Anyone else feel better on less frequent BOLUS injections? I feel best on test E every 2 weeks.

[Furioski]

Alright this might sound stupid based on everything I’ve read here, but at this point I’ve tried pretty much every protocol you can think of.

Twice a week, 3x a week, EOD, even daily injections, etc.

And honestly all of them just made me feel kinda dull. Not terrible, just flat. Low energy, libido meh, just not what people hype up at all or how TRT should feel.

Weird thing is the best I’ve EVER felt is on:

Bayer Testoviron (test E in castor oil)
250mg every 2 weeks

According to internet logic I should feel awful. But on that my energy is way higher, libido is through the roof, and I just feel switched on i could probably inject it every 3 weeks..

For reference: my SHBG is around 20 and if I do every 2 weeks my trough is still around 18–22 nmol.

What’s confusing me is everything online says this type of protocol is ancient, outdated, terrible peaks and troughs, and that you should feel awful on it.

But I literally feel better than I ever have on the “optimal” setups.

Only thing I can think of is the castor oil depot making a bigger difference than people realise and i just prefer bigger peaks with troughs?.

I’ve read that even with testosterone undecanoate the half-life gets way longer just because it’s in castor oil (something like ~19 days to 30+ AKA nebido).

So I’m wondering if the same thing is happening here to some extent but with enanthate with castor oil?

 

[Nik]

Alright this might sound stupid based on everything I’ve read here, but at this point I’ve tried pretty much every protocol you can think of.

Twice a week, 3x a week, EOD, even daily injections, etc.

And honestly all of them just made me feel kinda dull. Not terrible, just flat. Low energy, libido meh, just not what people hype up at all or how TRT should feel.

Weird thing is the best I’ve EVER felt is on:

Bayer Testoviron (test E in castor oil)
250mg every 2 weeks

According to internet logic I should feel awful. But on that my energy is way higher, libido is through the roof, and I just feel switched on i could probably inject it every 3 weeks..

For reference: my SHBG is around 20 and if I do every 2 weeks my trough is still around 18–22 nmol.

What’s confusing me is everything online says this type of protocol is ancient, outdated, terrible peaks and troughs, and that you should feel awful on it.

But I literally feel better than I ever have on the “optimal” setups.

Only thing I can think of is the castor oil depot making a bigger difference than people realise and i just prefer bigger peaks with troughs?.

I’ve read that even with testosterone undecanoate the half-life gets way longer just because it’s in castor oil (something like ~19 days to 30+ AKA nebido).

So I’m wondering if the same thing is happening here to some extent but with enanthate with castor oil?

I'm experiencing something similar, I'm also using Testoviron, can I ask what your numbers are with this protocol?

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

You're not the first person to report this type of success here. Someone else reported that every three weeks worked well for his depression and many of us seem to "feel" best at troughs. Castor oil could be a factor, but another factor is that Testosterone is a signaling compound and the signaling affect could last well beyond when the T itself has declined. This is a great example that there is no substitute for experimentation. The bottom line is that we don't understand what's going on in the body as well as many people think we do and to not let people pressure you into changing based on theory. As one of the great philosophers said, " In theory, theory and practice are the same thing, but in practice they're not."

Please keep us posted on how things go longer term.

 

[newuser]

Alright this might sound stupid based on everything I’ve read here, but at this point I’ve tried pretty much every protocol you can think of.

Twice a week, 3x a week, EOD, even daily injections, etc.

And honestly all of them just made me feel kinda dull. Not terrible, just flat. Low energy, libido meh, just not what people hype up at all or how TRT should feel.

Weird thing is the best I’ve EVER felt is on:

Bayer Testoviron (test E in castor oil)
250mg every 2 weeks

According to internet logic I should feel awful. But on that my energy is way higher, libido is through the roof, and I just feel switched on i could probably inject it every 3 weeks..

For reference: my SHBG is around 20 and if I do every 2 weeks my trough is still around 18–22 nmol.

What’s confusing me is everything online says this type of protocol is ancient, outdated, terrible peaks and troughs, and that you should feel awful on it.

