supplementation of DHEA and/or preg should become standard practice on TRT I think.

 

[tommyg130]

I

I think this is why people taking testosterone tend to look more "masculine" in terms of how we define it in the west. Think Joe Rogan. Probably high cortisol or at least unopposed cortisol combined with high androgens. High androgens with proper youth hormones seems to have the opposite effect and make one look younger and healthier. Testosterone and DHT can probably somewhat make up for the deficiency if their levels are high enough because they do reduce cortisol but it's more the ratio of DHEA(S) and cortisol rather than the absolute level of cortisol that matters. Hcg or concurrent supplementation of DHEA and/or preg should become standard practice on TRT I think.

I agree.. I really can’t believe how much better I feel w hcg. Although it’s an outside substance, obviously it turns on my own production of those Youth hormones so they come in their natural ratios. As opposed to taking preg, dhea, prog.. I’ve been on hcg and still take coriton and preg in very small doses just bc

 

[Donttreadonme]

So basically for 2 years I’ve been feeling poor following an oral only steroid cycle. I went on trt after and my levels of Test and Estrogen were optimal but I still felt poor.

Now as time was continuing I started to feel awful. Real awful. Sky high cholesterol. Sleeping 8 hours and tired. Extreme sensitivity to artificial light. Adrenaline through the roof and no interest in anything . I wouldn’t say suicidal but as close to is as you could think.

After finding Ray I realized the importance of Prog, preg, dhea. So I checked those and they were in the GUTTER. Extremely low. On TRT your LH shuts off but for the sake of Test it doesn’t matter bc you are getting it exogenously. What I didn’t think to consider was how the cascade of upstream hormones would turn off now.

I tried supplementing preg, prog.dhea but I couldn’t get the ratios right and felt off still. Adding hcg mimicks LH basically and backfills those hormones. I feel so much better. I lowered my trt dose to make up for the extra aromatizing from hcg.

I was legit 2 years with these steroid hormones non existent.. my god lol.. why isn’t this more studied or known on trt.. is there a better long term option to fill these hormones besides hcg.

I suppose everyone is different because some people will be on trt and no hcg and feel fine but yeah for me those upstream hormones turned off basically

Perhaps Umunrelated to hormones involved in hcg, but oxytocin is wonderful for some of things you describe

 

[tommyg130]

Hmm interesting !,. My issues were def related to those hormones but I would one day play around w some of that once I get back to baseline

Perhaps Umunrelated to hormones involved in hcg, but oxytocin is wonderful for some of things you describe

 

[Murtaza]

So basically for 2 years I’ve been feeling poor following an oral only steroid cycle. I went on trt after and my levels of Test and Estrogen were optimal but I still felt poor.

Now as time was continuing I started to feel awful. Real awful. Sky high cholesterol. Sleeping 8 hours and tired. Extreme sensitivity to artificial light. Adrenaline through the roof and no interest in anything . I wouldn’t say suicidal but as close to is as you could think.

After finding Ray I realized the importance of Prog, preg, dhea. So I checked those and they were in the GUTTER. Extremely low. On TRT your LH shuts off but for the sake of Test it doesn’t matter bc you are getting it exogenously. What I didn’t think to consider was how the cascade of upstream hormones would turn off now.

I tried supplementing preg, prog.dhea but I couldn’t get the ratios right and felt off still. Adding hcg mimicks LH basically and backfills those hormones. I feel so much better. I lowered my trt dose to make up for the extra aromatizing from hcg.

I was legit 2 years with these steroid hormones non existent.. my god lol.. why isn’t this more studied or known on trt.. is there a better long term option to fill these hormones besides hcg.

I suppose everyone is different because some people will be on trt and no hcg and feel fine but yeah for me those upstream hormones turned off basically

which oral steroid did you take?

 

[tommyg130]

which oral steroid did you take?

lgd a sarm.. honesty could have not been and been something else rly don’t know ..

 

[Matestube]

I think this is why people taking testosterone tend to look more "masculine" in terms of how we define it in the west.

Yes !
Testosterone only does give a more masculine look than test + preg or test + prog.

 

[Mister]

@tommyg130 You had bad libido too?

 

[Validus]

hCG being part of a TRT protocol is actually very common practice, at least in the US the past few years, especially for those looking to maintain testicular function, size, as well as backfill hormonal cascades like you mentioned already.

 

[Peroxphos]

I don't know for the whole TRT world, but in the good TRT clinics and in this Ray Peat community it's quite well known that the upstream steroids (and subsequent pathways like allopreg) can be shut down and that it has bad consequences. Shutdown is always discussed here when talking about suppressive steroids.

What were the doses of Preg, Dhea, Prog that you have tried and haven't given results as good as your current hCG?

There is a podcast of @Hans discussing with @Lancaster in which @Lancaster argues that Preg is intracrine and some cells can't get it from the blood, they get it only by producing it themselves with the right HPTA signalling, so supplementing Preg will not put Preg in those cells.