Introduction_Ahmed

[ahmed]

Hi. Greetings from Finland. I am 38-yr-old male, sports-enthusiastic, engineer, husband, soon to be a father.

Having battled different kinds of anxieties, burn-outs etc. for decades ( have a diagnosis even for ADD...), I was diagnosed with a secondary hypogonadism this summer. My total testo -values -tested within 2 months- were 201,4 ng/dl (mid-May) and 173 ng/dl (late-June). Free testos were 155 pmol/l and 116 pmol/l and e2 6,54 pg/ml. Other blood values (PSA, Hb, HCR, Thyroids, PRL, Cortisol) ok.

We started Nebido-injections on 13th of July, and I had my booster injection after 5,5 weeks from the first. Everything was well 3 weeks after the first injection ( I was so happy!), after that I started feeling fatigue.

After the booster, two weeks ok, then slight deterioration and now, 4 weeks after the 2nd injection I feel overwhelmingly tired.

Peak S-testo value (after one week of the second injection) was 767 ng/dl, E2 72,4 pg/ml. Last week ie. three weeks after the 2nd injection, S-testo: 545 ng/dl, e2 36,6 pg/ml. So they were ok?

E2 has been highish during the therapy, it has now being treated one week with AI (Arimidex 1/4 pill 2 times / week). We started this, because I complained about tiredness and had high e2.

I am going to have the labs checked the day after tomorrow, possibly even visiting a physician (not the same who prescribed my trt-treatment, office 200 km away, and no free times).

My questions to you: any pieces of advice. Have you experienced the same kinds of things? My blood pressures are ok, hcr and hb have been increasing a bit (last time, one month ago hcr 43, Hb 145). I eat vitamins and fish oils on a daily basis and sleep well.

Starting to become a bit desperate, the start was so promising and I was so happy.

-Ahmed

PS 1. I haven´t used steroids etc.
PS 2. I am also on 25 mg Sertraline /daily because of my SAD.
PS 3. Thanks for having this forum.

 

[DLK]

Welcome to the site Ahmed, you'll definitely get your best info here

 

[Vince]

admed welcome, here's a post on some tests you should have https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...-After-Initiation-of-Testosterone-Replacement

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Hi Admed

Here are some comments in bold:

Having battled different kinds of anxieties, burn-outs etc. for decades ( have a diagnosis even for ADD...), I was diagnosed with a secondary hypogonadism this summer. My total testo -values -tested within 2 months- were 201,4 ng/dl (mid-May) and 173 ng/dl (late-June). Free testos were 155 pmol/l and 116 pmol/l and e2 6,54 pg/ml. Other blood values (PSA, Hb, HCR, Thyroids, PRL, Cortisol) ok.


We started Nebido-injections on 13th of July, and I had my booster injection after 5,5 weeks from the first. Everything was well 3 weeks after the first injection ( I was so happy!), after that I started feeling fatigue.

What dose of Nebido at start and following injections? Could you be suffering from sleep apnea? (TRT may worsen sleep apnea).

After the booster, two weeks ok, then slight deterioration and now, 4 weeks after the 2nd injection I feel overwhelmingly tired.

Peak S-testo value (after one week of the second injection) was 767 ng/dl, E2 72,4 pg/ml. Last week ie. three weeks after the 2nd injection, S-testo: 545 ng/dl, e2 36,6 pg/ml. So they were ok?

Estradiol was probably measured using the old assay which overestimates the value. Three week value is not too bad.

E2 has been highish during the therapy, it has now being treated one week with AI (Arimidex 1/4 pill 2 times / week). We started this, because I complained about tiredness and had high e2.

There is no proof whatsoever that adding anastrozole makes anyone feel better. The main benefit is treating gynecomastia symptoms if you have them.

I am going to have the labs checked the day after tomorrow, possibly even visiting a physician (not the same who prescribed my trt-treatment, office 200 km away, and no free times).

My questions to you: any pieces of advice. Have you experienced the same kinds of things? My blood pressures are ok, hcr and hb have been increasing a bit (last time, one month ago hcr 43, Hb 145). I eat vitamins and fish oils on a daily basis and sleep well.

