u/Forsaken_Rest9288

Cycle history:

1. Started with Ostarine 20mg/day for 6 weeks. (June 2023)

2. Jumped right to Testosterone Enanthate 300-350mg/week for 3-4 months. Lowered dose to 200-250mg/week for 6 months, then did 300mg/week for 2-3 months, before i quit. (july 2023-aug 2024) - in total 13 months.

3. Was on HCG 1000-1500IU a week the whole time I was on testosterone. Also on low dose accutane for 11 months.

4. Anavar 20mg for 6 weeks july 2023, and 6 weeks june 2024.

5. Mini cycles of other compounds while on test: 2 weeks of low dose primo and masteron, 2 weeks of low dose dbol, 4 weeks of proviron.

6. PCT aug 2024 with continuing HCG, waiting until test cleared, did PCT in total for 10 weeks (12,5mg a day enclo for 8 weeks + some tamoxifen and clomid but dont remember the dose), included mk677 at 10-20mg a day for 4 months during pct and a bit after. Finished PCT mid november 2024.

7. Felt like I recovered, libido back to normal etc, felt good in the gym, kept a lot of size, felt healthier than on cycle. Assumed I recovered and didn't want to worry about numbers so didn't feel the need to take bloods post cycle.

8. Mid january this year, 14 months post finishing PCT, 17 months post last test injection, I went back on and injected around 180mg of testosterone spread over daily injections for 1 week, but regretted my decision and stopped cold turkey, no PCT.

9. Felt normal for 4 weeks until mid february, then I felt terrible, worst insomina, fatigue, anxiety, depression of my life until gradually feeling better in the beginning of april. Finally took bloods mid april:

Testosterone: 460ng/dl, down from 870ng/dl pre-cycle may 2023.

SHGB: 52nmol/l SHGB down from 60 pre cycle.

LH: 2, down from 6 pre cycle.

FSH: 9, down from 13 pre cycle.

Free testosterone index: 3, down from 5 pre cycle (3-10 reference range)

Was a let down to see. Have read about guys being on TRT or steroids for many years even without HCG and also higher doses, who has recovered to baseline, some even higher, and never seen someone with levels half of baseline so long after stopping.

4 weeks post bloods I felt like my libido and erections got better.

Then 1 month ago i tried Clomid 25mg EOD but got bad acne, blurry vision and mood swings. Wasn't this bad last time used it during PCT, but different suppliers and was on accutane + maybe lower dose.

Then I decided that since I felt good on enclo last PCT I would try it just to restart HPTA for a bit. Did not find a good supplier, but found a small supplier with some good reviews, bought some unlabed stuff that came in a normal plastic zip-lock back, felt a bit risky to take. But tried 25mg eod 2 times then 12,5mg eod a few times. Got bad sides; cystic acne, back pain, fatigue, no libido, just 1 week after starting it. So stopped it.

For the last 2 weeks I've felt terrible, no motivation, bad gym sessions, with absolutely no libido and barely able to get erect even though relaxed, at home, with porn etc. Probably due to hormonal swings from clomid or enclo/don't know if its real enclo.

I know that even just one injection of Testosterone enanthate will shut you down, but I've read that most will be back to baseline after a few months. I just know that how I feel now vs before I did this, was and still is night and day. The bloods 3 months later showed half of the testosterone I had pre 1 year of testosterone use. I didn't use super high doses, and used HCG during the whole cycle, did a good PCT and felt fine afterwards, testicles same size etc. But now I feel worse, and there seems to me some supression and bad signaling/secondary hypogonadism from the pituitary based on the LH 2 down from 6. I'm 31 y.o and guess I will recover some more without need for another type of PCT. I plan to take bloods 4 weeks post stopping the unlabeled Enclo to see if I have recovered some more.

Questions:

How long until I can consider new bloods to be real baseline?

If testosterone still is sub 550 on new baseline/5-6 months post 1 week TRT cold turkey + 23 months post previous cycle with good pct. And if I still have symptoms of low T even with doing everything to optimize lifestyle. Would there be any point in for example trying a PCT of tamoxifen to restart things, or do you recommend other solutions? Don't want to do clomid cause of sides and hard to get real enclo.

