Ive read several guys dont use any arimidex while taking trt. Ive seen their labs where their e2 has doubled tripled what the upper limit is for a man but they say if there are no symptoms of high e2 then there is no need for an ai.
Is this proper thinking or should an ai always be used no matter what to keep e2 levels steady and in decent range? Another thing i was thinking. For example if e2 target range for a 40 year old man is lets say 100pmol(i forgot the measuring units used) but total and free test is elevated to almost double elevated, does that mean its ok to have an e2 in the 200 range as your test has doubled as well?
Generally yes. It seems there is a ratio of T/E2 where men feel best so as TT rises E2 rises as well. IIRC its 17-25. So if TT is 1500 then a typical E2 would be anywhere from 66 to 88.
TRT sans AI is newer thinking on this forum. E2 is protective in absence of any genetic predisposition for gynecomastia there is no reason to not let is rise with Test levels.
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Very few need an AI… the T to E2 ratio seems to matter more than the actual E2 levels themselves.
The short version is some people have some bloating, etc. in the beginning of TRT until things level out, but usually if given a few weeks to a month or so your body will balance everything out fine on it’s own, no need for an AI. I had swollen ankles and hands for a few weeks (could barely tie my shoes my feet were so swollen) but it went away on it’s own.
My E2 is like 70 something last time I checked, but my T is way up there too so it balances out fine in the end.
I stopped trt for 6 or so weeks then restarted using 10mg a day. Its been several weeks now. Ive only used ai .25 to .5 like 3 times. So mostly low ai. I didnt know if i was making a mistake by not using an ai more often this time around. Last night tho, after about 2 weeks of not taking one, i took .25mg and within 30 to 45 mins i got an erection that lasted for a good while for no reason.
Im trying to figure why that happened? Did my e2 go too high and off the sweet spot so when i did take the .25mg it brought it back down and then my test effects kicked in and as i felt it more now that e2 subsided? If thats the case, maybe i should be taking .25mg 1 to 2x a week?
Given the fact that you need constant dosing for 6-8 weeks before you can really start measuring whats up I think you still have a month or so to go before you can start putting a picture together. If you just started two weeks ago your body is just getting used to exogenous T again. Maybe the erection is due to the fact that you are in the honey moon phase of TRT? Do you have erection issues?
That being said, did you read either of the responses above? You are using weekly (or more) AI based on what exactly? Why did you stop TRT? Why are you trying to control estrogen?
I stopped trt cuz my hemocrit went like .2 over and doc wanted me to stop so i did. I have restarted and its been like over a month, (not 2 weeks) i was taking ai before because i was told to on forum. My dosage before was 50mg 2x a week. So i was taking .25 2x a week
Now im on 10mg daily. I am taking ai to keep my e2 in the “sweet spot”.
I think i need to do a bloodtest in a few weeks and see whats going on. The small daily dosing has prob kept my e2 down naturally andbhasnt made it jump up as much as when i was doing 50mg 2x a week.
Highly unlikely you need an AI, esp on 100mg/week. It’s quite possible your estrogen is tanked… get some blood work done
The estrogen “Sweet spot” is bro science for the most part. There might be an T to E2 ratio “sweet spot” but that should work itself out on it’s own for the vast majority of men.
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That’d ridiculous, a .2 difference is minimal considering hematocrit fluctuations on a daily basis. I dislike doctors who behave like robots and have no critical thinking. I mean stopping TRT because of a .2 difference is overreacting.
You could have lowered the dosage 5mg and that would have done the trick.
Yes i know. I actually made a post about this a couple months back. New young doc. Said im at risk for stroke now that hemocrit is elevated. I suggested doing blood donation or lowering dose. He said no to both. He said only way is to stop completelybl for 8 weeks then restart on lower dose. Wouldnt give script until i do that. I was stuck so i complied. Was hell stopping cold turkey. But at least im back on now.