Anastrozole bad experience lowering E2

[Julian]

5/1/17 - E2 levels 13 ng/dl.[T levels 1696 ng/dl]
12/21/16 E2 levels 12 ng/dl [T levels 1537 ng/dl]
9/13/16 E2 levels <2 ng/dl [T levels 200 ng/dl]

since day one i have not taken anastrozole for more than 2 weeks. I was on Anastrozole 1mg 2x week but after 2 weeks my body would go crazy. Hot flashes, and heart rate up, not a good feeling at all at some point I didn't know what to do so I stop taking anastrozole and on my next appointment I told my doc and he told he to cut the pill in half and take it the same 2 x week. After 2 weeks same thing happened to my body, heart rate up , hot flashes , my body felt weird. So I stop taking it and he change my prescription to Tamoxifen but it's 10mg and he wants me to take it 2 x week, everyday. Any advice? Was my anastrozole dosage to high? I don't have sensitive nipples or anything related to high E2 just don't know if I should even take Tamoxifen. I suggested new lab work to see if anastrozole is suppressing my estrogen levels to much but he doesn't feel is necessary. I also suggested lowering my T dosage to bring testosterone levels down cause I think they are kind of high and mention that it might help to lower my estrogen levels but again he didn't think it was a good idea. Any suggestions. Or has anybody had similar experience with anastrozole.

 

[Vince]

It sounds like you never created a baseline for your estradiol level. Your doctor is treating you for high E2 levels without knowing if you have high levels. I would stop the AI and see if you even need an AI.
Tamoxifen is used for gynocemastia.

 

[Julian]

Why are you lowering estradiol at all? The May e2 reading indicates you have crashed your levels. None of what you have been told to do makes sense.

What are the details of your protocol?

My initial protocol started at
200mg TestCyp 1ml a week and 75units HCG[ I split both dosages in half to twice a week]
Anastrozole 1mg 2 x week. My estrogen levels at that time were <2 ng/dl = [20 pg/ml].


Are we talking about the same units.
5/1/17 estrogen was 13 ng/dl = 130 pg/ml

 

[CoastWatcher]

My initial protocol started at
200mg TestCyp 1ml a week and 75units HCG[ I split both dosages in half to twice a week]
Anastrozole 1mg 2 x week. My estrogen levels at that time were <2 ng/dl = [20 pg/ml].


Are we talking about the same units.
5/1/17 estrogen was 13 ng/dl = 130 pg/ml

My error - I failed to catch the units this was being reported in. Where do you live?

 

[Julian]

My error - I failed to catch the units this was being reported in. Where do you live?

I'm in Houston

 

[CoastWatcher]

Are you measuring estradiol with the sensitive test?

 

[Julian]

Are you measuring estradiol with the sensitive test?

I have no idea how my doc is measuring my estrogen

 

[CoastWatcher]

I have no idea how my doc is measuring my estrogen

Let me ask a very basic question - are you having estradiol or total estrogen measured? What does your lab report indicate, and what are the reference ranges?

 

[Sean Mosher]

There are definitely better doctors in Houston if you are not happy with the one you have.
I'm from Houston as well, so you have options.
Sounds like this one may be doing more harm than good!

 

[Will Brink]

5/1/17 - E2 levels 13 ng/dl.[T levels 1696 ng/dl]
12/21/16 E2 levels 12 ng/dl [T levels 1537 ng/dl]
9/13/16 E2 levels <2 ng/dl [T levels 200 ng/dl]

since day one i have not taken anastrozole for more than 2 weeks. I was on Anastrozole 1mg 2x week but after 2 weeks my body would go crazy. Hot flashes, and heart rate up, not a good feeling at all at some point I didn't know what to do so I stop taking anastrozole and on my next appointment I told my doc and he told he to cut the pill in half and take it the same 2 x week. After 2 weeks same thing happened to my body, heart rate up , hot flashes , my body felt weird. So I stop taking it and he change my prescription to Tamoxifen but it's 10mg and he wants me to take it 2 x week, everyday. Any advice? Was my anastrozole dosage to high? I don't have sensitive nipples or anything related to high E2 just don't know if I should even take Tamoxifen. I suggested new lab work to see if anastrozole is suppressing my estrogen levels to much but he doesn't feel is necessary. I also suggested lowering my T dosage to bring testosterone levels down cause I think they are kind of high and mention that it might help to lower my estrogen levels but again he didn't think it was a good idea. Any suggestions. Or has anybody had similar experience with anastrozole.

Nothing you have posted above explains why you'd be on anastrozole at all. We'd need to work from that to give best advice. So far, nothing indicates you should have been on anastrozole. T levels are on the high end, but does not explain the anastrozole either.

 

[CoastWatcher]

There are definitely better doctors in Houston if you are not happy with the one you have.
I'm from Houston as well, so you have options.
Sounds like this one may be doing more harm than good!

Sean is on the mark here. You aren't being well served by your current doctor.

 

[Julian]

Let me ask a very basic question - are you having estradiol or total estrogen measured? What does your lab report indicate, and what are the reference ranges?

Got a hold of doctors assistant and he don't even know what test is been done for estradiol. He said he thinks the regular test.

