Thank you all for your feedback. Btw guys I switched down to 90 mg. Then switched to subq at 90. Seeing if it decreases my abdomen fat/water. So far because of the changes due I believe to going away from steady levels libido went from good to insane. Still monitoring mirror …
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So I went from 100 mg split in 2 IM to 88 mg split in 2 Subq.
It’s been about 6 weeks since change. My big belly look is much better. I believe I had water retention in belly. I lost a few pounds.
I do it attribute this to e2 as it’s about the same- maybe the free t going down.
I feel good. I also take 30mg armour thyroid. Thyroid numbers not happy with. Pre thyroid treatment better. T4 only at 25mcg gave me better results. Also not happy with low end free t. Prolactin and igf finally are in range were always higher.
No ai. No hcg
Labs taken trough
Hct 46.7
Glucose 78
Cholesterol 148
Triglycerides 196 slightly high
HDL 35 slightly low
LDL 74
Total t 460
Free t calc 98.7 (30-183)
My calculation on issam site 2.15%
Shbg 26.2
Estradiol sensitive 26.4
TSH 2.03
Free t4 .94 (.82-1.77)
Free t3 3.0 (2-4.4)
Total t3 85 (71-180)
Dhea s 115 (102-416)
Insulin 9.8
Igf1 184 (75-216)
Prolactin 14.1
Iron 121 (38-169)
@highpull @hrdlvn @hardartery @NH_Watts @anon10035199 @bmbrady77 @enackers
The thyroid numbers would be pretty good, if you weren’t on Armour. The total T is low, but the free T is good so if you feel good then I’d let it ride a while and see what happens. The other numbers may improve slowly over time. It takes us years of bad things to get us into treatment, it can take years of good to recover from the damage.
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Please explain
You are supplementing all of those numbers with the Armour, why is the TSH still over 2? Why is it cranking above 1? You are taking what that hormone promotes generation of, so your thyroid should be more chilled out but you pituitary is still pushing.
I think I will stop the armour and retake labs. But i think the low dose t4 worked best. But again the endo thought I needed no thyroid treatment but I insisted.
My only symptom was basically cold hands mostly in the winter at home. My TSH was between 2-2.7. Free t 3was good.
That is a pretty good report for just 6 weeks. I agree with hardartery let it ride see where this protocol takes you. No AI no HCG and a mid 20’s E2 that is great. Losing the belly fat is always a plus. How is your weekly exersize?
How do you feel compared to the higher dose? The TT number is kinda low, but your Free Test looks like close to top of range. Hope you feel good bro.
How are those other gastric issues going?
I’ll agree with the other guys, but I’ll add that DHEA looks kind of low. Do you supplement this? Free T could be better but that may come up a little within a few more weeks. You may be just super sensitive to small changes in E2. I know I can feel a difference in just a few few points.
I’d let this ride for a few more weeks and see how it goes. If nothing changes, maybe bump the test back up a little and add 100mg/day DIM for the first 6-8 weeks to keep E2 from fluctuating too much. Afterwards you can taper it back down and see how / if things change.
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I don’t supp dhea. It’s been steadily declining since starting trt. I will discuss with endo Friday. If I add dhea I thinking 25mg in the am.
Also if I I cease armour thyroid , that may change how I metabolize the t and e2.
I will discuss with Dr but I see myself stopping armour and retest in 6 weeks. If I don’t add dhea I may up it from 88mg to 92mg now.
Feel about the same. Libido good as usual too. Just like that my belly is much better.
Gastric better. It seems like the bloating i thought was air was water retention.
I may try a round of xifaxin non systematic digestion antibiotics 2 see if it helps further
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I do cardio. Upper body stuff. It’s good.
What do you think about dhea and me stopping armour ?
See how you react to it. For some it makes them very tired. If you react this way you’ll want to take it at bedtime.
I personally tried it at night, but I found my BP elevating right after. Could have been DHEA related, but it could have also been E2 related since I was starting a new protocol at the time. I switched to mornings and it’s worked out fine for me. I’m up to 50mg / day now (Dr recommendation) in the morning. I also take DIM in the morning. It’s the most stable I have felt since starting TRT.
I honestly do know much about thyroid meds so I am not going to act like I do. I do like your plan.
I did not like supplementing DHEA. Mine was low when I started with Defy and they gave me 25mg/day. It kept me up at night when I was instructed to take it. I took it in the morning for a while but really felt nothing but too much coffee jitters so I stopped. Now many years later my DHEA is above mid range and got that way with no supplement or external help from me. Maybe my improved diet maybe TRT at a good lvl for over 5 years has fixed something. Not sure.
Sorry for the long story. Bottomline try it if it feels weird stop taking it.
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Going solely by the numbers, I would run test, DHEA and fT3/fT4 up. But, you feel good and if you are happy where you are, wouldn’t change a thing.
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Here’s my plan.
Started 25 mg micronized dhea in am. Stopping armour. My free t3 was always good before with a tsh bet 2-3. Leave test dosage at 88 mg.
Retest in 6 weeks. My endo visit is tomorrow. Don’t think she’ll disagree.
I wanted to up my testosterone but being I just started dhea (which I never took before)…I will see.
Yea I was surprised how low your TT was.
I asked endo about dhea supplementation and she basically said no need to supp since am on trt. If I was not on trt than she suggest. Does this shit make sense?
Dhea s 115 (102-416)
Also I asked if metformin can help with my belly fat, she said it may. Gave me 500 mg 2x a day or take both at dinner since extended release. How do you think I should take?
Thanks boys.
Dhea - some folks have plenty of dhea and Preg . Others do not. You want your Dhea a bit higher so that more can convert to Pregalone. These two will help a ton with sleep and how you feel when optimal.
Metformin can bother the stomach . I would only take 1 for the first week and add
Another next.
That would be great if the only thing that DHEA was a precursor to was testosterone. I would give it a 6 week shot if I were you.
On the metformin, I agree completely with @enackers. Take it twice a day. A lot of people have upset stomachs with metformin on higher doses at one time. I always take mine with food too and that seems to keep the sides at bay.