Andrew Huberman TRT Usage – His Dosing and Experience

Andrew explained recently on the Power Project podcast hat he had never touched exogenous testosterone until this year (2021) at age 45.

However, as part of research for a book he’s writing on hormone optimization, he wanted to experiment and learn first hand what it’s like.

In this post we’ll look at the TRT regimen he’s on.

Andrew’s TRT Regimen

• In the clip above (source) Andrew explains that, under doctor supervision, he began by taking a “typical TRT dosage” of 160 mg per week of testosterone cypionate. Split into 2 doses per week (.4 ml and .3ml – using a 200 mg per ml syringe).
• Now, it’s worth caveating that the maths on that sounds off (.7ml (.4 + .3) of a 200 mg/ml syringe is 140 mg), so it’s possible he mis-spoke and meant 140 mg – but you can hear in the clip above he definitely says 160 mg.

He found it gave him a ton of energy, but with unwanted side effects, specifically:

• Trouble sleeping
• A small amount of anxiety

As time since the injection increased the unwanted side effects would improve, but then he’d inject again and the cycle would restart.

^ Testosterone cypionate, which is used for TRT

So, instead of stopping completely, he cut the dose right down to:

• 20 mg every 3 days (which is .1 ml in the 200 mg/ml syringe)

He says he feels really good on this dose. His total testosterone went from 800 to 1400 ng/dl, and his blood lipids improved.

While he’s experimenting with the TRT he came off the Tongkat Ali & Fadogia Agrestis combination. Presumably so that he can see how the TRT affects him on its own, without supplements that also work directly on his hormones.

Aromatase Inhibitor?

^ Clip from YouTube interview of Andrew discussing Anastrozole

Aromatase inhibitors, if you’re not already familiar, are drugs that block the conversions of Androgens (such as testosterone) into estrogens. That process is normally called ‘aromatization’ – so hence drugs that block the process being named aromatase inhibitors.

Andrew explains that he experimented with an aromatase inhibitor called anastrozole – which he got re-compounded down to a very low dose of .1 mg, which he describes as a ‘miniscule amount’.

Unfortunately he ran into a few issues taking it:

• He didn’t feel great on it
• His memory felt slightly off
• His achilles heel suddenly started hurting when jogging, which then immediately resolved itself when he stopped taking it

Therefore he decided against taking an aromatase inhibitor.

^ An example brand of Anastrazole – note that at 1mg per tablet, it’s 10x the dose Andrew tried

Noticeable Effects from TRT

So how does Andrew feel on this low dose of testosterone every 3 days…

• He notes that the extra testosterone gives him more energy, but a calm energy (perhaps as opposed to when taking stimulants).
• He lost all cravings for sweet foods, but instead has strong cravings for meat, egg yolks and fat.

Andrew’s TRT Tips

In the same podcast, Andrew mentions a few tips for people interested in TRT.

• Firstly, ideally, get your total testosterone, free testosterone and other hormone levels checked whilst you’re young and healthy. For example, if you know what your levels were when you were 25 and brimming with energy, then later you can try to re-emulate that with TRT.
• This is particularly important because everyone is slightly different – so a one-size-fits-all target for hormones does not work.
• Similar to with the Tongkat Ali & Fadogia Agrestis supplementation, you want to make sure you’ve got all the low hanging fruit optimized first. Namely:
  • Good quality sleep
  • Healthy diet
  • Regular exercise (but not over trained)
  • Avoiding chronic stress
• It’s possible that just by optimizing those things, you’ll see a noticeable improvement in your hormone and energy levels.
• Andrew tested his hormone levels prior to starting on TRT, and then 4 weeks later after commencing, to make it wasn’t having a negative impact.

^ Clip from YouTube interview of Andrew discussing steps to take prior to TRT

Roundup

Hopefully the above is useful as a summary of Andrew’s TRT usage. For questions or comments, please leave them below.

You can find all Andrew’s great video content at his YouTube channel, or on iTunes. You can also support him and his work via his Patreon.

Further Learning

• To learn more about the supplements Andrew used to boost his testosterone, prior to starting TRT, see this post.
• To learn more about testosterone & strength, see his YouTube videos on the subject:
  • The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen | Huberman Lab Podcast #15
  • Science of Muscle Growth, Increasing Strength & Muscular Recovery | Huberman Lab Podcast #22