Tag: testosterone replacement therapy

Here’s What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Using TRT


(MMA’s new stance on hormone-therapy could spell the end of two legendary careers.)

The NSAC’s recent decision to ban TRT is going to make life a lot harder for the athletes who have depended on it during their training camps. Dan Henderson — who will receive the final therapeutic usage exemption for UFC competition — has compared it to banning insulin for diabetics. Meanwhile, Vitor Belfort thinks he’ll need about three months to transition to life without TRT.

That’s a very optimistic estimate, considering the deterioration that a person’s body goes through when they stop hormone-replacement therapy — especially if they’re not doing it correctly. In an eye-opening new interview with Fightland, endocrinologist Dr. Neil Goodman shared his insight about fighters who get on TRT, and all the awful things that happen when they try to get off of it. Some excerpts are below:

I’ve been involved with professional athletes who’ve been referred to me by their agents to get them off steroids because they knew they were on them and going to get caught, so I’m very familiar with this. I think this is a problem in all of competitive sports in that a lot of these guys begin in gyms, they’re taking all kinds of anabolic steroids. Then they go off and go to the doctor, and their testosterone’s low. The original cause of low testosterone is that most of these guys in competitive sports are taking excessively high doses of almost anything they can get their hands on.

Most men who legitimately have low testosterone have it because of a disease they were born with or developed within infancy and childhood. There are very few adult men who suddenly have low testosterone unless they have a pituitary tumor or they have serious illnesses. The biggest cause of low testosterone in any man is diabetes, obesity, hypertension, sleep apnea, or other serious medical diseases, so their low testosterone is a minor point to their really serious health condition that it comes with. The men who are born with a deficiency of testosterone have been on treatment since they were children, otherwise they would have never gone through puberty…

If a young guy comes in with low testosterone, my first thought is this guy’s been taking steroids. And I’m usually right.


(MMA’s new stance on hormone-therapy could spell the end of two legendary careers.)

The NSAC’s recent decision to ban TRT is going to make life a lot harder for the athletes who have depended on it during their training camps. Dan Henderson — who will receive the final therapeutic usage exemption for UFC competition — has compared it to banning insulin for diabetics. Meanwhile, Vitor Belfort thinks he’ll need about three months to transition to life without TRT.

That’s a very optimistic estimate, considering the deterioration that a person’s body goes through when they stop testosterone replacement therapy — especially if they’re not doing it correctly. In an eye-opening new interview with Fightland, endocrinologist Dr. Neil Goodman shared his insight about fighters who get on TRT, and all the awful things that happen when they try to get off of it. Some excerpts are below:

I’ve been involved with professional athletes who’ve been referred to me by their agents to get them off steroids because they knew they were on them and going to get caught, so I’m very familiar with this. I think this is a problem in all of competitive sports in that a lot of these guys begin in gyms, they’re taking all kinds of anabolic steroids. Then they go off and go to the doctor, and their testosterone’s low. The original cause of low testosterone is that most of these guys in competitive sports are taking excessively high doses of almost anything they can get their hands on.

Most men who legitimately have low testosterone have it because of a disease they were born with or developed within infancy and childhood. There are very few adult men who suddenly have low testosterone unless they have a pituitary tumor or they have serious illnesses. The biggest cause of low testosterone in any man is diabetes, obesity, hypertension, sleep apnea, or other serious medical diseases, so their low testosterone is a minor point to their really serious health condition that it comes with. The men who are born with a deficiency of testosterone have been on treatment since they were children, otherwise they would have never gone through puberty…

If a young guy comes in with low testosterone, my first thought is this guy’s been taking steroids. And I’m usually right.

Let’s take a guy that’s legitimately stopping testosterone. He goes to his doctor and says, “Look, I really need it because there’s something wrong with my testes,” he goes to a doctor, the doctor does blood [work], and sure enough, the guy’s testosterone is in the toilet because he’s been on it. When you come off of it, your testes are not working. And it may be months or years, or never, until they ever start making testosterone.

If the guy’s honest and he’s going to start working with someone like myself, we’re going to try the best we can to get him to normal testosterone levels. I’ll say to him, “Okay, what are you taking?” He’s honest with me and says he’s just taking injectable testosterone. I’ll say, “Stop it.” In a couple of weeks, I’ll do some blood work and see what his baseline level is after he comes off the stuff. Then I’ll put him on some gel that’s going to give him a steady amount of testosterone, bring his level up to give him a “normal” level of testosterone that he can stay on, let him have a chance to recover, and see what we can do after a few months.