But I literally feel better than I ever have on the “optimal” setups.

Only thing I can think of is the castor oil depot making a bigger difference than people realise and i just prefer bigger peaks with troughs?.

I’ve read that even with testosterone undecanoate the half-life gets way longer just because it’s in castor oil (something like ~19 days to 30+ AKA nebido).

So I’m wondering if the same thing is happening here to some extent but with enanthate with castor oil?

What needle size do you use to inject such a thick oil?

 

[Furioski]

What needle size do you use to inject such a thick oil?

27g 3/4 inch, slow but its not that bad.

 

[Furioski]

I'm experiencing something similar, I'm also using Testoviron, can I ask what your numbers are with this protocol?

Numbers are solid all round, lipids/full blood count etc in the green. E2: 92, TT: 19.40(nmol) SHGB 19.8 was my last blood test 2 week trough.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

So I’m wondering if the same thing is happening here to some extent but with enanthate with castor oil?

I think this is a big factor. I've seen significant differences in effects between grape seed oil and MCT with the same ester and doses, and the viscosity gap between those oils is much smaller than between castor oil and everything else.

I would venture to guess your biweekly caster oil protocol is probably similar to a once every 7-10 day protocol with a thinner oil in terms of peak/trough ratio.

 

[Nik]

Los números son sólidos en general, lípidos/hemograma completo, etc. en verde. E2: 92, TT: 19.40 (nmol) SHGB 19.8 fue mi último análisis de sangre, 2 semanas más bajo.

Ok , free testosterone?

 

[madman]

Alright this might sound stupid based on everything I’ve read here, but at this point I’ve tried pretty much every protocol you can think of.

Twice a week, 3x a week, EOD, even daily injections, etc.

And honestly all of them just made me feel kinda dull. Not terrible, just flat. Low energy, libido meh, just not what people hype up at all or how TRT should feel.

Weird thing is the best I’ve EVER felt is on:

Bayer Testoviron (test E in castor oil)
250mg every 2 weeks

According to internet logic I should feel awful. But on that my energy is way higher, libido is through the roof, and I just feel switched on i could probably inject it every 3 weeks..

For reference: my SHBG is around 20 and if I do every 2 weeks my trough is still around 18–22 nmol.

What’s confusing me is everything online says this type of protocol is ancient, outdated, terrible peaks and troughs, and that you should feel awful on it.

But I literally feel better than I ever have on the “optimal” setups.

Only thing I can think of is the castor oil depot making a bigger difference than people realise and i just prefer bigger peaks with troughs?.

I’ve read that even with testosterone undecanoate the half-life gets way longer just because it’s in castor oil (something like ~19 days to 30+ AKA nebido).

So I’m wondering if the same thing is happening here to some extent but with enanthate with castor oil?

How long have you been on the protocol and where does your RBCs, hemoglobin and hematocrit sit as you left out those critical blood markers.

What you need to understand here is that ancient outdated protocol you speak of is 200 mg TE or TC every 2 weeks not 250 mg.

The most common dose used when prescribing every 2 weeks is 200 mg T.

When injecting high doses infrequently. especially once every 2 weeks there will be a huge swing between the peak--->trough.

This will cause a rollercoaster type effect which can have a negative impact on relief/improvement of low-T symptoms.

Sure some men may still fare well on such but it is far from optimal not only due to the rollercoaster effect where T levels are sky-high off the hop only to be followed by much lower levels come day 10-14 due to the PK which can easily have a negative impact on ones mood, energy, libido and erectile function let alone you will not be getting/taking advantage of the full anabolic benefits of T (increase muscle, strength, enhanced recovery).

Yes there will always be some men who enjoy the highs/lows and do well on such. but it is far from common.

Keep in mind the most common carriers oil used for TE is sesame oil and for TC cottonseed oil.

The half-life TE 4.5 days.

Chances are TE in castor oil will have an impact on the PK especially seeing as it is highly viscous which can have an effect on the release rate from the injection depot.

