Testosterone is considered a steroid hormone that is secreted mostly by the testicles in men, with additional small amounts secreted by the adrenal glands. It is from the androgen group, and is a male sex hormone with anabolic properties. In men, testosterone is vital for helping develop reproductive tissues (testicles, prostate, etc.). It also promotes secondary sexual characteristics such as muscle size, mass, and production of body hair.
This is a hormone that has a major impact on our health and well-being. When increased, it can provide a boost in sexual performance, cognition, mood, muscle mass, and body hair. Having sufficient testosterone is also considered a good preventative measure against developing osteoporosis. Among adult men, testosterone levels are typically between 7x and 8x greater than levels among women.
Medically, testosterone is used primarily to help males who are unable to naturally produce sufficient testosterone (e.g. hypnogonadism). In this case, a doctor may recommend “TRT” (testosterone replacement therapy), which helps keep levels within the “normal” range. Other uses for testosterone boosters include: erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis, height growth, and appetite stimulation.
Many individuals have undergone “TRT” and androgen replacement therapy for years with positive results. However, some people don’t like the side effects and/or feel as if they would rather not have to take T-boosters to function. If you have taken the testosterone for a lengthy period of time and quit, you may experience withdrawal symptoms.
Factors that influence Testosterone withdrawal
There are many factors that will influence the withdrawal process from testosterone. These include things like: how long you’ve been taking testosterone / receiving boosters, how much you have been increasing it, how abruptly you tapered off of it, as well as other individual factors such as: diet, whether you exercise, etc.
1. Time Span
How long have you been receiving testosterone injections or applying AndroGel? In general, the longer the time span over which you have been receiving treatment, the longer it may take your body to readjust upon discontinuation. If you have only been receiving testosterone therapy for a short duration and stop, you have a much greater chance of recovering without severe withdrawal symptoms.
2. Dosage (Amount)
In general, the greater the amount of testosterone you inject or take, the more difficulty you may have stopping. The dosage that you are taking will vary depend on the condition for which you are taking it. For example, those who are receiving short-acting solution may receive only between 25 mg to 50 mg between 2 and 3 times per week.
On the other hand, those receiving long-acting cypionate or enathate may receive between 50 mg and 400 mg every 2 to 4 weeks. If a transdermal film application is utilized, most people take between 2.5 mg and 5 mg. If it is applied in gel format (i.e. AndroGel), which often come in tubes or spray, recommended dosing is usually 5 g, 7.5 g, or 10 g of the gel, equating to between 25 mg and 50 mg of testosterone.
Those who had to take higher quantities of testosterone may have more of a difficult time when it comes to stopping. The entire nervous system will go through a period of readjustment when the dosing is dropped and following discontinuation. It is important to work with your doctor to determine how quickly to taper off of testosterone.
3. Cold Turkey vs. Tapering
How did you stop your testosterone? Did you gradually taper down the amount you were receiving or did you abruptly discontinue? Simply discontinuing without gradually tapering down the amount of hormone you received may lead to more severe withdrawal effects. This is because your nervous system becomes dependent on the amount you were receiving for functioning.
If you immediately stop the testosterone therapy without giving it any time to adapt to changes, your nervous system may be somewhat shocked at the significant drop-off in production. In most cases, doctors will work with you to gradually reduce the testosterone therapy so that you can minimize any unwanted discontinuation effects.
4. Individual Factors
It is important to keep in mind that many individual factors can influence testosterone levels. Some individuals have a physiology and genetics that allow them to quickly recover from testosterone withdrawal, while others be sensitive to discontinuation. Additionally whether you are taking other medications could have an influence on what you experience during withdrawal.
Your age, whether you engage in physical exercise (e.g. strength training), and your diet can all influence how quickly you recover from withdrawals. The goal when you stop enhancing testosterone production should be to elevate levels through natural means. Someone who engages in activities that are known to boost levels may experience a quicker recovery than someone who doesn’t.
Testosterone Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilities
Most would agree that withdrawal from taking testosterone is relatively mild. There are always going to be some more extreme cases though, and withdrawal experiences are typically based on the individual. Below are some of the most common symptoms that people deal with when they stop their testosterone boosters.
- Anxiety: Many people report experiencing reductions in anxiety when they receive testosterone boosters. There is some evidence linking increases in testosterone with decreases in anxiety. When you stop the T-boosters, your anxiety levels may initially increase; in some cases significantly.
- Depression: Some people note a mild depression for a week or two when they cycle off or stop testosterone. The depression that you experience may be more severe depending on your particular life circumstances. It is known that low testosterone can contribute to depression, especially in aging men. Although there are many user-suggested links between using antidepressants and low testosterone levels, there is currently not enough evidence to support this claim.
- Fatigue: When you stop increasing your testosterone, you may notice the onset of fatigue. This fatigue may be overwhelming initially, but should improve over time. There is evidence that having low testosterone can lead to low energy. When you come off of the testosterone, your levels are likely going to be initially very low.
- Headaches: Experiencing headaches is a normal consequence of withdrawing from many things, including testosterone. This is usually caused by your nervous system attempting to adapt to functioning without the booster.
- Mood swings: When coming off of testosterone, you may notice that your moods constantly change. One minute you may feel really angry and upset, the next you may feel depressed, and other times you may just feel anxious. Usually it takes some time before your mood will stabilize after you withdraw.
- Muscle loss: When you increase your testosterone, it makes it much easier to pack on lean muscle mass. When you stop taking the booster, you may experience some degree of muscle loss. This is a common experience for bodybuilders and for those who have noticed improvements in size while working out.
- Low libido: Your sex drive may experience significant decrease compared to when you were receiving the boosts. Many people take testosterone for the specific purpose of increasing their sex drive. When they stop taking it, they may experience reduced interest in having sex.
- Low testosterone: The inevitable part of stopping testosterone therapy is that your T-levels will be reduced. During this time, it is recommended to engage in activities that will stimulate your body’s natural production of testosterone. Over time, you should notice that your T-level improves from when you stopped receiving injections or applying gel.
- Sexual dysfunction: In some cases testosterone is given to help with erectile dysfunction and sexual performance. If you notice some degree of sexual dysfunction, it is likely due to the fact that your testosterone has dipped back down to a low level.
- Slowed cognition: There is some evidence that increasing testosterone levels can help with cognition, specifically mental processing speed and memory. If you notice that you have “brain fog,” slowed thinking speed, and slight dips in memory, this may be part of withdrawal.
- Weight changes: If you gained or lost weight while getting testosterone boosted, you may notice the exact opposite when you come off of it. The body tends to reset itself back to homeostatic functioning over time. Therefore if you lost weight while on testosterone, you may gain back the weight that you lost.
Note: The amount of time testosterone stays in your system may determine when you first notice these discontinuation symptoms. If you were utilizing intramuscular ester injections, symptoms may emerge weeks after your final dose compared to if you were using transdermal or transmucosal formats (which have a shorter half-life).
Testosterone Withdrawal Length: How long does it last?
Some people will only notice symptoms for a week or two after they’ve discontinued using testosterone boosters, while others may have longer lasting effects. Although symptoms from discontinuing testosterone tend to be similar, the length and severity will be based on the individual. Those that were taking high amounts of testosterone for an extended period of time may take months to notice improvement.
Those who cycle on and off of it may become used to the little withdrawal periods and know what to expect. However people who just quit for the first time may initially be overwhelmed with what they are experiencing. During withdrawal, you may want to consider partaking in some natural methods of testosterone boosting including: strength training, zinc supplementation, reducing stress, increasing healthy fat consumption, consider protein supplementation for BCAA (branch chain amino acids).
Compared to most psychiatric drugs and illicit substances, withdrawing from testosterone is regarded as being relatively minor. However, just because it is considered fairly minor to withdraw from doesn’t mean it’s easy. When you artificially boost testosterone, your body becomes accustomed to receiving the booster for daily functioning, and when the supply is cut, you may have a difficult time.
