[quote]iw84aces wrote:
Just stay off the T and try and get the thyroid in order!!
See how you feel after you get that under control!!
You have hashi’s or graves I bet… Can u ask for a thyroid ultrasound?
Sorry I haven’t been on in a while, dealing with my own problems a lately…
Good luck man[/quote]
Thanks man, hope your problems are working themselves out. I’m thinking you’re right as far as taking care of things in order. I’ve been eager to switch off the compound cream to a T delivery that actually works for me, but I think I need to hold off and test one thing at a time. For all I know, taking care of the HPTA may take of the low T problem by itself, and there’s only one way to find out.
Also, I’ve been reading some of threads on here talking about the pellets, and I’m having second thoughts about them. KSman makes a good case against them, all things considered. They don’t deliver a steady amount of T throughout the whole three-month cycle, and so they indeed make E2 levels a moving target. They’re expensive, and I don’t know how much my insurance will cover. And I absolutely intend to use HCG, which means I’ll be getting regular shots anyway, so the advantage of not having to see my doc again for three months goes out the window. And it sounds like, if you do the procedure regularly, you start to develop scar tissue at the insert point and eventually you can’t use them anymore, so they’re not a long-term solution.
And the nurse told me once they’re in, they’re in for three months. I can’t get them removed if I respond poorly for some reason.
So for now I’m thinking of tapering off the compound cream, using the Naturethroid, and see how getting to optimal T3/T4/FT3/FT4 levels affect mood and libido.
Got all of the blood tests out of the way yesterday, about 8 vials worth. Thyroid panel, PTO and Ngab, Testosterone and E2, and various vitamins. Getting copies of results in a week.
Taking the 4-sample saliva test today; cortisol levels throughout the day are my main interest, but kit also tests estrone, testosterone, estradiol, DHEA, progesterone, and estriol.
Doc has started me on Nature-throid, 32.5 mcg/day. Going to start taking it after today, and start weaning off of the T compound cream.
Got blood test results back on Tuesday. When this blood was taken, I wasn’t on any thyroid meds. Thyroid looks to be mostly okay, with no sign of Hashi’s, but I’d like to see FT3 at mid-range, so I’m currently taking Nature-throid (32.5 mcg/day). Also got a 2nd sonogram of thyroid - a few small, stable nodules, but no goiter.
Cortisol looks to be good, too, but that was just a morning baseline. I’ll be getting results from an all-day cortisol saliva test soon. The main undesirable – Free Testosterone is low, but that’s not a surprise. I’m seeing Dr. Natan Bar-Chama on Oct. 23, and will probably go with shots EOD rather than the pellet implants.
Relevant data is below:
TSH 1.46 (0.27 - 4.20 uIU/mL)
FT4 1.34 (0.83 1.62 ng/dL)
FT3 3.0 (2.5 - 4.3 pg/mL)
RT3 15.6 (9.0 - 27.0 ng/dL)
FT3/RT3 19.2 (I’ve read this ratio should ideally be greater than 20)
I’ll report back in after I start the T shots. I’m interested to see the effect it’ll have on mood. I’m currently being treated for depression - Wellbutrin XL (450 mg/day) Zoloft (37.5 mg/day) - mostly works, but now and then I still have some days with low energy, low motivation, and a lasting brain fog that feels like I just woke up.
Met with Dr. Bar-Chama yesterday. I told him I want to do T shots, every other day, along with HGC to prevent testicular atrophy. He replied that T shots are done every week, and he doesn’t know any doctor who prescribes T shots every other day. He said that it’s the HCG shots are typically done every other day.
So I asked him that if HCG stimulates the testes to produce more testosterone, isn’t it possible to do HCG shots only in order to raise my T levels, without actually injecting any T? He informed that it indeed is sometimes done that way, and we agreed that this is how I’ll start off. So as soon as I get the Rx filled, I’ll get instructed at his office on how to give myself the shots, and then I start doing 1,000 units of HCG every other day. We’ll take a blood sample in about 6 weeks to see where my T and E2 levels are.
Also of interest - I got back the results of my 16-hour cortisol saliva test (below). The report says that the cortisol pattern throughout the day is consistent with evolving (Phase 2) hypoadrenia. For this, I’m taking a supplement called “Adrenamin”, and am making some lifestyle adjustments to reduce stress. Research shows that a full adrenal recovery is possible in my case, but takes a while; about 3-6 months.
DHEA 157.02 (137 - 336 pg/ml)
Cortisol Morning 12.11 nmol/L (5.1 - 40.2, optimal range 18-35)
Cortisol Aft 7.32 nmol/L (2.1 - 15.7, optimal range 6-12)
Cortisol Eve 3.64 nmol/L (1.8 - 12, optimal range 4-8)
Cortisol Night 0.63 nmol/L (0.9 - 9.2, optimal range 2-6)
So I’m hitting the problem on all fronts - Nature-throid for my thyroid, HCG for T levels, and adrenamin for adrenals. Will post again after I begin the HCG shots.
Began with self-administered HCG shots last Friday – 500 IU every other day.
Original Rx was for 1,000 IU EOD, but from what I’ve read and what I’ve been told, that’s an unusually high dose and risks damaging the Leydig cells with little to no added benefit. It was a little amusing how the medical staff reacted when I told them I’m only going to use 500 instead of the 1,000 the doc prescribed; you’d think no one has ever asserted their own will over doctor’s orders before. For his part, Dr. Bar-Chama himself is okay with it – he just reminded me to be sure to come in and do blood tests in 6 weeks to see where my T and E2 levels are.
Starting yesterday, my vitality and mood have improved significantly – beyond where they’ve been in years – and have remained steadily so. Will keep note of how that progresses in the weeks ahead. 6-week checkup is scheduled for Dec 17.
Interim check-in. Have been injecting 500 IU HCG every other day since Fri Nov 8, for a total of 13 injections so far. Mostly in the left deltoid front; a couple in right quad when delt was sore. Prior to HCG, was taking Wellbutrin (450 mg/day) and and Zoloft (varying doses for months, as high as 100 mg/day and as low as 25 mg/day). Tapered off of Zoloft gradually, and stopped taking it completely as of November 26.
The sexual side effects of Zoloft were undeniable, and decreased in proportion to my dosage. ED and complete anorgasmia at 100 mg/day; still some ED problems at 37.5 mg/day. While tapering off of Z, tapered up on Remeron to 30 mg/day (an anti-dep that usually has no undesired sexual side-effects, as with Wellbutrin).
Since Dec. 1 (5 days after stopping Zoloft completely, 19 days after beginning HCG), libido and function have spiked to markedly above the baseline, i.e., much improved from the time before Zoloft even became a factor. Overall mood is good, though it’s impossible to tell if that’s the result of Remeron, HCG, or some combo of the two.
After getting figures for my T and E2 levels on Dec. 17, I’m thinking of slowly decreasing everything except the HCG, in steps, and observing the effects. I’m ultimately looking to see if higher T (and low/controlled E2) is all that’s needed as far as mood.
Received my first set of test results to measure how well the HCG shots are going afa Testosterone. Overall the numbers look good, except E2 was high, which wasn’t unexpected. As a result, Dr. B-C has prescribed me Arimidex to control the aromatization (Anastrozole, 1 MG/week). Test numbers with ranges are below.
500 IU HCG injected every other day, beginning 8 November 2013.
Blood samples taken 17 December 2013.