Now getting back to your protocol you are injecting 250 mg TE carrier oil castor and the S**T KICKER here is with a lowish SHBG 20 nmol/L you are STILL hitting a healthy/high-end trough cFTV 14.1-17.8 ng/dL 14 days post-injection so your trough levels are far from low!

As you can see if we calculate your FT using the go to linear law-of-mass action Vermeulen using the online calculator which is available to the general public for free with a robust trough TT 18-22 nmol/L (519.1-634.5 ng/dL), somewhat lowish SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL your trough FT 14.1-17.8 ng/dL is healthy/high-end and this is 14 days post-injection!

As I have state numerous time on the forum!

Always need to be mindful of your injection frequency/where trough FT sits.

FT <5 ng/dL would be considerd low.

FT 5-9 ng/dL would be considered the grey zone where some men may experience symptoms of low-T.

FT 10-15 ng/dL would be healthy.

FT 20-25 ng/dL would be high-end/high!

The majority of men will do well with a trough FT 15-25 ng/dL depending on the injection frequency.

So there is absolutely no reason why you should not feel well at true trough 14 days post-injection let alone any return of low-T symptoms.

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

TT 18 nmol/L or 519.1 ng/dL, SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL (default) - FT 14.1 ng/dL

TT 22 nmol/L or 634.5 ng/dL, SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL (default) - FT 17.8 ng/dL

What is important to understand here is if you truly are hitting a true trough TT 18-22 nmol/L (519.1-634.5 ng/dL) 14 days post-injection then your peak FT 24-48 hrs post injection/during the first few days will be very high and chances are 7 days in you are still hitting a high FT!

If anything just to get a. better picture as to how high your FT really is II would test at peak 24-48 hrs most likely closer to 48 hrs and 7 days post-injection to see where your FT truly sits.

Even then I would be keeping an eye on your hematocrit especially seeing as you are hitting a healthy/high-end trough cFTV 14.1-17.8 ng/dL so it would be a given that you are going to drive up your hematocrit.

Also keep in mind where your hematocrit sits 6 weeks in or 3 months in means nothing when looking at the bigger picture here as the biggest increase will be seen at the 3-6 month mark and although for many it tends to stabilize at the 6 month mark some will still see an increase up to 9-12 months before levels fully stabilize.

Bottom line here is if you truly feel good overall, minus any sides and blood markers are healthy then do what you feel is best for you!

 

[Nik]

How long have you been on the protocol and where does your RBCs, hemoglobin and hematocrit sit as you left out those critical blood markers.

What you need to understand here is that ancient outdated protocol you speak of is 200 mg TE or TC every 2 weeks not 250 mg.

The most common dose used when prescribing every 2 weeks is 200 mg T.

When injecting high doses infrequently. especially once every 2 weeks there will be a huge swing between the peak--->trough.

This will cause a rollercoaster type effect which can have a negative impact on relief/improvement of low-T symptoms.

Sure some men may still fare well on such but it is far from optimal not only due to the rollercoaster effect where T levels are sky-high off the hop only to be followed by much lower levels come day 10-14 due to the PK which can easily have a negative impact on ones mood, energy, libido and erectile function let alone you will not be getting/taking advantage of the full anabolic benefits of T (increase muscle, strength, enhanced recovery).

Yes there will always be some men who enjoy the highs/lows and do well on such. but it is far from common.

Keep in mind the most common carriers oil used for TE is sesame oil and for TC cottonseed oil.

The half-life TE 4.5 days.

Chances are TE in castor oil will have an impact on the PK especially seeing as it is highly viscous which can have an effect on the release rate from the injection depot.

Now getting back to your protocol you are injecting 250 mg TE carrier oil castor and the S**T KICKER here is with a lowish SHBG 20 nmol/L you are STILL hitting a healthy/high-end trough cFTV 14.1-17.8 ng/dL 14 days post-injection so your trough levels are far from low!

As you can see if we calculate your FT using the go to linear law-of-mass action Vermeulen using the online calculator which is available to the general public for free with a robust trough TT 18-22 nmol/L (519.1-634.5 ng/dL), somewhat lowish SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL your trough FT 14.1-17.8 ng/dL is healthy/high-end and this is 14 days post-injection!

