posted by tendon_tinker 10d ago

DHT crashed to 7 on subq GHK-Cu, anyone else seeing this

Been tracking labs for years because of the elbow and Achilles stuff, so when this happened I actually had before and after numbers instead of just a vague feeling. Started GHK-Cu 2mg a day subq about 10 weeks ago for tendon support, on top of my usual TRT enanthate. Total T came back 1425, free T 408.7, SHBG 27.7, basically identical to my last panel. But DHT dropped to 7 ng/dL, reference range is 14 to 92. Trough draw, done right before pinning, so it's not a peak/trough artifact. Never touched finasteride, dutasteride, or saw palmetto, nothing that would obviously tank 5AR activity. For about a month now I've had zero libido, flat mood, general anhedonia, and honestly wasn't connecting the dots until I saw that DHT number. I know the systemic 5AR inhibition data on GHK-Cu is thin and some of it is copper ion studies rather than the actual peptide, but a number that low with T that high seems like more than coincidence. Stopped the GHK-Cu, redrawing DHT in a few weeks. Anyone else actually measured DHT while running injectable GHK-Cu, or seen libido and mood tank and come back after stopping.

Measure it or it did not happen.

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LabRatLouisBoston, MA9 points10d ago

The in vitro 5AR inhibition data almost all comes from copper ion exposure in cell culture, not the intact GHK-Cu tetrapeptide at physiologic concentrations. That doesn't rule out subq dosing raising local copper enough to do something similar, we just don't have human PK data on that pathway. One real data point with a genuinely low DHT is worth tracking, not worth panicking over yet.

Preclinical is not a promise.

NightShiftNurseSacramento, CA9 points10d ago

Low DHT alone can absolutely tank libido and mood, that part isn't in your head.

Recovery happens at 3am, if it happens.

DrBauer_CLTCharlotte, NC9 points10d ago

DHT assays can be finicky depending on the lab's method, and a single trough value that low with normal total and free T is unusual enough that I'd want a repeat before assuming causation. Also worth checking what else changed in that window besides the GHK-Cu, sleep, alcohol, any other supplement.

Independent primary care, whole person.

copper_curiousMiami, FL3 points10d ago

I've only ever gone topical, never seen anything like this. Subq sounds like a different animal.

Collagen is a process, not a purchase.