I believe diabetes medicine increased testosterone (!), the return to symptoms like when on TRT.

[Robotics]

On April 29th I quit TRT because of the symptoms I was encountering, strong pulsation in abdomen and swelling in the abdomen, BP 162/110 and multiple mineral and vitamin deficiencies. On June 5th exactly four and a half weeks after stopping TRT and fatigue from hell, I woke up and noticed I was feeling unusually well, by 10 a.m I noticed my muscle seemed firmer, energy was sky high and I felt like I was 21 again, but sadly the next morning I woke up with the same bloating and abdominal swelling as I had on TRT which continued off TRT however to a lesser extent until now.

My doctor prescribed diabetes medicine on Wednesday, Thursday I woke up and it was repeated of June 5th, I woke up and had incredible energy all day long, my muscle even firmed up, (co-workers commented about the new found energy) and now it right back to the symptoms I had while on TRT except now I'm on diabetes medicine.

There's only one explanation, I think this diabetes medicine lowered my glucose levels and increased my testosterone because my testicles dropped (!) like I haven't seen in a long time. My original symptoms of low testosterone, I was a human popsicle and was extremely cold intolerance. My legs were freezing and body cold, it's a symptoms of diabetes which more than likely dropped my testosterone.

We all know it's more than likely the diabetes came first, then the low testosterone suppressed LH therefore lowering testosterone. Originally my glucose levels were in the 250-280's and TRT brought it down to 140's morning and 110's at night. I have non-alcoholic fatty liver, the area of the pulsation.

My question is I can't lose weight with a testosterone of 97 ng/dL and I can't allow my testosterone to increase because these debilitating symptoms reemerge and this raunchy taste in my mouth has got to go! I feel like I'm drowning and am unable to come up for air.

If I stop the diabetes medicine inducing higher glucose levels I'll never get my testosterone to increase so I can lose weight and improve my fatty liver condition.

What do I do?

Was it metformin you started on? Did you get any lab work post diabetes meds to check your LH, total T etc? Still feeling good?

I am really curious about the diabetes angle on secondary hypogonadism, that would make sense to me and would explain a lot including my low shbg. Heard of anyone reversing secondary hypogonadism by treating prediabetes/diabetes?

 

[Systemlord]

Was it metformin you started on? Did you get any lab work post diabetes meds to check your LH, total T etc? Still feeling good?

My LH has remained at 3.6 for the time spent off TRT, Total T 91->146 even with the diabetes worsening. My thought is before tapering of the benzo (30 yrs), my body fat was the same as it is now and always had a measure of fatigue which I thought was caused by the medicine, so it's not going to make it to the doctors ears because fatigue is an expectation.

Heard of anyone reversing secondary hypogonadism by treating prediabetes/diabetes?

It seems the low-T and diabetes are usually treated together from what I see on the forums, we know diabetes suppresses T and my A1C at the time of the low-T diagnosis was 7.8, but what came first the low-T or the diabetes.

When my T restarted, for a day I was perfectly fine, felt 20 and then the next day T is low and stays there as my diabetes worsens in the coming months. That's what I call a smoking gun.

That medicine held me together and may have been a contributing factor in all health problems. It's almost as if it prevented my T from declining because as soon as I stopped it, T declined rapidly with each small taper.

It was almost as if I was tapering of TRT. My experience when I took the glipizide was about half the experience after my HPTA restart. I'm very sensitive to drugs and androgens, maybe I'm also sensitive to slightly elevated glucose levels and this sensitivity is bad for testosterone.

There are no current test results.

 

[Ardoc2]

FWIW, there is a doctor in Toronto named Jason Fung who reports many cases of "curing" type 2 diabetes through Intermittent Fasting, Extended Fasting and Low Carb diet. Don't key on the word cure too heavily (as there doesn't appear to be an actual cure) but he says that he gets their BG and A1C into normal ranges, as well as getting the patients off of diabetes medication. He wrote a very interesting book called "The Obesity Code" that illustrates his approach. Not sure posting a link is appropriate here but a quick google search will get you there. Good luck with your journey!

 

[Robotics]

FWIW, there is a doctor in Toronto named Jason Fung who reports many cases of "curing" type 2 diabetes through Intermittent Fasting, Extended Fasting and Low Carb diet. Don't key on the word cure too heavily (as there doesn't appear to be an actual cure) but he says that he gets their BG and A1C into normal ranges, as well as getting the patients off of diabetes medication. He wrote a very interesting book called "The Obesity Code" that illustrates his approach. Not sure posting a link is appropriate here but a quick google search will get you there. Good luck with your journey!