As I have state numerous time on the forum!

Always need to be mindful of your injection frequency/where trough FT sits.

FT <5 ng/dL would be considerd low.

FT 5-9 ng/dL would be considered the grey zone where some men may experience symptoms of low-T.

FT 10-15 ng/dL would be healthy.

FT 20-25 ng/dL would be high-end/high!

The majority of men will do well with a trough FT 15-25 ng/dL depending on the injection frequency.

So there is absolutely no reason why you should not feel well at true trough 14 days post-injection let alone any return of low-T symptoms.

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

TT 18 nmol/L or 519.1 ng/dL, SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL (default) - FT 14.1 ng/dL
View attachment 56581



TT 22 nmol/L or 634.5 ng/dL, SHBG 20 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL (default) - FT 17.8 ng/dL
View attachment 56582



What is important to understand here is if you truly are hitting a true trough TT 18-22 nmol/L (519.1-634.5 ng/dL) 14 days post-injection then your peak FT 24-48 hrs post injection/during the first few days will be very high and chances are 7 days in you are still hitting a high FT!

If anything just to get a. better picture as to how high your FT really is II would test at peak 24-48 hrs most likely closer to 48 hrs and 7 days post-injection to see where your FT truly sits.

Even then I would be keeping an eye on your hematocrit especially seeing as you are hitting a healthy/high-end trough cFTV 14.1-17.8 ng/dL so it would be a given that you are going to drive up your hematocrit.

Also keep in mind where your hematocrit sits 6 weeks in or 3 months in means nothing when looking at the bigger picture here as the biggest increase will be seen at the 3-6 month mark and although for many it tends to stabilize at the 6 month mark some will still see an increase up to 9-12 months before levels fully stabilize.

Bottom line here is if you truly feel good overall, minus any sides and blood markers are healthy then do what you feel is best for you!

Remember my post? I reached a very high value of around 944 total
271 pg/ml
SHBG 23nmol/l with 100mg per week. Now with 75mg once a week, my numbers are:
525 total
158 free
hematocrit 50-52. It's also Testoviron, and I think castor oil slows down the half-life (just guessing). Now, a question for you: in once-a-week protocols, what should I expect the peak to be? Two or three times the minimum?
I'm thinking of reducing to 70mg once a week.

 

[madman]

Numbers are solid all round, lipids/full blood count etc in the green. E2: 92, TT: 19.40(nmol) SHGB 19.8 was my last blood test 2 week trough.

TT 19.40 nmol/L or 559.5 ng/dL with somewhat lowish SHBG 19.8 nmol/L then your trough cFTV 15.5 ng/dL would easily be healthy!

I would bet that iff you dropped your dose down to 200 mg T that you would not feel as stellar come trough time!

Going from 200--->250 mg T is a huge jump as 50 mg T/week would easily have a big impact on driving up your FT!




TT 19.8 nmol/L or 559.5 ng/dL, SHBG 19.8 nmol/L and Albumin 4.3 g/dL (default) - FT 15.5 ng/dL

Free & Bioavailable Testosterone calculator

 

[Furioski]

Appreciate the reply I’m definitely going to order a peak blood test for my own reference and Just to touch on a couple of your points and add some context from this side of things:

200 mg/week of test (especially cypionate) seems pretty standard in the US, but over here in Europe it’s a different. The more traditional ancient so to speak approach is 250 mg/mL ampoules of enanthate or Sustanon, and protocols that dose every 2–4 weeks (excluding Nebido). Nebido (1000 mg/4 mL) is widely used as well, usually on much longer intervals.


Carrier oils differ too enanthate is typically in castor oil, while Sustanon is often in arachis (peanut) oil.


There are a few private clinics adopting more modern approaches (cypionate, creams, more frequent dosing, etc.), but they’re still the minority compared to these older protocols.