You say nothing about your sleep quality and stress level.Can you expand? Have you had your free T3 and free T4 tested?

Starting to become a bit desperate, the start was so promising and I was so happy.

-Ahmed

PS 1. I haven´t used steroids etc. OK
PS 2. I am also on 25 mg Sertraline /daily because of my SAD. OK
PS 3. Thanks for having this forum.

 

[ahmed]

Hi. Thanks for this but the link did not get me anywhere.

 

[ahmed]

What dose of Nebido at start and following injections? Could you be suffering from sleep apnea? (TRT may worsen sleep apnea).

Estradiol was probably measured using the old assay which overestimates the value. Three week value is not too bad.

There is no proof whatsoever that adding anastrozole makes anyone feel better. The main benefit is treating gynecomastia symptoms if you have them.

You say nothing about your sleep quality and stress level.Can you expand? Have you had your free T3 and free T4 tested?

Hi Nelson. Thanks for your answers, I really, reallt appreciate it. And thanks for the book "Testosterone, a man´s guide", I ve read it before starting TRT.

My answers to your bolded questions/comments below:

1. My Nebido-dosages are 4 ml / 1000 mg.
2. Estradiol-measurement: immunochemical / chemiluminesence -method (?, I am a chemical engineer, but further details are unknown to me)
3. Anastrozole: Ok. The fact was, I suffered only tiredness, no gynecomastia, no sore nipples.
4. Sleep: has been pretty good. Stress: Well, so and so. I have no work stress, really. But my wife is pregnant, causing certain stress at home. On the other hand, I am thinking of changing my job to a much more responsible position in a big corporation. And of course, I stress about this TRT-treatment: I worry about how it will go. I was so exstatic after a few first weeks. I felt for the first time in my life, that I am alive, positive and without that dreadful social anxiety that I have suffered. Now, I have started to think that heck it was just temporary.
5.Free T3, Free T4: before the TRT they were ok. During the treatment not tested, but on Friday morning they will be, among a lot of other tests (cortisole, e2, s-testo, shbg, d-vitamin, prolactine, lipid profile).

Caveat: I started to feel so weak during the day, that I rushed to meet a doc. after work. They made basic blood picture (dunno the English term, but it included hcr, hb, red cell volume, red cell weight, red cell size differentiation, leucosytes etc.), liver, kidney, oxygen saturation, blood sugar, listened to my heart, neck veins, lungs, neurological tests and blood pressure. Everything was ok, liver and kidney results will be available tomorrow (they were very good, update 17.9).

My condition hasn´t changed, I am tired as a mangust in Sahara, feeling very heavy in the head. I received 2 days sick leave. Hmm, perhaps Anastrozole is not good.

 

[ahmed]

Hi. I received my lab results. They look ok (these are in SI-units) except lipids and perhaps free testo a bit low?:

fS-Kol 5.6 mmol/l < 5.0
fS-Kol-HDL 1.1 mmol/l > 1.0
fS-Kol-LDL 3.7 mmol/l < 3.0
fS-Trigly 1.86 mmol/l < 2.0

S-D-vitamiini-25-OH 84,6 nmol/l > 75.0
S-Korsol 395 nmol/l, 138-690
S-e2 83.8 pmol/l (36.6 pg/ml) < 146.0
s-T4-V 19.02 pmol/l, 10-21
S-TSH 1.76 mIU/l, 0.40 - 4.00
S-SHBG 26.1 nmol/l, 17.0-66.0
S-Prolactine 168 mIU/l, 53-360
S-Testo 15 nmol/l (~435 ng/dl), 8.4-28.7
Free-testo ( based on S-testo & SHBG): 255.76 pmol/l (200-580), 352 pmol/l ( based on calculator on Nebido-site). Strange, a bit different result from two different calculators, eh?

I dunno. The results look ok. Free-testo is lowish, perhaps? Perhaps AI is not my piece of cake, but it has lowered my estros in one week from 36.6 to 22.8 (well, testo has decreased also..). The fact is also, that dark period has started here in Finland, could cause tiredness (add symptoms). I sleep also rather poorly at the moment.

Any pieces of advice? What should I do to enhance my lipids? Are they high? Stop eating cheese?