Estradiol ng/dl
Value 13
Std range 0.5-5

 

[Julian]

Nothing you have posted above explains why you'd be on anastrozole at all. We'd need to work from that to give best advice. So far, nothing indicates you should have been on anastrozole. T levels are on the high end, but does not explain the anastrozole either.

Being new to TRT I never question it but since my 1st visit I was prescribe anastrozole 1mg 2 x week and after two weeks my body didn't feel good so I called them back and they told me to stop taking it that I was probably suppressing my estradiol levels to much. My levels stay below <2 for the nest visits. Once my T level got up to 1500 that's when my estradiol went up to 12ng/dl and on my following appointment my T levels were even higher [even do I had cut back a little on my dosage] estradiol 13ng/dl.

 

[Julian]

There are definitely better doctors in Houston if you are not happy with the one you have.
I'm from Houston as well, so you have options.
Sounds like this one may be doing more harm than good!

My doctor is a very nice person don't get me wrong. If anything I feel that it's some kind of miscommunication between his assistants. It's hard to get a hold of the main guy so not till my next appointment I won't be able to see him. But than again his assistants should be knowledgeable and should know what they are doing. One of them wanted to cycle me off TRT for a month and gave a protocol to stay off TestCyp and go on a high dosage of HCG For one month but while reading this forum, there is no such thing as cycling off TRT. It's like he's assistants is asking me what do i wanna do and I'm like your the doc, you tell me what we need to do. He switch my AI to Tamoxifen which I still haven't taking it but I also recommended that the anastrozole dosage might have be to much for me that since I last took it again early this month for more than 2 weeks that I should get blood work done to see where my estradiol levels are before starting tamoxifen or that I could cut back my T dosage( which I did already) and see if that helps bring my estradiol levels down but he didn't think it was a good idea.

 

[Julian]

Nothing you have posted above explains why you'd be on anastrozole at all. We'd need to work from that to give best advice. So far, nothing indicates you should have been on anastrozole. T levels are on the high end, but does not explain the anastrozole either.

So you think my e2 levels are ok base on my T levels? My testosterone base line was 200ng/dl and my estradiol <2 ng/dl. I don't know how my body is supposed to work but I would think it wants to balance it's self out base on higher testosterone levels therefore e2 levels go up. If my levels are high I want to get them were they need to be. Any advice

 

[Will Brink]

Being new to TRT I never question it but since my 1st visit I was prescribe anastrozole 1mg 2 x week and after two weeks my body didn't feel good so I called them back and they told me to stop taking it that I was probably suppressing my estradiol levels to much. My levels stay below <2 for the nest visits. Once my T level got up to 1500 that's when my estradiol went up to 12ng/dl and on my following appointment my T levels were even higher [even do I had cut back a little on my dosage] estradiol 13ng/dl.

It appears he/she using a cookie cutter protocol vs responding to your individual labs and symptomology. Now you're forced to respond to the negatives of adding a med you likely didn't need vs testing to see if you needed it to begin with. That's what can happen with cookie cutter protocols. Hopefully it will climb on its own and stay within a healthy range that also makes you feel better.

 

[Will Brink]

So you think my e2 levels are ok base on my T levels? My testosterone base line was 200ng/dl and my estradiol <2 ng/dl. I don't know how my body is supposed to work but I would think it wants to balance it's self out base on higher testosterone levels therefore e2 levels go up. If my levels are high I want to get them were they need to be. Any advice

<2 ng/dl pre TRT? Baseline generally means levels pre treatment. Good rule of thumb is 20-30ng/dl for E2 which studies suggest the sweet spot for the pos effects of E2 on men, and other tests and symptoms help further adjust levels to fit the individual. Lots of articles and posts here on what levels of E2 are recommended.

Will @ www.BrinkZone.com

 

[Julian]

<2 ng/dl pre TRT? Baseline generally means levels pre treatment. Good rule of thumb is 20-30ng/dl for E2 which studies suggest the sweet spot for the pos effects of E2 on men, and other tests and symptoms help further adjust levels to fit the individual. Lots of articles and posts here on what levels of E2 are recommended.

Will @ www.BrinkZone.com

Yes, estradiol level <2 ng/dl

The current results on my lab report show
Estradiol ng/dl
Value 13
Std range 0.5 - 5 ng/dl

Base on their range my levels are above their range

 

[Julian]

<2 ng/dl pre TRT? Baseline generally means levels pre treatment. Good rule of thumb is 20-30ng/dl for E2 which studies suggest the sweet spot for the pos effects of E2 on men, and other tests and symptoms help further adjust levels to fit the individual. Lots of articles and posts here on what levels of E2 are recommended.

Will @ www.BrinkZone.com

Sorry would like to make a correction
My pre TRT estradiol value was at 3 ng/dl
3 months later 1st follow up visit my estradiol
Levels were <2 ng/dl and I did take anastrozole for 2 weeks or so maybe that's why my values show to be lower than my base line

 

[CoastWatcher]

You seem to like you doctor, but ask yourself: are you being well served by having his practice treat you? This is a critical aspect of TRT - estradiol assessment - and it's not going well. I would suggest you deserve better care.