Upon discontinuing T, your nervous system and body may take awhile to readjust itself to functioning without it. The readjustment process is what causes a person to experience withdrawal symptoms. If you have successfully stopped taking testosterone boosters, feel free to share your withdrawal experience in the comments section below.
I just wanted to reassure anyone considering stopping TRT that a lot of these symptoms people have mentioned are very mild and don’t last very long. I have been taking sustanon 250 every 12 days for around 18 months and stopped cold turkey due to wanting to regain fertility. The symptoms I had between weeks 2 to 3 1/2 weeks were, fatigue, a bad headache, increased anxiety (which was remedied with some valium), and the odd night sweat.
It was not a massive deal, so don’t let the horror stories scare you. It’s now week 5 and I feel good again, my testicles have increased in size and are firmer and this was all without any HCG or Clomid etc. All I used was a multivitamin, vitamin C+D, zinc, calcium and some grape seed extract, along with healthy eating.
If you’re concerned, have some T-gel aside as a safety net although I doubt you will use it.
I’m a 50 year man, with a history of depression. I was feeling low in energy and had low libido. I talk to my doctor and he recommended Axis. My wife got worried about the side effects and I began a regiment of 1 ml injections. I was feeling great! I had sexual intercourse normally. But, I stopped the injections, this led to anxiety, depression, insomnia and suicidal thoughts. I have been with symptoms for over 2 weeks now. I feel miserable. Right now it is 3:41 AM and sleepless. Does anyone know how long these symptoms will last?
Someone in my husband’s family just committed suicide from going cold turkey. Please do this slowly with help of a doctor…so sad!
I have been on 140cc per week for 5 months. I started having some bad side effects and decided to come off of it. Primarily because my levels were at 750 naturally and then 10 months later they were at 250 (it was a stressful hard 10 months with me drinking everyday). I skipped a week and stepped down to 100cc. I plan to get another 100cc at the 2 week point. I am getting no (very little) help from the dr in coming off of this. I am hoping for some advice.
My husband is 39 and he tested in the 250 range but he was unsure of whether he wanted to take test so he waited a few weeks and then decided to go ahead with it. He went in and was given 200mg to last for 2 weeks and at the same time he asked for another blood test. Meanwhile in two weeks he went back in and got another 100mg shot.
Finally this past week he went back they gave him his next 100mg and then told him that his numbers were in the 400’s after the last test (which wouldn’t have shown the test in his system) so he didn’t qualify and they weren’t giving it to him again. My question is, should he stop cold turkey or try weaning himself off? If so, how much and how often should he inject?
Insurance being a pain and my doctors staff being too busy to fool with a correct prior authorization issue caused me to go off Androgel cold turkey, not voluntarily, and I had been on it five years. Seems like the low dose I was using started losing its effectiveness over the last two years. It’s been a little over a month now and they finally got the paperwork fixed so they are shipping me some but I’m not sure I want it.
I really haven’t noticed any terrible withdrawal symptoms. I wonder if maybe just me losing weight and getting into better shape helped. I think I’m going to stick with not using it. So I would say, cold turkey.
Any updates on being off?
Hello all! I have been doing some research about testosterone withdrawal and stumbled on this thread. I believe that I am currently struggling with test withdrawal/side effects and could use some follow up from people that may have or be experiencing similar issues. Approximately 2 weeks ago I started to experience some severe side effects which I believe were caused by a recent test cycle (high dose/short ester).
The sides include(d) severe anxiety, insomnia, headaches, loss of appetite, mental dizziness and irritability. These conditions steadily became worse over the next few days to a point where I visited a local emergency room. After running countless tests and conducting basic blood work, they informed me that my condition was likely anxiety. Even after explaining my concern about crashed hormone levels, they still felt that my condition was caused by “life stress” and testing my hormone levels would not be needed. UNLIKELY!
After 2 more days the sides had gotten to a point where I could not stand them anymore. A feeling of self-worthlessness and life failure had began to set in. Tie that in with the other sides and I felt like I had lost control of my life! At that moment I decided to start my next test cycle which was a longer ester. I know that most will disagree with this but something had to give. I am now 1.5 weeks into my new cycle and some of the sides are beginning to fade (slowly).
For those of you reading this book, (which I apologize for) my question is simple; how long do you think it will take for my hormones to balance back out and all of these side effects completely subside?
I’m 67. When tested for low T, I was at 4 out of 40. Started with injections of 100mg weekly and after a couple days was so horny my wife was very satisfied. Problem is, I was so violent with her I re-injured my lower back that I broke May of last year. Now I cant perform to her satisfaction. She refused to help and I don’t like it so cut the injections to 50mg for two weeks and then stopped.
It has been 2 weeks since the last injection and I am getting increasingly more depressed and am having occasional thoughts of suicide. I have anxiety and guess I am going to have to get another shot. This really sucks. I also have a-fib and my Cardiologist says I need more T for heart health. I appreciate all the input here. Thank God I am not crazy either, just chemically screwed up and either frustrated or depressed.
I’ve been taking 50 mg Testim daily for three years due to hypogonadism. First of they insurance changed to needing a “prior authorization” for certain medications. Testim being one of them. So, even though my doctor wrote the script, and I have to pay the first $4600 for all medical costs, he needed to fill out additional paper work to substantiate the script.
As it turned out, I had just had my blood drawn for my physical end of January. T levels had been below 300 for ever with out TRT, and around 6 – 700 with. Blood work came back 1700. Doctor believes I may have accidentally contaminated the draw site for the blood. I normally apply to the upper arms. Anyway, insurance won’t allow me to take the Testim at the present time.
I have to wait four to five weeks, get retested and if my levels are back into the “Normal” range (300 to 800) they will allow me back on it. Today is two weeks since cold turkey withdrawal. The reasons I went on it was due to depression, anxiety, and ED issues. After just two weeks I am right back to where I was.
I can fell the anxiety rushing back, I can feel myself falling back into depression, and as for the ED, well, let’s just say Valentine’s Day was a bust! Not sure I can hold out for two more weeks!
I’ve been in the gel for 1 year. I took 35mg a day and got shredded and felt wonderful. Then I tried to get my wife pregnant… Turns out TRT kills your sperm count as your body stops producing on its own. Had to come off, tapered in 2 weeks and feel fine all around other than my sex drive is at zero. Hoping I can start producing sperm again here real soon but I’m very concerned about it. Any input on this would be great. Been totally off the gel now for 2 weeks.
I was on pain killers for 8 years very heavily. I am 47 years of age. My test levels were so low they could not detect any when blood work was done. I was on 200 mg cypionate shots for three years. The endo dropped me to 150 than 100 in a few months time than dropped cold turkey. I have never felt so tired and overall like crap.
I lost my sex drive and my overall cognition is not well. I go do bloodwork soon to see where I am at. How long does it take to start producing my own if it is going to happen?? I go to Kaiser and I cant stand it. They have a zone of 240 to 1100 to be considered “normal”. My last tests said I was 350 which is still not very high for someone almost 50. I do not understand how the doctor can tell me its a mental issue when I feel so bad.
I have never slept 12 hours a day for weeks on end. The doctors put me on pain meds then took me off and put me on test shots and now want to take those away from me!! I hate this yoyo world they have caused for me! I am considering talking to an attorney to see if I have a case. My quality of life has went in the tank due to the treatment they suggest!
Mitch, had the exact same thing just happen to me! Wondering how you were doing and if you ever took them to court?
I was on gel for 2.5 years because of the usual problems and overtraining syndrome. Also almost breakong uå with girlfriend because of me being practically impotent. Always have had relatively low LH (less than 2) and lowish s-test 9-16 (max value from 2008). Well gels certainly fixed all my problems. Now drug tests have come to the sport I compete in and I took my last gel 18 days ago.
