I’m writing this from North Carolina. Family trip. Snow skiing. The kind of week that’s supposed to be a reset.

And of course, I realized I’ve been so slammed lately I hadn’t even had time to get a haircut.

So I pop into a local barbershop.

You know how it goes… small talk turns into training talk… which turns into supplement talk… and then somehow we end up talking peptides.

And the barber hits me with something I hear all the time:

“I’m on TRT and I have no energy.”

Then he adds the part that really matters:

“I’m also having a hard time getting erections.”

He told me he felt amazing the first couple months on TRT. Then the magic faded. Now he feels like he’s right back to “normal”… except he’s paying for TRT and his labs look great.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “That’s literally me,” keep reading. Because this is one of the biggest traps men fall into.

The TRT honeymoon phase (why it feels amazing at first)

When a man truly has low testosterone and brings it up, it often feels like someone turned the lights back on.

More drive. Better mood. Better gym sessions. Better libido.

That’s the honeymoon phase.

But TRT isn’t a “one-number fix.” Testosterone is one lever in a much bigger system.

And once your body adapts… if the rest of the system isn’t dialed in, you can end up with a high number on paper and a low quality of life in reality.

Here’s the truth… erections are not just a testosterone issue

Erections are mainly a blood flow + nervous system + hormone balance issue.

Testosterone matters. But it’s not the whole story.

That’s why you’ll see guys with “great numbers” who still feel:

Low energy Low libido Weird mood Sleep issues Soft erections Zero drive

Let’s talk about the most common reasons TRT stops “working” after a few months.

Why guys feel worse on TRT after a few months (even with high labs)

Hematocrit climbs (thicker blood, worse circulation) Testosterone can increase red blood cell production in a lot of men.

If hematocrit creeps up, guys often feel “off”… heavy fatigue, worse cardio, more headaches, sometimes higher blood pressure… and sometimes sexual performance issues too.

This one is very common, and it’s often missed because men only look at testosterone numbers.

Estradiol is out of range (too high or too low) Some men run high estradiol and feel puffy, moody, low libido.

Other men “crash” estradiol with aggressive estrogen control and feel: flat, anxious, no libido, weak erections, dry joints, worse mood.

Estradiol is not the enemy. It’s part of the system.

Dose timing creates peaks and crashes A lot of protocols create a roller coaster.

You feel great for a day or two… then flat… then irritable… then tired… then you inject again.

That volatility impacts sleep, stress, motivation, and sexual function.

The real root issue wasn’t testosterone Sometimes TRT is layered on top of issues like:

Sleep apnea Insulin resistance High stress/cortisol Poor thyroid output High prolactin Low nitric oxide / poor vascular health

TRT doesn’t automatically fix any of those.

So the guy ends up saying:

“My free test is 900, why do I still feel like trash?”

Because the problem is the environment your hormones are operating in.

Here’s the important pivot (and the part most guys miss)

When erections are failing on TRT, there are usually two “buckets” of problems:

Bucket 1: You’re not getting the right erection signal (brain → nerves) Bucket 2: You can’t deliver the blood flow (vascular/NO/circulation)

TRT can help both indirectly, but it doesn’t always fix either one directly.

That’s why some guys can have high testosterone and still have unreliable performance.

And this is where targeted tools like peptides can make sense… after you fix the basics.

The “stop guessing” lab checklist (what I’d want to see)

This is not medical advice. This is a practical checklist to discuss with your clinician so you stop chasing symptoms blind.

If you’re on TRT and you still feel bad, I’d want to look at:

Total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG Estradiol (ideally a sensitive assay) CBC (hematocrit/hemoglobin) Fasting glucose, A1c (and ideally fasting insulin) Thyroid (TSH, free T3, free T4) Prolactin Lipids Blood pressure trends Sleep quality (sleep apnea screening matters)

If someone is only checking “total testosterone” and calling it a day, that’s how men stay stuck.

So what’s the solution?

The solution is not “add 6 more compounds.”

The solution is: identify the bottleneck, fix the bottleneck, then add one targeted tool if needed.

Here’s the clean framework.

Step 1: Fix the system (first) If hematocrit is high, that matters. If estradiol is out of range, that matters. If you’re sleeping 5 hours and snoring like a chainsaw, that matters. If insulin resistance is driving inflammation, that matters.

TRT works best when the system is healthy enough to respond to it.

Step 2: If erection quality is still unreliable, use a direct lever (this is where PT-141 fits)

This is the most logical place to consider PT-141.

Why?

Because PT-141 is not trying to “raise testosterone and hope.” It works through a different pathway that can directly support arousal and erection response for some men.

So if your labs look solid, you’ve addressed the major bottlenecks (hematocrit, estradiol, sleep, etc.), but performance is still inconsistent…

PT-141 is the “direct lever” people explore because it can help with the brain-to-body sexual response side of the equation.

This is also why PT-141 is often talked about as a targeted tool for ED/libido support instead of another hormone tweak.

Step 3: If the issue is upstream signaling and you want to support the axis intentionally (this is where Kisspeptin-10 fits)

Kisspeptin-10 belongs in a different category than PT-141.

PT-141 is more of a “performance response” lever.

Kisspeptin-10 is discussed more as an upstream signaling lever because it influences the LH/FSH pathway (the body’s own messaging system related to testosterone production and reproductive signaling).

This matters in two situations:

If a guy isn’t on TRT and wants to support natural signaling intelligently Or if a guy is thinking about coming off TRT and wants a smarter transition plan (not cold turkey and hope)

So if the real issue is not “I can’t perform,” but more like:

“I feel flat, my libido is low, and my upstream signaling is weak…”

That’s where Kisspeptin-10 becomes a logical discussion in peptide/hormone circles.

Different tool, different purpose.

The main point

Don’t throw everything at the wall.

Identify the real bottleneck, and match the tool to the bottleneck:

If the issue is direct erection response despite decent labs → PT-141 is the more direct lever. If the issue is upstream hormone signaling and you’re trying to support that pathway → Kisspeptin-10 becomes the more logical discussion.

Quick reminder while these promos are still live through 2026: if you’re planning to stock up, now’s the time to do it.

BioLongevity Labs is running 55% off with code “LEE15”, and LimitlessLife is at 40% off with code “LEE20”.

Quick reality check (because I actually care about your results)

If you’re on TRT and still feel terrible, you’re not broken.

You’re just missing a piece of the system.

And when you fix the right piece, it’s crazy how fast things can turn around.

If you want help narrowing down what your “missing piece” likely is, reply with:

Are you on TRT now? What are your most recent: total T, free T, estradiol, hematocrit? Is the bigger issue: energy, libido, erection quality, or all three?

Because those are three different problems… with three different solutions.

Talk soon, Lee

P.S. The biggest mistake I see is men chasing “higher testosterone” when they should be chasing “better physiology.” That’s where the real results are.