The DHT blocker was recommended for the acne on my back, and it’s not RX or finasteride, it’s some OTC saw pometto stuff
Gotcha. I went and re-read your first post and you also had raised E2. I personally have not had issues with acne but did get some when my E2 was raised. I have DHT near 3x the top of the range and have no issue with acne but my E2 has been low (too low, don’t do that either). Something to think about, as the high E2 can cause a lot of your symptoms but on the flip side I believe too low of DHT can also.
Yah so his plan of keeping me on 240mg and dropping the anastrozole is just going to let my E2 go too high…, I don’t know why he’s even trying this. He really didn’t wanna lower my test dose, but after my labs next week he said maybe we could go down to 200. I told him I wanted to take the test at a lower dose and hcg, but I didn’t wanna have to be on an AI to keep pushing my test up. My free T was at 17 and he has a “goal” of 25.
Goals in this aspect is stupid, the goal should be getting you feeling better not reaching a number. The numbers are just reference. Some of your last symptoms that you mentioned, feeling tired and sore joints could actually be your E2 too low now though. AI did not seem to affect you previously but you were throwing different things at it (HCG, upping doses etc) and after settling it may have nailed it now. I felt that way when my E2 was crushed. May take a little for the acne to clear if it is E2 causing it. If your E2 does come back high, fight for a dosage decrease though before adding more AI. On the same note don’t let your doc not allow you to not do anything either by not controlling and dropping the AI.
I noticed in your first post that you also mentioned that they said your hematocrit was too high at 50 and you went and donated. That was a little premature to me as most ranges I have seen, that 50% is in range. Most don’t worry about it until past the upper limit of 51% (at least my lab range) and a lot state even higher like around 54% before acting on it. Just be careful if they are going to panic over a number like that without symptoms (higher BP etc.), that you don’t donate too much and crash your iron levels.
Good luck man, but I do think you need to find a new doctor. Especially where they won’t let you inject yourself, as I think that is just a way to make more money off you. Diabetics inject themselves all the time, why should you be treated any different.
Sounds like this clinic doesn’t give a **** about your independence. It’s not like this clinic is holding you over a barrel, you can be controlled and let these amateurs make choices for you and choose protocols poorly without considering your biomarkers or you can give them the middle finger and go somewhere else.
This is because he is selling product, the more this clinic prescribes, the more $$$$ they make. These massive weekly doses cause estrogen dominance in low SHBG men then forcing anastrozole to fix the problem when multiple injections would solve the problem, but hurt sale of prescribing drugs.
This clinic is sloppy and only in it for the money without a care in the world for the patient.
If you have no other choice I can put you in touch with a clinic that will do it over the phone and mail you the T but if you can find a place near you that is probably a more ideal option in your case. My email is on my profile.
Well I had my labs done again, they moved me up a smidgen from 240 to 250MG test a week, dropped the anastrozole completely but continued the HCG at 500 twice a week. Levels came back as follows;
E2 is 45, range 15-55, previously was 46-47, it actually dropped lower after stopping the anastrozole? Why would this be? Even when I was on the Anastrozole on day 3, and had my labs done on day 7, my E2 was still at 46-47 before.
PSA is 0.65 range 0.0080-4.0, good here
SHBG is 32 range 13-89
Total test 828
free test 19.3
I have been having pain in my shoulders, i had an MRI done and they said I had tendonopothy or tendonitis, and I also pulled my groin last week squatting… They recommended Deca, in either 100 or 200 MG a week to help with the joint pain, strength, and recovery. Its a 10 week cycle.
Still a little up and down, some nights I am restless and don’t sleep very good, other nights i sleep okay. I haven’t been having the horrible night sweats anymore still. Sex drive and quality seem ok, energy seems down though, I have noticed I am taking more naps again in the middle of the day, maybe cause I am not sleeping as good.
The E2 produced inside the testicles do to HCG is not affected by anastrozole, anastrozole cannot affect E2 inside the testicles. You want to lower E2, you must lower HCG.
Whenever my estrogen is high, I found myself sleepy throughout the day and it affected my sleep at night. High estrogen also cause a strange pain in my underarm/shoulders/collarbone area.
The problem may be estrogen related, estrogen excess can cause havoc in men. When my testosterone and estrogen were high, I couldn’t sit still at anytime during the day or night, it was like I was on a caffeine rush. My senses were heightened, loud noises spooked me.
So what should I do? Lower my HCG from 1,000 a week (500x2) to 500 a week (250x2) or should I just take the anastrozole again and do 1 mg instead of half (while I was on 0.5mg my E2 was still high at 47, granted I was still on HCG) also, If I add Deca, I’ll probably need to start the anastrozole again at least for 10 weeks right?
If you’re taking 1000iu once a week, there is your problem. You never inject more than 500iu at a time or else only bad things can happen. Adjust your HCG dosage and lay off the anastrozole, you haven’t even tried to dial in without drugs which you may not even need.
