Hi all. I was on 140 mg test divided in two doses and .25 arimidex for following two days after injection. At that my total test was typically 1180 and my E2 was 12. About 4 months ago I lost about 20 lbs as well as my sex drive. I was concerned my E2 went low from less bodyfat and I came here to ask (I hadn’t been here in over a year) and the two guys that responded to my post both said the new theory was you should not take an ai unless you experience symptoms and cited some Dr. So I went off my ai which I know was stupid. Anyway three months after going off ai my nipples started to get sore so I started taking my ai again. That was about a month and a half ago. 2 weeks after going on ai my nipple soreness went away and my blood leevels were back to where they were. Now, a month later, I’m still at that dose but my nipples are sore again. Any clue what’s going on? Could I have sensitized my nipples from prolonged exposure to high E2? Why would it come back a month later? I’m gonna try and get blood work this week but wanted to hear your thoughts. Thank you.
That’s way too low. Period. Your health is far more likely to suffer from a nu,ber that low than a high number. A little nipple soreness is not unusual initially on TRT, without the AI. It goes away. You need to watch for hard lumps, not a little soreness or itch. It’s stupid to maintain an E2 that low.
You should break up your injections so you do not need an AI, no more sore nipples because there will be no excess. The whole point to more frequent dosing is to lower estrogen, it sounds like this protocol just isn’t working.
Nipple sensitivity can come and go on TRT.
.25mgx2/wk is a lot of AI.
You need to see your blood levels to make an educated decision.
IMO .25mg/wk(not .50/wk) of anastrozole is more than enough for 140mg/wk T.
Even at that dose, I would not take it all the time.
Do you have any other high E2 symptoms like ED loss of libido, extra oily skin/acne?
There is a small group that posts here on the NO AI let your E2 hit the roof it will go down on its own given enough time. You are not the first that has reported that was very bad advice and taking that advice has ((( fucked them up.)))
It’s not a great idea to get carried away in either direction. It IS artificial hormone control after all.
If you are saying that your e2 is back at 12 then you should be much more concerned about having e2 that low than getting a little nipple sensitivity after stopping your AI. You dont list what your e2 went up to and 3 months could be your body still adjusting.
I was on the dose noted in my first post for a year and a half and felt great - even with a low E2. Never had any nipple sensitivity. I remember when I first got tested before taking an AI my E2 non-sensitive was about 84 but my test dose was considerably higher.
Being now, for a month and a half on the same dose that worked for a year and a half, I now have nipple sensitivity (though it did go away for about a month) The only difference is at one point between I went off the ai for 3 months until I got sensitivity. Presumably high E2 is causing changes before it manifests clinically so I’m wondering if ive caused permanent changes in nipple tissue making me sensitive to tiny fluctuations in E2. I’ve also read that prolactin can cause sensitivity - doesn’t an ai correct that as well?
Since I felt fine with an E2 of 12 sensitive (and that’s within the normal range on my test), AND I have nipple sensitivity, why would I want to lower my ai now? I’m not really having any other side effects either way.
I really wish the only two guys who responded to my post a while back didn’t happen to be from the “let it rip” school. I recall they said KSMan’s ideas had largely been discredited. Is that the consensus on this board? Thanks all for your help.
I break up into 2 shots. The protocol worked perfectly for a year and half before I went off my ai for 3 months. Now, at the dose that worked for a long time, I’m getting nipple sensitivity. This is after a period of losing the sensitivity when I restarted my ai.
Did you ever have any actual issues off the ai at any point like extreme water retention or bloodpressure issues. Personally for me no AI works. 50s or 60s now and no problems at all. My joint pains i had all my life have gone away. Blood pressure issues went away. Dick is hard so often it can be an issue, like while im working. I dont cry or “become weepy” during hallmark comercials. No lumps.in my chest.
You’re making this hard on yourself, you’re in excess and are noticing the effects of excess E2 and going for the AI to fix your problems, only you can not seem to find the right dosage in the long term. I have seen men struggle with AI dosing always having to re-adjust the AI dosing every couple of months.
It’s so much easier to inject EOD and estrogen will come down therefore not needing an AI. It sounds like you do not want to inject more frequency or you would have done so already.
Eventually you’ll get tired of playing this AI dosing game every couple of months.
Yea my nipples started hurting which is why I went back on ai
No I just thought 2x weekly was enough and this problem has just started occuring. Id be happy to do it EOD. So having to change ai dosing without weight loss/gain is a known thing? Because I doubt I have excess e2 when it was 50 having only taken 1 dose in 3 months a week before my blood work. Like I said, the only problem I’ve had is from having gone off the ai for 3 months and then restarting. My soreness went away for a month and now it’s back. This dose had worked fine for 1.5 to 2 years before going off the ai.
On another note, I’m running pretty hot on the total T (1190-1200). I’m a 50 year old guy. Should I bring this down? The ai has not been causing me any other problems. Thanks
My nipples were hard and sensitive for like 2 months maybe a little more. I had to duct tape my work harness together in the front because if it scraped my nipple it was bad. Eventually it went away and my body got use to it. No bone depleting cancer drugs neccesary. But I meant like real issues besides the nipples. The nipple thing is basically expected in everyone on TRT for a while ai or not
We are missing other labs needed to judge your protocol, like SHBG and Free T. The Free T is the stuff in circulation interacting with your tissue. You will get more accurate Free T by calculating Total T and SHBG to get a percentage of available free hormones. The Free T measurements can be off by as much as 40% on the best testing methods.
You could cut the dose slightly, like to 120 or 130 a week and see if that takes car of the nipple issue. Personally, I would advise to let it ride if that’s the only issue. The AI just prevented you adjusting. Aromatisation drops over time on TRT, so AI dosing would change even for the most hardcore advocate (I remember reading a KSMan post about sudden issues with his after being at that set protocol forever). The general consensus is that AI’s are over prescribed and over used. There’s a time and a place for everything, but the less stuff you take the better, and studies show more problems from long term low E2 than any high E2.
Hi Kid charles, How TRT affect us guys over 50 and under 40 is way different.
Bottom line if your E2 and prolactin are under the max range your nipple sensitivity should just be delt with using bandaids. Shave your nipples and cover them it will go away in time. If your E2 and prolactin are over range for a long period of time you get gyno.
Oh I am 67 and have been on TRT for over 5 years. My protocol has been stable for the last 3. I also blast twice a year mostly because I love the pumps it gives me in the gym and my wife of 35 years loves the results. She is also on HRT at my request and dime.
Ok so this isn’t going to be a proper reading really because I started taking my ai only 1 or 2 times before this test. I’ve since gone back to the dose that worked for years so my guess is my E2 is considerably lower:
E2 52.3 (0-39.8)
Test total 1224 (150-684)
Test free 115 (24.3 - 110.2)
Prolactin 6.2 (2.1-17.7)
Shbg 37 (13.2 - 89.6)
I know that’s a pretty high test but I thought what the hell. Yea, sometimes less is more, I know. If I take 70 mg test followed by .25 mg arimidex the day after and the day after that, and do this twice weekly, anyone have any idea roughly
what I’d have to lower my ai by to get to a good E2?
Thanks all for your help.
Anyone? I’d appreciate the help. Thanks!
Maybe I should have responded directly to you. Not sure how notifications work. Labs above if you have a moment. Thanks!
If you want to lower estrogen and not have to rely on an AI, you need to start thinking about injecting smaller doses more frequently. I for one do not like excess T and E2, I feel better using the least amount of T, but when in excess it takes away from the benefits of TRT.