Your E2 is almost certainly too low now. You’d know if it was bottomed out, I think–most men (and post-menopausal women ceasing HRT) do. If you’re sure you even need an AI at this dose of test, wait another week, if not longer (definitely longer if you still have classic signs, like joint pain), and begin taking a minuscule EOD dose. Less negative sides from a tiny anastrozole dose, if you get them, and you’re not going to crash E2 on cycle at that dose.
If you don’t know how to precisely dose fractions of a pill, buy a cheap milligram scale (it will be accurate enough for this) and weigh the total weight of a single pill. Figure out the ratio of anastrozole to total pill weight. AstraZeneca brand 1 mg tablets happen to weigh 100-102 mg each, so 10mg of crushed pill powder holds 0.10mg of anastrozole. For a UGL example, DP tabs weigh about 120 mg total, so every 12 mg of pill powder holds 0.10 mg anastrozole. I find this method less trouble than liquid measurement, particularly when binders are involved. Most drug users should own a milligram scale anyway.
You have experience and probably feel you need an AI no matter what, but no one needs 2 mg in their first 3 days unless they’re doing heroic (i.e. stupid) amounts of TNE, prop or orals. At 250 mg Test E + 250 mg NPP, 5 mg exemestane ED works for me. On a 500 mg Test C cycle, my anastrozole sweet spot was 0.25 mg EOD which kept my E2 around 70, a bit under the point where I become symptomatic. Just a week into that cycle (yes, only one week into a Test C cycle) before beginning an AI, my E2 had already become symptomatic–very painful 24/7 palpitations requiring cardio before sleep and throughout the night just to get rest, dire reaction to any stress event… I tamed it in two 0.33 mg EOD doses, dropped down to 0.15 EOD, tapered up to .25 as the Test built up and got bloodwork around 6-8 weeks. All good.
1 mg is a largely arbitrary dose. Same with the 81 mg baby aspirin. Ever wondered about that one? It’s simply a quarter of a regular 325 mg aspirin. Pills don’t come finely tuned (they can’t, because everyone is different), and in the case of something like AIs which need to be finely tuned to your body chemistry and current exogenous hormonal load, more precise dosing is a good idea. Exemestane is more forgiving, but I still finely measure it…
I’ve heard of guys who are fine with E2 at 900 running a gram or more of test, so you’re going to need to listen to your body regardless–bloodwork certainly being a bonus!
I don’t know what to say about the itchiness, except that strange itches of unknown origin suck. I suffered with one (any random location on my body) for months after going vegetarian and thinking I was eating enough green stuff with citrus to enhance iron absorption–turned out I had nearly undetectable ferritin, my serum iron was plummeting and my hemoglobin was next. My levels are improved (but not normal) after a few months of iron supplementation, and the itch has been gone a few weeks. I’m still not entirely certain that was the cause. Pruritus is weird.
P.S. I got really itchy on a test cycle once, too. After that, I never shaved my chest again!
