I've been considering TRT for a long while, over a year. I've had some symptoms for a long time. Mostly no libido, ED and terrible brain fog. I had some lab work done and a consultation with an online clinic. They want to start me on 40 mg 2x per week. I just want to make sure that low-t is the root cause of my issues before committing. I'm also concerned about estrogen levels. I've always had high E2. Prior lab work has not been very thorough but has shown the following.
-2010 Total testosterone was 4.39 ng/ml on a scale of 3.0 - 10.6 ng/ml. My E2 was 76.01
-2018 Total-T 416 range 240-950
-July 2023
Free-T 13.3 range 4.26-16.4
Total-T 679 range 240-950
Estrone 81 range 10-60
Estradiol 55 range 10-40
Attached are my most recent labs which I believe to be fairly thorough. Dr said he wants to start me on 40mg 2x per week cause my free-T is low. He said my estrogen will go up but he’s not worried about it for the moment. I’m by no means a Dr, but when I look at these labs I feel I just need to get SHBG down. I’m thinking about taking Boron 9mg daily for 2 weeks and then having labs done once again.
It was actually an online clinic MHI out of Miami. They said they wanted to see my free-t in the 20-30 range. Considering that I’m 46, I thought these numbers were pretty good.
My GP doesn’t seem to care much. When I had my physical in 2018 I asked her to check my hormone levels. She seemed very reluctant to do it and only had my total-t checked which came back at 416. She prescribed daily cialis which helps with the erections but not the libido.
The clinic told me that I’m hypogonadal because…
-With my LH being elevated they would expect to see higher total testosterone.
-My hemoglobin and hematocrit are circling the drain even though I have good iron saturation.
-My free testosterone is low. Even though it is within range, it’s less than 2% of my total testosterone.
If I could only find a local doctor that was versed well in TRT that wasn’t at a “TRT clinic” to give me an answer I would feel much more comfortable starting a protocol.
“Clinics” are money mills. I suggest you go to a urologist competent in TRT. He will likely say there’s nothing to treat. Actually you might wind up with the same values on TRT.
Your Free T and Total T numbers are quite good, your problem is your Estrone and Estradiol numbers, your Dr. SHOULD care about your Estrogen numbers. Your E numbers are the reason for lack of libido, ED, and brain fog.
The AI, Arimidex is a very potent AI, and some people need 1/4mg week to maintain good numbers and some people need 1mg or more per week. The only real way to find out how you react to Adex is to take it.
I have a decade of experience with Adex both for myself and with my clients; If I were you I would start with 500mg’s/day of Resveratrol or more, up to 1000mg’s/day and see how you feel in three weeks. If you start to get morning wood back, you know you are on the right track.
I do not know of a Resveratrol overdose dosage and I would not try to find out if it is possible. Resveratrol is natural and does not react with the same speed or effects as prescription type AI’s, so you must be patient.
So here I am 2 years later and still dealing with the same issues. Cialis helps with the ED, but it doesn’t do anything for the sex drive. If it is the Estradiol where would you recommend starting.
What’s your lifestyle like? How’s your sleep, stress, diet and exercise, smoker/drinker/drug user? What’s your body composition? How’s your relationship with your partner? Do you use pornography?
I’d guess somewhere in your lifestyle factors remains some reason for diminished sex drive, probably several overlapping factors.
Sleep needs to improve but I’m at a loss of what to do. I have a good evening routine, and I fall asleep no problem, but I can’t stay asleep. I usually wake up around 3-4 am and then I’m just restless the rest of the night. So I only get about 4-5 hours of rest.
Stress, well it’s probably similar to a lot of folks. I have a full-time job, and I run a small business on the side, plus a young family to take care of.
I don’t drink or smoke, no drugs or porn. My wife is great, she doesn’t get upset with me working late and is overall very supportive.
Any suggestions on how to increase it? I’ve read some posts about using Pramipexole. Is there a peptide that may help? I’ve used PT-141 at low doses of 1-2 mgs. It will for sure help with the erections, to a point of where I get concerned, but I don’t get a libido boost from it.
