Help Adjusting Test and Arimidex Dose

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

Hi I am currently on 90mg of Test Cyp every 3.5 Days. I am on HCG 100 iu/day & Anastrozole 0.25mg on day of injections. I am also on supplements to lower SHGB fish oil, boron, Vitamin D, & Stinging Nettle Root.

The results for my labs on that protocol testing at my trough period were as follows :

Testosterone Total : 1267 ng / dl - Range 264-916
Free Testosterone (Direct) : 20.8 pg / ml - Range 8.7 - 25.1
Estradiol, Sensitive : 23.1 pg / mg - Range 8.0 - 35.0
SHBG : 57.9 nmol / L - Range 16.5 - 55.9

I am currently not experiencing morning wood and my libido can be better. How would you recommend I adjust my dose to increase free t and keep e2 balanced ?

2

Please directly edit your post above and add lab ranges. Look for pencil icon.

Your SHBG appears high ?range?. That lowers FT while creating more non-bioavailable SHBG+T that inflates TT so TT overstates your T status.

For 180mg/week T, your FT is low as above suggests.

With lower FT, FT–>E2 is reduced. For your T dose, anastrozole dose is low. So again low FT makes sense. Anastrozole as a competitive drug to FT, need to match FT levels.

Any other labs to report? Post even if “normal”.

Your low libido and other sexual issues with your T levels makes sense if you have thyroid problems. Such problems are very common with guys who come to this forum. Major cause is iodine deficiency from not using iodized salt. We can get a better idea of your overall thyroid function via oral body temperatures than most thyroid labs. Please see below, we need temperatures from two different times of day, for some reason most guys do not seem to grasp that requirement when they read it.

Please read the stickies found here: About the T Replacement Category - #2 by KSman

  • advice for new guys - need more info about you
  • things that damage your hormones
  • protocol for injections
  • finding a TRT doc

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.

3

Thanks KSman… I updated my post to include the ranges. I am contemplating upping my test to 200 mg a week divided into 2 inections in an effort to increase my free test. What would you reccommend I up my anastrozole dose to ?

4

I’ve crashed my E2 twice now. Don’t up your Anastrozole dose. You are right on the edge of low E2. When my E2 was 19 I had all kinds of joint pain, lethargy, and low libido. I’d rather my E2 be a little too high than too low. Maybe yours need to be higher.

5

Thanks for the advice wx14… My primary goal is to raise my free test by increasing my test dose. I felt better when my e2 reading was a few digits below my free test reading . On these latest labs I am experiencing the inverse, have a higher e2 reading than my free test. Because of my High Sgbh my doctor is monitoring my free test in comparison to my e2. I dont have an appointment till the end of month and wanted to make a slight adjustment to see if I regained morning wood and better libido. If I bumped up my test to 200mg divided into 2 doses a week and I increase my arimidex by .05 on day of injection I feel I could accomplish a higher free test reading than my e2. However this is just speculation. Any input will help.

6

Fellow high SHBG guy here. I am dialed in nicely, but one thing that fluctuates is my SHBG. It goes up and down, and I think its what is responsible for my lack of morning woods on some days.

Overall I feel great, good workouts, good libido. Every now and then I have slightly lowered libido, or will not have a SOLID morning wood. I wonder how much of it is actually attributed to SHBG swings and not E2.

What happens when you don’t take the ai? High SHBG means that your free estrogen is lower than someone with low SHBG. If your free e2 is lower because of high shbg, maybe its not worth messing with.

Those supps will basically do nothing for SHBG btw.

7

Thanks for the input alphagunner… Do you mind sharing your current trt protocol you are on ?

8

Sure.

45 mg Test Cyp, Twice a week. (90 total) No AI, no HCG.

Puts my TT in the 1000 range on trough. E2 at about 30.

9

Here are some things that raise SHBG.

Benzos/Opiates (Lisinopril which is a BP med) NSAIDS
Almonds/Pistachios/Walnuts
Creatine
Alcohol (I still drink in moderation, once a week or so)
Clomid/Nolva/ HCG

10

Cool…My TT tends read higher due to the high Shbg. So I use my Free Test to determine the efficacy of my dosage. With your protocol what is your Free Test result sitting at ?

11

That’s something. Only 90 mg and test 1000. I have never gone over 700 on 100mg a week. We are all different.

Awesome u are feeling good.

Edit. Just saw u have high shbg. Maybe that’s why. Mine is in mid 20s

12

Yea Charlie 12. I have elevated shbg and my TT always reads higher than the desired range. However my free testosterone is sitting at 20.8 pg/ml - Range 8.7 -25.1 the morning before I inject. I am looking to elevate my free test by increasing my test dose even though I am already at 180 mg a week divided into 2 doses. I was considering 200 mg - 220 mg a week divided into two injetions to try and kick up my Free T. I want to know how to properly adjust my Arimidex to compensate

13

I don’t really pay too much attention to the free test number. As long as I know my TT is in a good range, I just watch my SHBG really. Try and keep it down.

Albumin 4.3
SHBG 50 (I put it as an average, I am anywhere from 37-55 usually)
Total Test 1000

This puts my free test at 18.7 ng/dL = 1.87 % per the Nebido calculator.

But that is on my trough. I am probably up in the 1200 range or so in my peak. So that would put my Free Test at 23.8 ng/dL = 1.98 % on the calculator.

I stopped chasing numbers though. Like I said, I watch what I think is important. E2, TT and SHBG. Then I can kinda figure out where my Free Test is at, just by seeing where my SHBG Is, Because I keep my TT consistent.