What is next?

Worried said:

So if you look back at some of the prior posts,you will see words such as "serious" and "dangerous". So all I'm saying is that I am not ignoring this issue. I'm going to continue to monitor it. Even get a second opinion on it. But to use those descriptive words... well you can understand how that can affect my posture.

Click to expand...

A "serious" medical condition is one that is having/can have a significant impact on your health and life. The same is true for a "dangerous" medical condition. Neither term indicates that you have necessarily been handed a life threatening diagnosis.

Hypothyroidism is a serious issue; if unaddressed it can lead to a cascading series of health problems that can/ will impair your life. It's not going to do that within the next week or month (though you may well be experiencing symptoms from it at the present time). The same is true of when the term "dangerous" is applied to a medical situation. Your health, anyone's health, is put in danger when labs indicate an abnormal result and they are ignored.

Worried - as your name suggests, it appears anxiety and worry are problems for you. You are most certainly NOT going to die in the next few weeks (or likely months/years) due to your current health predicament. However, the advice the fellas have given you (including the caution) is sound, in good faith, and relevant. You've been led to water, now to drink or not is up to your will. Best of luck and do not stress too much about this. Educate yourself, make a well thought out decision and then begin to improve your symptoms/health.

I would like to report that today I am feeling amazing. I am eight days removed from the last anastrozole tablet. Yesterday I had my injection of test. This morning I had my injection of hCG. If this is the beginning of how it's going to feel long-term I'm pretty darn excited. BTW yesterday I was feeling pretty good too.

No one was arguing that the thyroid issue didn't need to be addressed. I'm simply stating that I am taking measures to do so. Which includes continuing to monitor. I'm sure we all agree that at times our blood work can be skewed or there is an occurrence that can cause something to be out of balance.

Once again I am very thankful for all of your input. I am thoroughly convinced that the AI blocker was causing me nightmarish side effects. If I could change my name from worried I would change it to excited!

Good or bad I will continue to report my progress or lack there of.

Worried; I was not trying to scare or alarm you. However I speak from personal experience on these issues as many of us do. I have been living without a thyroid for the past 19 years after having it removed because of pre-cancerous nodules after fighting with thyroid issues for 10 years prior to that. I take thyroid hormone and maintain it in very tight control and have felt no symptoms since the removal. I have lost several friends to thyroid cancer after doctors ignored symptoms for too long. I watched another friend put on tranquilizers for a year, treated for being bi-polar. When she finally got to an endocrinologist after a year she was in full blown Hashimoto's, had a goiter, hair and finger nails falling off........it irritates me when people and the medical community ignore thyroid issues. You asked whether being on TRT would cause thyroid issues? No, it will not.

Worried said:

I would like to report that today I am feeling amazing. I am eight days removed from the last anastrozole tablet. Yesterday I had my injection of test. This morning I had my injection of hCG. If this is the beginning of how it's going to feel long-term I'm pretty darn excited. BTW yesterday I was feeling pretty good too.

No one was arguing that the thyroid issue didn't need to be addressed. I'm simply stating that I am taking measures to do so. Which includes continuing to monitor. I'm sure we all agree that at times our blood work can be skewed or there is an occurrence that can cause something to be out of balance.

Once again I am very thankful for all of your input. I am thoroughly convinced that the AI blocker was causing me nightmarish side effects. If I could change my name from worried I would change it to excited!

Good or bad I will continue to report my progress or lack there of.

Click to expand...

I had low E2 naturally and let me tell you, I'd petition to have it banned under the 8th amendment as cruel and unusual punishment.

You've found out how critical estrogen is for men.

The rest of the day has been good. However here is an interesting symptom, or not. This morning I woke up with the highest libido since before I took the anastrozole. I took my hcg and throughout the morning felt some pretty amazing sensations in the groin. All good. But as the day went on it felt like all my tools went limp, and are hanging real low. Like I need to put an athletic supporter on. This morning I was looking forward to an encounter with my wife, but now I'm just kind of blah.... Feels like it would be a chore to make it happen. Hmm...

