[quote]tlb4v wrote:
I also noticed my progesterone was undetectable. Any insight[/quote]
Progesterone in males will be near zero when the testes are shut down due to exogenous testosterone use or primary hypogonadism. It’s a very important hormone for well-being and largely overlooked by virtually all healthcare members. At least in men. They’re all over the effects of low progesterone in women. It seems to be a poorly understood fact that men also require it for good health. You might even want to avoid bringing it up because they’ll just feed some lame ass response that it doesn’t matter. Fact is it does matter. In fact I believe it’s why many people feel better when they add hCG which stimulates the testes and contributes to testosterone levels(if secondary hypog) and also produces progesterone. Very sharp of you to notice the lab value and question it. Take a look at progesterone in men on Wikipedia.
That’s what I had concluded but wanted someone to confirm what I have been reading. I think it boils down to the fact that I can’t get my e2 below 30 without dropping testosterone too low. I’ve tried anastrozole and currently on dim. Still feel terrible because I significantly cut my test dose. I can’t understand why it’s been so hard to get test near 500 and e2 under 30.
Yeah hCG will help give you a baseline of testosterone from your testes as well as prevent them from atrophying. That is as long as you are secondary hypogonadal.
I just can’t seem to take anastrozole long enough for a set of labs without getting really depressed and having joint pain. I tried 1/24 mg after dissolving it in vodka with the same result. I had great results for about a week taking .5 mg eod but went downhill from there and can’t get back to that. Could it be possible the super low dose is causing a rebound after 24 hrs or so? Would aromasin be a better option if this is the case?
I haven’t done them both at the same time. Once I realized anastrozole was going to be very hard to dial in my doc recommended I3C but I already had dim on hand. I cut my test shots from 200 mg a week to 80 mg biweekly. I feel like e2 is slightly lower but my test is as well. Feeling pretty tired since lowering it bc I was only at 359 while taking 200 mg a week. So I’m guessing my test is mid 400 and e2 around 28. But im only 26 and in pretty good shape. I’d like to try hcg but I’m afraid e2 will sky rocket and I can’t seem to get it under 30. I’m also trying otc progesterone cream but I haven’t noticed any difference. I read it has a really short half life if it’s even getting absorbed.
Am I wrong or are your “shooting past the sweet spot” and depression symptoms possibly just underlying symptoms? You also mention tinkering, whatever that means. TRT is not a treatment plan for depression and anxiety. I think it might be wise to make an appointment with your psychiatrist or find one. Of course hormonal balance can affect mood and sense of well-being but if you’re primed too easily for triggers then that is where the attention should be. Also, changing a hormone balance can take some getting used to.
Progesterone’s effects may not be noticeable to anyone but the most hypersensitive cases.
If you’re concerned about your HR mine is normally 80 bpm and is now 95 resting.
New Labs taken on 12-5-14
I have been taking 80 mg testosterone twice weekly along with Indole 3 Carbinol 1xdaily.
total cholesterol 198 125-200
HDL 39 low >40
Triglycerides 150 <150
LDL 129 <130
TSH 2.21 .40-4.50
T3 85 76-181
T4 6.8 4.5-12
SHBG 12 10-50
Red blood cell count 6.18 4.2-5.80 high
Hemoglobin 17.5 13.2-17.1 high
Hematocrit 54.5 38.5-50 high
Cortisol 13.7 4-22
Progesterone undetectable
Testosterone 479
Estradiol 37 <39
Vitamin d3 27 30-100
My Tsh has never been over 1.1 and was tested only 4 months ago. No idea what could have raised it so much. E2 jumped up from 32. Testosterone is about the same given that i just began taking it twice weekly but lowered the dose from 180 mg 1x weekly.
I believe E2 jumped because i began taking it twice weekly so there wasnt much time for it to drop before labs. I felt worse than usual this last month on this protocol and reverted back to 1 injection of 160 mg weekly and began feeling better within hours.
My gp said she is at a loss and isn’t very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of trt so she is working on finding an endo near Nashville tn. I requested aromasin for my e2 of 37 but she declined and said most feel best in the 30s. Should I have any high expectations in an endo?
Hey guys it’s been a while and I spent a few months between androgel and axiron without any luck. However I’m now on 50 mg testosterone enanthate eod. I’m still struggling with mood and libido issues and looking for and insight as to where to go from here. Take a look at my last set of labs.
Total test- 602 range 280-1070
Free t- 201 range 47-244
Shbg- 11 range 13-71
Estradiol- 40 range 0-39.8
Cortisol- 14 range 4-22
ACTH- 10 range 9-52
Tsh- 1.41 range .35-5.5
Free t3-3.9 range 2.3-4.2
Free t4-1.23 range .71-1.85
A1C and insulin levels look great. RBC is slightly high. I was able to convince the endo to give me anastrozole again and it was prescribed at .5 mg twice weekly. However the first dose made me very depressed and insecure. A few hours after this dose libido and mood were great but quickly declined with two days of depression and clicking sore joints to follow then a brief mood and libido increase.
Any advice on what dosage and frequency would be greatly appreciated!
Thyroid hormones greatly increased. Background on that?
What are your current oral waking and mid-afternoon body temperatures?
With EOD injections, EOD anastrozole may work better for you. Try 1/4m EOD then do E2 labs in a few weeks.
Are you an anastrozole over-responder?
Total test- 602 range 280-1070
Free t- 201 range 47-244
TT is quite low for 175mg T/week. But part of that is low SHBG.
Do you know why you have low SHBG?
E2=40 is way too high. Low SHBG with that does define the low SHBG problem.
I’m guessing my shbg was low normal when I started and the trt drove me under the threshold. I asked the endo about it and he pretty much didn’t know or didn’t care. I see a urologist later this week for some issues about frequent and difficult urination which I’ve found correlates to e2 as well. I took that one .5 mg dose of anastrozole on Monday morning but I feel worse and worse everyday. Zero libido and depressed. How long before I can expect one doses effects to alleviate?
I forgot to mention the last two weeks my blood pressure has been running 160/100. Is this because of the testosterone or high estradiol? No stress other than issues related to this.
So I just left the urologist office and he said my prostate is 3x normal size which is why I’m urinating constantly. He wants me to come off testosterone and believes I don’t have low testosterone. Question 1- is the high estradiol why my prostate is so enlarged or is it the testosterone?
Question 2- Ive diluted 1 mg of anastrozole into 2 ml of vodka and have been taking 1/16 mg of anastrozole for the last 4 days…I’ve noticed a slight increase in libido and spontaneous erections but I’ve also noticed joints clicking a lot more and knee and lower back pain. I Haven’t had a nighttime or morning erection yet. Did I pass through the sweet spot or have I not lowered it enough yet?