For context, I’ve been on my current protocol about 14 months now, and on TRT overall for around 3 years. Latest markers are: Hematocrit: 46.3%, Hemoglobin: 161 g/L and RBC: 5.42.

I found this old picture kicking about when i was looking into this i found quite interesting

 

[madman]

Appreciate the reply I’m definitely going to order a peak blood test for my own reference and Just to touch on a couple of your points and add some context from this side of things:

200 mg/week of test (especially cypionate) seems pretty standard in the US, but over here in Europe it’s a different. The more traditional ancient so to speak approach is 250 mg/mL ampoules of enanthate or Sustanon, and protocols that dose every 2–4 weeks (excluding Nebido). Nebido (1000 mg/4 mL) is widely used as well, usually on much longer intervals.


Carrier oils differ too enanthate is typically in castor oil, while Sustanon is often in arachis (peanut) oil.


There are a few private clinics adopting more modern approaches (cypionate, creams, more frequent dosing, etc.), but they’re still the minority compared to these older protocols.


For context, I’ve been on my current protocol about 14 months now, and on TRT overall for around 3 years. Latest markers are: Hematocrit: 46.3%, Hemoglobin: 161 g/L and RBC: 5.42.

I found this old picture kicking about when i was looking into this i found quite interesting

Seeing as you live outside the US and are from Europe makes sense now as I am well aware of the T formulations/strengths and protocols used.

This is why most can get away with Testoviron or Sustanon every 2 weeks without ending up with too low a trough.

Where did your RBCs. hemoglobin and hematocrit sit at baseline before you started therapy?

Where does your iron/ferritin sit now and have you ever donated blood?

Yes I am aware of that table as I have posted numerous papers on here over the years

Keep in mind there is much more involved here than just the PKs when it comes to the ester!

Post in thread 'Testosterone Carrier Oils: What Men on TRT Actually Need to Know'

Mar 13, 2026

If you inject testosterone, the oil your medication is suspended in affects how comfortable each injection feels, how long the vial stays stable, and whether you experience local reactions. Yet most patients are never told anything about the carrier oil in their formulation. This guide covers what the science actually says about the most common carrier oils used in testosterone replacement therapy — with verifiable references, no invented statistics.

What you will learn:
• What role carrier oils play in injectable testosterone
• The confirmed fatty...

• madman

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

I'm thinking of reducing to 70mg once a week.

My two cents...you're in a position (unless there's some downside you didn't list) that many guys would absolutely love to be in. I would not change what you're doing. You cannot assume you will get back to where you are now if you change and your benefits decline. There are plenty of people who have posted here who were in a good place, unnecessarily changed something and then when they went back to the original protocol did not get back to the same results. The body is not like a car engine where if you change the chip you can always change it back. Be sure to hydrate well as that can affect hematocrit, and it can also normalize over time on it's own.

And I'm someone who likes to experiment, but sometimes you have to wait until there's an overwhelming need to change, and what people think "should" work is not an overwhelming need.

 

[WhiteMale]

Ive often wondered about a little testosterone supplementation some amount and frequency that you can not shutdown in such a way that you can replicate that honeymoon period that seems common. Not a replacement where in so many of us end up feeling back at 6-8 weeks once the HPTA shutsdown.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Remember my post? I reached a very high value of around 944 total
271 pg/ml
SHBG 23nmol/l with 100mg per week. Now with 75mg once a week, my numbers are:
525 total
158 free
hematocrit 50-52. It's also Testoviron, and I think castor oil slows down the half-life (just guessing). Now, a question for you: in once-a-week protocols, what should I expect the peak to be? Two or three times the minimum?
I'm thinking of reducing to 70mg once a week.

I realized I confused you with the OP in my previous post...

 

[Furioski]

Seeing as you live outside the US and are from Europe makes sense now as I am well aware of the T formulations/strengths and protocols used.

This is why most can get away with Testoviron or Sustanon every 2 weeks without ending up with too low a trough.

Where did your RBCs. hemoglobin and hematocrit sit at baseline before you started therapy?

Where does your iron/ferritin sit now and have you ever donated blood?