Some guys, I can get their testes to start working again. We use a drug called Clomiphene, and for those guys, it wakes up the brain computer that runs the show because it’s been shut down. If I have a shot at them coming back to normal with tapering down their gel and keeping them on Clomiphene, over about three or six months or more, I’ll start to see their testosterone production come back…

Every single guy whose exemption is getting taken away is going to come up with very low testosterone, and he won’t be able to compete, at least on the level that he might have been competing at. Every guy that goes to the commission and stops getting these exemptions, they’re going to have to get some testosterone to just keep them normal. They won’t be able to compete because their testosterone will just plummet.

Their muscle strength will decline. They’ll put on some fat weight. Their moods will become depressive. They’ll have fatigue. It’ll be horrible — I feel bad for them. It’s going to be misery…I’m not saying all guys are going to have serious problems. It depends on what they’ve been on, how much they’ve been taking, what other drugs they’ve been on. It’s a mixed bag.

Any guy that’s coming off testosterone because of this ruling, he needs to see an endocrinologist. Do not go to any of these anti-aging guys. Don’t go to the family doctor. If he wants his health restored, he must see an endocrinologist. That’s my message, because that’s the only person with the training to help him deal with coming off the testosterone.

Win or lose, Dan Henderson’s rematch with Shogun Rua later this month could be the last night of his career; rebuilding his health without supplemental testosterone might not be possible, or worth the agony. As for Belfort, he just went from red-hot title contender to question mark. He’ll surely try to return to competition when his hormone levels return to normal, but it’s highly doubtful that he’ll ever look the same.

Brazilian Commission Bans TRT, Grants Dan Henderson Final Exemption for Shogun Rua Rematch


(In his pre-TRT days, Hendo never went to a football game without bringing a grill full of sausages. Nowadays, he’s relegated to carrying the glass dish of potato salad to the wine and cheese parties he attends with his wife. Getting old sucks. Photo via Combat Lifestyle.)

On the heels of a monumental decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to ban TRT exemptions, it appears the Brazilian Athletic Commission will be the first to follow suit. Vitor Belfort retirement status: Imminent.

But before the commission puts the kibosh on TRT entirely, they will first grant Dan Henderson their final exemption.

Henderson, of course, faces Mauricio Shogun next month in a rematch of their epic clash at UFC 139. On the heels of a first round knockout loss to Belfort at Fight Night 32 (the first of his career) and currently riding a three fight skid, a win is not exactly make-or-break for the 41-year old Henderson — who just signed a six-fight extension with the UFC — but crucial if he wants to remain in the highly coveted UFC top 10 rankings (*armpit fart*).

The news of Henderson’s exemption was passed along by CABMMA Medical Director Marcio Tannure to SporTV, who also informed the outlet that the ban will affect one Chael Phinneus Sonnen moving forward. Not that “The American Gangster” cares.

And with that, Dan Henderson becomes the first man to ever receive a TRT exemption in Nevada, and the last to receive one in Brazil. It’s as close to a poetic moment as we’re going to get in this damn sport nowadays.

–J. Jones


(In his pre-TRT days, Hendo never went to a football game without bringing a grill full of sausages. Nowadays, he’s relegated to carrying the glass dish of potato salad to the wine and cheese parties he attends with his wife. Getting old sucks. Photo via Combat Lifestyle.)

On the heels of a monumental decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to ban TRT exemptions, it appears the Brazilian Athletic Commission will be the first to follow suit. Vitor Belfort retirement status: Imminent.

But before the commission puts the kibosh on TRT entirely, they will first grant Dan Henderson their final exemption.

Henderson, of course, faces Mauricio Shogun next month in a rematch of their epic clash at UFC 139. On the heels of a first round knockout loss to Belfort at Fight Night 32 (the first of his career) and currently riding a three fight skid, a win is not exactly make-or-break for the 41-year old Henderson — who just signed a six-fight extension with the UFC — but crucial if he wants to remain in the highly coveted UFC top 10 rankings (*armpit fart*).

The news of Henderson’s exemption was passed along by CABMMA Medical Director Marcio Tannure to SporTV, who also informed the outlet that the ban will affect one Chael Phinneus Sonnen moving forward. Not that “The American Gangster” cares.

And with that, Dan Henderson becomes the first man to ever receive a TRT exemption in Nevada, and the last to receive one in Brazil. It’s as close to a poetic moment as we’re going to get in this damn sport nowadays.

