Low T can cause mood swings, it happens when a man’s hormones are low or out of balance. Think of a grumpy old man who doesn’t care about anyone or anything and his sole existence is to complain about everything.
This is how I felt when testosterone was low.
Any idea how much of a role having low Vitamin D plays in all of the symptoms?
I’ve only seen one guy in years where supplementing ViT D fixed a guys symptoms, so it’s a long shot.
In other words it’s unlikely.
Figured I’d give everyone a 3 month update. For one I feel a lot better than I did back in March. More energy, not crashing so hard at work, slightly higher libido, can go workout again and not dread it entirely, sleeping much better and usually through the night, mood is more stable.
After my appointment we decided to do .5MG of Anastrozole 2x per week and see what happened.
The only concern now is my Hemoglobin is close to 18 and my hematocrit is 51.3 - everything else is normal.
Quest Labs:
Before:
E2 - 33
Total T - 575
Free T - 78
Bioavailable - 168
SHBG - 33
Serum - 4.7
After 3 months:
E2 - 17
Total T - 769
Free T - 126
Bioavailable - 260
SHBG - 29
Serum - 4.5
I’m still not getting morning wood though which is still concerning. No issues when the time comes. Maybe my blood is to too thick or I have sleep apnea or something.
Are you surprised by the results of just Anastrozole? I still feel like my Free T could be higher as I’m still missing that alpha male type feeling where you want to go slam weights around. I was thinking of maybe starting hcg mono to try to boost it but might stay the course with the anastrozole and see if it gets higher 3 months from now.
Free T levels are suboptimal and why symptoms have not resolved, most men are seeing insane libido within the first month. Your testosterone will increase when you inject more T.
Its clearly a problem with my SHBG level I’d assume. My numbers all went up but in reality they are no different than before because my free T isn’t optimal. Over time would my SHBG go down based on the higher total T?
Another key thing is my first lab was done at 11AM and my second one was done at 8AM. so In reality it’s almost like I’m in the same spot as before since my Free T should be 2-3% of my total. Only thing that has really changed is my E2. Which by the way feels a hell of a lot better not being at 33 on the quest scale.
I don’t think your SHBG isn’t going to decrease much more than it already has, adding more testosterone will see SHBG decrease.
I wouldn’t expect to see a big difference in labs between 8-11 a.m when natural. When on TRT the time of day lab testing is done doesn’t matter. Your levels will change depending on when you draw labs in relation to your injection.
My current doc doesn’t want to put me on TRT since I’d still like to have kids in the next few years. He’s suggesting Clomid or hcg mono as the next steps…
HCG has a much better chance of working out for you, clomid not so much. Men on TRT typically do one of two things when looking to have kids, stop TRT and use clomid or add HCG and FSH injections. FSH being suppressed by TRT is injected along with HCG, the former it’s a game changer.
You can add a low dose HCG to your TRT protocol to keep the testicles active while on TRT and producing testosterone and estrogen, then add FSH when looking to get the wife pregnant.
There are so many ways to go about it.
I guess we will see if HCG alone will get me there.
According to this my Free should be closer to 183 and my Bio available should be almost double.
Met with my doc and he thought my numbers actually looked good. He said if someone came in with those T numbers and no symptoms he’d be hesitant to change anything. He recommended I give some blood to help bring my hematocrit and hemoglobin down. He also said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do a sleep study and an iron test.
He left it up to me if I wanted to try the HCG or not. My question is am I going off a cliff here or should I wait till I do a sleep study?
I’m going to go against the grain here. Do not touch the HCG. It will shut down your LH production, and then you’ll have to fix that down the road. Do get a sleep study, do get your Iron checked, and your serum ferritin, and your copper and your magnesium. Do a liquid zinc assay test (Google it, you can pick up a bottle pretty cheap. The AI driving up your total test is not a surprise, but it’s hurting you by keeping your E2 that low. You probably don’t need anything but a supplement. And it wouldn’t hurt to check your B12 and folate levels.
Update:
No sleep apnea. Iron was fine, zinc was fine.
I’m still having some sleep issues, libido has tanked, and no morning wood like back in March. Mood I’d say is more stable with less swings. If anything my libido is the lowest it’s ever been. Don’t think about sex hardly at all. I turn 30 this month and this sucks.
