Tip High-Dose TRT or Mild Steroid Cycle Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Alpha LifePharmaSex & Hormones Tip High-Dose TRT or Mild Steroid Cycle Some docs are prescribing larger dosages of T for men with low test But is this TRT or an actual steroid cycle Is it safe Info here by TC Luoma January 30, 2019June 8, 2021 Tags Hormone Optimization, Living Better, Pharma, Tips, TRT TRT or Roid Cycle Here's a question I recently received: "Would 250 mg. of testosterone a week be considered testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or a low-dosage cycle? Would you recommend taking something to regulate estrogen with it?" Well, 250 mg. of testosterone a week doesn't qualify as testosterone replacement unless you used to be lead castrati for the 17th century Vienna Boy's Choir. It's definitely a low-dose steroid cycle, but I can see why you're confused. More and more TRT docs are starting their patients out at 200 or more milligrams of testosterone a week and automatically starting them on something like the drug Arimidex to regulate estrogen. This practice isn't exactly criminal, but it is kind of smarmy. Most doctors, when they're prescribing drugs, try to start you out on a low dose of a drug to see how you respond. That allows them to call an audible and increase the dosage if needed. Not so with most TRT docs. They wink and give you an amount of testosterone that's more suited for TRT in a bull moose or lowland gorilla. As far as reducing estrogen, it shouldn't even be attempted unless you're manifesting symptoms like itchy or puffy nipples, depression, moodiness, or an anemic sex drive because having the right amount of estrogen is crucial to male health. Too little estrogen, though, and you get funky arteries, brittle bones, achy joints, and run a risk of heart problems. TRT should start at about 100 mg. a week and be given in bi-weekly (twice a week) subcutaneous injections (not intra-muscular). Giving the shot subcutaneously (in the lower abdomen with an insulin needle) appears to lead to less aromatization (conversion to estrogen), as does giving a shot twice a week instead of once a week (it lowers the testosterone spike you'd get from a single injection, thus automatically leading to less conversion to estrogen). Noted TRT specialist Dr. John Crisler, who pioneered these seemingly unorthodox methods, even believes that subcutaneous testosterone injections give you more bang for the buck, even suggesting that 80 mg. of testosterone given sub-Q works as well as 100 mg. given intramuscularly, which is all the more reason to give Arimidex based on symptoms rather than dosage. If, however, you're paranoid about estrogen, you can eat more cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) or take resveratrol, a polyphenol that has a whole host of effects, including regulating estrogen. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Alpha Life The Black Sheep of Bodybuilding An interview with former pro Mike Quinn Living Better, Pharma, TRT T Nation March 26 Alpha Life No More Training Cults Stop looking for a fitness cult to join. Start thinking for yourself. Blogs, Opinion, Strong Words Chris Shugart May 28 Alpha Life The Motivation Secret When you've got the right goals in your training (and life), all the little things take care of themselves. Motivation, Opinion, Powerful Words, Strong Words Charles Staley February 11 Alpha Life Tip Steroids Muscle Memory and Fairness A new study shows us how muscle memory works, but it also shows us why natural bodybuilding competitions ain't so natural. Bodybuilding, Living Better, Pharma, Tips, TRT Chris Shugart February 25