–J. Jones

BREAKING: Nevada State Athletic Commission Bans TRT Exemptions, Effective Immediately


(“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” / Photo via Getty)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission struck a blow for fair, healthy MMA competition today, voting for an immediate ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Therapeutic usage exemptions (TUE) will no longer be granted to fighters, even for those who had been approved to use hormone therapy in the past. Furthermore, the NSAC will push other states to ban TRT as well, and won’t honor the TUEs approved by other state commissions.

Today’s hearing began with testimony from NSAC consulting physician Dr. Timothy Trainor, who explained the rarity of hypogonadism, and argued that if a competitor truly has hypogonadism, the athletic commission would be placing him at risk by allowing him to fight. (Hello, exactly!)

After discussing the recent anti-TRT letter from the Association of Ringside Physicians — and acknowledging that monitoring every TRT user requires more resources than they can commit — NSAC commissioner Skip Avansino motioned to ban TRT usage/exemptions in Nevada. With supporting votes from commissioners Pat Lundvall and Bill Brady, the motion quickly passed.

And so, MMA’s biggest PED loophole has been closed by the country’s most influential athletic commission — and other state athletic commissions may be forced to follow suit. Vitor Belfort will have to fight clean in Nevada, along with everybody else who previously had doctor’s notes for testosterone.

It’s a good day for the sport. We’ll update you with any major developments that follow.


(“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” / Photo via Getty)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission struck a blow for fair, healthy MMA competition today, voting for an immediate ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Therapeutic usage exemptions (TUE) will no longer be granted to fighters, even for those who had been approved to use hormone therapy in the past. Furthermore, the NSAC will push other states to ban TRT as well, and won’t honor the TUEs approved by other state commissions.

Today’s hearing began with testimony from NSAC consulting physician Dr. Timothy Trainor, who explained the rarity of hypogonadism, and argued that if a competitor truly has hypogonadism, the athletic commission would be placing him at risk by allowing him to fight. (Hello, exactly!)

After discussing the recent anti-TRT letter from the Association of Ringside Physicians — and acknowledging that monitoring every TRT user requires more resources than they can commit — NSAC commissioner Skip Avansino motioned to ban TRT usage/exemptions in Nevada. With supporting votes from commissioners Pat Lundvall and Bill Brady, the motion quickly passed.

And so, MMA’s biggest PED loophole has been closed by the country’s most influential athletic commission — and other state athletic commissions may be forced to follow suit. Vitor Belfort will have to fight clean in Nevada, along with everybody else who previously had doctor’s notes for testosterone.

It’s a good day for the sport. We’ll update you with any major developments that follow.

BREAKING: Nevada State Athletic Commission Bans TRT Exemptions, Effective Immediately


(“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” / Photo via Getty)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission struck a blow for fair, healthy MMA competition today, voting for an immediate ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Therapeutic usage exemptions (TUE) will no longer be granted to fighters, even for those who had been approved to use hormone therapy in the past. Furthermore, the NSAC will push other states to ban TRT as well, and won’t honor the TUEs approved by other state commissions.

Today’s hearing began with testimony from NSAC consulting physician Dr. Timothy Trainor, who explained the rarity of hypogonadism, and argued that if a competitor truly has hypogonadism, the athletic commission would be placing him at risk by allowing him to fight. (Hello, exactly!)

After discussing the recent anti-TRT letter from the Association of Ringside Physicians — and acknowledging that monitoring every TRT user requires more resources than they can commit — NSAC commissioner Skip Avansino motioned to ban TRT usage/exemptions in Nevada. With supporting votes from commissioners Pat Lundvall and Bill Brady, the motion quickly passed.

And so, MMA’s biggest PED loophole has been closed by the country’s most influential athletic commission — and other state athletic commissions may be forced to follow suit. Vitor Belfort will have to fight clean in Nevada, along with everybody else who previously had doctor’s notes for testosterone.

It’s a good day for the sport. We’ll update you with any major developments that follow.


(“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” / Photo via Getty)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission struck a blow for fair, healthy MMA competition today, voting for an immediate ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Therapeutic usage exemptions (TUE) will no longer be granted to fighters, even for those who had been approved to use hormone therapy in the past. Furthermore, the NSAC will push other states to ban TRT as well, and won’t honor the TUEs approved by other state commissions.

