During my imagined hypogonadal period that began in December, I began to study all available options for my future as an androgen deficient, aging male. I took the herbal supplement route to try to make some immediate improvement to my hormonal levels, and I’ve since learned that these products are commonly used as a form of post-cycle therapy for mild use of testosterone-suppressing drugs like anabolic steroids, or the research chemicals known collectively as SARMs. I am pleased to know my research was effective, i.e. that I identified the right compounds that are effective at jump starting natural testosterone production that has been shut down due to exogenous introduction of hormones. I didn’t actually need them, but that’s besides the point. Most anabolic steroid cycles are significantly suppressive of natural production, rather than mildly suppressive, and post-cycle therapy is typically prescription level drugs rather than the methods I used, but the idea is the same. In fact, many anabolic steroid users will take the supplements I used, or some of them at least, as an off-cycle hormonal support mechanism until their next cycle of drug use.
In my delusional state, I had a basic tiered system of approaches to the dilemma, with the herbal blocking of the aromatase enzyme lowering my body’s estrogen levels, forcing an increased production of testosterone to restore the natural balance, as a temporary step to prevent catastrophic descent into womanhood. My top tier solution was replacing my body’s natural production, now in imagined precipitous decline, with the synthetic version of testosterone, aka testosterone replacement therapy. I knew I’d need medical professionals to diagnose me as being in need, but since I thought I clearly was, I knew this option was available to me, so I learned all I could about it. I was mentally prepared for it, and had a local men’s clinic lined up, as well as several online men’s clinics if I chose that route. Ultimately I ended up starting with my primary care doctor as that would be the most cost effective way of restoring my manhood, and that decision turned out to be a very good one as the truth was discovered.
My second tier solution if I couldn’t get a doctor to save me because my hormones, while desperately low in the reference range of normalcy, were technically still “normal” was to become an anabolic steroid user myself. While this may sound absurd, hear me out. I wasn’t intent on taking all manner of performance enhancing drugs that are commonly used in the world of bodybuilding to build massive, muscled physiques, but rather the same type dosage I might get from a testosterone replacement therapy setup. For example, a TRT doctor might prescribe a 100 MG weekly dose of testosterone cypionate to a TRT candidate to try to bring the total testosterone levels into the mid-range of normal, or preferably slightly above that. Anabolic steroid users looking to maximize muscle mass don’t settle for normal levels, but rather shoot for supra-physiological levels well above the normal range. Those hulking bodies aren’t built with protein shakes and tuna sandwiches after all. The bodybuilder may use multiple times that dosage, and stack several different compounds together. But the fact that buying testosterone online is illegal, even in a standard dosage prescribed by a doctor, carrying the same penalties as possession of heroin or cocaine for example, was enough to deter me from seriously considering this solution. While I don’t personally agree that I should spend a year in prison for doing something for myself that harms no one, and causes no ills to society at large, the law is what it is.
This brought me to my third tier option which is the use of a SARM. SARMs are legal to purchase, which eliminated the issue that forced buying testosterone online out of the picture. I can easily purchase these compounds and use them to my heart’s content. They were third tier because they’re not as well established as the use of basic synthetic testosterone and their use comes with its own set of risks. Of course finding out that my hormone levels are actually fabulous put an end to all of this and for that I am grateful. My total testosterone levels are those of the average 25-year old male, and while my free testosterone is lower than I’d like, it’s still average for my age. I continue to work on improving that by the dietary changes I’ve made which will hopefully lower my body’s production of sex hormone binding globulin, which will free up a bit more, but even that is a simplified explanation of how the system actually works. Most testosterone is not freely floating about. That’s not how it works. Much of it is attached to albumin, a protein that shuttles the hormones around and delivers them where needed. Much of it is attached to the aforementioned sex hormone binding globulin, which also shuttles it around, but tends to bind more tightly to the hormone, not releasing it to the androgen receptors of the body’s tissues quite as easily. While this sounds bad, it’s actually perfectly normal. Too much sex hormone binding globulin is not good, but neither is too little. While my levels are on the high end of the normal range, they’re still normal, which means my body is functioning as it’s supposed to. So this should be the end of the discussion right? Well, yes and no.