Yes I am aware of that table as I have posted numerous papers on here over the years

Keep in mind there is much more involved here than just the PKs when it comes to the ester!

Post in thread 'Testosterone Carrier Oils: What Men on TRT Actually Need to Know'

Mar 13, 2026

If you inject testosterone, the oil your medication is suspended in affects how comfortable each injection feels, how long the vial stays stable, and whether you experience local reactions. Yet most patients are never told anything about the carrier oil in their formulation. This guide covers what the science actually says about the most common carrier oils used in testosterone replacement therapy — with verifiable references, no invented statistics.

What you will learn:
• What role carrier oils play in injectable testosterone
• The confirmed fatty...

• madman

Ferritin 104.16 ug/l on my last bloods and never donated blood.

 

[Furioski]

My two cents...you're in a position (unless there's some downside you didn't list) that many guys would absolutely love to be in. I would not change what you're doing. You cannot assume you will get back to where you are now if you change and your benefits decline. There are plenty of people who have posted here who were in a good place, unnecessarily changed something and then when they went back to the original protocol did not get back to the same results. The body is not like a car engine where if you change the chip you can always change it back. Be sure to hydrate well as that can affect hematocrit, and it can also normalize over time on it's own.

And I'm someone who likes to experiment, but sometimes you have to wait until there's an overwhelming need to change, and what people think "should" work is not an overwhelming need.

Yeh the plan is to stick to the current protocol, but obviously always a worry when its "the worst possible protocol you could be on" according to internet gurus.

 

[madman]

Ferritin 104.16 ug/l on my last bloods and never donated blood.

Your ferritin is healthy and with a hematocrit 46% your baseline hematocrit most likely sat in the lower half of the middle of the reference range before you jumped on T.

 

[madman]

Remember my post? I reached a very high value of around 944 total
271 pg/ml
SHBG 23nmol/l with 100mg per week. Now with 75mg once a week, my numbers are:
525 total
158 free
hematocrit 50-52. It's also Testoviron, and I think castor oil slows down the half-life (just guessing). Now, a question for you: in once-a-week protocols, what should I expect the peak to be? Two or three times the minimum?
I'm thinking of reducing to 70mg once a week.

Yes you were hitting a nigh-end trough TT 944 ng/dL and more importantly high trough cFTV 27.1 ng/dL wish a somewhat lowish SHBG 23 nmol/L on 100 mg TE/week.

On 75 mg/week you are hitting a decent. trough TT 525 ng/dL and more importantly a healthy trough FT 15.8 ng/dL.

When injecting once weekly the true peak can be 2X trough but even then it is going to be much higher then true trough.

Definitely would not want to bring your trough down any lower as it is healthy and far from high.

Even then going from 75--->70 mg is not going to have a big impact here!

Far better off staying where you are at if you feel good.

Not sure why you are worried about a hematocrit 50-52%.

If you feel good overall, minus any troublesome sides and blood markers are healthy why would you want to lower your dose?

N

Thread '100 mg week testosterone'

Mar 19, 2025

I appreciate your opinions and appeal to your experiences. These are the numbers I took during week 6 with 100mg of enanthate once a week. What I find most astonishing is my free testosterone of 273pg/ml. I'm attaching my results.

I think I'll have to reduce the dose to at least 60mg a week. What do you think?

• Nik
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Blood Test Discussion

Thread 'Variance in Peak and Trough T Levels in Men Using Intramuscular T Injections'

Aug 20, 2018

MP85-14 VARIANCE IN PEAK AND TROUGH TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN MEN USING INTRAMUSCULAR TESTOSTERONE
Bruno Nascimento*, Helen L Bernie, Elizabeth Schofield, John P. Mulhall, New York, NY


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

In men using intramuscular testosterone (IM T), clinical experience shows us that, despite stable dosing and frequency, total testosterone peak (Tp) and trough (Tt) levels are highly variable, thus challenging the clinician to make a decision regarding dose adjustments. The goal of this study was to define...

• madman
• peak/trough
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Testosterone and Men's Health Articles

•