Today’s hearing began with testimony from NSAC consulting physician Dr. Timothy Trainor, who explained the rarity of hypogonadism, and argued that if a competitor truly has hypogonadism, the athletic commission would be placing him at risk by allowing him to fight. (Hello, exactly!)

After discussing the recent anti-TRT letter from the Association of Ringside Physicians — and acknowledging that monitoring every TRT user requires more resources than they can commit — NSAC commissioner Skip Avansino motioned to ban TRT usage/exemptions in Nevada. With supporting votes from commissioners Pat Lundvall and Bill Brady, the motion quickly passed.

And so, MMA’s biggest PED loophole has been closed by the country’s most influential athletic commission — and other state athletic commissions may be forced to follow suit. Vitor Belfort will have to fight clean in Nevada, along with everybody else who previously had doctor’s notes for testosterone.

It’s a good day for the sport. We’ll update you with any major developments that follow.

Grossest TRT Defense Ever?: Bigfoot Silva’s Manager Says He Was “Lactating” Before Undergoing Treatment for “Extremely Low Testosterone”


(That nickname is *really* starting to make sense now…) 

Well, it’s safe to say that the recently decided upon Potato Award for “Grossest Mental Image of the Year” is all but a lock now.

As you know, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was recently suspended for nine months following a positive test for elevated testosterone at Fight Night 33. This came as a surprise to no one, as Silva previously tested positive for Boldenone in 2008, bringing into question how he was granted a TRT TUE in the first place. As was the case with his former steroid test, Silva is doing everything he can to proclaim his innocence in the matter, including suing the doctor who oversaw his therapy.

While anyone with half a brain should conclude that a) there is no way in Hell a 6’4″, 260 pound former steroid user actually needs TRT to survive and b) even if he did, then he probably shouldn’t be fighting for a living, Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, continues to rally for his client, even if it requires him to relay horrifying and embarrassing stories like this one (via MMAFighting):

This is one of the guys that really have authentic technical reasons to be on TRT. He has acromegaly. His pituitary gland overproduces GH (growth hormone) and that unbalances all his other hormones.

When I started managing him, he was actually lactating. He has extremely low testosterone, so he has a real reason to be on TRT. 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF NOW, JACK BYRNES?!

So in addition to being a dirty steroid user, Bigfoot Silva is probably the worst person to roll with in the history of ever. Glad we could establish that.


(That nickname is *really* starting to make sense now…) 

Well, it’s safe to say that the recently decided upon Potato Award for “Grossest Mental Image of the Year” is all but a lock now.

As you know, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was recently suspended for nine months following a positive test for elevated testosterone at Fight Night 33. This came as a surprise to no one, as Silva previously tested positive for Boldenone in 2008, bringing into question how he was granted a TRT TUE in the first place. As was the case with his former steroid test, Silva is doing everything he can to proclaim his innocence in the matter, including suing the doctor who oversaw his therapy.

While anyone with half a brain should conclude that a) there is no way in Hell a 6’4″, 260 pound former steroid user actually needs TRT to survive and b) even if he did, then he probably shouldn’t be fighting for a living, Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, continues to rally for his client, even if it requires him to relay horrifying and embarrassing stories like this one (via MMAFighting):

This is one of the guys that really have authentic technical reasons to be on TRT. He has acromegaly. His pituitary gland overproduces GH (growth hormone) and that unbalances all his other hormones.

When I started managing him, he was actually lactating. He has extremely low testosterone, so he has a real reason to be on TRT. 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF NOW, JACK BYRNES?!

So in addition to being a dirty steroid user, Bigfoot Silva is probably the worst person to roll with in the history of ever. Glad we could establish that.

And now that we’ve all finished voiding the contents of our stomachs at the thought of Silva being milked by a farmhand to provide sustenance for the malnourished townspeople of Brasilia, let’s get into the cause of his most recent failed test, which I can assure you was *definitely* not his fault:

He took the instructions wrong, but he did not try to cheat. What happened was, there was a miscommunication with the doctor and he ended up taking injections at the wrong time. He was taking (once) a month then started taking (once) a week. He took one a week before the fight and one at the week of the fight, which wasn’t supposed to. It got mixed up.

So let me get this straight: Silva’s doctor advises him to inject himself once a month, he “takes the instructions wrong” and starts injecting once a week, and the doctor is somehow to blame? Unless the doctor gave Silva instructions handwritten in Taiwanese braille, what could possibly be the miscommunication here?

