AlcahueteJ
Member
Clomid Success Story Continued: 9 month Follow-Up
Hello again,
The link above also links to all of my previous threads from the beginning of my journey here.
At my last appointment back in August I discussed my high levels of testosterone, specifically we discussed my now increased levels of anxiety.
For a brief history, I have had generalized anxiety for about 5 years, mostly around public speaking. That aspect has been well managed, but shortly before I started Clomid, I also developed OCD.
Before my appointment in August, the OCD had ramped down considerably, however the generalized anxiety went through the roof. Specifically due to having a panic attack while driving on the highway, which was causing me great levels of anxiety every time I had to drive on the highway.
We discussed coming off the Clomid altogether, and that the high levels of anxiety could be caused by the higher levels of testosterone. However, he preferred that I stay on Clomid for another few months, albeit at a lower dose. I was currently on 50 mg twice/week, and he suggested I move to once per week. Anxiety aside, he wanted to see my testosterone a bit lower, especially considering I was having symptoms of high testosterone.
He gave me the option of coming off completely, or trying 50 mg once/week for 4 - 6 weeks and then sending him an e-mail to check in. If I was still having issues, I could see him again after another set of blood work in 4 - 6 weeks. If I was fine, then I'd simply wait until November.
Well, about a week or two at the lowered dose, anxiety ramped down. I still have issues with driving that I'm working on, but it's much more manageable than it was when my testosterone was higher. All symptoms of high testosterone went away, but now I feel good, no symptoms of low testosterone either.
Fast forward to present day, I stayed on the 50 mg once/week dose from August until November. In that time frame I also lost 9 pounds, which was great because I was curious what would happen to my testosterone if I lost weight. Being at a low weight was a part of the problem initially.
Here's my new numbers: Previous numbers from August are on the left, latest numbers are on the right. My free T is calculated, and my estradiol is not the sensitive test, so I don't bother posting those.
Testost 280-800 ng/dL: 849 > 610
SHBG 14-48 nmol/L: 52 > 52
So my numbers still look very good, despite the lowered dose. I feel good still, plenty of energy, libido is good...etc. I asked again if I could come off completely, and again he left it up to me. He said the jump from 2 50 mg pills per week to 1, is not as big of a jump as 1 pill to none. I was given the option of half a pill once/week, or try none. His recommendation was to take half a pill until January, get more blood work, and then decide to come off it completely then. We would simply talk via e-mail at that point. Then, our next appointment will be in March.
As an aside, I also gave up caffeine (a big deal for someone who has historically drank A LOT of coffee and loves gourmet coffee). This also helped with the anxiety considerably.
Anyways, that's my story so far, we'll see what happens from here.
Hello again,
The link above also links to all of my previous threads from the beginning of my journey here.
At my last appointment back in August I discussed my high levels of testosterone, specifically we discussed my now increased levels of anxiety.
For a brief history, I have had generalized anxiety for about 5 years, mostly around public speaking. That aspect has been well managed, but shortly before I started Clomid, I also developed OCD.
Before my appointment in August, the OCD had ramped down considerably, however the generalized anxiety went through the roof. Specifically due to having a panic attack while driving on the highway, which was causing me great levels of anxiety every time I had to drive on the highway.
We discussed coming off the Clomid altogether, and that the high levels of anxiety could be caused by the higher levels of testosterone. However, he preferred that I stay on Clomid for another few months, albeit at a lower dose. I was currently on 50 mg twice/week, and he suggested I move to once per week. Anxiety aside, he wanted to see my testosterone a bit lower, especially considering I was having symptoms of high testosterone.
He gave me the option of coming off completely, or trying 50 mg once/week for 4 - 6 weeks and then sending him an e-mail to check in. If I was still having issues, I could see him again after another set of blood work in 4 - 6 weeks. If I was fine, then I'd simply wait until November.
Well, about a week or two at the lowered dose, anxiety ramped down. I still have issues with driving that I'm working on, but it's much more manageable than it was when my testosterone was higher. All symptoms of high testosterone went away, but now I feel good, no symptoms of low testosterone either.
Fast forward to present day, I stayed on the 50 mg once/week dose from August until November. In that time frame I also lost 9 pounds, which was great because I was curious what would happen to my testosterone if I lost weight. Being at a low weight was a part of the problem initially.
Here's my new numbers: Previous numbers from August are on the left, latest numbers are on the right. My free T is calculated, and my estradiol is not the sensitive test, so I don't bother posting those.
Testost 280-800 ng/dL: 849 > 610
SHBG 14-48 nmol/L: 52 > 52
So my numbers still look very good, despite the lowered dose. I feel good still, plenty of energy, libido is good...etc. I asked again if I could come off completely, and again he left it up to me. He said the jump from 2 50 mg pills per week to 1, is not as big of a jump as 1 pill to none. I was given the option of half a pill once/week, or try none. His recommendation was to take half a pill until January, get more blood work, and then decide to come off it completely then. We would simply talk via e-mail at that point. Then, our next appointment will be in March.
As an aside, I also gave up caffeine (a big deal for someone who has historically drank A LOT of coffee and loves gourmet coffee). This also helped with the anxiety considerably.
Anyways, that's my story so far, we'll see what happens from here.