starting strength gym
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 22

Thread: Testosterone and Depression with Trevor Rachko | Starting Strength Radio #178

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    3,112

    Default Testosterone and Depression with Trevor Rachko | Starting Strength Radio #178

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
    • starting strength seminar jume 2024
    • starting strength seminar august 2024


    Rip and Trevor Rachko discuss the benefits testosterone can have for someone with depression and the downsides of taking SSRIs.

    01:32 Trevor Rachko
    02:41 Why are doctors afraid of TRT
    12:40 SSRIs
    20:20 Clinical depression
    29:04 Staying on SSRIs
    33:49 Quitting SSRIs
    41:17 Testosterone reference range
    50:00 Having proof
    1:00:38 Opposite of depression
    1:14:23 Will testosterone be made illegal

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Posts
    13

    Default

    High dose trt has drastically improved my anxiety and mental well-being, and at the same time has improved my cognitive function. These effects definitely merit further research.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    27

    Default

    It was kinda touched on in this episode but I'd like to ask explicitly if there is a level of total or free testosterone that is too high? Rip mentioned someone he knew that was a crazy high dose (2 grams if memory serves) and was fine. Seems like there should be a level where there are tradeoffs? If so I get it will be individualized but any feel as to where that is and what the tradeoffs are? Really hard to find accurate info on this stuff anywhere else there is a lot of BS propaganda to be sifted through making it hard to tell if there are risks, at what point and what (if there are any) those risks actually are. Thanks.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,559

    Default

    There is no such thing as acute toxicity to a testosterone cypionate injection. Aqueous suspension is a different matter, but AFAIK it is not used in TRT. But let's say a guy decides he's going to do 150mg/day. I know people who have done stupid shit like this, and as best I can tell it was just a waste of money: once the receptor sites are saturated, I suspect the excess is cleared by the liver. Dr. Nichols may have some input about this.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Posts
    82

    Default

    Once again Mark has such great insight and advice. I have found from a clinical standpoint that a free testosterone 30 to 50 maybe even a little higher in nanograms per deciliter will provide the best combination of symptomatic improvement as well as benefits of testosterone. That's going to correlate with a total testosterone between 1000 and 2500 ng/dL. Now you could push it higher than that for the performance enhancement benefits like bodybuilders do, for instance, but you're not going to have any further effect on symptom improvement, and that's really what testosterone therapy is all about: improving the symptoms of a deficiency.

    Now as I have said before you can improve symptoms at a lower dose which would be called the minimal effective dose. But when I ask men if they want to resolve symptoms but also get the maximum benefits of testosterone as well, they will always answer that they want symptomatic improvement as well as the maximum benefits of testosterone. In order to get the maximum benefits of testosterone with regard to increasing muscle mass, strength, endurance, exercise tolerance, bone mineral density, decreasing visceral body fat etc., it will require a higher dose than you would use just to resolve symptoms.

    Testosterone works at most tissues through its active metabolites DHT and estradiol but at muscle tissue it works purely as testosterone and that's why bodybuilders want their levels in the tens of thousands because the more testosterone you have the more muscle mass you will develop. Now a person will not feel any better with regard to symptomatic improvement with a level of 10,000 than he did for example at a level of 2000, and that is because there is a saturation point with regard to the production of testosterone's active metabolites, and it is the active metabolites that resolve our symptoms.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    27

    Default

    Thank you Rip and Dr. Nichols. Is there a risk to taking bodybuilder levels and getting a total test around 10,000 or higher?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,559

    Default

    Are you asking us if it's okay to use a bunch of drugs when you train? Are you serious???

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    27

    Default

    I'm trying to establish what the real risks are of high levels of exogenous test usage are.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,559

    Default

    Why?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Posts
    27

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    If there really is no risk then taking a bunch on NLP (or recovering from injuries) would be in line with the goal of getting as strong as effectively (and quickly) as possible, right? Then should this become part of the NLP going forward even for people who already have high test; if going even higher is only a benefit and has no risk?

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •