In late April my endo increased my dosage to 1ml/200mg every 10 days. (previously it was 1ml every 14 days)
I have been following that protocol – am injecting every 10 days. EOD injections did not seem to work for me. The injections seem to last pretty well although there are a couple of dead days. I think injecting every 7 days would be about right.
I started self-medicating AI about the same time. After several frustrating conversations w my endo ("estrogen doesn’t matter, only steroid abusers need Anti-aromatase inhibitors) I gave up on trying to convince him.
So while I should have been “scientific” about it and only changed one variable at a time (for example testosterone dosage, then AI) I just jumped right in.
I started with 1mg of Anastrozole divided up EOD. After a week I upped that to 2mg –
By the end of May/beginning of June I noticed something:
MY MIND WAS BACK. The brain fog was gone, my brain is again working the way it used to. It is like a miracle, because I had really started expecting to be ‘impaired’ for the rest of my life given how things were going
As to my other complaints – Libido is vastly improved. Morning wood now.
Fatigue – I still have days of low energy where it is difficult to get much done (however I have to note that I have been having chronic shoulder pain for about a year – a rotator cuff that I have been putting off repairing {finally did it last week} - so the fatigue/lack of energy could be caused by that)
I definitely feel that AI has had a lot to do with this improvement. I don’t feel the increased test alone would have allowed this. Again I should have been more scientific re adjusting one variable at a time.
But dammit I am impatient – I wanted to feel better.
For my last two labs I have requested that E2 be tested, but somehow there was a “mixup” the first time and it wasn’t. The last set up labs was done thru the nurse, and she would not order E2 testing. Very frustrating.
I have found another doctor nearby who does HRT and he and I seem to have a good rapport. I saw him this month for an unrelated problem – I asked him if we could discuss TRT next month. I will get labs done before I see him.
Ok now to answer questions that I did not cover in the summary:
[quote]KSman wrote:
Loosing any weight? yes/no/can’t? E2 is critical here. Any changes to fat distribution patterns? Higher levels of E2 will focus fat on your gut and butt.[/quote]
I could not lose fat until about 2 ore 3 weeks into the AI. Then I began to lose fat. Too early to tell on fat distribution.
The shoulder surgery appears to have caused a setback on the fat loss. I am a week out of that, and that is to be expected as I have had to stop lifing and all cardio
My skin was more elastic about a month after starting injections (October 06) – so yes elevated e2 does not seem to matter.
I made a concentrated effort to put on some muscle at the end of 2006. I put on about 8lbs of muscle in a month and a half. Not affected by E2 levels in my case either. While I know for sure about that 8lbs because of before and after caliper readings I think I am up about 15 to 20lbs muscle since starting HRT. (Important to note that my endo reported several signs of MUSCLE WASTING in my preliminary visit)
[quote] Libido: Should improve a lot if E2 levels are reduced. A big change for me going from E2=37–>22.
Any HCG?
Do you get thyroid levels tested?
The above issues are all something that you should be discussing with your Doctor.[/quote]
Libido could be a little better. I will see in these next labs exactly where E2 levels are.
No HCG
Thyroid function is normal.