Labs from 16 days after gave s-test (normal 10-38) 6, lh<0,2(normal 2,5-7) and free test 95 (normal 200-800). Didnt feel that bad really, physical performance feeös similar but I don t know how much the recovery is effected since I ve trained a little less now. Sex drive is very low at the moment. I contacted a doctor who can try to help me with HCG and Tamoxifen/Clomid hopefully.
My goal is to get back on my low natural T and try to stay there for rest of my career.
Hi, I have been on Reandron for 6 years. When I first had a test it was in the afternoon and the doctor said I was low, but just in the average range, so then I went to the specialist. I was 26 at the time, So the specialist said to get 2 more tests, stupid me being young and wanting this shit I stayed awake for 2 days before each of the tests and they came back low, (obviously).
So I got put on gel and then Reandron. Then 6 years later my doc tells me the Reandron rules have changed and I need to provide a test result of less than 4 to continue. My last shot was 8 months ago and I had a test after 6 months and It was 8, then after 8 months it was 3.9 normal is 12-28 I think. I don’t want to go back on it as I faked the tests 6 years ago, what do I do?
I’m now getting nervous system symptoms as in my legs very wobbly when bending over and arms feel funny. I’m seeing the doc in 2 days, do I tell him the truth about 6 years ago? Do I ask to go on HCG or Clomid? I have no b*tch tits and I still work downstairs.
I had gotten over the initial withdrawal. I had low energy, lack of stamina, and way less strength on the machines at the Y, as expected. But I had discovered that a broken heart from lost love could instantly be cured by stopping the testosterone after a few days. My Lord what a blessing. Get off this stuff and feel okay. My very own secret formula for getting over hateful and beautiful ladies old and young.
That is and until… one of my hips and knee joints began swelling up and giving me trouble. So, naturally, a steroid injection cleared up both the knee and hip where okay, that is until my other hip and wrist flared up, and I had a shot in my other hip. Then, both my wrist and original hip began hurting again. I was sent to PT. I could hardly walk, had to use a cane. The cane hurt my wrist.
So, I started back on the testosterone gel, and bingo! Within a week and a half all my orthopedic trouble vanished. Testosterone is a steroid. If it helps muscles, why not joints? Usually, in their middle to late 30s is when athletes start to have injuries that are slow going in curing up. Maybe artificial testosterone, a steroid, is illegal in sports for a reason.
So, looks like I’m stuck with this stuff. I love being able to walk, cut my own grass, rake leaves… Oh boy, what a life. I’ll stay on it as long as I can. I’m not ready for a wheelchair or nursing home just yet. I’ll vacillate between broken hearts and orthopedic problems as best I can. Or get a woman nobody else wants and like it or lump it.
I’ve been on TRT now for a little more than 2 yrs and have had quite a journey of ups and downs while on it. I was 42 when I started for the sole purpose of increasing my sex drive and to hopefully help with my erection problems. I am a hopefully healthy guy, work out 20 min. per day with free weights, never taken drugs, hardly ever drink, normal weight for my height, active, my T level to start was around 120 +/-.
My dr. started me on Fortesta gel and after a period of time I was up to 7 pumps per day. I noticed a significant difference in my sex drive when I reached around 4 pumps per day and with every increase in dose, my erection issues were also significantly improved. (I was the maaan lol). What I noticed was that a month or so after each increase, the improvements would taper off and eventually I would be back to around where I started with my issues.
My Dr. recommended I switch over to the injectable cypionate starting at .375 ml per week because she said my levels could not increase any more due to the max absorbance of the gel. (My levels were around 400+ at this point). I reluctantly tried it not being too thrilled with giving myself a shot in the leg every other week. My levels did slowly increase but I never felt any big benefit after each dose. It did help slightly but hardly at all.
My Dr. increased my dosage to 100ml every other week, then to .50 every week to see if the shorter duration between doses would help which again, it did only slightly. My levels had increased to around 550+/- at this point. My Dr. Again decided to increase my dosage to .75ml per week which again, did not have much of an affect on me. I was on the injections for around 9 months until Dec. of 2015 when I was told my levels were too high (800) and that they were going to decrease my dose back down to .50ml per week.
I told my Dr. that I wanted to go back to the gel because I hated the shots. The shots were at times very painful, I noticed a huge burning in the thigh muscles in my legs when trying to climb stairs which I never had issues with before, the skin on my legs became like shoe leather due to all of the shots so I could barely get the needle to penetrate the skin, and some shots would bleed quite a bit and freak my wife out.
Conclusion: My insurance company, which has fought my prescription every step of the way, denied me going back on the gel and it is now in appeals so I haven’t had a dose in 5 weeks. I slowly have felt more and more tired and weak, my sex drive is getting worse and worse and my erection issues are worse than ever. Still not sure if I should just give up and forget all of this or if I should stay with it?
I’m nervous about how long these affects will last and to be honest, I feel kinda depressed about what lies ahead. Sometimes I wish I never started, it is not an easy trip to go. My recommendation to you all out there considering TRT, you should try natural methods to the max first before you go to this option. My theory on this if anyone cares to read this is as follows: The TRT in the beginning is quite effective because (I think) that your body is still pricing its own T so they work together.
In time, where your natural T is tapering off and your body eventually stops production, the artificial TRT just does not have the same impact as your naturally made T? When combined together, the boost is no doubt, nothing but amazing but unfortunately it just doesn’t seem to last :(. Maybe I’m wrong in my assessment?).
From a lot of the forum entries I’ve read on various sites, you’ll find that most Dr’s do not have a good understanding of this therapy and it is almost handled in an experimental way which is very frustrating! Best of luck, hopefully more of you will have a more positive experience than I have had.
I agree with you 100%, Rich. I am in the same boat as you; I started TRT therapy 8 years ago, going through gels, pumps and injections. In the beginning everything was great; great libido, erections, energy, mood, and then came the side effects. Burning sensation on my left arm, shoulders and back, tense pain down my neck and spine, aggressive behavior, up and down mood swings…crazy stuff.
And when I try to get of it, I feel like an old man with body aches everywhere, depression, anxiety…just terrible! As you said, the doctors don’t really know it all. I tell the doctor about these things and he doesn’t believe me, like I’m making up all the effects. I too, wish I had not started this. I’m going to try and go natural, and hope I get better.
I have had withdraw symptoms for over two years off and on. Pretty much normal now and getting my strength back. I am fighting a body rash which is very itchy and pops up in different spots on back chest and legs. Dermatologist can’t figure it out, and this is the only thing I can attribute it to.
Yes I went through all the aches, pains and mood swings! A lot of prayer, exercise and soul searching. I would never recommend the T treatment for anyone. If your partner in life truly loves you, nothing really is an issue worth jeopardizing your health. Hang in there, one day at a time God and the Universe.
I can relate, I’m depressed.
Hey guys, I was on TRT for 2 years and my urologist asked me to take a break for 6 weeks. My dosage is 100mg every week and my last shot was two weeks ago. I feel angry quite often now and hope it will go away soon.
Hey guys I’ve been reading everyone’s stories and experiences on here, and thought I would give you mine and what I’m currently going through. I’m 26 and was on 450MG of Testosterone Cypionate a week for 5 weeks, my girlfriend was unaware that I was on anything until I started getting extremely mean towards her. She found my vials and smashed them. No PCT and now on my 5th week off COLD TURKEY.
While on the testosterone my energy was amazing, sex drive was through the roof, strength was crazy, mind was sharp, and aggression was uncontrollable. 3 weeks cold turkey is really when my symptoms of withdrawals really started hitting. So far Week 5 is the toughest and I have Depression for the first time in my life, anxiety like never before, lower back pain, sleep sucks, knees aching, ZERO energy, no sex drive, ED, and swollen prostate with irregular bowel movements.
I think between the ED and mood swings it’s enough to never touch this crap again. It’s hurting my relationship with my girlfriend and is really hard thing to go through.
