New member and I need some help, please

[stewartbryan]

Just found this site and man I am grateful. I am 51 years young. Married, 2 kids. I was diagnosed HIV+ in 1995 ( with 6 months to live !!! ) I am still here. My viral load is undetectable and my T cell hovers around 350. I have been on a variety of meds. Currently I am on Viread, Isentress, and Zerit. I also take celexa, blood pressure meds, vitamen b complex, low dosage asprin, and ritalin. At nite I take a ZMA supplement, in the day time I take BCA tablets. After each work out I take a protein shake... ( O.N. Hydroweigh ...)

Here are my questions... I have taken an interest in body building with in the past 3 years. I have a horrible time putting size / definition on my arms and chest. I am really frustrated. I also cannot get rid of my gut... it seems to stay there regardless. I think it is because of the meds/lypodystrophy.. but will that also affect my arms??? I work out about 3-4x a week. chest bi's one day / legs / tri's back / then arms / chest again....

any suggestions??? I am 6' / 210lbs / 17% body fat..... I am open to any and all suggestions. My testostrone level is around 400, and the dr will not put me on a supplement???

help/thanks/

Glad to be here ....

Bryan

 

[Gene Devine]

Hi Bryan and welcome aboard; you have come to the right place.

We would need to see your complete blood work and one that includes comprehensive hormonal panels to make any assessment.

Your symptoms sound correct for a middle aged man of low Testosterone.

Know that men in the bottom quartile of the "normal" reference range on average die 10 years earlier then those who are higher.

I was just below 400 total testosterone and had the same symptoms and my Doc started me on a replacement protocol 4 years ago and it changed me forever.

You should also know that many "traditional" Doctors are just not trained in evaluating men for low androgen levels nor are they trained in how to treat and monitor for the the same.

You need to find a Doctor who is trained in hormone replacement therapies for men and get evaluated correctly.

Go to this section of the forum and start learning: http://www.excelmale.com/forums/56-Testosterone-Facts-Questions

Also look for the thread on How to find a TRT Doctor.

I would also suggest purchasing Nelson's book on TRT: A Man's Guide, this will be of tremendous help as well.

Going forward, start your case in the Testosterone Questions forum and you will be well taken care of by our members.

Welcome aboard again my friend!

Gene

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Bryan

Zerit destroys mitochondria in fat and muscle cells. Can you replace it with another drug or do you have resistance to all other drugs?

http://www.thebody.com/content/art13426.html

 

[stewartbryan]

I have been on Zerit for forever. I read the article you sent. It seems that the "wasting" or thinning effects are permament in the face... is this true for the arms as well. Also what drug would you recommend to replace it with. I cannot take AZT... it makes me sick. I see the Dr in a few months I want to come to him informed.

Thank you for your help and please get ready for a butt-load of more questions !!!! lol

 

[stewartbryan]

I would appreciate your input on if I need a testostrone supplement... please???

 

[Gene Devine]

I would appreciate your input on if I need a testostrone supplement... please???

I think my original response was clear.

If you don't have any medical pathology pointing to low Testosterone levels and it's age related presenting with symptoms there are Doctor's who can help you.

Good enough?

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Stewartbryan

Your doctor may want to write a script for Reyataz if your virus has not mutated around it. It boosts raltegravir and it can be used without Norvir twice a day at 300 mg per dose.

Have your doctor also test your free testosterone since this variable has been found to be better correlated to hypogonadism in HIV+ people: http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_hypogonadism_testosterone_1667_22880.shtml

http://survivinghiv.blogspot.com/2008/01/blood-testosterone-levels-and-hiv.html

You may also want to read: http://www.amazon.com/Testosterone-...8&qid=1383718997&sr=1-2&keywords=testosterone

You can save money by having your doctor call in the testosterone prescription into compounding pharmacies like apsmeds.com or empowerrxpharmacy.com

If you are using 1.5 ml every two weeks, you will probably feel better at 0.75 ml per week (we have not seen your lab values, though)

Have your

 

[stewartbryan]

whoa there buddy. remember this is new to me... and a new WAY of thinking. And sometimes I am "thickheaded". Youre telling me that I'm old, and to find a new Doctor...lol I get that. I have had the same Dr for the last 15+ years and he has kept everything good/undetectable. It is hard to think about changing. Also I live in a smaller community so the Doctor's are not a progressive as those in a larger community. I appreciate your comments, and will take your advice. I have always lived by the motto... " trust but verify" ... that is why I may need further clarification... lol

 

[Gene Devine]

All good Stewart - But I will stand by my original statement:

"You should also know that many "traditional" Doctors are just not trained in evaluating men for low androgen levels nor are they trained in how to treat and monitor for the the same".

Find out if your Doctor knows how to treat for hypogonadism.

Find out if he understands what labs to pull to conduct the right assessment and diagnosis.

Find out if he understands the latest protocols in management.

The clinician who usually understands these things are a Specialist in the field and usually not a PCP.

You may find, even with a Total of 400 and presenting with symptoms you are going to hear "nothing is wrong with you, you are in the normal range" and walk out with a handful of Viagra and script for an AD.

My only point to you, and nothing more, is what I stated in my original post; finding a competent Doc who understands TRT in men is not easy for some men.

I only want to see you treated correctly so you feel well and live longer my friend

 

[Nelson Vergel]

StewartBryan

Many docs in HIV are testosterone friendly. In fact, there are more HIV docs writing testosterone scripts per capita (patient numbers) than any other area of medicine.

Please let me know if these suggestions are clear:

1- Get your genotype test results to see what other drugs besides Zerit you can use. Email them to me at [email protected] since this topic is beyond the scope of this forum

2- Have your doctor measure your free and total testosterone, TSH, estradiol, and CBC to start.

3- Let me know when you have the results and I can direct you to cheaper TRT options if your numbers justify that and your doctor is willing to write scripts.

That's all