Has anyone else experienced coming of testosterone or steroids, and seen a much lower baseline than before, many months after stopping? If so, were you able to recover it with time?

I’m looking for input from people with experience in post-cycle recovery or similar bloodwork patterns. Trying to understand what the most reasonable next steps are.

Male 33 years old:

Pre-cycle bloodwork, May 2023:

• Total testosterone: 30 nmol/L / 866 ng/dl (8-35 reference)
• LH: 6 u/L (1-10)
• FSH: 13 u/L (1-12)
• Estradiol: 0.15 nmol/L / 41 pg/l (0-0,17)
• SHBG: 60 nmol/L
• Free testosterone index: 5.0 (2,3-9,9 reference)

Current bloodwork, April 2026: - (20 months post cycle, 17 months post pct, 3 months post one week of mini trt without pct)

• Total testosterone: 16 nmol/L / 461 ng/dl (8-35 reference)
• LH: 2 u/L
• FSH: 9 u/L
• Prolactin: 145 mIU/L (<700 reference)
• Estradiol: 0.17 nmol/L /46 pg/l (0-0,17)
• SHBG: 52 nmol/L
• Free testosterone index: 3.0 (2,3-9,9 reference)

So total T is roughly half of where it was pre-cycle, LH is about one-third, SHBG is still high, and estradiol is basically the same/slightly higher despite much lower testosterone. Worth mentioning that body fat levels was the same, around 18%. Training, diet and sleep also pretty similar. Muscle mass maybe 2kg more now than before. Would have probably gained the same, if not more if I had stayed natty without all these compounds, considering I got both a knee injury and a lower back injury (bad joints from accutane + compounds + maybe too much arimidex) and had to stop deadlifting and heavy squatting for about a year.

Cycle/history:

In June/July 2023 I ran ostarine 20 mg/day for about 6 weeks. I felt suppressed, then made the decision to start testosterone instead of coming off.

From around July/August 2023 I started testosterone around 300 mg/week and used HCG for the whole year i was on, and stayed on 300 for about 4 months. From when i started test I also ran 20mg/day Anavar for about 6 weeks.

From November 2023 to May 2024 I dropped down to around 225 mg/week testosterone. I was also on low-dose Accutane, about 15 mg/day, from November 2023 to around October 2024. I've heard accutane can permantly lower androgens/testosterone for some people.

In May 2024 I increased testosterone back to around 300 mg/week until I quit completely on 15 August 2024. I also ran Anavar 20 mg/day for about 6 weeks from May to June 2024.

Other compounds during the whole period:

• Proviron for around 4 weeks in January 2024
• Tried low-dose Primo for about 2 weeks - july 2024
• Tried low-dose Masteron for about 2 weeks - july 2024
• Used Dianabol 10–20 mg occasionally, mostly as pre-workout or when I thought I had low E2 symptoms; maybe around 2 weeks total use
• Used around 1000-1500 mcg HCG total during the whole cycle and before PCT
• Also used MK-677 15 mg/day for 3–4 months during PCT, and a couple months around 6 months before that

 

PCT:

I came off testosterone on 15 August 2024. Around September to mid-November 2024 I did PCT with:

• Enclomiphene 12.5 mg/day for around 8 weeks
• Low-dose tamoxifen
• Low-dose clomid I don’t remember the exact doses of the tamoxifen/clomid, but the PCT period was roughly 10 weeks total.
• Followed protocol on r/steroids wiki with continuing HCG until testosterone was out of system and then started pct.

During PCT and after PCT I actually felt mostly okay. I gained some fat, lost some muscle, but probably kept 2–3 kg muscle compared to pre-cycle. I was eating around maintenance/deficit most of the whole year and trained about the same as before, around 3x/week. Ate in a surplus during pct. Libido and erections were only slightly worse than before, but not terrible, so I stupidly never got post-PCT bloodwork and just assumed I was fine.

Then in January 2026 (about 17 months after last injection) I had a depressive period and made another dumb decision: I injected what was probably around 170 mg testosterone total over about one week, basically a short TRT attempt, then stopped immediately. I did no PCT after that because it was only one week.

About 3 months later I finally got bloodwork for the first time since pre-cycle, and it showed the numbers above.

