Dependent while taking them, sure. Need a cite that says testosterone production won't restart.
This is also operating under the assumption that you have anything to suppress: if you're <=200ng/dl, you're not losing much.
The benefits of exogenous testosterone far outweigh the lifetime commitment aspect: it shouldn't really be a consideration.
and also "the only human study that directly link between onion and testosterone reveal a positive effect of onion extracts on testosterone" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6406961/#!po=9....
Hence I made the remark.
If you're not 800-1000 ng/dl and injecting yourself regularly, you are doing it wrong and need to find a new doctor.
If you're not a doctor, don't give medical advice on HN. (Actually, don't do it even if you are a doctor, as you don't have access to the poster's medical history.)
Edit: this post was made before OP edited in their disclaimer.
The really bad ones are either dosages which are just high enough to shut down one’s natural production but not high enough to replace it, or infrequent dosages (weekly or less) which cause a brief spike of healthy T levels and then a long trough of being too low. Some patients don’t respond well to creams or topical treatments, either.
I suggested a subjective target physiological result with absolutely no specific means to get there beyond "find a doctor."
If I believe someone is being mistreated by his doctor, am I not allowed to suggest finding a new one? What if his current doctor wanted to perform a lobotomy?
"Find a new doctor" is not "medical advice" as much as you would like to conflate.
If someone is severely deficient, then yes.
However, a lot of TRT clinics will essentially give anyone who walks in the door a prescription. Going from low-normal to normal or even high-normal levels via TRT won’t be anywhere near as life changing as going from being severely deficient (like you) to normal levels.
It also comes with a lifelong commitment to TRT.
If anyone is not extremely deficient, they should be exhausting normal methods to improve testosterone levels (diet, exercise, reducing alcohol consumption, and so on) before trying to replace their natural production for the rest of their lives. Obviously it’s a different story for people who have absolutely crushed testosterone levels for other reasons.
I also had to take it for fertility - Clomid is the other option but I felt like absolute crap on it.
I've suffered very low test levels (well below reference range minimum) for a long time, due to being in SSRI meds for anxiety. Those meds do their jobs but crushed my test levels. Symptoms included lots of belly fat and man boobs (put on 30lbs in 2 years despite regular exercise), but the major issues were all psychological; low mood, low self esteem, no drive to do stuff.
Finally got on TRT and it's turned everything upside down in the best possible way. I'm more assertive, but calmer, less anxious but also willing to tackle issues. Way more drive and motivation to do stuff. Horny like a teenager. Belly fat is melting away and exercise is showing incredibly fast results. I'm so incredibly motivated to work out because I can literally see progress in the mirror on a weekly basis.
I do this all under doctors supervision (using a well known trt clinic in London), and have had no negative biomarker results, in fact quite the opposite, my lipids have gone from "you need help" to optimal. Even managed to knock up the wife. (I'm on HCG as well to maintain fertility).
Guys, get your hormones checked. It will transform your life.