I’m 32 and I have klinefelters, I was diagnosed 2 years ago and as a result I was put on sustanon 250. I have to have my depo injections every 2 weeks, as the 3 weeks is coming up I start to feel withdrawal symptoms.. They are pretty severe.. And I feel bad for those around me who have to put up with me to be honest. I get severe mood swings. Terrible headaches that are more like shooting pains than headaches because painkillers don’t do a thing, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and also my mind races at different times of the day.
I have no control over either symptom.. The doctor did a check up on me by blood test for my testosterone levels in my blood a month ago, and even with sustanon 250 for some strange reason my body’s testosterone levels was back to what it was without it, like as it was before I even started testosterone treatment to begin with. So he upped my dose to every 2 weeks instead.. I felt great afterwards but I still experienced the strange insomnia I seem to get.. Like waking up with a pannick attack almost.. My eyes are severely bloodshot and I’m confused as hell. It’s really frightening.
Okay so then a blood test was done again to check my new levels and on the day I went up there for a new shot, the doctor called me into his room before I even got the chance to see the nurse, and I said I. Supposed to be having my shit first, and he looked at me and said oh no no no.. Your levels are extremely high… 3 times what they should be. So I said is that a bad thing then? He said well yes because of the long term effects, how do you feel right now?
All I could think of was… Emotional, that’s the only real thing I felt at the time. Nothing else I would consider bad, but because my levels were way above the average he’s put me back on every 3 weeks. I have to take this stuff for the rest of my life, but I gotta say, the withdrawal I experience when it starts to wear out of my body is pretty bad. I’m typing this right now… And I’m experiencing the side effects of it.
When I try to fall asleep like this my body feels like it’s falling and it pulls me out of sleep in a panic mode, confused shaking and scared. I never once in my life had these symptoms before testosterone treatment. Before I was diagnosed, so I know it has to be the testosterone itself causing this. However, like I’ve said, I’ve got no choice but to take this for life… If I don’t I have high risk of bone cancer and many other nasty things.
So yeah, thought I’d post this for other klinefelters sufferers seeing as I seem to be the only one on here with it. And that even if you haven’t got klinefelters and are experiencing what I am from it wearing out your system. Just know from me to you… You are not going mad.
Hi all, I wanted to share my story as well. Maybe it will help someone. Back story age 39, 6’3 248-250lbs. Non smoker, never had alcohol or any drug my life. I trained my whole life as a hobby just very privately at home. Just before age 39 “December 24, 2015 to be exact” I felt very, very down in the dumps. I tried to fight it on and off for 12 years but it finally got the better of me. I figured I’ll get tested again, my testosterone was 185 which previously 12 years back it was 230’s.
They also showed my Vitamin D was low and test low. The doc suggested a dose of Vitamin D “Gave me severe anxiety” taking 5000 iu a day for 3 days, then I quit it. Keep in mind these tests were done in the afternoon and possibly could be higher. The symptoms though were very accurate with Low T and then some. A week later felt like absolute death and was in a panic. I went to the Emergency room “haven’t visited one in 17 years” could never get me in one.
This time I was defeated and went willingly, they basically gave me the shoulder shrug and that they don’t test men for hormone deficiency nor treat. They said all other vitals were perfect, I left feeling helpless, I was hoping it was a vitamin deficiency. I had to just go for the Gel, $300+ prescription “insurance did not cover” testosterone Gel, that’s its generic name. I felt like absolute DEAD MAN WALKING but I had no other choice but to try the Gel. Depression, ZERO energy, Morning salute was gone for a week “instant signal” I had to act.
My BM’s were like food poisoning every morning, tingling all over my body “down the legs”, night sweats, complete confusion and panic. My body felt like it was shutting me down all at one time. My last resort for the sake of my family was the GEL.
Began 50mg Gel on Shoulders / upper arms some
*DAY 1 – I swear I felt like GOD has put his hand on my shoulder and revived me.
*DAY 3 – My mind was like the movie limitless, I felt no more confusion, tingling gone and everything was amazing. I couldn’t believe that this was really happening, this is what I was missing. This is how normal people feel and live?
*WEEK 2- TEST RESULTS*
I took a test from Labs sold on Amazon, Saliva and blood test when taking 50mg a day and well everything was absolutely off the charts. Saliva a little higher than normal max but blood was basically not realistic and more reminiscent of the incredible hulk and it must have been wrong. They said this is normal because the Gel throws it off. These tests were all done instantly when I woke up and before any dose.
*WEEK 3 – I was amazed and felt like a whole new human being, free from any worry. I was HAPPY 24/7!!!!
*WEEK 3-4 began to feel annoyed for no reason. *Maybe slightly nervous because I knew the end was coming. Who has $300+ a month to spend on medication, was contemplating going to Mexico with my script and getting a years supply.
Before this I was witty I was cracking jokes and making light of anything and everything. My outlook on life is Glorious but for 3 weeks.
*Began splitting my last week dose and stretched it to 3 parts roughly 16mg per dose every other day to 2-3 days at times. I instantly noticed my feet and ankle swelling, even with an uptake of potassium and fluids to flush, it did not help.
I went off of it for a week for the swelling to nearly 100% dissipate. Waited another week or 2 and some symptoms began coming back, not as extreme but I didn’t want to revert back.
*REFILL, Got another but this time I did doses 50% 25mg every day. I felt really good, but swelling slightly came back but not bad, definitely worth the trade off. But always by week 3 something happens, I begin to get a feeling something isn’t right. I don’t know if it has something to do with my wifes cycle and mood effecting me, I don’t know, I can’t explain it. Basically the feeling is like hitting a 3rd week WALL, begin focusing on the cup half empty instead of the half full so to speak.
I have now been off of it since, August 31, 2015. Everything still seems decent just a little down. My wife found this thread and said I should share my experience. Definitely taking it day by day and going to look at my diet and exercising more closely. Just weighed myself and it looks like it’s slowly trickling back 263.2 lbs. The only thing that seriously seems to help me is 2-3 glasses of 2% milk every night. I cannot take multi vitamins due to the B12 and other vitamins just giving me anxiety.
I loved that energy, and I loved what it did for me. I just do not want to be dependent on it, if the FIT hits the shan I have backup doses but I hope it never comes to this. I really felt like a new person an hour or so after taking the Gel. “For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested”- Hebrews 2:18. I will update if any changes, now that I’m on a different path. Wish you all the best, stay safe and God bless.
Bill, I’ve been off for I think 6 to 8 months now and returned to low but within normal limits… I was doing real well for a while lifting slowly but surely, getting more sleep, eating peanut butter, etc. Listen man this is unrelated to this group, but what I will say is if you’re still experiencing anxiety tell your doctor! I’m in a tough spot right now because I didn’t address the anxiety soon enough. This goes for everyone!
I have been on sustanon 250 for nearly five months. All was great! Night and day improvement, was really starting to understand how others can feel so calm and still. Out of the blue the specialist wants me to go cold turkey from my 250mg E2W protocol. She wants a six week break to retest my natural levels and then most likely change medication to nebido. How can six weeks be long enough for my natural supply to restart?
I’m on day 13 now and already the arguments and conversations in my head have started (completely removed when on any day before day ten after shot). I feel like I’m being messed around for a very inaccurate test. From all I have read I can’t believe that I will even be producing my natural amount by then?
So confused. Really great forum thank you.
I made the mistake of stopping cold turkey because my red blood cell count was extremely high as was my hemoglobin. If you donate blood every 60 days that will take care of extra red blood cells and extra blood which can lead to high blood pressure or stroke. I wasn’t told about donating blood until I was already messed up. Also hcg will help get you back on track. A low dose asprin will help keep you bllod from becoming so thick. Hope this help. -Rob
I have a question for everyone. How long after your last shot (either quitting cold turkey or tapering) did your symptoms (anxiety, low mood, insomnia, etc) last? I have heard anywhere from 1 month to 4-5 months.
