The Ultimate TRT Guide for Aussies – Part 5

The Ultimate TRT Guide for Aussies – Part 5

Hello all. Continuing on from Part 4 where you can find here (Part 4 here). We learned so far that in a nutshell, acquiring a testosterone prescription in Australia—even if you need it—is often not an easy or inexpensive health goal. On top of that, it seems that even if you do manage to receive a testosterone prescription, the level of care you will receive from most physicians in Australia will be questionable. These issues arise largely due to both a lack of education for our Doctor’s and also state/national laws that restrict the freedom of prescribing physicians. Okay, perhaps a pinch of ignorance from some of our Doctors is a contributing factor as well. I hate being a Negative Nancy, but sometimes I am left with no choice but to politely whinge about some of the directions Australia’s medical system have chosen to follow. Today though, the whinging is over. In Part 5, we will begin to discuss solutions to all of the issues discussed in Parts 1 through 4—and more. Exciting stuff, I know.

It is no secret that the black market of anabolic steroids has grown exponentially in the last decade. Sure, a lot of the market’s growth has to do with the concurrent growth of the fitness and body-building industry, but there is a surprising number of purchases made by individuals seeking these illicit substances for medical purposes. Some of these substances and practices are widely available, legal and even encouraged in some other countries. Australia has been unofficially named the “Nanny Country” and it would be hard to refute the title. One of these medical purposes individuals seek to self-prescribe is Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

“People who choose to self-prescribe must be crazy though! If it is not from a pharmaceutical company it will be garbage, surely?”

The truth is, if a black-market supplier has access to pure raw ingredients and is up with it on even the most basic chemistry—it is reasonably plausible he/she could manufacture quality testosterone for a user to safely use. Let us not get this twisted though, as I am sure this all-round, noble individual is extremely rare. However, to suggest it is impossible to manufacture underground testosterone “as pure” or “as dosed” as a pharmaceutical company can—is simply untrue. I know of personally a number of underground labs in Australia that strive to produce products of the highest quality. One could even argue some of these products are even better suited to a modern TRT schedule; as the underground products are not packaged in 1 ml, pre-filled syringes like the Australian pharmaceutical testosterone enanthate is. We have one plus there already. From the discussions I have had with these more nuanced suppliers, it truly feels like they’re proud of their contribution to society. Illegal, sure. Wrong? I’d argue against that. Not everything that is illegal is wrong and alternatively—not everything that is legal is right.

How then can I help solve some of the common dilemmas surrounding TRT in Australia? Why don’t we start with sourcing the right product for you? We established above that the pharmaceutical options do not offer the most convenient options to dose our TRT the way we should with modern schedules. What we need is a multi-millilitre vial that we are able to withdraw as much or as little as we require. This way, you will be able to experiment with the right dose/frequency of testosterone that is right for you. There is no one size fits all approach to TRT dosing. I have seen as little as 80 mg weekly be more than enough testosterone for a subject—as I have also seen other subjects require 200 mg weekly to reach the optimal dose for them. More is not always better and for most, a dose of 125 mg of testosterone enanthate (or cypionate) weekly, split into two injections, will work wonders. I do digress a little, again. Back to finding the right product for you.

“How do I know my underground testosterone in Australia is good to go?”

If I could give you a one sentence answer to that question, I would. The truth is, unless you send a sample of your underground product to a private company overseas for an analysis, you will not receive a 100% product guarantee. Now, actually sending that sample in is less difficult and less expensive than you’d first guess, but for some reason, each time in the past I suggest this form of product verification to someone who asks—no one actually does it. I get it though, it is a hassle and time is of the essence—especially if your testosterone is low.

“So, what’s the second best solution? How do we sleep well at night knowing whether or not our underground testosterone is slowly, but surely poisoning us?”

Firstly, the body is an incredibly intelligent machine. Aside from a few insidious infections known to humans, the likelihood of your underground purchase being one that poisons you to death will be decided upon your first injection. If you inject your product and post-injection you receive a cork at the site that worsens, reddens, feels warm, is unbearably painful or you begin to experience flu-like symptoms—then the chances are you need to throw that product in the bin—and maybe get to a Doctor’s surgery pretty fast too. If the testosterone is void from any biological or non-biological contaminants, then your injection will feel the same as any injection from a pharmaceutical product (if your injection method was safe). The caveat to this explanation is that just because you receive a cork, this does not mean your product is no good. You need to have the accompanying symptoms with the cork in order for there to be a cause for concern. The majority of corks are caused by improper injection technique and scar tissue formation. If you do not rotate your sites or sort out any pre-existing scar tissue with manual tissue work, then prepare to cork eventually. Untreated scar tissue can also lead to issues with absorption of your precious testosterone. Now we don’t want to waste any of that precious man-oil, do we?

Surrogation decision making is a fancy way of saying:

“Humans often make decisions based on the experiences of other humans.”

Before we eat at a restaurant we have never been to, how do we often make the decision to go? Often, we make these types of decisions either from reviews from strangers—or better yet, a review from someone close to us. It is at this point, I would simply recommend a user to decide on whether or not to purchase a product based on a review from others who have already used the product. Of course, we run into some accuracy conflictions here when the creators of a product post fake positive reviews, or on the flipside—when a product creator’s competitor creates fake negative reviews. Thankfully, you will notice our new verified review system which will heavily minimise these fake reviews and set the standard for all other platforms to enforce the same kind of regulation. We are proud to be the first platform in Australia to create a real harm reduction system. Not only harm to your physiology, but harm to your wallet also.

Of course, home test kits are another option to further strengthen your decision. Originally, home test kits could only test the presence of a product, but now some of these companies attest to also test the purity for some compounds as well. This means that you have a greater chance of discovering whether or not your product is what it claims to be and also the strength your product claims to be as well. The results from these home test kits need to be cautioned however, as I am unsure of the degree of accuracy they offer. In my experience though with one particular company, they were very helpful at accommodating my scientific-evidence-requiring mindset. I do not wish to name the company I used because I do not want to be misinterpreted as having any hidden agendas in this particular writing space—especially if I’m not making a dime. Use that surrogation method we discussed above, perhaps? My word limit is stretching overtime again. Until Part 6, where the next solution will be revealed! Speak soon lads and lasses.