Worried said:

The rest of the day has been good. However here is an interesting symptom, or not. This morning I woke up with the highest libido since before I took the anastrozole. I took my hcg and throughout the morning felt some pretty amazing sensations in the groin. All good. But as the day went on it felt like all my tools went limp, and are hanging real low. Like I need to put an athletic supporter on. This morning I was looking forward to an encounter with my wife, but now I'm just kind of blah.... Feels like it would be a chore to make it happen. Hmm...

Click to expand...

I think you're just hyper aware of everything going on now and paying entirely too much attention to it.

E2 doesn't go from good to bad in one day really.

Worried said:

The rest of the day has been good. However here is an interesting symptom, or not. This morning I woke up with the highest libido since before I took the anastrozole. I took my hcg and throughout the morning felt some pretty amazing sensations in the groin. All good. But as the day went on it felt like all my tools went limp, and are hanging real low. Like I need to put an athletic supporter on. This morning I was looking forward to an encounter with my wife, but now I'm just kind of blah.... Feels like it would be a chore to make it happen. Hmm...

Click to expand...

There is a tendency to look to TRT as a magic elixir; there will be times when libido is elevated and occasions when it is diminished (just as there is for most men, regardless of TRT). Be prepared for this particularly during the period of time when your hormones are in flux and stability has yet to be achieved.

CoastWatcher said:

There is a tendency to look to TRT as a magic elixir; there will be times when libido is elevated and occasions when it is diminished (just as there is for most men, regardless of TRT). Be prepared for this particularly during the period of time when your hormones are in flux and stability has yet to be achieved.

Click to expand...

Well that's a little bit of a bummer. Especially since I never had any problem in that department before. I was hopeful it was just low E related. Maybe it still is. Just greatful I'm out of the dungeon.

Okay okay...... I was greatly mistaken!! Everything is working at an optimal level.

johndoesmith said:

I think you're just hyper aware of everything going on now and paying entirely too much attention to it.

E2 doesn't go from good to bad in one day really.

Click to expand...

Your right! When your not sleeping, you feel like your dying, body aches all over, have not interest in pleasure, anyone would be "hyper aware of everything"!

Thanks for giving me a sounding board while I was there. Hope you are there if I screw up and I need you again.

Worried said:

Your right! When your not sleeping, you feel like your dying, body aches all over, have not interest in pleasure, anyone would be "hyper aware of everything"!

Thanks for giving me a sounding board while I was there. Hope you let there if I screw up and I need you again.

Click to expand...

Hope I was of assistance. I've been there with low E2 and how it destroys your ability to think.

You'll be fine.

Here's my update. I've had a pretty good week. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday of last week I believe I was in my sweet spot. Everything was hanging low and I was feeling amazing. Friday Saturday Sunday and today I feel like I passed up that sweet spot, because my stuff is starting to pull back into the body a little bit, and I am losing my desire for intimacy. I'm also starting to feel a little bit on the pudgy side again. Don't get me wrong I'm feeling 1000 times better than before I started TRT almost 3 weeks ago.

I was instructed by my doctor to start .25 mg of anastrozole tomorrow morning continuing every other day. I hate to say it, but I feel like I am a bit tempted to try that out to see if I can get back to feeling like I was for five days ago.

I know I know everyone's going to go why why why? Don't go back in the dungeon of low estrogen! That's why I'm asking. Look forward to your reply's.

Current protocol. 50 mg Test Cip EOD
275 IU HCG EOD

My next blood test is in two weeks.

Worried said:

Here's my update. I've had a pretty good week. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday of last week I believe I was in my sweet spot. Everything was hanging low and I was feeling amazing. Friday Saturday Sunday and today I feel like I passed up that sweet spot, because my stuff is starting to pull back into the body a little bit, and I am losing my desire for intimacy. I'm also starting to feel a little bit on the pudgy side again. Don't get me wrong I'm feeling 1000 times better than before I started TRT almost 3 weeks ago.

I was instructed by my doctor to start .25 mg of anastrozole tomorrow morning continuing every other day. I hate to say it, but I feel like I am a bit tempted to try that out to see if I can get back to feeling like I was for five days ago.

I know I know everyone's going to go why why why? Don't go back in the dungeon of low estrogen! That's why I'm asking. Look forward to your reply's.

