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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Blood Test Discussion
High estrogens / SHBG
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<blockquote data-quote="Castaneda" data-source="post: 141828" data-attributes="member: 36807"><p>Things have been taking a sinister turn for the worse lately. I went into the provider's office yesterday for a follow-up, and they put a transcranial EEG helmet on my head and asked me to respond to sounds, draw paths through numbers, and other such nonsense. From this, they deduced that I an in "autonomic overdrive". The doctor said the tachycardia alone (over 90 bpm pulse rate) was a sign that my cortisol was high. Apparently, he doesn't like the typical 4-point salivary testing. So the recommendation yesterday was to immediately start on 50mg of micronized DHEA per day. I protested that even micronized DHEA passes through the liver and is metabolized differently than transdermal, but the doctor didn't seem to understand the difference.</p><p></p><p>So on what now appears to me to be misguided advice, I went home and right before bed, took 50mg DHEA transdermally. I woke up this morning feeling completely emasculated. No morning wood, no drive, no energy, and a deep, dark depression (and anxiety) I haven't seen in years. I asked the doctor about it, and he said, "that's not a typical reaction". In other words, "I don't know, go f*** yourself".</p><p></p><p>What is interesting here is that my temperature has dropped as well. With that dose of DHEA, I have blunted the effects of Cytomel, and my body temps aren't going above 97.5. With the Progesterone, they were shooting up to 98.8. That's my sweet spot. So I went back and looked at my last labs. They show:</p><p></p><p> DHEA-S 186 (L)</p><p> Pregnenolone 208 (H)</p><p></p><p>That's my pattern. So it explains why I felt poorly with Preg + DHEA and better with Prog + DHEA. The only explanation I have for the DHEA results this morning is that 1) transdermal application requires far less to achieve the same effects as oral and 2) too much DHEA will suppress cortisol, even when it is high. I can come up with no other explanation. Too little cortisol, and thyroid goes south.</p><p></p><p>Pregnenolone is probably high because of my high fat / low carb diet. But, on the other hand, if you believe what the literature says, with a 17-alpha-hydroxylase deficiency, pregnenolone and progesterone may be elevated, along with 11-deoxycorticosterone. This could easily present in parallel with low DHEA, but then cortisol would also be low.</p><p></p><p>So I really have no idea how to proceed. With each day on T therapy, my energy levels, libido, and outlook on life go further into an abyss. I reached out to Defy Medical, but they also shrugged their shoulders (didn't want to take me on). So I'm left to puzzling through this on my own.</p><p></p><p>If things keep progressing at this rate, I'm going to be 6 feet under by the end of the year. Already feeling semi-suicidal. DHEA just pushed me clear off the edge. I wish there were medical professionals out there that really understood these pathways. It seems like the majority of them are just guessing and throwing darts blind-folded. And that's a recipe for disaster.</p><p></p><p>So to recap:</p><p></p><p>My Pregnenolone is high on the labs. DHEA is low. Taking DHEA causes severe depression and an obliteration of all male qualities. Doing nothing at all (just T therapy), I'm screwed. The closest I've gotten to feeling good is Progesterone + DHEA, but that goes south in a matter of 2-3 days if taken at 10mg:10mg per day. Trans-scrotal cypionate cream at 200mg, 2x a day is producing zero effects now. Absolutely nothing. Just feeling worse with each day.</p><p></p><p>So perhaps the answer is just taking that combo at 5:5mg and then only every 2-3 days. Although ... I would prefer to know why this is happening. Just finding the right combination teaches me nothing. I can't imagine I'm the only one out there with this chemistry.</p><p></p><p>The doc yesterday wanted to cut my T dose in half (suddenly) and add in 500mcg of HCG twice a week. I really don't think he has a clue, quite honestly. I will say I'm a step away from just flushing all this T down the toilet and going back to putting red light on the testicles. At least then, I felt like half a man. Right now, I'd be lucky to be a castrated eunuch. My wife has more testosterone than me.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Castaneda, post: 141828, member: 36807"] Things have been taking a sinister turn for the worse lately. I went into the provider's office yesterday for a follow-up, and they put a transcranial EEG helmet on my head and asked me to respond to sounds, draw paths through numbers, and other such nonsense. From this, they deduced that I an in "autonomic overdrive". The doctor said the tachycardia alone (over 90 bpm pulse rate) was a sign that my cortisol was high. Apparently, he doesn't like the typical 4-point salivary testing. So the recommendation yesterday was to immediately start on 50mg of micronized DHEA per day. I protested that even micronized DHEA passes through the liver and is metabolized differently than transdermal, but the doctor didn't seem to understand the difference. So on what now appears to me to be misguided advice, I went home and right before bed, took 50mg DHEA transdermally. I woke up this morning feeling completely emasculated. No morning wood, no drive, no energy, and a deep, dark depression (and anxiety) I haven't seen in years. I asked the doctor about it, and he said, "that's not a typical reaction". In other words, "I don't know, go f*** yourself". What is interesting here is that my temperature has dropped as well. With that dose of DHEA, I have blunted the effects of Cytomel, and my body temps aren't going above 97.5. With the Progesterone, they were shooting up to 98.8. That's my sweet spot. So I went back and looked at my last labs. They show: DHEA-S 186 (L) Pregnenolone 208 (H) That's my pattern. So it explains why I felt poorly with Preg + DHEA and better with Prog + DHEA. The only explanation I have for the DHEA results this morning is that 1) transdermal application requires far less to achieve the same effects as oral and 2) too much DHEA will suppress cortisol, even when it is high. I can come up with no other explanation. Too little cortisol, and thyroid goes south. Pregnenolone is probably high because of my high fat / low carb diet. But, on the other hand, if you believe what the literature says, with a 17-alpha-hydroxylase deficiency, pregnenolone and progesterone may be elevated, along with 11-deoxycorticosterone. This could easily present in parallel with low DHEA, but then cortisol would also be low. So I really have no idea how to proceed. With each day on T therapy, my energy levels, libido, and outlook on life go further into an abyss. I reached out to Defy Medical, but they also shrugged their shoulders (didn't want to take me on). So I'm left to puzzling through this on my own. If things keep progressing at this rate, I'm going to be 6 feet under by the end of the year. Already feeling semi-suicidal. DHEA just pushed me clear off the edge. I wish there were medical professionals out there that really understood these pathways. It seems like the majority of them are just guessing and throwing darts blind-folded. And that's a recipe for disaster. So to recap: My Pregnenolone is high on the labs. DHEA is low. Taking DHEA causes severe depression and an obliteration of all male qualities. Doing nothing at all (just T therapy), I'm screwed. The closest I've gotten to feeling good is Progesterone + DHEA, but that goes south in a matter of 2-3 days if taken at 10mg:10mg per day. Trans-scrotal cypionate cream at 200mg, 2x a day is producing zero effects now. Absolutely nothing. Just feeling worse with each day. So perhaps the answer is just taking that combo at 5:5mg and then only every 2-3 days. Although ... I would prefer to know why this is happening. Just finding the right combination teaches me nothing. I can't imagine I'm the only one out there with this chemistry. The doc yesterday wanted to cut my T dose in half (suddenly) and add in 500mcg of HCG twice a week. I really don't think he has a clue, quite honestly. I will say I'm a step away from just flushing all this T down the toilet and going back to putting red light on the testicles. At least then, I felt like half a man. Right now, I'd be lucky to be a castrated eunuch. My wife has more testosterone than me. [/QUOTE]
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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Blood Test Discussion
High estrogens / SHBG
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