I’m starting to think I am feeling better because of my increased vitamin D. Considering dropping the AI all together and seeing what happens now…
Definitely should try dropping the AI, that does a serious number on some guys other than tanking E2.
Sleep problems are a side effect of anastrozole.
I’m thinking my e2 is probably super low. Going off the AI though eventually means I’ll be back where I started.
Another issue to track might be your glucose control.
You’re a bit young to be bumping up on the 100 ng/dl fasting glucose mark with a ~16 fasting insulin. Those in concert are likely worse than each individually, although it seems far from definitive.
You might want to add in a few otc insulin sensitizers - lipoic acid and chromium. They’re generally harmless, so there’s no risk if you don’t need them. Raising vitamin D and improving testosterone could each potentially help in that department.
Just another suggestion for you. And test ferritin for iron. Lots of docs only test serum, which isn’t that useful for assessing overall status. Ignore this if that’s what they tested.
Cheers.
Well just had labs done again. I stopped taking anastrozole about 6 weeks ago after having issues staying asleep and I didn’t think it was worth staying on long-term because my main symptoms weren’t improving. My morning wood is still not present, I don’t feel like crushing it at the gym, and my sex drive is still gone.
I’ve donated blood twice since my last labs and my hematocrit and rbc have gone down so that is good. Glucose is at 77 and everything else is well within range including Vitamin D.
BUT…
March (First Labs):
E2 - 33
Total T - 575
Free T - 78
Bioavailable - 168
SHBG - 33
Serum - 4.7
Free Testosterone
11.8 ng/dL = 2.05 %
Bioavailable Testosterone
301 ng/dL = 52.4 %
June (On Anastrozole):
E2 - 17
Total T - 769
Free T - 126
Bioavailable - 260
SHBG - 29
Serum - 4.5
Free Testosterone
18.3 ng/dL = 2.38 %
Bioavailable Testosterone
448 ng/dL = 58.3 %
November. (Off Anastrozole)
E2 - 34
Total T - 560
Free T - 75
Bioavailable - 154
SHBG - 34
Serum - 4.5
Free Testosterone
11.5 ng/dL = 2.06 %
Bioavailable Testosterone
282 ng/dL = 50.4 %
Basically all the anastrozole did while I was on it was free up some T and raise my total T. Yet nothing improved and I felt no different. If you look at the % of free T to total T it didn’t really change anything. This sucks. I’m meeting with my doc in 3 weeks and don’t really know what direction to go.
If you have time, give us a FULL run down of your typical day. Include all details including what you are eating and when, including medications or supplements. Also include any details related to physical activity during the day, and any OUTSIDE issues you may be having in general (recent breakup, loss of a loved one, fighting with the SO, job deadlines or other issues, etc). You don’t have to give personal details there but identify if they exist.
Typical Day
Wake up 8-9AM
Breakfast - Oatmeal, Cereal or nothing depending on time. No coffee. Occasional sugar free red bull (like 6 times a month max)
Lunch - Sushi, deli sandwich, chipotle bowl etc…
Dinner - Some kind of meat and veggies. Occasional Pizza or burger w/fries. Some small desert portion (1/4 chocolate bar or a half cup of dairy free ice cream etc…)
Bed between 10pm - midnight. No trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night.
No Medications.
Supplements:
fish oil, apple cider vinegar, garden of life mens multi, alpha lipoic acid, chromium, coq10, grape seed extract, vitamin d 5000, vitamin k2, magnesium.
I’ll take GABA or L-Theanine in the evening to help me unwind if it’s been a long day. I also take a pure lift supplement if I’m in for a stressful time.
I’ll work out usually 3 days a week. For the last year my weight lifting has been brutal. I don’t feel like walking in and crushing it at the gym like I used to. So I usually do lighter weight and just do a split routine. I’ll hit the stair master for 30-40 minutes 3 days a week as well.
I run a successful company. It requires about 20 hours a week of my time. It can be stressful but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. I set my own hours and schedule. Outside issues are pretty non existent. I’m an introvert at heart and enjoy doing home projects or just relaxing at home on my days off. No recent traumatic events that would have triggered this.
I’m 5’11 200lbs and have a strong muscular build and so far my muscle mass hasn’t dwindled so thats the good news. I just want to feel good again and not so grumpy old man. I haven’t wanted to hang with friends as much lately as it just sounds exhausting to me. Hard to do things when my energy levels aren’t there.