Here we go. I am tired of the therapy. I have cycled off a few times and have had a taste of the WD. NOT FUN. I was irritable, weaker, lacked concentration, and generally feel like crawling under a rock. I have been in the gym 6 days a week and have notice a lack of drive and performance, speaking of which, not just in the the gym neither.
Well I am going to make the move to permanently stop the injections and follow the advice in this forum in regards to zinc and vitamin D supplementation. I have been through some worse things in life and defeated alcoholism and I am sure I can do this.
I’m 43 years old and started on TRT about a 1 and half years ago and was put on 1 ml of Sustanon 250 every 3 weeks, but the crashes in week three were unbearable, so my doctor put the same amount every two weeks which improved things in the short term, but I started crashing within a few months so finally I was put on the same 1 ml every week which my wife administered on Monday mornings.
I remained pretty stable on this dose for quite some time, but my body finally got used to it and by Sundays I was unstable, low in energy, moody and desperate for Monday to come around to get another shot so I could feel somewhat normal… In the end here is what actually worked. We started splitting the 1 ml shot into two 0.5 ml shots and doing 0.5 ml on Monday and 0.5ml on Thursday and I remained on this split dose for nearly a year without any problems, except some water retention.
As I was concerned about the water retention and not wanting to take any more drugs to try to combat it, my doctor sent me to see an endocrinologist for a check up to see what could be done about the water retention. The endocrinologist was concerned with the amount of testosterone I was on and asked me to halve the amount to no more then 1 ml every two weeks and this would surely fix the problem as I was probably producing too much oestrogen due to the high does of testosterone, but she told me to be prepared for a bit of a rough patch for a while as my body adjusted.
Not really liking the idea of crashing, but knowing I had to lower my dose to 1 ml every 2 week as the endocrinologist wanted. I decided to split my new 1 ml does into 4 x 0.25 ml shots Monday’s and Thursday’s over the two weeks that my 1 ml dose was supposed to last. It was the best thing I did, I has a small crash and some anxiety, but other then that I have felt great on this dose and showed no signs problems, and the water retention is gone without the use of any oestrogen blockers.
I guess the take home out of all of this is that I kind of discovered by accident, that it’s not the amount of TRT so much, but the frequency of the doses… I have been able to keep myself relatively level on 1 ml of testosterone split over 4 smaller 0.25 shots and I am using half the amount I used for over a year… I really hope to taper right down and one day get off the stuff altogether and I believe I will.
A lot of you talk about not quitting “cold turkey”. In my case, it didn’t matter. I tapered down over a 2 month period, and had my last shot about 1 month ago. I have had anxiety and mood swings throughout this period. I can go days feeling great (and thinking its over), and then days feeling awful. Today is a bad day. I can also have anxiety during the day and feel fine at night. I would love to know when I will completely feel better consistently. I have heard it can take months, but is that from when I started to taper down (3 months ago) or from my last shot (1 month ago)?
Diagnosed with low t at 53 y/o and have been applying 1g androgel packet once a day for 3 years. Started with level of 163 and lady DR. Wrote script. Get tested every 6 months and levels bounce between 400 an 650. Last test 3 weeks ago presented high numbers of red blood cells / thick blood / possible stroke. Nurse calls tells me to immediately stop try and test on 30 days.
No mention of withdrawal by nurse or doc and 3 weeks after cold turkey I am a mess. Violent, inconsiderate, rude, mezzanine depressed, punching the wall, even had thoughts of family violence and suicide. So glad I found this forum as now I realize the symptoms are from trt cold turkey withdrawal . Thanks guys, this may have saved a life.
The doc put me on 300 mg every two weeks. Well I actually took .75cc/150mg every week. So I was on it for 3 months. I’ve been off cold turkey for 5 weeks and since last week it’s been pretty darn tough. Last week did not want to come out of my bedroom. Went to work today on Monday and now the onset of serious fatigue, muscles cramped up bad. I hated being on it the side effects part anyway. But now I’m seriously thinking I should take some just so I can function for work. And I’m a contractor with tough customers. Don’t know what to do?
I have empathy for your situation, it’s similar to mine. It’s dangerous to mention these days, but I found a bible verse that’s helped me through this, if you’re interested, I could send it to you.
What is that scripture verse you mentioned, on the testosterone withdrawal site? Thanks.
Please send me the Bible verse you mentioned, if you don’t mind. I really want to encourage my husband…hopefully he won’t see it as griping or nagging :) Thank you!
I’m 68, and was diagnosed with very low T (186) in March 2014. I’ve lifted weights since I was 15, and was a pretty strong old fart at the time, benching 260 and doing a standing press with 160 (I weighed about 218). The doctor had me injecting 1 ml T cyprionate biweekly, and 3 months later the numbers were 270 and 165 on the weights, 224 bodyweight, and 1091 T. However, at that time I developed alopecia (circles of hair falling out), my BP spiked, and I started testing prediabetic.
Since I’m not a big believer in coincidences, I asked the doc if I should discontinue the shots, and he said OK. It’s now 7 months since my last shot, my hair is growing back (with help of steroid injections in my scalp), my BP is back to pre-T levels, and my prediabetic tests (A1C) have gone backwards, which is pretty much unheard of. However, I’ve lost 10 pounds of muscle mass, my lifting is pathetic (200 BP, 135 standing press), and I feel 10 years older. I still train but am very discouraged; I wish I’d never started the shots, or at least had discontinued them gradually.
Jon, Thank you for the reassurance. Last week, I had 3 really good days, but yesterday and today I have had anxiety. Not as bad as a month ago, but still here. Slowly, the good days are starting to outnumber the bad days, but this absolutely sucks. BTW, my T level is down from “over 1,500” last December to 324, which is low but is where I was before the TRT. I would rather have low T than anxiety, mood swings, insomnia and depression. -Bill
OK I have an update…4 months TRT free and feeling good, it was rough. Anxiety, pain, emotional distress, mood swings, etc. After 3 months my levels finally FINALLY returned to a low normal. It was excruciating! I did not believe I was going to make it, but I did and you will too. It is a true test to your mental and physical fortitude. But you will return to normal.
And yes it is worth it. Hopefully someone will read these posts and take comfort in knowing that it WILL get better! 1 day, 1 hour, 1 minute at a time. Please don’t give in to the quick fix. You can do this, take a deep breath, go outside, and take a deep breath. Realize in that moment that you are alive. Good luck to you all!
How long did you take test? And did you stop cold turkey? My husband has had three shots total 200mg then two shots of 100mg. Do you think he will experience these symptoms? Thanks!
Jon: Thank you for posting this. I have bit hit full force with withdrawal symptoms after crashing from TRT. I went from Androgel ($700.00 mo) to a locally compounded cream ($69.00 mo). Apparently the cream is not as strong…and I crashed.
• Extreme Fatigue / Weakness
• Sadness / Depression
• Hot Flashes
• Hyperhidrosis / (Sweat thru 2-3 pillow cases overnight)
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Reduced concentration span / Brain fog
• Loss of enthusiasm / loss of initiative
I even went to an endocrinologist. He didn’t know what the hell to do.
He said, “Just stop taking T.” Damn man, if I’m having this bad crash with a lower dose of T, imagine how I’d feel going cold turkey?
As I write this, I’m trying to find a doc in my city who knows how to taper me off this shit. I’ve been prescribed T by two different docs. NEITHER ever mentioned the downside or anything about potential withdrawal symptoms. I feel like hell and I am pissed off. Whatever happened to “informed consent”?
The T companies are making big money on this drug. But it would appear most docs have no problem writing a script for Androgel, but they don’t know a damn thing about the drug and the dangers.
Perrigo makes a 1% testosterone gel that is equivalent to generic Androgel. I haven’t found the retail price on line but the co-pay is one sixth of the Androgel co-pay so I think it must be much cheaper. I’m going to check on my next refill.
Jon, thank God for people like you. Literally: I think God uses people at certain times of other’s distress for comfort. I’m on week 7 after stopping cold turkey and reading what you posted just gave me tremendous comfort. We all know you didn’t have to post something so comforting and supportive but we sure do appreciate it.