It’s not 1,000 once a week. It’s 500 twice a week, on days 3 and 5 following the injection.
They are really cranking the HCG into you, 250 IU’s twice a week would probably be plenty and your E2 would drop.
Would you still drop the HCG dose with the addition of deca? It’s only 200 a week for 10 weeks. Or add deca and leave the hcg the same cause it’ll shut me down harder?If so, if anastrozole doesn’t work to control estrogen from the hcg, what can I take to control my estrogen? I didn’t sleep for crap again last night, I’m getting exhausted, I gotta get better sleep back. I’ll probably wait to start the deca, I’ll drop the hcg dose and recheck labs to see what happens to my estrogen, still without anastrozole.
So I continue to have the same issues, I had them pull labs early a few weeks and drop my dose from 250mg to 200mg. Results came back as follows;
Free T; 960 (350-1000)
E2; 40 (15-55)
CFT: 26 (10-29)
SHBG 25 (13-89)
HCT 46
I feel the same(tired, napping during the day, not sleeping well, brain fog, etc…) but my hands no longer feel swollen. I could have SWORN that my dose was too high , and it probably was and still is, and that it was an estrogen issue with the swollen hands and a too high T level causing the restlessness. I would have bet my life savings on the fact that my estrogen was going to come back high and i would say “i told you so”. However, my estrogen came back at 40. WTF?! This is so frustrating and confusing. When i was on 140 MG my estrogen was 35, when I jumped to 180 it was 45, then 210 it was 47. Even when I started taking half a MG of anastrozole once a week, even in my trough on day 7, my estogen was 46. Now, on the highest dose of testosterone iv been on to date at 250 MG a week, feeling the worst I have felt, my estrogen without anastrozole is only 40 in my trough? Thats damn near as low as when I first started on my lowest dose. What the hell is going on? Theres no way thats accurate, my test dose goes up from 210mg to 250mg, with no AI, and my estrogen drops from 47 to 40? I understand they are testing on day 7 in my trough to make my numbers look modest, and they are way higher within the first few days of the week, I plan on staying at 200 for the next 6 weeks, then drawing labs, and probably trying to drop down to around 160mg.
I don’t think these large injections are working for you, your SHBG is below midrange and injecting a massive dose once weekly. Your estrogen at peak must be higher.
You could just be one of those guys who just doesn’t do well on big infrequent injections, I’m surprised you’re on this weekly protocol as some men would experience swings and just not feel right. You may need to keep your Total T numbers in a tighter lower range (500-650) to feel good which can only be done on frequent injections.
I had poor sleep on every 3.5 day protocol, I slept like a baby on daily injections.
Another update:
6 weeks labs came back as follows after dropping my dose from 250mg to 200mg and reducing DIM.
Total T: 672
Free T: 18.9
SHBG 20
E2 52.84
The restless legs at night has mostly stopped, but It still happens from time to time as well as the swelling in the hands and the hot flashes, but not as bad. I dont understand why my E2 has spiked to the highest its ever been after lowering my dose. Even when I was at 210MG originally my E2 wasnt this high, it was only around 47. The Acne on my back seemed to flare up again. I am still tired throughout the day.
I lowered my dose again from 200 to 160 now, and increased my DIM again.
I talked to them about quitting, they didnt really seem to have an “exit protocol” other than to gradually lower my dose before stopping. I asked about other RX and they didnt say anything about clomid or nova for PCT. If they wont give it to me, what do i do? I have been running HCG 2x a week at 500iu, so hopefully worst case it wont be that bad?
I’ve said it before but you’re never going to feel good on weekly dosing, I don’t understand why you are still doing it after being told it’s part of the problem. It’s what is driving estrogen, no wonder you don’t feel good. Estrogen can affect thyroid function.
Restless legs could be iron deficiency. A lot of men would have problems with an E2 of 47, the ranges are <35 pg/mL.
I just stopped TRT cold turkey and let nature take it course, no fancy drugs or restart protocol.
I am stuck on the weekly dosing because its the only protocol this clinic will let me do. They wont split my dose and let me come in twice a week, and they wont give me an RX to take home and self administer. I literally have no other choice but to get it once a week from them, at least without finding and switching to a new physician. I am planning on posting in PCT, but I am going to run HCG for 2 weeks at 500IU E3D with 20MG ED of nova and 1000IU of vitamin E following my last Test Cyp shot. Then ill drop the HCG and Vitamin E and start 1.5G of Vitamin C ED and continue the Nova and add anastrozole.
Just an observation but some of your issues seem neurotransmitter related. Was your prolactin checked at all?
My prolactin is 5.73ng/ml on a scale of 2.64 to 13.13. I stopped TRT, did HCG and clomid, went back and got tested and pretty much went back to the same pre TRT levels. I left that crappy clinic and went to see a Urologist. He is running labs then hes going to write me an RX, let me take home and self administer and split my dose into bi weekly. Ill update the results and post the new protocol next week.
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