Should I add another .5 mg arimidex dose per week?
SYMPTOMS!
Energy still seems a bit down, but much better than it was. Morning wood is back. Erections aren’t as firm as in the past. Occasional trouble maintaining an erection.
Dose upped .5 mg. 1.5mg per week. E2 test one month later.
estradiol 27.8 7.6-42.6 pg/mL
Energy is still down. I don’t understand how my e2 went up after adding another dose of arimidex per week. Ideas? Go up to 2 mg?
It is really hard to control estradiol with arimidex and still have good sexual performance and libido, even if you can bring E2 to what is considered a good level. It seldom works in my experience and the experience of many people I have talked to, except for brief periods, as your experience seems to be confirming.
Your current testosterone level may be too high for you now. Too high T can cause the same problems as too low T, irrespective of E2. Many people have better sexual performance at a T level of, say 650, than they have at a level of 1,000.
The best way to lower E2 is by lowering your T dose to the point where you don’t need arimidex. And you should be patient - once your T dose is dialed in, libido can take up to 6 weeks and erections can take up to a year to improve.
Here is a study that shows how long after dialing in your therapy you can expect to experience improvement. Also look at the pictures there - erections can take up to 50 weeks to improve.
“Effects on sexual interest appear after 3 weeks plateauing at 6 weeks, with no further increments expected beyond. Changes in erections/ejaculations may require up to 6 months. Effects on quality of life manifest within 3-4 weeks, but maximum benefits take longer. Effects on depressive mood become detectable after 3-6 weeks with a maximum after 18-30 weeks. Effects on erythropoiesis are evident at 3 months, peaking at 9-12 months. Prostate-specific antigen and volume rise, marginally, plateauing at 12 months; further increase should be related to aging rather than therapy. Effects on lipids appear after 4 weeks, maximal after 6-12 months. Insulin sensitivity may improve within few days, but effects on glycemic control become evident only after 3-12 months. Changes in fat mass, lean body mass, and muscle strength occur within 12-16 weeks, stabilize at 6-12 months, but can marginally continue over years. Effects on inflammation occur within 3-12 weeks. Effects on bone are detectable already after 6 months while continuing at least for 3 years.”
This is interesting - I always heard that some need to get in 800+ range to relieve ED symptoms - ED is my number one issue - 12 months for relief in some cases ? - I wonder if that has something to do with time needed to develop T receptors instead of estrogen receptors