I’m confident I’ll feel much better after another month or two. It’s been incredibly rough, affecting all aspects of my life. But I will never put another chemical in my body again. Period.
In July 2014, my urologist put me on 200 mg of TRT shots a week to address libido and ED issues. He said he was shooting for a level of about 900. My level before shots was 200-300. After 2-3 months, I started to feel some anxiety, and during the first week of January, I had one week of awful mood swings, anxiety and insomnia. As it turns out, my T levels were “above 1,500” according to the lab.
My internist said this was due to the high levels of T, and she cut me back to 150 mg every two weeks, and I still had symptoms. In early January, I “crashed” again for a week, and she told me it was probably due to cutting too fast. She put me on 1oo mg every week. For two months or so, I had on and off mood swings, anxiety and insomnia. I finally saw an endocrinologist on March 20 who told me that my body obviously could not take the synthetic T, and I should taper down to eliminate the shots.
He said that the anxiety, mood swings and insomnia were normal withdrawal symptoms. Since March 20, I have been tapering down from 60 mg every 10 days to now 40 mg every 10 days. I still get on and off anxiety. I have been told it can take 1-2 months for the symptoms to go away. Does anyone have any experience with withdrawal like this?
Guys, I’ve been cycling on and off of testosterone as well as other designer steroids such as oxandrolone, nandrolone, boldenone, and fluoxymesterone to name a few. Here is the deal: when you take any of these meds even for a short period of time you suppress your body’s endogenous testosterone. In order to correct your system, you need to treat as if you are secondary hypogonadal. There are two very promising drugs that you can utilize to counteract your body’s natural mechanisms to keep testosterone suppressed. You need a “jumper cable” to jolt your body back into it’s natural state.
Human Choroinic Gonadotropin (HCG) is used to help your boys produce (ITT) Intratesticular Testosterone which is crucial with cessation of testosterone. The second drug that really helps is a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) which actually tricks your hypothalamus into producing more Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Simulating Hormone (LH and FSH) which is critical in getting your body to produce its own testosterone again. Here is the great news too: If this is done properly, you will be as good as new as long as the suppression was induced by testosterone or steroid supplementation (called “secondary hypogonadal”).
If “primary” (you have a hereditary problem) and you would need testosterone therapy. In 95% of the cases I have seen, testosterone suppression is brought on by either testosterone injections and it is not a hereditary condition. Another positive: the SERM will help you produce viable sperm and a ton of them so you are a fertile well producing man again! Keep the diet tight, eat lots of raw cruciferous vegetables, do cardio, don’t drink too much, stay away from drugs and you will be good to go!
Also, I do believe in supplementation of fish oil, vitamin d, and zinc! Make sure your vitamin D level is optimal (60 or greater). Vitamin D is actually a hormone and not a vitamin at all! If you have suppressed vitamin d this could be contributing to your Low T levels and all the bad things associated with that! Good luck to you guys!
I completely agree with you, Kyle. Whenever exogenous Testosterone is stopped – whether it was being taken for TRT or cycled for bodybuilding – some kind of ‘PCT’ (Post-Cycle Therapy) should be utilized to help ‘re-awaken’ your HPG axis after it had been shut down by Testosterone replacement or cycling. It is important to note that such PCT is NOT taken forever! The use of HCG and either Tamoxifen or Clomid will help greatly in reducing withdrawal symptoms by bolstering your body’s natural Testosterone production and greatly speeding up recovery time (the time it takes for your body to start creating its own testosterone again without any external substance).
PCT is only taken for a few weeks or months and then stopped; but by the time you stop the PCT, you will have already gained your natural T production back (or at least greatly expedited recovery of natural testosterone production) while at the same time having greatly reduced – if not altogether bypassed – the withdrawal symptoms that come from Cold-Turkeying Testosterone without taking a PCT protocol.
Unfortunately, most GP’s and even Endocrinologists are not aware of Post-Cycle Therapies – or they are but they do not know that PCT has the same benefits for people coming of TRT as it does for people coming off anabolic steroid stacks. I believe a Dr. Shippen was the first to study and prove the efficacy of Post-Cycle Therapies for TRT cessation. I would recommend that those considering stopping TRT google ‘PCT’ and ‘Dr. Shippen’ to find his PCT protocol for stopping TRT; then bringing it to their Endo.
I stopped cold turkey and the withdrawals were awful.I had terrible chills followed by fever. This went on for about three days and nights. I called my Pharmacist and he confirmed that that indeed was from the withdrawals. I’m okay now, yet haven’t decided whether or not to go back on the treatments.
How long did withdrawals last?
I had been on only one pump fortesta for a while down from 4 pumps, thought I was doing good stopped on a Monday and by the weekend I was in the toilet. By Monday I couldn’t take it anymore and gave myself one pump, started feeling better after a couple hours and felt fine on Tuesday! Today is Wednesday and I feel like garbage again. Not taking any other supplements but started lifting weights again. I’m going to reach down and try my hardest not to dose again. I will update as I go. Good luck to you all!
I was a steroid abuser from I was 17 as I was very conscious of my outer appearance. The last time I took steroids was when I was 20. It was when my parents found some curious needles in my bedroom while I was on holiday. When I was 20 I took 500mg of testosterone proprionate and 200mg of boldonone 14 weeks straight. During the cycle I ran oxandrolone for 8 weeks taking 60mg a day.
Nearly three years later and I still suffer from anxiety and depression. I have absolutely no control over my mood. A few weeks I’ll be happy as Larry, then the next I’ll be ready to jump in front of a train. This has been going on ever since I stopped and there hasn’t been any signs of improvement. P.S. All the muscle mass I had gained then is gone. Don’t ruin your life with drugs like I did.
A lot of people who have never touched any steroids suffer from anxiety and depression. You are going too hard on yourself.
I had prostate cancer and surgery to remove prostate. After two years I have remained cancer free however my testosterone levels fell so after a lot of consultation with my urologist he put me on a strictly monitored plan to place me on Testim. I felt great within three weeks but my samples ran out in five weeks. My energy, libido, etc. were all renewed, but I did not want to pay 550.00 per month so I came off.
I had weird shooting pains in my head like I was having a stroke and I noticed a heightened anxiety. My blood pressure had increased on the Test so I think it went back down to normal when I came off. Not bad symptoms, just disconcerting. It lasted several weeks. I will just continue working out and swimming laps to boost it naturally. Hopefully the increase I had in snoring while on it will go away too. Too bad it was very expensive and 2 other less expensive brands did not produce the same results, except for the exact withdrawal symptoms. I tapered off my last run…
I was taking 1000 mg of testosterone cipionate a week for about 3 1/2 months. I noticed that I never felt all the good things I read about…I started having panic attacks that became more frequent. While at the gym I would get dizzy and felt the need to either leave or just sit down for a while. After my last panic attack I went to the emergency room where they did an EKG and told me I had arrhythmia and an enlarged heart.
The doctor didn’t say that the testosterone caused this, but said to definitely stop taking the test. So I did, now I feel extremely tired, he has ordered an ultrasound of my heart. I am wanting to know if the huge amount I was taking could have caused this heart condition and if so, by stopping it, will my heart return to normal. I am really tired to even walk across the room.
Hell yeah it could’ve. 1 gram a week is a hefty dose of Cyp for an extended period of time. We’re you taking an A.I.? If not I have a strong feeling you were aromatising, contributing to the feeling like sh*t all the time.
38 and just got off a test booster after using it for a month. First time I tried one. Slept 14 hours for 5 days straight, extremely abnormal… But after that feeling much better. Fatigue is a definite factor… Glad I was off from work for Christmas break or could’ve had a bad problem. Anyways, I am sure there are a lot of positives but I’m going to stick with eating right, sleeping right and exercise first because I encountered some weird anxiety and fatigue like I’ve never experienced before. I’m sure it works for a lot of people but I want no part of that kind of fatigue again… I’ll start with getting to a healthy weight and quit drinking so much before I try it again.
