Can your testosterone levels recover when you stop opiates?

[Beken]

I've been on opiates for nearly a decade due to a back injury. After a ton of work, lifestyle and work changes I have been able to taper off most of the opiates. If things keep going well I will be off them in 6 months.

In knew that I had low testosterone for 5 years ago and I had a failed attempt at TRT. Covid kicked me in the nuts and I tested at 168 TT and 2.9 FT 3 months ago. I am currently trying TRT again... it turns out that I am very sensitive to testosterone and I am having a hard time getting dialed in....

Does anyone know if your testosterone levels return to normal after you stop opiates? Since I may be off the drugs next year is something like Clomid an option? Any thoughts guys? Thanks

 

[Systemlord]

I've been on opiates for nearly a decade due to a back injury.

Does anyone know if your testosterone levels return to normal after you stop opiates?

The answer is it’s very unlikely your natural production will ever recover. The damage is done and there’s no going back.

Since I may be off the drugs next year is something like Clomid an option?

Clomid has a poor side effects profile, deteriorating, mental health, vision problems and fatigue are just a few. You can use the search function and see for yourself.

Clomid blocks estrogen receptors in the brain, heart and the pancreas. This is a big contributing factor in the symptoms experience on Clomid, however a small minority do not have any symptoms at least in the short term.

 

[Systemlord]

I am currently trying TRT again... it turns out that I am very sensitive to testosterone and I am having a hard time getting dialed in....

If you’re sensitive to TRT then I suggest small frequent injections to minimize the peaks and valleys to keep testosterone and estrogen from spiking.

It’s probably a long shot, insurance permitting Jatenzo may be an option. Steady states are achieved in 7 days instead of 42 days on cypionate decreasing the time spent with hormone level in flux.

 

[Beken]

I have been pinning every day. Anything over 10mg a day causes high blood pressure, pulse, anxiety and insomnia. Anything over 7mg causes anxiety and insomnia. I am currently at 5mg a day and I feel 'on' but flat and I still have insomnia.

I tried skipping a day two times.... both times I felt better and I slept like a rock.

I'm starting to think that I may have a problem with daily injections or the perhaps the cypionate. Who knows... I going to try pinning every other day to see if it helps.

Yea.... the more I'm looking into Clomid the worse it looks....

How is Jatenzo different than a testosterone cypionate? Thanks

 

[Systemlord]

I'm starting to think that I may have a problem with daily injections or the perhaps the cypionate. Who knows.

I had a similar problem on cypionate and ethanate when on daily injection. My entire body was in chaos and I believe the longer half-life was to blame.

I believe the problem was my hormone levels were too steady and my body didn’t like it. These symptoms took twice as long to develop on an every other day protoco.

The only thing was, these were the only two protocols where I started to show any benefit.

The half-life of Jatenzo is 8 hours and I don’t get any of the symptoms I had while on injections. The hormone levels are up and down. I believe that’s the only reason why it works.

Jatenzo is taken orally twice daily. The recommended starting dosage is 237 mg twice daily.

A new oral testosterone undecanoate therapy comes of age for the treatment of hypogonadal men​

My Experience On Jatenzo (Oral TRT) Log

 

[Beken]

I had a similar problem on cypionate and ethanate when on daily injection. My entire body was in chaos and I believe the longer half-life was to blame.

I believe the problem was my hormone levels were too steady and my body didn’t like it. These symptoms took twice as long to develop on an every other day protoco.

The only thing was, these were the only two protocols where I started to show any benefit.

The half-life of Jatenzo is 8 hours and I don’t get any of the symptoms I had while on injections. The hormone levels are up and down. I believe that’s the only reason why it works.

Jatenzo is taken orally twice daily. The recommended starting dosage is 237 mg twice daily.

A new oral testosterone undecanoate therapy comes of age for the treatment of hypogonadal men​

My Experience On Jatenzo (Oral TRT) Log

Interesting.... Did you have similar symptoms? Were you taking low doses of testosterone Cypionate?

What happened if you pinned once a week.... did it help?

Are you sensitive to testosterone as well? Or is it the ester?

"The only thing was, these were the only two protocols where I started to show any benefit." Can you expand on this?

What was the final straw that made you get on the Jatenzo?

 

[Systemlord]

Interesting.... Did you have similar symptoms?

Yes, I did. I also had an iron, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin D deficiency.

What happened if you pinned once a week.... did it help?

No, once and twice weekly injections did nothing, no anabolic effects whatsoever. I didn’t even feel like I was on TRT even with a 798 ng/dL trough level.

Are you sensitive to testosterone as well?

Yes, I‘m very sensitive to testosterone! I’m one of the select few that can feel a profound difference between cypionate and enanthate because of the half-life difference.

The only thing was, these were the only two protocols where I started to show any benefit." Can you expand on this?

I experienced a benefit, energy and wellbeing but soon after I started getting life threatening symptom. I would get an intense burning sensation in my skin and it would turn red.

When I would fall asleep, my blood pressure would dropped dangerously low and I would wake up having problems breathing.

If you click on my avatar, you can view all of my threads I created on the subject.

What was the final straw that made you get on the Jatenzo?