Current symptoms that mostly started 4 weeks post 170mg injection and has lasted for 3 months, but has been there somewhat ever since stopped steroids/pct).

• Very low libido
• Really bad erections compared to pre-cycle. Before I could easily and fast get 100% erect. When I do get erect its like 60% hardness and takes a lot of time and stimulation to get it to like 90%.
• Penis glans feels kind of dry and less pleasurable to stimulate, has been this way ever since i stopped PCT (maybe some permant accutane effects).
• Low energy despite decent sleep
• Low motivation / depressed mood
• More tired from training
• Still lifting 3x/week
• Diet is decent: enough protein and calories
• Prolactin looks normal
• Estradiol is upper-range relative to testosterone
• SHBG is still high
• Bodyfat around 17% - about same as when I took pre cycle bloods.
• Sleep now is better than when I took pre-cycle bloods.
• Diet is a bit worse, but taking lots of supplements and also tongkat ali, fadogia, shilajit, creatine, taurine, vitamin D (levels are high normal), magnesium etc.
• Labs and symptoms might be a bit affected by mental state (mildly depressed, low mood), but I´m still lifting heavy 3x a week and eating good enough, so I don't think this is the main cause.

Have bought som underground Enclo and decided to start 12,5mg EOD, but dont even know if its real. Will use it for 3 months unless i get sides, but don't think its a permanent solution. Tried Clomid 25mg EOD but got blurry vision and mood swings only one week into it and stopped.

Do not want to go back on TRT because of all the stress it caused and worries about: hair loss, acne, bloated face, blood pressure, fertility, less ejaculate, prostate, high hematocrit/hemoglobin and redness, cost, dialing in E2, heart health (heart problems in family), relying on injections for rest of life, shame and not want people to think i have cheated to build my physique when 98% of all my gains are from 13 years natty training.

 

Questions:

• Could the one-week 170 mg testosterone mistake in January 2026 have meaningfully set back recovery, or is it unlikely to matter much 3 months later.
• For those who recovered after a long blast/cruise, what timeline did you see after coming off, and what actually helped?
• Is it possible to recover back closer to my previous baseline after this long, or is 18+ months post-cycle (+3 months post one week mini trt) usually enough time to know where I’ve landed?

I’m looking for input from people with experience in post-cycle recovery or similar bloodwork patterns. Trying to understand what the most reasonable next steps are.

Male 33 years old:

Pre-cycle bloodwork, May 2023:

• Total testosterone: 30 nmol/L / 866 ng/dl (8-35 reference)
• LH: 6 u/L (1-10)
• FSH: 13 u/L (1-12)
• Estradiol: 0.15 nmol/L / 41 pg/l (0-0,17)
• SHBG: 60 nmol/L
• Free testosterone index: 5.0 (2,3-9,9 reference)

Current bloodwork, April 2026: - (20 months post cycle, 17 months post pct, 3 months post one week of mini trt without pct)

• Total testosterone: 16 nmol/L / 461 ng/dl (8-35 reference)
• LH: 2 u/L
• FSH: 9 u/L
• Prolactin: 145 mIU/L (<700 reference)
• Estradiol: 0.17 nmol/L /46 pg/l (0-0,17)
• SHBG: 52 nmol/L
• Free testosterone index: 3.0 (2,3-9,9 reference)

So total T is roughly half of where it was pre-cycle, LH is about one-third, SHBG is still high, and estradiol is basically the same/slightly higher despite much lower testosterone. Worth mentioning that body fat levels was the same, around 18%. Training, diet and sleep also pretty similar. Muscle mass maybe 2kg more now than before. Would have probably gained the same, if not more if I had stayed natty without all these compounds, considering I got both a knee injury and a lower back injury (bad joints from accutane + compounds + maybe too much arimidex) and had to stop deadlifting and heavy squatting for about a year.

Cycle/history:
In June/July 2023 I ran ostarine 20 mg/day for about 6 weeks. I felt suppressed, then made the decision to start testosterone instead of coming off.

From around July/August 2023 I started testosterone around 300 mg/week and used HCG for the whole year i was on, and stayed on 300 for about 4 months. From when i started test I also ran 20mg/day Anavar for about 6 weeks.