Current protocol. 50 mg Test Cip EOD
275 IU HCG EOD

My next blood test is in two weeks.

Click to expand...

Get blood tests. You are rather obsessive with your symptoms and hyperfocused so it's entirely possible you're just over thinking it.

Sensitive E2.

I would like to add that I am noticing a significant rise in aggression and irritation.

It does not sound like it, but 0.25 mg of Anastrozole every other day is a fairly significant dose. 0.25 mg every 3.5 days is a more common starting point.

You have been on TRT for three weeks and have already made more protocol adjustments than most men do in six months - many of which backfired on you. I will note that ERO is right in regard to your AI dose, and 50mg of testosterone every other day is a significant dose as well.

But the ONLY way to know what is going on is to test.

Worried said:

I would like to add that I am noticing a significant rise in aggression and irritation.

Click to expand...

When I had crashed E2 I felt those two things (among others) and had to hold myself back to keep from lashing out at my wife or other people. I was very easily irritated. Think PMS.

But like Coast Watcher said the only way to know is to test. And stick to a protocol long enough to stabilize your system. Otherwise labs could be all over the place if you make frequent changes. Most say that takes about 6 weeks.

Leesto said:

When I had crashed E2 I felt those two things (among others) and had to hold myself back to keep from lashing out at my wife or other people. I was very easily irritated. Think PMS. .

Click to expand...

You are the first person to get it right! See, most people assume that PMS is being "hormonal" and caused by too much estrogen.

It's the opposite! A woman's E2 is the lowest during menstruation, and begins to drop the week prior(PMS state). Thus, their emotional symptoms are not due to "hormones" but probably a LACK of hormones.

Now, I am no expert in the female hormone system, so this may be entirely too simple, disregarding E1, progesterone, or any other confounding factor but I can say that PMS is not due to high estrogen.

Your analogy is spot on IMO.

So here's what I did. I am trying to follow the doctor's orders. However I am doing it cautiously. He instructed me to add the AI back in on Tuesday. I did that. However instead of .25 I went with .125. This is not an exact dosage but I did cut the quarter in half and it appeared to be an even split. My doctor also instructed me to take 350 IU of HCG every other day. I am not comfortable with that high of a dosage. (Based on how it makes me feel that day.) I have been doing 200 IU every other day. And 50 mg of test cypionate every other day. I had a great run of 8 days. Nothing to high nothing too low.

I added the .125 of anastrozole on Tuesday. I got that same euphoric feeling starting out in the morning and even throughout the day. However that evening I was physically exerting myself loading up boxes into a van and did not like the way I was feeling at all. Felt some panic type attacks did not sleep well that night. The next day I went to work again I felt OK but I was not craving any kind of carbohydrate whatsoever. I felt like I couldn't eat it. So I just ate tuna spinach flaxseed oil apple cider vinegar bell peppers onions followed with tri-tip cauliflower and cabbage.

This morning I woke up felt OK but not great. I could tell I was extremely exhausted. Obviously from the long hours of work and the lack of carbohydrates. And possibly most likely anastrozole hangover. I ate about 10 o'clock took a magnesium supplement, and my 50 mg of testosterone cypionate, and I went into a full-blown panic attack.

I went to the ER to be safe. They did a chest x-ray, blood work, EKG. The blood work and x-ray came back negative. Which is a good thing. They did say there was an abnormal rhythm on my EKG. He did add that this could've been just due to the placement of the patches. They ran a second blood test to be sure and found absolutely no elevation in cardiac enzymes. I'm scheduled for a stress test tomorrow.

I ate a pizza and drank one beer and feel like a new man. I'm relaxed no more chest pounding or high anxiety thinking.

I am thoroughly convinced that anastrozole not only lowers estrogen at extreme levels, but that certain individuals may have an allergic reaction to it. I do not believe that my body is meant to except any of that type of drug. It plays tricks of my mind telling me not to eat carbohydrates even though I'm exerting myself strenuously.

I took steroids for four years in the 1990s, and never ever dealt with any type of high estrogen symptoms. I did at times wish I had something to turn my testicles back on, but I cannot recall ever experiencing any high estrogen level symptoms.

If I ever take another AI again please shoot me.