HRT problems for years!

[martyjack]

Glad I found this site! I'm fifty years old, but have been on HRT since I was thirty eight. I started on Androgel and after six months my levels dropped. It worked great during that time, but I have battled with the right protocol ever since. I believe I was having issues with absorption and also believe estradiol was a problem. Your exactly right with most doctors......I seen endo's, urologists, etc. None would even discuss the conversion to estradiol. I was in the military, so I moved around a lot and every place was the same. I started injections, but I still didn't feel right. Again estriol may have been the problem. I paid a fortune thinking the pellets may be the answer.....was I ever wrong! Their answer was just to increase the dosage each time......I discovered my levels were through the roof and I felt like crap! I traveled once to seek help with Dr. ******* (was suppose to be the TRT expert). That was a waste of time and money! I came to him with some lab work.....my SHGB was nearly Zero. He had never seen that and didn't have any idea why? This was several years ago and now I've found several articles about it....doesn't sound good though. Any thoughts about this? I will get it checked next lab work. A few months ago I was doing 100mg per week and my labs are as follows- Estriadiol--63 (range should be less than 39), total testosterone--789, free testosterone--218.2 (range 35-155)
After these results I decided to try 50 mg every three days with .25mg arimidex at the same time. I haven't had labs done yet with this protocol. Do you think I should be taking more arimidex? Do you think HCG would be beneficial with my situation? I don't know why my free is so high and I feel so bad? I'm desperately wanting to get on the right plan. I appreciate any help in seeking guidance for my problem. Thanks

[Justin]

There's a term known as "Transdermal Fatigue" that's probably what you experienced with the Androgel. It works well and after awhile your body adapts. Now the Androgel dose has to increase and you have to continue increasing it often to keep it working. Before you know it you need a bathtub full of it to get anything out of it. This is not an uncommon situation at all. I believe I've mentioned this before, even the Androgel brand admits to a 20% fail rate in its literature, meaning the product won't work in 20% of all men from the start. But I do not believe it mentions the issue of Transdermal Fatigue, which holds true with every form of transdermal testosterone.

The protocol you're on now may be OK but it's impossible to say for use with out a blood work examination. The best way to determine how you're doing is how you feel, that's always the primary factor but as far as your numbers go, the same protocol will result in different numbers for every man. There's no one single protocol that produces the same numbers in all men.

If you'd like a good, sound protocol I'd encourage you to consider injectable testosterone. It's the easiest to control and manipulate until you find the right dosing plan for you. It also doesn't have a fail rate in normal men.

[martyjack]

I'm sorry, but my last paragraph should have said I was injecting 50mg of cypionate every 3 days. I think this might help with Estriadiol levels going too high? I am still taking arimidex .25 every injection day. I may have to go up depending on my next labs. I have some good days, but I don't think I've found the right mix yet. Do you think HCG would do anything for me? If so, what amount.......I see a lot of people do 250ml all the way to 500ml. Any info about SHGB bottomed out? Thank you

[Justin]

Taking the anastrozole the day after your injection might help you quite a bit. There's more aromatase activity to block at that point in time.

HCG will help stimulate natural testosterone production while taking testosterone and is a good way to help keep testosterone levels balanced between injections. However, It doesn't always work as well in men who are 50+ as they're often primary, not secondary. This isn't always the case, but it commonly is.

Primary Hypogonadism: The testicles are not producing testosterone. The pituitary releases LH, the signal that tells the testicles to make testosterone but very little production occurs.

Secondary Hypogonadism: The testicles work fine but the LH signal is weak.

HCG mimics LH. If a man is primary and already has a very strong LH signal, essentially dumping more LH into the body won't help. It's not going to kill you but it won't help. It should also be noted that HCG can increase your estradiol levels. Also, HCG is usually measured out in iu not ml. Just a clarification point for future reference.

Lower SHBG, sugary foods can lower SHBG. Some have said Vitamin D can also lower it. Regardless, you want lower SHGB far more so than higher. The higher your SHBG is the lower your Free Testosterone levels will be. It's also been said that low levels of SHBG can be a result of diabetes and obesity. However, I'm not sure how conclusive this is as typically the men who come through our program that have diabetes or are obese have very low levels of Free Testosterone and not necessarily low levels of SHBG. Your thyroid can also affect your SHBG as well as many areas of the body. A simple TSH w/Thyroid test can tell you what's going on there.

[martyjack]

Another issue I'm experiencing is low ejaculate. I had never had any problems with this until the last couple of years. Also I use to have plenty of force too.....not so much anymore. I do take 40mg of Micardis HCT for blood pressure. Any idea of what is causing this? Thanks for any advice.

[Justin]

When your testosterone to estradiol gets out of line this can cause ejaculate issues. Get that balanced and it will help a lot. You may also consider HCG as this often helps too.

[martyjack]

What do you recommend on the dosage of arimidex?

[Justin]

What do you recommend on the dosage of arimidex?

As little as possible. A common big mistake is taking too much, which bottoms your estradiol out, makes you feel like garbage and often makes a man give up on TRT, which again makes him feel like garbage. It normally doesn't take much. Common doses for the purpose of TRT range from 0.25mg per week to 0.5mg two times per week. Some men need more, 1mg twice a week isn't unheard of but that's the high dose. Very few men need more than that, but it does happen. Bottom line, most men feel their best when their estradiol is in the 20-30 range, although some men will still feel pretty good in the low 30's. Much higher than that can cause symptoms, much lower than 20, especially below 15 will make you feel terrible.

[martyjack]

I seem to be having trouble with HRT again? I was doing 100 mg weekly, but discovered my levels were bottomed out at the end of the week....prior to next injection. I was advised to go up to 140 mg weekly and have been doing this for about 3 weeks. I never feel any better.....seems like my libido has bottomed too? My Estriadiol levels were below 30... I take about a half mg Arimidex weekly. Any ideas what may help or something else I need to Check? Also seem depressed a lot....not sure what's going on? Help!

[Justin]

Are you splitting your testosterone dose into two shots per week or one shot?

Estradiol - is this a standard or sensitive E2 test? What's the lab and unit of measurement?

Do you take HCG?