As someone who still strives to be as muscular and strong as possible, improvement is always on my mind. It’s why I’m meticulous with my diet, always learning about training techniques, progression methodologies and why I’ve even spent a significant sum of money on courses like the Bayesian Bodybuilding PT Course (now called the Hensleman PT Course), and am currently enrolled in the Reactive Training Systems Classroom to learn their Powerlifting programming methods. But the results of my efforts will always be limited by my genetic potential to build muscle. I’ve written about this at length, so I won’t belabor the point here, but suffice it to say I’m about as muscular as I ever will be. I think I can get stronger, and I seem to be doing just that with my current training program (which I will expand on at some point), but the temptation to find some missing piece that could let me push beyond my genetic limits is always there. The risk vs. reward considerations are ever present, but I investigate all avenues at all times and am more than willing to try something that might help. In fact, I just took my daily dose of MK 677 as I have an alarm set for 6:30 PM each day to remind me. I learned what I could about MK and decided the reward was worth any possible risk. It’s a growth hormone secretagogue, prompting my body to pump out some IGF-1 which has many benefits, but the ones I’m specifically interested in are improved sleep quality and the possible reduction of my body’s production of sex hormone binding globulin. It was well tolerated in elderly subjects who took it for years in clinical trials. The only risk I am mildly concerned with is a rise in blood glucose levels, but mine were 84 in my recent labs, and with the low carb, nutritional ketosis diet I employ, I think the risk of becoming insulin resistant or unable to control blood glucose is quite low. I also don’t plan on staying on it for any length of time. I’ll finish the cycle I’m on, test my sex hormone binding globulin levels, and see if it worked as I’d hoped. The improved sleep quality is the real deal. I am routinely getting more deep sleep and REM sleep than I did prior to MK. I haven’t observed any change in my body composition, but I haven’t been taking it that long, so that might be a pleasant bonus.
SARMs present the possibility of obtaining steroid-like results from a legal product, so even though I’m no longer overly concerned about my hormones, my interest in getting bigger and stronger remains firmly in place. I had settled on RAD 140 as a compound I might try, but as I learned more about what is meant by suppression of natural hormone production, I was scared off of it. It seems all of these SARMs, while designed to be “selective” androgen receptor modulators (hence the acronym), still suppress natural production of testosterone. Not as much as anabolic steroids, but still enough to give me pause. I then chose the least suppressive of the bunch, Ostarine, as my next candidate and I was as close as buying some just this morning. But I did some searching and found many guys willing to share their blood work pre and post Ostarine usage and the results are alarming, at least to me. The level of suppression is dose dependent and also cycle length dependent. But even a low dose of 10 MG per day, much less than most users actually take, is several times higher than the amount used in clinical trials, and is suppressive as hell in my view. Imagine having my beautiful 663 ng/dl testosterone levels crash to under 300 from a low dose cycle of Ostarine. I think I’d stroke out. After all, when I thought my actual level was 364, I started down this androgen deficient, aging male rabbit hole. I can’t intentionally do that to myself for the sake of putting on some muscle and possibly increasing my strength as well, only to have to do a post-cycle therapy regimen in the hopes of restoring my normal production. Sure, my body might respond to the post-cycle supplements and get back to my pre-Ostarine levels, but it might not. I am closer to 60 than 50 after all.
No, I have concluded that the risk vs. reward profile of SARMs just isn’t for me. Maybe the MK 677 will give me a little boost in muscularity, or improve my recovery from training which will allow me to train harder and get stronger, but I don’t have high hopes that it will. The improved sleep should help with that, and if I get a bit more free testosterone by lowering my sex hormone binding globulin levels, that would be a great bonus. I can certainly see myself revisiting SARMs if there ever comes a time when I’m actually on testosterone replacement therapy, because then suppression is a non-issue. But until that day comes, which with a little luck may never come, I will remain a “natural” lifter. I think MK 677 is a banned substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency rules, so I guess I’m technically not “natural,” but let’s face it; there’s a world of difference between a good night’s sleep and a cycle of DBol. Nonetheless, when I compete this year–pandemic permitting–I will compete in the “Untested” class, because I’m not a cheater.
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