Most men will return to their normal testosterone levels within 18 months, according to the findings of studies that often involved less than three years of androgen deprivation therapy. How long it takes to feel the effects varies from person to person. Some patients have reported feeling stronger, more virile and more energetic just a few days after starting treatment at a TRT Clinic. However, in most cases, it takes between two and four weeks for the body to properly adjust to the testosterone introduced and produce the desired results. It is important to keep up with regular visits with the treating doctor at the TRT Clinic if you are concerned about how long it will take to notice the effects. Even though you may still have low testosterone levels, you should be in a better position than you would be without TRT and, over time, your situation should improve.
If money is tight and you need to stop taking TRT, consider requesting a post-cycle therapy (PCT) plan with your doctor to ease the transition. If a PCT plan does not work (testosterone levels and sperm counts do not increase), then the person is likely to have primary hypogonadism and would benefit more from continuing TRT. When deciding to stop taking TRT, it is safe to do so abruptly or there are protocols that can help restore your own hormonal axis. The use of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) has been shown to increase testosterone levels back to baseline values in as little as two to four weeks. If the body does not recover quickly enough on its own, then reduced quality of life and symptoms related to low testosterone levels may occur. In recent years, there has been an increase in testosterone prescriptions and TRT clinics which has led many men who have been misdiagnosed with low testosterone but given TRT when they may not need it. This includes stimulating luteinizing hormone (LH) production in the pituitary gland or stimulating testicular cells to produce testosterone.
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivatives of testosterone with chemical modifications designed to mimic the anabolic rather than androgenic effects of testosterone. In men, the normal binding of estrogen to these receptors functions as an indirect negative feedback mechanism for endogenous testosterone production which downregulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and subsequently reduces pituitary gonadotropin production. If your testicles are inactive, then they need to be restarted so that they can produce testosterone again. The use of exogenous androgens can influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis through mechanisms similar to those of endogenous testosterone by exerting negative feedback that depends on dose and duration, resulting in a reduction in intratesticular testosterone (ITT), a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) production and ultimately a decrease or complete cessation of spermatogenesis. When a long-acting injectable ester such as cypionate or enanthate is stopped, treatment to stop TRT is usually started approximately five days after the last injection as hormone levels begin to decline.