I’m not saying that Silva is the only one to blame, but considering his past, you’d think he would make an effort to double or triple check the stipulations of his treatment before moving forward with it. There’s a big difference between ignorance and wilful ignorance, and after 8 years in the game, Silva has moved past the point where the former can be used as an excuse, even when dealing with a relatively new science like TRT. Knowledge is progress, and Silva won’t learn a thing until he stops placing the blame for his mistakes on everyone but himself and understands that he might be responsible for what he chooses to inject into his own body.

–J. Jones

Grossest TRT Defense Ever?: Bigfoot Silva’s Manager Says He Was “Lactating” Before Undergoing Treatment for “Extremely Low Testosterone”


(That nickname is *really* starting to make sense now…) 

Well, it’s safe to say that the recently decided upon Potato Award for “Grossest Mental Image of the Year” is all but a lock now.

As you know, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was recently suspended for nine months following a positive test for elevated testosterone at Fight Night 33. This came as a surprise to no one, as Silva previously tested positive for Boldenone in 2008, bringing into question how he was granted a TRT TUE in the first place. As was the case with his former steroid test, Silva is doing everything he can to proclaim his innocence in the matter, including suing the doctor who oversaw his therapy.

While anyone with half a brain should conclude that a) there is no way in Hell a 6’4″, 260 pound former steroid user actually needs TRT to survive and b) even if he did, then he probably shouldn’t be fighting for a living, Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, continues to rally for his client, even if it requires him to relay horrifying and embarrassing stories like this one (via MMAFighting):

This is one of the guys that really have authentic technical reasons to be on TRT. He has acromegaly. His pituitary gland overproduces GH (growth hormone) and that unbalances all his other hormones.

When I started managing him, he was actually lactating. He has extremely low testosterone, so he has a real reason to be on TRT. 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF NOW, JACK BYRNES?!

So in addition to being a dirty steroid user, Bigfoot Silva is probably the worst person to roll with in the history of ever. Glad we could establish that.


(That nickname is *really* starting to make sense now…) 

Well, it’s safe to say that the recently decided upon Potato Award for “Grossest Mental Image of the Year” is all but a lock now.

As you know, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was recently suspended for nine months following a positive test for elevated testosterone at Fight Night 33. This came as a surprise to no one, as Silva previously tested positive for Boldenone in 2008, bringing into question how he was granted a TRT TUE in the first place. As was the case with his former steroid test, Silva is doing everything he can to proclaim his innocence in the matter, including suing the doctor who oversaw his therapy.

While anyone with half a brain should conclude that a) there is no way in Hell a 6’4″, 260 pound former steroid user actually needs TRT to survive and b) even if he did, then he probably shouldn’t be fighting for a living, Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, continues to rally for his client, even if it requires him to relay horrifying and embarrassing stories like this one (via MMAFighting):

This is one of the guys that really have authentic technical reasons to be on TRT. He has acromegaly. His pituitary gland overproduces GH (growth hormone) and that unbalances all his other hormones.

When I started managing him, he was actually lactating. He has extremely low testosterone, so he has a real reason to be on TRT. 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF NOW, JACK BYRNES?!

So in addition to being a dirty steroid user, Bigfoot Silva is probably the worst person to roll with in the history of ever. Glad we could establish that.

And now that we’ve all finished voiding the contents of our stomachs at the thought of Silva being milked by a farmhand to provide sustenance for the malnourished townspeople of Brasilia, let’s get into the cause of his most recent failed test, which I can assure you was *definitely* not his fault:

He took the instructions wrong, but he did not try to cheat. What happened was, there was a miscommunication with the doctor and he ended up taking injections at the wrong time. He was taking (once) a month then started taking (once) a week. He took one a week before the fight and one at the week of the fight, which wasn’t supposed to. It got mixed up.

So let me get this straight: Silva’s doctor advises him to inject himself once a month, he “takes the instructions wrong” and starts injecting once a week, and the doctor is somehow to blame? Unless the doctor gave Silva instructions handwritten in Taiwanese braille, what could possibly be the miscommunication here?

I’m not saying that Silva is the only one to blame, but considering his past, you’d think he would make an effort to double or triple check the stipulations of his treatment before moving forward with it. There’s a big difference between ignorance and wilful ignorance, and after 8 years in the game, Silva has moved past the point where the former can be used as an excuse, even when dealing with a relatively new science like TRT. Knowledge is progress, and Silva won’t learn a thing until he stops placing the blame for his mistakes on everyone but himself and understands that he might be responsible for what he chooses to inject into his own body.

–J. Jones