How quickly does E2 drop after lowering test dose?

[selous]

I've been on trt through Defy for nine weeks now and had to drop my test dose from 160mg/wk split into two doses to 120/wk two doses because of E2 sides.
Defy also sent me some compounded anastrozole in .25mg doses to take twice per week for a total of 0.5mg/wk.

I really do not want to have the added complication of having to take an AI unless absolutely necessary so I'm hoping that just lowering my testosterone dose will eventually take care of my E2.
Which brings me to my question:How long will E2 take to drop into a normal range(if ever) without the use of an AI?
I have the AI on hand in case my symptoms worsen but I figured I would maybe hold off for a while and see what happens.

My blood work showed the following before dropping dose.
Total test - 1500
Free test - 43.1
E2 - 67

All very high because obviously starting at 160mg/week was too much testosterone.

I feel pretty good right now but nipples are still quite sensitive,before dropping dose I had nipple tenderness/puffiness and three days of bad bloat which resolved itself.

 

[PAUL-E]

4-6 weeks for levels to stabilize. I'm wondering if skipping one injection might speed up that process. IMHO 160mg is a good starting point but there are a lot of variables to consider like SHBG which can change when you start TRT and everyone is different as and example 60mg 3x a week(180mg per week) puts me around 700 total test.

 

[chrismez]

What's the added complication of taking .5mg of Anastrozole every week???? A lot easier and faster to control your E2 than waiting 6 weeks and hoping it goes down by lowering your dose.

 

[selous]

Hi Paul - E thanks for responding.
I've only been on the new dosing schedule for two weeks now and besides a slight bit of nipple tenderness I feel pretty good,libido is fairly strong and I'm killing it in the gym.
I would be a bit nervous about skipping a dose in case I tank my test but that's an interesting thought.

I think I might wait on using the AI and get some blood work done sooner to see where my E2 is in another three weeks or so.

 

[PAUL-E]

yeah I didn't mean skip a whole week just one injection 60mg and if your at 1500 total test before I wouldn't think you would crash but I would like to hear some more experienced members thoughts on this, if you are having signs of gyno I would take the AI though.

 

[selous]

What's the added complication of taking .5mg of Anastrozole every week???? A lot easier and faster to control your E2 than waiting 6 weeks and hoping it goes down by lowering your dose.

The reasoning behind that is I don't want to take the risk of going too far the other way and possibly tanking my E2 and libido if it will come down to a good level on it's own.
On the other hand if I really felt like crap and was still bloated I wouldn't think twice about it.
I'm really hoping to be one of the lucky few who don't need an Ai for trt.

 

[selous]

Yeah,no signs of gyno except for the nipple issue which has subsided substantially since cutting back the dose.

 

[PAUL-E]

The reasoning behind that is I don't want to take the risk of going too far the other way and possibly tanking my E2 and libido if it will come down to a good level on it's own.
On the other hand if I really felt like crap and was still bloated I wouldn't think twice about it.
I'm really hoping to be one of the lucky few who don't need an Ai for trt.

sometimes lower more frequent injections accomplish this but also depends on your SHBG and AI can lower HDL.

 

[Vince Carter]

By skipping an injection, you're only muddying the hormonal waters even more with another variable. This is a bad idea. Patience is key and your TRT journey is rooted in patience, practice it now, you'll be needing it later.

 

[PAUL-E]

By skipping an injection, you're only muddying the hormonal waters even more with another variable. This is a bad idea. Patience is key and your TRT journey is rooted in patience, practice it now, you'll be needing it later.

Thanks for the impute I see your point I was just thinking out loud but glad a more experienced member gave some impute

 

[selous]

sometimes lower more frequent injections accomplish this but also depends on your SHBG and AI can lower HDL.

I might try going to three a week instead of splitting the dose in two as I am presently,just wonder if 120mg/week might be too low then or wouldn't it make a difference?
My HDL is on the low end too so that's another reason not to use an AI on a regular basis unless it's absolutely needed.

 

[PAUL-E]

I might try going to three a week instead of splitting the dose in two as I am presently,just wonder if 120mg/week might be too low then or wouldn't it make a difference?
My HDL is on the low end too so that's another reason not to use an AI on a regular basis unless it's absolutely needed.

IMHO I would stick with it for now get retested in 4-6 weeks from your change and if things are not better contact your DR and talk about your options.

 

[selous]

Yes I agree.

 

[CoastWatcher]

By skipping an injection, you're only muddying the hormonal waters even more with another variable. This is a bad idea. Patience is key and your TRT journey is rooted in patience, practice it now, you'll be needing it later.

Vince is on the money. If a dose is skipped, and a change instituted, you're essentially making two protocol changes. Not a good idea.

 

[CoastWatcher]

The reasoning behind that is I don't want to take the risk of going too far the other way and possibly tanking my E2 and libido if it will come down to a good level on it's own.
On the other hand if I really felt like crap and was still bloated I wouldn't think twice about it.
I'm really hoping to be one of the lucky few who don't need an Ai for trt.

There are more than "a lucky few" not taking an AI here at Excelmale. Manipulation and adjustment of dose, if at all possible (and it frequently can be) can bring estradiol into range in many cases. Variables, such as body fat content, make every case different, but don't fall into the trap of thinking an AI is always necessary. Your instincts are good.

 

[Vince Carter]

If it were me, even at two weeks go pull an UltraSens E2 test on your own. Nothing wrong with that. It should give you a window in to if your E is starting to come down with the dosing change. Which in my estimation was too much of a change, 160 to 120 is very large difference in that area though you did push a trough of 1500(!). Take the test result and consider carefully how to proceed, accounting for your symptoms. Speaking off how things can change dramatically with an alteration, I made a change on Monday this week and every day since at the gym, I've got the underarm stank, no other reason for that, totally unusual for me. Point being these changes, even small changes have odd effects for a few weeks. Only around 4-6 and with a test result should we consider making changes.

 

[selous]

Thanks Coastwatcher and Vince Carter I appreciate the input guys.

My plan then will be to keep my protocol at 120mg/week(as suggested by Defy) split into two doses and stay off the AI for now since my elevated E2 sides are diminishing and to get some blood work done asap to see where I am before doing anything else.

Btw I forgot to mention I am 6.0' 210lbs,fairly muscular with around 16 -18% Bf.
I do four days a week in the gym and two days a week cardio.

 

[Milad Zadeh]

Thanks Coastwatcher and Vince Carter I appreciate the input guys.

My plan then will be to keep my protocol at 120mg/week(as suggested by Defy) split into two doses and stay off the AI for now since my elevated E2 sides are diminishing and to get some blood work done asap to see where I am before doing anything else.

Btw I forgot to mention I am 6.0' 210lbs,fairly muscular with around 16 -18% Bf.
I do four days a week in the gym and two days a week cardio.

Its been a year, whats your current protocol?

 

[cleverusername]

Its been a year, whats your current protocol?

must be good as that is the last post he made, over 1 year ago

 

[Milad Zadeh]

Prob so ?,
although I would have liked to follow up with him as I’m currently going through the same situation .