What happens if you stop taking it? Does taking the supplement slow down/stop your body from producing it naturally?

Not true at all.

Your natural production of test will shut down when on TRT. Your body sees all this exogenous test in your system and thus signals your natural production to stop.
If you stop, your natural production will typically/eventually start up again, but there are also meds your doc can give you to help that process.

Good to know about the oral drugs. I had heard that injection was most effective, and most people who start with the cream eventually self.injwft.

That, and as I understand it requires somewhat regular follow up and blood work to make sure you levels stay where they need to be.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

eh, you can look on google for pics of arnold when off the sauce

Not sure what that has to do with it? The part I had bolded, I assumed they meant that medically you cannot go off TRT once you start it. And thats not true. Sure, your test level will be low again, but nothing stopping you from going back to that.

I meant you can't come off without consequences, you can obviously stop.

I've seen some papers suggesting you might got back to a lower level than when you started.

I have a friend who's early 30's and has fucked up his endocrine system from juicing so badly he has been on it since he was a teenager.

It's like a lifetime netflix subscription

OK but you are talking about something completely different than TRT. You may as well talk about the evils of advil, and then compare it to someone snorting oxycodone.

Also, anyone who believes 'Reacher' got his physique by just using normal TRT really doesn't understand how these drugs work lol.

I've never understood the stigma about people using TRT. No one has an issue with drugs to lose weight, or antidepressants, or adhd drugs to improve attention, or cosmetic surgery. But a drug to make you feel more energetic and maybe gain a couple pounds of muscle (again, if you think you will get a body builder physique from TRT, you don't understand)........nooooo......baaaad........evil!

I have a family history of prostate cancer, along with genetic high BP, so will prob never be a great candidate for TRT, but I certainly have no issue with other people using it, assuming they aren't in a sport where it is banned.

I think there are big differences between taking testosterone to get level up but still within physiological levels, or even taking moderate amounts of drugs to get somewhere beyond that, and then the absolute crazy stuff serious bodybuilders and strength athletes are taking.

Of course and there is a massive difference but I'm not sure we completely understand the long term impact of TRT replacent.

Sure the more we investigate the more we'll discover. Still in the context of fucking up your endocrine system, I'd think we have a pretty good idea by now if something that extreme was going to be an expected outcome of typical testosterone replacement therapy.

I think the main issues comes from individuals self medicating.

Slightly off piste but germaine to the above comment, my SiL, besides being utterly insufferable for anything more than thirty seconds, self medicated her thyroid. That was extremely stupid. She has several degrees (science but non medical, as you probably could guess) and I suspect she decided she had a thyroid issue to avoid eating a healthy diet and doing some exercise. She didn’t involve a doctor in this self diagnosis and subsequent thyroid drugs. My brother had to tempt ger out of the house for a walk with a bar of chocolate last time they stayed at mine. I shit you not.

Long story short, there are some real idiots out there, even well educated idiots, and TRT is readily available.

There is a massive difference between education and intelligence, which we see demonstrated on these boards quite regularly.

Exactly. And low T can cause issues as well.
Also worth noting all the extreme use of PED's by pro athletes over the past.....80 years?? But even just looking at the past 30-40 years, and go figure, no wild outbreak of cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc among athletes.
Not saying everyone should use TRT, of course not, but the uneducated assumptions about it that so many people make is just ridiculous.

ZE has stated an interviews that he hated having to be Baywatch buffed because it was very difficult to maintain and hard on his body and mind.

And regarding women and T - My surgeon put me on HRT after my hysterectomy. I was on it until I started back bike racing and would have had to apply for a TUE. The surgeon said she could not in good faith, sign the TUE, since there was an option to change to a different medication that did not have T. I definitely did not feel as good mentally or physically after the change of meds.

---

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

How did she get the thyroid drugs? I wouldn't think they would be so readily available as something like testosterone.

I don’t know what she was self medicating with, but Cytomel/T3 for instance is readily available due to its (mis)use in bodybuilding and sports.

My impression is there is as great, or even greater opposition to those things than HRT.

I guess my impression is based on what I see and hear and I haven't seen any polls on the subject.

---

________
It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

we have seen bodybuilders live pretty short lifespans, but yes it could be due to high dosage. Only time will tell on these TRT from legitamite medical doctors. Though Ive seen in around here some older folks (70-80 years) taking TRT and eventually dying (it was shocking as their bodies looked like 20 year old).... I can only think the dosage needs to be adjusted for every 10 years, and the current protocol is simply being whatever is a for a 40 year old - is just too much for someone at 80

Isn't 80 a not so unusual age for some to die at? I'd rather die at 80 with a 20yo body, than die at 80 while feeling like shit.

Agree, is TRT touted as increasing longevity? Seems like what I see is more concern it may increase risk of CVD and some cancers. Not sure what the evidence is for that, I know I saw a study a few months ago that didn't show any increase risk of CVD even in relatively high risk persons with TRT.

So far the only cancer 'link' is for someone who -already- has prostate cancer cells in their body. But even people who have had PC and beat it, have gone on TRT afterwards (due to some of the drugs / procedures used to fight PC shutting down their natural test production).