From November 2023 to May 2024 I dropped down to around 225 mg/week testosterone. I was also on low-dose Accutane, about 15 mg/day, from November 2023 to around October 2024. I've heard accutane can permantly lower androgens/testosterone for some people.

In May 2024 I increased testosterone back to around 300 mg/week until I quit completely on 15 August 2024. I also ran Anavar 20 mg/day for about 6 weeks from May to June 2024.

Other compounds during the whole period:

• Proviron for around 4 weeks in January 2024
• Tried low-dose Primo for about 2 weeks - july 2024
• Tried low-dose Masteron for about 2 weeks - july 2024
• Used Dianabol 10–20 mg occasionally, mostly as pre-workout or when I thought I had low E2 symptoms; maybe around 2 weeks total use
• Used around 1000-1500 mcg HCG total during the whole cycle and before PCT
• Also used MK-677 15 mg/day for 3–4 months during PCT, and a couple months around 6 months before that

PCT:
I came off testosterone on 15 August 2024. Around September to mid-November 2024 I did PCT with:

• Enclomiphene 12.5 mg/day for around 8 weeks
• Low-dose tamoxifen
• Low-dose clomid I don’t remember the exact doses of the tamoxifen/clomid, but the PCT period was roughly 10 weeks total.
• Followed protocol on r/steroids wiki with continuing HCG until testosterone was out of system and then started pct.

During PCT and after PCT I actually felt mostly okay. I gained some fat, lost some muscle, but probably kept 2–3 kg muscle compared to pre-cycle. I was eating around maintenance/deficit most of the whole year and trained about the same as before, around 3x/week. Ate in a surplus during pct. Libido and erections were only slightly worse than before, but not terrible, so I stupidly never got post-PCT bloodwork and just assumed I was fine.

Then in January 2026 (about 17 months after last injection) I had a depressive period and made another dumb decision: I injected what was probably around 170 mg testosterone total over about one week, basically a short TRT attempt, then stopped immediately. I did no PCT after that because it was only one week.

About 3 months later I finally got bloodwork for the first time since pre-cycle, and it showed the numbers above.

Current symptoms that mostly started 4 weeks post 170mg injection and has lasted for 3 months, but has been there somewhat ever since stopped steroids/pct).

• Very low libido
• Really bad erections compared to pre-cycle. Before I could easily and fast get 100% erect. When I do get erect its like 60% hardness and takes a lot of time and stimulation to get it to like 90%.
• Penis glans feels kind of dry and less pleasurable to stimulate, has been this way ever since i stopped PCT (maybe some permant accutane effects).
• Low energy despite decent sleep
• Low motivation / depressed mood
• More tired from training
• Still lifting 3x/week
• Diet is decent: enough protein and calories
• Prolactin looks normal
• Estradiol is upper-range relative to testosterone
• SHBG is still high
• Bodyfat around 17% - about same as when I took pre cycle bloods.
• Sleep now is better than when I took pre-cycle bloods.
• Diet is a bit worse, but taking lots of supplements and also tongkat ali, fadogia, shilajit, creatine, taurine, vitamin D (levels are high normal), magnesium etc.

Have bought som underground Enclo and decided to start 12,5mg EOD, but dont even know if its real. Will use it for 3 months unless i get sides, but don't think its a permanent solution. Tried Clomid 25mg EOD but got blurry vision and mood swings only one week into it and stopped.

Do not want to go back on TRT because of all the stress it caused and worries about: hair loss, acne, bloated face, blood pressure, fertility, less ejaculate, prostate, high hematocrit/hemoglobin and redness, cost, dialing in E2, heart health (heart problems in family), relying on injections for rest of life, shame and not want people to think i have cheated to build my physique when 98% of all my gains are from 13 years natty training.

Questions:

• Could the one-week 170 mg testosterone mistake in January 2026 have meaningfully set back recovery, or is it unlikely to matter much 3 months later?
• Labs and symptoms might be a bit affected by mental state (mildly depressed, low mood), but I´m still lifting heavy 3x a week and eating good enough, so I don't think this is the main cause.
• For those who recovered after a long blast/cruise, what timeline did you see after coming off, and what actually helped?
• Is it possible to recover back closer to my previous baseline after this long, or is 18+ months post-cycle (+3 months post one week mini trt) usually enough time to know where I’ve landed?