After about 3 months of weekly ciponate injections I started to get body acne. Still after fighting it for 4 months I have horrible body acne. My upper body is 70% covered even after months of treatment from a skin doctor. I have stopped the testosterone cold turkey. My levels were at 200 before I started and I was in extreme pain and fatigue. I notice the back pain is coming back. This sucks but what’s the point of having a sex drive if you’re too disgusting for your wife to want to have sex with you.
John. A bit of acne (even a lot of acne) should never cause a spouse or girlfriend to avoid ‘being with you’. The testosterone is like going through puberty again and can help you a lot more than harm you. Good luck. Be tough.
Been on testosterone cypionate 100mg per week for 6 yrs. Kept test levels at 900-1000. Came off test 1 month ago. Lost 10lbs…probably mostly water. Have lost strength, fire in the bedroom and gym. Experiencing joint pain and muscle soreness. Waiting to see if natural production returns. When I first started my test was 600. Just wanted a boost to 900-1000. Hopefully sex drive etc will return, but since I was supplementing for 6 yrs it may take a few months…don’t know at this point.
Hi John, I am similar to you in that I’ve been taking T for about 6 years now, androgel, 100 mg, 4 to 5 pumps of the 1.62. I actually usually do 4.5 pumps per day. I feel great on it. I started because I had a lot of low T symtoms. I was in hell. My T levels before were 280 and 320. I may have had a torsion, but my life style was horrible. I wish I new more before I started so I could have tried some things to naturally bump it. Now I am just trying to preserve my nuts. I wish I could cycle off. My doctor thinks it’s too late. If you can please let me know more about what you tried and what you learned. Many thanks, Joe
Try doing periodic injections of HCG Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. 150-200 mg I believe every couple days. It will stimulate testes to produce testosterone and at least you can see if they still function. If they do not you will need to stay on TRT probably.
Hey Man, I am in the same boat. Five years at the same dosage as you, then one of my testicles atrophied so much it kept retracting into my inguinal canal. The problem is I am four months off TRT using 50mg Clomid and having mood swings like crazy and my libido is pretty weak. My midsecton has also gotten soft when I had visible abs before. We just drew labs again last week so hopefully my test levels are coming back. I figure undoing 5 years of injections is going to take some time.
Hard for me to have sympathy for someone in your situation. TRT is indicated when there is a clinical need and not to feel like superman. Not sure what age you are but it may take quite awhile for your levels to return to normal.
I’ve been on trt for 8months , than quit cold turkey. Dosage was 200 per week. Cyponaite inj. I’m 52, 13% body fat,and train 6+ days a week. Extremely clean diet, non smoker, light alcohol.My doctor wanted to re-do my bloods, get a baseline, than send me to and endo with the results. I was doing my own trt. I was as high as 6250, but cruised back down to 1500. Why the 6250, who knows, was only doing 200 per week. 100ml. X 2 per. I went cold turkey on purpose. I needed to see how I react/sides.
So far, actually getting shredded. Lost 15# of weight. 75 water 25 muscle mass. Lost about 25%in strength. Extremely sore after working out. Everything hurts. Going to a massuse this week. Upped the cardio and reps on the weights. Overall, still feel great other than the soreness. Will be going back on in late January. Will have been off for 2 months. I was in horrible shape just a year ago. I shocked my body from dirty living to clean overnight. I lost 24#’s of fat and replaced it with muscle in 5 months.
First 2 months were trt free. I’m now going to compete in my first BB show next summer. Another reason why I jumped off now, too see if my genetics are as good as they seem to appear. I do miss the overall good feeling from test, but this is a beta test for me. So far so good, I think.. I think most of it is genetics, but the clean diet, training and OTC supps, help just as much. Just my story, hope it helped. -Tom
I was on test suspension twice weekly 400mg weekly for almost two years solid. Been off cold turkey ever since for almost a year now and never felt any negative symptoms, lost 1/2 stone kept strength lost endurance but I think everyone’s different. Also a lot of it’s psychological me thinks.
I’ve been taking test 350 one cc a week for about 4 month. Decided to stop taking it do to discomfort from injections. Stopped cold turkey! Never felt worse in my life. Withdraws are mentally horrible. If I didn’t have my wife and kids to hold me back I might have killed myself. I was completely unplugged from all reality. Luckily I’m smart enough to realize that I’m going through withdraws and hadn’t lost my f#cking mind.
It scares me to think of people that can’t put two and two together. I’m on day 10 and things are still very uneasy for me. Im going to take a half cc tomorrow. If you care to read more I’m going to list my symptoms. Restless legs were first to come. I was crawling in my skin. The belief that this discomfort would never end cam next. Life was so hopeless if this is how I was to be. Mind you I just beleved that I was losing it.
Never thought it was withdrawal. Didn’t have the power or ability to believe in withdrawal. Particularly because I didn’t know that there was a withdraw process. It just kept getting worse. Woke up one night six freaking the fuck out. Completely out of my mind. Took a full Xanax bar one half at a time and that had no power on this freak out. Terrifying. Pound a third of NyQuil and finally past out. I felt so bad that ending my life would have OK to me! That’s the power of cold turkey-in this sh#t. Still didn’t realize this was a side affect.
Scary right? The next day I woke up in a haze from the Xanax and NyQuil thinking “holy sh#t, I could have killed myself if it weren’t for my family. What the f#ck is wrong with me!?” That’s when it finally dawned on me. I’m having cold sweets and mood swings like a addict kicking drugs. Holly sh#t! The f#cking test! I felt a great deal of relief In the fact that I’m not insane. My advice is to not go cold turkey. Find ways to wing off it and if you are feeling crazy it’s because you need a test fix and YOU ARE NOT GOING CRAZY!!!
My husband has been on 400 mg per week for at least 2 years. Was on 200 mg before that for years. He’s 52 next month. At his last doctor appt a week and a half ago, his doc said he “didn’t feel comfortable” with him being on that much and cut his RX down to 200 mg weekly. I am a registered nurse and give him his injections of testosterone cypionate.
We are both concerned about his withdrawal symptoms with cutting his dosage in half. That’s why I’m on here, researching so I will know when I see the symptoms. He’s been on it for low-T. I know as a female that the symptoms of the several years long decrease in estrogen, called peri-menopause, is not pleasant. God bless and good luck to you and everyone who’s comments I have read.
Since your husband is only cutting his dose in half, there is a chance he may not feel withdrawal symptoms. If he does get WD symptoms, they will probably just be minor until his body adjusts and since he is still taking the T it should do that rather quickly. Things he could experience would be less energy and appetite change. Focus on diet and exercise and he should be OK through this.
IF you said that he was quitting T overall. He would go through hell and back and then back through hell and back again. He would feel trapped inside his own mind and not move out of bed to shower and brush his teeth. He would depersonalize to the point of thinking hes dreaming. Suicide would go through his mind every 15 seconds. His memory would be horrible. He would then feel a slight improvement in 6 months and another in 5 then 4 then 3 etc.
After about a year he would feel OK to start doing mild exercise and then it would take him about another year to build back his strength and natural T. For his sake and those he cares about and those who care about him, never do a cold turkey to stop T fully. It usually doesn’t turn out well for those who CT that much T. You have to be mentally strong to make it through or go back on T or worse. Good luck. I would like to hear about how his dose change works out for him.
I began testosterone cypionate at the age of 55 to increase strength, stamina, and libido. Beginning hrt at 350 nano it really was not necessary in retrospect. After injecting 100 mg per wk for approximately 2 years, a new endo increased the dosage to 200 mg per wk and added an A.I. His goal was to reach 1200 nano. That he did, and I was in full “roid rage.”