Yes, after 4 years of treatment failure, my diabetes was getting out of control. By then I had figured it out, the problem was the half-life was too long.

I was about to try testosterone propionate, which has the shortest half-life of all esters, then I heard about Jatenzo with an even shorter half-life.

Due to my overwhelmingly positive response to Jatenzo, I knew I was right. I felt amazing on my very first dose, and that has never changed even more than a year later.

 

[Vince]

Let me add to this thread. I have family member who has been a heroin addict for 18 years. He's 35 now. He's been clean for 3 months and I'm amazed that his testosterone level is completely restored. Today is 3 months and one week which is a very short time I pray that he actually succeeds in his recovery.

 

[bixt]

Ditto that, low dose clomid 12.5mg or 25mg 3 times a week will probably work wonders in this case.

Dont let people confuse you and put you off with vision problems and a whole host of problems you probably wont encounter. That applies to bodybuilders doing things like 50-300mg daily for PCT

On the contrary, there has been a full thread here with good reports. I will post it up shortly

 

[bixt]

Are guys that do well on low dose clomid unicorns...or do they really exist?

They actually EXIST!!! There are certainly some challenges in treating with low dose clomid, specifically in dealing with the varying effect (estrogen antagonist/agonist) of the two isomers enclomiphene and zuclomiphene. However, as I (and Dr Crisler) have said many times...I DO ACHIEVE SUCCESS...

www.excelmale.com

 

[Systemlord]

He's been clean for 3 months and I'm amazed that his testosterone level is completely restored.

Those are some excellent genes!

 

[Vince]

Those are some excellent genes!

Or just dumb luck!

His body also cured his hep C. I know it's not that uncommon. Two other people. I know their bodies also cured their hep C.

 

[Beken]

Or just dumb luck!

His body also cured his hep C. I know it's not that uncommon. Two other people. I know their bodies also cured their hep C.

I had stenosis in my L-4 and disc deterioration between my L4-L5. I was on pain medication for 15 years. About 6 months ago I woke up in the middle of the night... it felt like someone grabbed my tailbone and was shaking my spine violently. Yet it didn't hurt. In that moment I knew that God healed my back and began crying and praise God.

My back hasn't hurt since.

I've been tapering off the opiates for the past 6 months. Miracles happen.

 

[madman]

I've been on opiates for nearly a decade due to a back injury. After a ton of work, lifestyle and work changes I have been able to taper off most of the opiates. If things keep going well I will be off them in 6 months.

In knew that I had low testosterone for 5 years ago and I had a failed attempt at TRT. Covid kicked me in the nuts and I tested at 168 TT and 2.9 FT 3 months ago. I am currently trying TRT again... it turns out that I am very sensitive to testosterone and I am having a hard time getting dialed in....

Does anyone know if your testosterone levels return to normal after you stop opiates? Since I may be off the drugs next year is something like Clomid an option? Any thoughts guys? Thanks

*Guidelines support screening for testosterone deficiency in this situation. Consideration should be given to screening for testosterone deficiency prior to an opioid prescription, to provide a baseline. From a clinical point of view, the effect is reversible and if the opioid is removed, the deficiency is reversed, usually within a month

Opioid-induced hypogonadism

Testosterone deficiency, the unrecognized consequence of the opioid epidemic in men (2022) Janine David, GP and Associate Specialist in Andrology; Mike Kirby, Editor Testosterone deficiency resulting from chronic opioid use can have a profound effect on health and quality of life, but it often...

www.excelmale.com

*Impact of opioids on the male endocrine system

The endocrine system can be severely affected by chronic opioid treatment, leading to a decrease in total testosterone levels and opioid-induced hypogonadism (Figure 2). Opioids depress the secretion of hormones at different levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and generally increase levels of growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and prolactin, but there are conflicting reports on the effects of opioids on arginine, vasopressin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone. In addition, opioids can lead to the development of hypogonadism by directly inhibiting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) through the μ-opioid receptor, reducing libido and causing erectile dysfunction (ED), bone loss, and/or infertility.14

The impact occurs rapidly, often within one week, and the highest risk appears to be among patients receiving significant dosages for longer than one month. The use of the more potent opioids is more likely to cause a greater risk of hypogonadism, but the effects seem to be reversible after a few days of withdrawal. As one might expect, long-acting opioids have a greater risk compared with short-acting drugs. There is a significant correlation between increased dosage and the development of opioid-induced androgen deficiency (OPIAD).14




The prevalence of OPIAD ranges from 19% to 86%, with most studies reporting an overall prevalence higher than 50%, confirming the significant impact of opioids in reducing testosterone levels.14,17,18 Figure 3 shows the prevalence of low testosterone among chronic opioid users and men with other conditions.19

A systematic review and meta-analysis of testosterone suppression in opioid users concluded that testosterone level was suppressed in men with regular opioid use regardless of the opioid type and found a mean testosterone difference of 5.7nmol/L between opioid users and controls. Opioids were found to affect testosterone levels differently in men than women, and testosterone was not found to be suppressed in studies examining opioid-using women.20

Opioids can induce several hypogonadism-related signs and symptoms, including sexual dysfunction, mood impairment, fatigue, obesity and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and sexual dysfunction.