What are the side effects of performance-enhancing drugs?

Hi doctor,

I have had a chronic illness by the name ME and CFS for the past four to five years and currently undergoing a diagnosis regarding the disease. I have been using performance-enhancing drugs for some time to combat symptoms such as brain fog, low energy, and extreme fatigue, especially after activity. My body does not seem to be storing any glycogen at all. I have been using Testosterone enanthate 25 mg twice a week. My problem is that my body is not regulating the hormones properly. According to blood work, I have around 500 mg in my system, which I inject weekly, and my SHBG hormones are low. But that 500 mg does not translate to reality, meaning it's not working; I still lose muscle mass and feel fatigued, etc. However, I used 850 mg of Metformin Actavis once a day, and once I did that, the drugs kicked in like it should for around three to four days, and then the effect stopped. But then again, a week later, one evening, the same thing happened: the drugs kicked in again, lasted for three to four days, and then stopped. My doctor tells me it is caused by not having any glycogen stored in the body; because there is no glycogen in the body, there is no way for the drug to circulate and do its job. When the drugs kick in, I feel great and full of energy. Is there any way to fix that so my body regulates it properly? Also, what can I do to fix this?

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

My issue is not the drugs themselves but rather them not working and regulating properly in the body; I understand by taking these drugs, my natural testosterone is suppressed, but that should not make a difference if I am taking 500 mg of Testosterone a week. My problem is that my body does not regulate the hormone properly as it should. The drugs do not kick in if that makes sense.

Thank you.

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I am using Metformin just to make the drugs kick into the system. All I want is for the drugs to kick in normally. I do not get the effect of 500 mg of testosterone. I am losing muscle instead of gaining. A similar thing happened about a year ago when I got some tablets for my sickness, and I did not use any drugs for about two months, and after that, when I injected again, the drugs actually kicked in, but only the first two injections then stopped kicking in. I can go without the drugs for two years; that is not the hard part. Are you sure if I go off the drugs for two years, they will actually kick in all the time after that and not only the first two injections? Could you also explain the relationship between going off the drugs and then kicking in? I was under the impression that once you inject, let's say, 500 mg of testosterone, it should kick in naturally. What is it that I do not understand? It would make my life so much easier if the drugs kicked in like they were supposed to.

Thank you very much.

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

It makes sense when you explain it. I was using 250 mg of testosterone twice a week (on Monday and Thursday). Now when I injected on Mondays, it made me feel better, but when I injected on Thursdays, it made me feel worse, and I had that feeling until I injected again on Monday. This explains what you just wrote; my body might not be deficient in testosterone, and that is why it made me feel good the first time and not the second time if I understood you correctly. My question is, I have friends that also use a lot more testosterone than I am using, and they are healthy and do not have any sickness or anything. They are naturally not deficient in testosterone or any other hormones, so how come they get the effect of the drugs kicking in? Not just my friends, there are a lot of other people.

Thank you.

Hello doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

Still, it does not make sense. According to you, the drugs will not kick in if you are not deficient in testosterone. They only kick in if you are deficient in the hormone. We both know that there are a lot of athletes out there that are using and abusing drugs. Why does it kick in for them, they are not deficient in the hormone, and they are using monster doses like 2000 mg testosterone a week with many other drugs, and that is not someone's opinion or feelings; it is a fact. Something does not add up; something is missing. They are all healthy with zero deficient hormones, and yet the drugs kick in for them. We must have missed something because otherwise, it should not work for them either, for they are not hormone deficient.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for the reply.

I understand. If you do not mind, what is the name of the medical specialty that answers such questions? What do I need to look for? And thank you for understanding.