Does he mention testosterone at all?

 

[Ardoc2]

To be honest I can’t remember as I was doing well on TRT. It was quite a while ago that I read it. I just thought if you tried it and were successful it may help to take one variable out of the equation. Very interesting read either way.

 

[GreenMachineX]

It seems the use of Protonix lowers potassium in those who have impaired K(+)-recycling system, apparently Protonix can cause low potassium. I've been dealing with this for over a week and my doctors have said nothing about any of this!

I just re-started taking Protonix about a week ago at the same time as re-starting TRT and have been dealing with low potassium ever since and was told to start taking it twice daily and started doing so on Saturday.

I'm certain I have a impaired K(+)-recycling disorder because of the fact I can't handle a normal vitamin C intake without it building up in my system, supplementing a normal 65-90mg dose will see liver enzymes mildly elevated and stabbing pain in the abdomen.

-->Having trouble with vitamin C dosing do to a deficiency via orange juice, need advice.

I'm starting to wonder if last April's week of chronically low potassium has anything to do with taking Protonix, I kept coming in the ER with chronically low potassium back in April. All my problems in the last 6 months could be doctor negligence for failing to make the connection!

Proton pump inhibitors and risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency: evidence and clinical implications

I'm furious!

Does a proton pump inhibitor cause hypokalemia?



Proton pump inhibitors and risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency: evidence and clinical implications




It's more than likely my multiple mineral deficiencies back in April is related to the use of Protonix and it's happening all over again and my doctors wants me to double up on the dosage.

I almost died and my doctors never made the connection, this is BS!

Do you still take the protonix? I've been prescribed this for silent reflux and gastritis but dragging my feet starting it.

 

[Systemlord]

Do you still take the protonix?

No, I never needed it. I had vitamin D, C, iron and potassium deficiency that was causing my digestive issues.

The Protonix actually made my potassium deficiency worse even while supplementing potassium.

 

[captain]

Protonix can increase prolactin and seems to be the worst of the PPI for that. Low-T and Diabetes I don't think is from suppression and is more like from not being able to retain it from low SHBG. I have seen someone go off TRT and return to normal T with proper Diabetes control and exercise.

 

[Systemlord]

I have seen someone go off TRT and return to normal T with proper Diabetes control and exercise.

That would be great if I could pull that off. Not many have a chance at returning to normal high T.

 

[GreenMachineX]

No, I never needed it. I had vitamin D, C, iron and potassium deficiency that was causing my digestive issues.

The Protonix actually made my potassium deficiency worse even while supplementing potassium.

Gotcha. I think my reflux and gastritis is due to b12 and folate deficiencies, but the lining of my stomach is starting to show erosion so I'll probably have to take the protonix for a little while.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Gotcha. I think my reflux and gastritis is due to b12 and folate deficiencies, but the lining of my stomach is starting to show erosion so I'll probably have to take the protonix for a little while.

I think you have the cause /effect backwards there -- it's typically gastritis causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

I've struggled quite a bit with reflux and my experience has been that drastically reducing carb intake and eating/drinking a low acid diet have been most effective. Check out the Fast Tract diet. The concept is that gut bacteria can create something like 10 liters of gas with just 20 g of fermentable carbohydrate (includes fiber, FODMAPs, resistant starch, etc). This gas increases intra gastric pressure and drives reflux up like a shaken soda bottle.

With acid, the issue is that the digestive enzyme pepsin is refluxed up and lodges itself in the tissues of the esophagus in GERD and sometimes upper airway in LPR. It sits there dormant at neutral pH but is activated by low pH and begins digesting your tissue. It can also be permanently deactivated by high pH which makes drinking alkaline water a useful therapy.

Beyond diet, melatonin has some amazing studies supporting it's benefits for GERD and gastritis. In one study over 8 weeks, 3 mg melatonin gradually tightened the lower esophageal sphincter pressure, increased esophageal pH to normal and eliminated symptoms. It has strong antioxidant and healing effects and is manufactured by the GI tract tissues at a much higher rate than the pineal gland. Melatonin levels are lower in GERD patients than controls and supplements can restore that to normal over time.