Uncommon he said. Well, at that point I went to my p.c.p. who is a Sports Medicine physician and he took me off completely. However, as all good physicians do, asked me if I felt alright periodically. Now, Frank as you have stated, it has been 2 months off and I have to push myself to get anything done. I normally train every other day with weights or MMA. Now I train 2x per wk. My strength levels are unchanged, but my cardio and muscle endurance have been cut in half. I have zero sex drive. I will be taking a draw soon to see where I am at.
Thankfully, I am retired because I sleep ALOT. After going thru this “ester phase,” I can see why we should not only never tamper with testosterone levels, but be realistic about our exercise goals. What the hell is a 50+ old man doing training mma? I will tell you what. Being an absolute idiot who has destroyed his body for nothing. Stupid. I have no doubt I will recover, but this is really not fun bro. I hope this is helpful to some who can relate. Thanks to everyone who posts, it is very helpful.
I have been on 140Mg injections for two months, receiving 170mg injections for last two weeks. Was going to low T center, and feeling better with 140mg injection when “doctor” wanted to increase dosage to 180mg. That gave me red flag! Initial blood work before TRT had test levels at under 200 for both tests. Insurance ran out and my last dose was on April 26. Having anxiety already about quitting TRT. Please give me some advice!
“Withdrawal” from testosterone is because your body stops producing it naturally when you take an external source. If you stop the external source then you have no test until the body readjusts. It isn’t like withdrawal from illicit drugs. Your body needs testosterone to function properly. HCG shots prompt your body to start making its own test again and should be used by anyone looking to stop taking testosterone meds.
Going from 400mg to 200mg isn’t likely to cause any long-lasting discomfort. 400mg per week is too much for hrt and the doc was negligent for prescribing that much to start with. 400mg per week is more like a mini anabolic steroid cycle to push T levels way above the norm. The doc is worried about losing his licence now that the government is poking its big unwelcome nose in our business again. 200mg per week pushes me up to 1400 which is over the normal ranges.
Yes. I have been on 500-700mg for over two years. I been on and off for 8 years. Always using HCG. This is the longest I have stayed on. My last shot was 3 weeks ago. This week I feel the mood swings and emotions. Nothing I can’t handle or am not aware of. My sex drive is gone. While taking HCG for your post. I also recommend getting on a T-booster. That always works for me. Stay strong.
That was definitely too much testosterone. Enough to make his blood like corn syrup probably. 200 is plenty and 400 is what steroid abusing bodybuilders use. He can avoid symptoms with a simple 25 mg a week taper down to 200. Make sure he donates blood to keep his red blood cell count from going through the roof.
My concern is that my boyfriend has been on the this for many years. I don’t know if he can function with out it. The withdrawal symptoms are so rough. The rage is something I have never experienced, it is a real concern for me. He is a private man and I have no one to talk to with my fears. It was great to see a woman’s perspective.
He won’t withdrawal at all. Take in consideration the half life of test cyp. So at 200mgs a week with the half life of 7 days there will still be 100mgs circulating in his blood then he takes another shot and now he has 300mgs in his blood so in a week he will have 150 MG’s circulating then after his third shot he will have 350 and so on…
And if he’s been on 400mgs for that long there’s so much test in his blood that the 200 MG’s a week will just continue to add upon what’s already circulating in his blood. If he quit cold turkey it would take a good month before anything alarming would manifest. I’m not a doctor just a bodybuilder with a lot of steroid experience. Best of luck to you both.
Hey Joe, just finishing my 1st cycle at 600mg every 5 days for 12 weeks. Starter at 400 for 2 weeks then increased to 600, now back down to 400 for final 2 weeks. Should that be sufficient to taper off? plan to start HCG on final week and plan to use nolvadex 1 week after final injection. Does this sound correct to you or do you have other advice?
200mg is more than enough each week.
How is he doing now? I’m in the same position now…thanks.
At one point in my life I was addicted to oxycontin I was taking about 60 to 100 mg day for about a year and a half the withdrawals were nothing compared to coming off of Test. I was started on androgel for about six months then started taking cypionate injections (150 mg a week) for about 8 or 9 weeks. I started to have severe cognitive and attention problems my doc told my it was okay to stop cold turkey I did, two weeks later I had a panic attack that bordered on schizophrenia it lasted 45 days without cease.
I felt like I was getting shocked in the heart then my head would feel hot sweaty. I kept shaking and was in a constant state of worry. I messed up all my relationships at work I felt like I was holding on by a thread. As of now i have been off of Test for about three months. So far my anxiety is back to about it was before starting Test, I am still having pretty severe attention problems, and periodic fits of really bad depression.
At times I feel like someone took a meat cleaver to my soul. I don’t know how long it will take me to completely recover or if I will. P.S. doctors are freaking stupid when it comes to TRT I went to three different doctors afterward and none of them blamed the Test or would give me post cycle therapy.
I am on 1CC of test injections every month. I want to get off of it. I am not sure how to taper off of it. I am kinda scared of the withdrawals also. I don’t take it for working out. I have Gender Dysphoria and I started taking them to try to become more manly. I want to get off them because I am just me. I have took them for years! probably about 12 years, I am 33 years old now. So what y’all think? how should I do it? Thank for any information! Matty
Hey Matty I’m not a doctor just a bodybuilder. With the small amount you’re taking – just quit. You won’t go through withdrawals IMO. I’ll take up to 1500 mg a week for 8 weeks and then come back down and I never go through anything alarming. It’s all mental. Just keep some xanax handy if you get anxiety. Just as a piece of mind. Just my two cents. Good luck.
Hi Matty, I was on 1/2 cc per week and went off cold turkey with only a little fatigue and it passed. That was my experience. I do recommend you ask your Dr. Wish you well.
Well the hammer has fallen. I have been receiving test injections of 200 Mg for about 16 months. The people writing on here are right, man, I felt great. My mood, sex, energy all great. During the 16 months I was injection test every doctor I seen my endo, my internist, and my new endo all said the same thing: STOP taking the test. Thursday 6 Nov I am the gym working out. Did my chest work out, took a nice steam all was good till I started getting dressed.
I had pressure in the center of my chest, not bad, but enough to concern me. Went to the endo (my new one) and after a normal cardiogram send me to the er. The next day after an angiogram and stent in RCA, I came to learn I had a small heart attack. Do I blame the test? Well 9 years ago I had another angiogam and found 5 small lesions, the worst being 30%, of course that was the one that closed. I think test gives people a false sense of well being. Combined that with not eating all that great, lifting heavy weight, running your life like its going 100 miles an hour, well something bad is bound to happen.
I have tried to stop TRT on two occasions and both were horrible. I felt pretty good for a couple weeks after my last injection, then BAM! Anxiety attack from nowhere. I even went to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack once. Dizzy, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, irritable etc… I have only tried to get off TRT because of the fear it will cause a heart condition.
I have read countless studies on it and I’m not really convinced a connection exists. Which is reassuring because while on Testosterone I feel amazing. Sex drive is great, attitude is even and positive. All is well, I just hope these lawyers stop their relentless pursuit of fear mongering so I can quit reading medical papers all day and just enjoy my life. Some of us need this medication and it has turned my life around, no lie!
When coming off of 250 milligrams of Testosterone Enanthate I have experienced extreme fatigue , irritability , mood swings , expecially in an angry mood . Also a complete loss of sexual desire . I feel I wouldn’t be able to get erected for the life 9f me . Also joint pains and lower back pain , but I must say the joint and lower back pains are symptoms I had before ever taking testosterone . When on testosterone these pains are non exsistent . And overall I feel GREAT !!!
How long were you taking 250mg for before you stopped?
My doctor had me on seventy mg. (7 pumps) Fortesta A day. He tells me to start taking 5 pumps A day fifty mg. I did and nothing happened for about four days when all at once I became so Dizzy I could not stand I broke out with cold sweats and started throwing up. The dizziness was the worse it was severe. I became upset at my doctor for not tapering me down. I found out what happened to me from the internet.