One pin in, having thoughts
This week I was prescribed TRT (100mg test cyp, split 2x/week) by my urologist. My total test is like 290 (up from 265 in July), Free T: 7.7, SHBG: 16.4, FSH: 1.3, LH: 4.2.
He said I'm kind of a borderline case and about 60% of his patients that have my free T levels feel better on TRT.
I was unsure about doing a trial and possibly coming off it as I had a bad experience coming off enclomiphene a couple years ago (didn't feel any better on it, visual side effects, Test never got fully back up to previous baseline). I started at like 400, tried enclo on the assumption that i could get off it and return to baseline but ended up in the 200's after a year off it. Got horrible telogen effluvium when i came off it. Pretty rough and overall regret doing it.
My main side effects now are horrible recovery in the gym/ bjj, spotty libido, lack of spark and motivation. I really feel like there's a ceiling on my ability to do the things I want to do physically.
My doctor suggested I could try TRT for 3 months and then we could have a talk about whether or not I feel better on it and if not I could go off it and he's confident my system would "wake back up" pretty easily (I'm in my late 30's). As previously mentioned I'm worried from previous experience. I wouldn't want to mess with enclomiphene after-- maybe hCG?
I'm wondering if 3 months is long enough to decide and also what it might be like to come off it if i decide against it. Basically he said if i'm not like "you can pry it out of my cold dead hands" at the end of 3 months, then it might not be worth it.
the telogen effluvium freaked me out- I didn't shed bad if at all when on the enclomiphene but when i came off it my hair got noticeably thinner over a few months and then came back maybe 85-90% of what it was before. I don't have pattern baldness in my family but I'm still scared of it. I wonder what that portends for hair thinning on trt.
Has anyone quit after 3 months after deciding it wasn't for them? Who knows, I may love it but I've waited this long to try it because I don't want to have to depend on something exogenous my whole life. Also I have sleep apnea (use a cpap) which is a confounding factor.
Really just not sure how i'm feeling about the whole thing and could use some guidance.
Posted Feb 14, 2026, 8:15 AM UTC