Hey all!
As it says, I'm new and need some reassurance. I have to first comment that I genuinely believe TRT has turned my life around, but I am beginning to fell poorly as most do around this time.
As many say, I'm sensing a decline, but somewhat different than most forums and others report. Needless to say, I am somewhat frightened. I have been on TRT starting the month of my son's birth in October, so 7 months. I am currently receiving 210 mg / week of depo-testosterone. I was feeling great until about 1.5 months ago. in the last 3 weeks I have experienced alarming symptoms:
Increased lethargy
Decreased libido
edema in my hands, feet, abdomen and ankles
Severe decrease in exercise motivation and endurance ( I was able to run 3 mi / 10 min each easily. Now 1 mi at 5 mph is an uphill battle that results in severe burning in my calves and foot pain. I even bought several pairs of specialized shoes, but I believes this is from the severe edema)
Bizarre popping, clicking and pain in all of my joints, especially my elbows and PIP and DIP. (Finger joints)
My weight has exploded. I have gained over 10 lbs.
Reddened skin around my neckline
worsening depression and suddenly severe anxiety (Never had issues with anxiety. Ever).
This all leads me to believe I am having an estrogen problem. High or low, but I do not know which. I am worried about what the most immediate course of action should be as most of the forum data is anecdotal and lacks any quantitative or scientifically verified information.
A little about my background: I am a very experienced acute care RN. I was diagnosed with depression and ADD as a young adult and have been on various antidepressants and ADD medications over the last 4 years. I attribute my low T to severe sleep deprivation, medication induced and increased body fat (238.6 @ 21.7% 5'9"). I started TRT because my emotions were out of control and I was starting to become clinically depressed to a dangerous level. Like I previously mentioned, it turned me around, but without reason or life event influence, I am declining once again.
I'm looking for someone who has maybe been through this to reassure me that I am on the right track and that this is temporary. I'm assuming my decline is likely because the large weekly doses of Depo are hard for my body to aromatize and is resulting in a T / E imbalance. I am 3 days out from my last injection and I am feeling slightly better, but not much. I also suspect this dose is too high as I felt much better earlier on.
My last free T was 15 and total was something like 6 or 700. The estrogen was unremarkable. I should also mention that I have historically been extremely sensitive to medications in the past and a normal starting dose typically result in immediate and rarely occurring side effects. I tend to have to start low and go very, very slow. It took me 2 years to build up to a starting dose of Adderal for ADD and cycling through 4 antidepressants over 5 years before I found one that did not result in horrible side effects and weight gain.
Sorry for the long winded post, but I am somewhat concerned about my health. It has always been the most intact thing I have, and at 32 I'm starting to feel like I'm struggling. It feels awful. I'm worried this isn't being managed well enough by my clinic and I am going to begin to have issues with my physical well being. I will be switching to a closer clinic later on the coming week and self injecting. I'm hoping to do smaller doses, more frequently so my body can handle the test.
Can anyone relate or reassure me at all? Thanks for your time in advance. I know you all have better things to do than read my post. Any encouragement that can be offered will be appreciated.
As it says, I'm new and need some reassurance. I have to first comment that I genuinely believe TRT has turned my life around, but I am beginning to fell poorly as most do around this time.
As many say, I'm sensing a decline, but somewhat different than most forums and others report. Needless to say, I am somewhat frightened. I have been on TRT starting the month of my son's birth in October, so 7 months. I am currently receiving 210 mg / week of depo-testosterone. I was feeling great until about 1.5 months ago. in the last 3 weeks I have experienced alarming symptoms:
Increased lethargy
Decreased libido
edema in my hands, feet, abdomen and ankles
Severe decrease in exercise motivation and endurance ( I was able to run 3 mi / 10 min each easily. Now 1 mi at 5 mph is an uphill battle that results in severe burning in my calves and foot pain. I even bought several pairs of specialized shoes, but I believes this is from the severe edema)
Bizarre popping, clicking and pain in all of my joints, especially my elbows and PIP and DIP. (Finger joints)
My weight has exploded. I have gained over 10 lbs.
Reddened skin around my neckline
worsening depression and suddenly severe anxiety (Never had issues with anxiety. Ever).
This all leads me to believe I am having an estrogen problem. High or low, but I do not know which. I am worried about what the most immediate course of action should be as most of the forum data is anecdotal and lacks any quantitative or scientifically verified information.
A little about my background: I am a very experienced acute care RN. I was diagnosed with depression and ADD as a young adult and have been on various antidepressants and ADD medications over the last 4 years. I attribute my low T to severe sleep deprivation, medication induced and increased body fat (238.6 @ 21.7% 5'9"). I started TRT because my emotions were out of control and I was starting to become clinically depressed to a dangerous level. Like I previously mentioned, it turned me around, but without reason or life event influence, I am declining once again.
I'm looking for someone who has maybe been through this to reassure me that I am on the right track and that this is temporary. I'm assuming my decline is likely because the large weekly doses of Depo are hard for my body to aromatize and is resulting in a T / E imbalance. I am 3 days out from my last injection and I am feeling slightly better, but not much. I also suspect this dose is too high as I felt much better earlier on.
My last free T was 15 and total was something like 6 or 700. The estrogen was unremarkable. I should also mention that I have historically been extremely sensitive to medications in the past and a normal starting dose typically result in immediate and rarely occurring side effects. I tend to have to start low and go very, very slow. It took me 2 years to build up to a starting dose of Adderal for ADD and cycling through 4 antidepressants over 5 years before I found one that did not result in horrible side effects and weight gain.
Sorry for the long winded post, but I am somewhat concerned about my health. It has always been the most intact thing I have, and at 32 I'm starting to feel like I'm struggling. It feels awful. I'm worried this isn't being managed well enough by my clinic and I am going to begin to have issues with my physical well being. I will be switching to a closer clinic later on the coming week and self injecting. I'm hoping to do smaller doses, more frequently so my body can handle the test.
Can anyone relate or reassure me at all? Thanks for your time in advance. I know you all have better things to do than read my post. Any encouragement that can be offered will be appreciated.
