Testosterone's Behavioral and Physiological Effects

by Bill Rogers
(San Antonio, Texas)

During my first experience with testosterone enanthate 2 years ago I felt a strong swell of biological improvement only one day after I took 250mg.

However my doctor preferred to put me on a 4 week treatment with the "Androgel" type instead. The results were absolutely zero.

No improvement libido, health, anything. 4 days ago I put myself back on testosterone enanthate at 500mg. Unfortunately, so far I have felt nothing.

I've only used depo-testosterone injections twice now so there is no adaptation taking place.

Why did the first attempt work so well a year and a half later, while the second attempt with the same exact product didn't work at all?

Any help with this question will be highly appreciated.

Bill

William Rogers, Ph.D.
Director, Behavioral Medicine
SW Behavior Research Institute


Hi Bill,

Generally it takes between one to three weeks for the behavioral and physiological effects of testosterone to take place, similarly to antidepressants. Within one day is highly irregular.

Do you think it's possible your feelings may have been chalked up to the placebo effect?

It's not meant to insult your intelligence... it's just that's it's highly irregular to feel any kind of immediate effect so early in treatment.

One thing I noticed you didn't mention was the use of any anti-estrogens. The protocol is highlighted on my testosterone treatment page.

Estrogen is a metabolite of testosterone so high dosages can easily put you over the top of the ideal range.

Excess estrogen blocks many of testosterone's beneficial effects and can lead to what's been called "estrogen poisoning".

Unfortunately many doctors aren't aware of this phenomenon.

Large doses of androgens (especially without an anti-estrogen), often makes men feel worse than when they first started testosterone replacement therapy.

It's also a good idea to aim towards more frequent injections. Seeing as you had a huge bolus of testosterone at 500mg, I'm guessing your doctor is putting you on a once a month protocol?

The half-life of test enanthate is approximately 6 days, therefore at the most you'd want to inject it once a week, and preferably every third day to limit the wide variations in blood concentrations.

Long frequency protocols often feel like you're on an emotional/cognitive/physical roller coaster which can greatly impact your quality of life.

I hope this answers your questions.

Good luck,

Brian