I have had low (200’s or so) testosterone for quite some time. I"m 63, but excellent shape, workout, etc…5 ft 9, 170, etc…
I had been trying generic androgen and showed no improvement in my numbers. I’ve had little libido, fatigue, etc. (There may be other physical things going on, but I haven’t found out for sure what they might be…perhaps some MAST cell activation…sort of a permanent turn on thing,.,.
Anyway, about 10- weeks ago I started on the cream from Medquest through an ND in Arizona,. I had my levels tested about a month and two months later,first they were good.,1000 or so but free was out of the upper range, so I switched from putting it on the scrotum to the thigh as the ND recommended…testing myself at amy lab test…was about 750 and free was out of upper range, but not by much…
The good thing was my libido had come back from the dead and I was delighted!
However, had another taste a few days ago and Test was 673 and free was 213 but estradiol total was 85 pg/ml and my sex drive has been very low (can’t get erection, etc.) the past five days or so…
So, am I correct in thinking that my estradiol has finally caught up and is causing my lack of libido? If so, what should I do about it? Thanks,…
You’re not going to find any here who are crazy about tropicals, studies show injectables more benefits to muscle growth. Injections require skill most doctors just don’t have, most doctors refuse estrogen blockers which is exactly what you need.
Most pay out of pocket for proper care. High estrogen kills libido and erections, high estrogen in men is dangerous.
A knowledgeable doctor would have started you out on injections, gels are scripted from the most clueless. Most who start out on gel eventually end up on injections since most fail to absorb after awhile.
I’m not interested in muscle growth necessarily. I am interested in increasing libido and general energy level and get my T levels up, of course.
My ND in AZ wanted to start me out on injections, but since I’m back in South Dakota after snowboarding, I wanted to go with a cream which indeed tremendously increased my testosterone level and for a while my libido…but unfortunately the estradiol level has increased also. I talk with my AZ ND tomorrow, so not sure what to do now…
Let’s start with your SHBG level, that will dictate dosage and how often you must inject per week. Do you have any pre-TRT labs we could look at? Creams have been known to cause problems with estrogen.
It’s impossible to come up with a protocol without knowing your SHBG level. It may be very difficult to find a knowledgeable doctor in your location.
Topicals can sweat off and your physical activity is then a factor.
You need anastrozole to lower E2 levels. E2=22pg/ml is a good target. You can try 0.5mg twice a week. Do more reading and understand ‘anastrozole over-responder’ implications.
Evaluate your overall thyroid function by checking oral body temperatures as per the thyroid basics sticky. Thyroid hormone fT3 is what gets the job done and it regulates mitochondrial activity, the source of ATP which is the universal currency of cellular energy. This is part of the body’s temperature control loop. This can get messed up if you are iodine deficient. In many countries, you need to be using iodized salt. Other countries add iodine to dairy or bread.
KSman is simply a regular member on this site. Nothing more other than highly active.
I can be a bit abrupt in my replies and recommendations. I have a lot of ground to cover as this forum has become much more active in the last two years. I can’t follow threads that go deep over time. You need to respond to all of my points and requests as soon as possible before you fall off of my radar. The worse problems are guys who ignore issues re thyroid, body temperatures, history of iodized salt. Please do not piss people off saying that lab results are normal, we need lab number and ranges.
The value that you get out of this process and forum depends on your effort and performance. The bulk of your learning is reading/studying the suggested stickies.