Newbie on pellets...did I just screw up?

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LetsGoHokies

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So I probably should have posted here before I jumped in the deep end. This Monday I had pellets inserted. I just got around to searching the forum here and I see that many members feel that this isn't a great option (period) and that this certainly may not be the best move for a newbie. I wanted to get some feedback from the group on what folks think I should do or how concerned I should be. I'm already a bit freaked out, so...first, my symptoms:

Tired all the time - but I've got a 4 yr old, so that's standard
Fussyheadedess
low to zero libido
much rarer morning wood
can't gain muscle even though I'm lifting 3-4 times a week, lose any muscle if I miss a week
gain weight just by looking at a cheeseburger


7/28/2017 - Testosterone, Serum - 559, Estradiol 23.7, TSH 4.03, T4 Free 1.01, T4 5.9, T3 98, Triiodothyronine Free 3.0

1/28/2016 (when I first started feeling symptoms) - Testosterone 512, Free T 7.35, Estradiol 23.1, FSH 3.0, LH 7.2, HSBG 58, Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 - 172, Prolactin 12.55, DHEA 135.

Pellet Dosage this monday: Anazao Pharmacy of Las Vegas, Nevada is the manufacturer
Total pellet dosage was:
1900mg testosterone
8mg anastrazole
Cost: $800 and that was a family and friends discount.

Okay, so this sounds like a lot. The Dr. is a cousin on my wife's side. He's a MD who runs an anti-aging practice outside of Washington DC. So far I feel okay, but it's super early. I've had much better than the average concentration at work yesterday and today, so that's encouraging. No extra lead in my pencil yet.

I think I knew that pellets were a bit extreme, but I knew that I had the courage at that time to pull the trigger. I was afraid that if I took more time looking for another Dr. (mine doesn't do injections or gels) I may have never done it. I just decided to trust my doc and go for it.

So, any words of advice? Suggestions?
 
Last edited:
Defy Medical TRT clinic doctor
Adding some facts: I'm 45 yrs old. Sometimes stressed out with life and bummed out, but I definitely don't feel depressed. I workout at the gym, run from time to time, and eat clean for the most part with a high protein diet.
 
Best advice you'll get here is get those pellets out (or wear them down whatever) and find a new Dr. Pellets are a terrible delivery method and compounded with Anastrozole is really bad. There's no chance for adjustment here, if it's all wrong for you you have to live thru it for ~90 days or more? No one here uses pellets. Find a new Dr that isn't ripping you off for $800.
 
You might be one of the few, the very few, who do well on pellets. I hope so, because you are stuck with them for a good while. Some doctors love them, plant them in the patient and then harvest his wallet. The problem is that if adjustments are needed to the protocol, time has to pass. Rather than tweek this/modify that element of the approach, pellets dissolve at their own rate.

You will know soon enough. What sort of monitoring schedule are you on? When is your first post-implant bloodwork scheduled?
 
I literally pays to do a little research with regards to TRT since most doctors love to harvest your wallet :)D) and the rest simply are clueless. I didn't know pellets had Anastrozole inside them, would make dialing everything in kind of impossible! I could only imagine someone crashing their estrogen and not being able to do much about it until it wore off in 90 days!
 
Thanks guys. It does sound like I'm in for a ride at this point.

CoastWatcher - thanks for the hopeful thought. I mean, I'm sure a ton of guys get help from pellets. It's a question of the cost, risks and the guesswork that the doc has to do. If I had been on injections/gels for a while and we knew what my body needed I'd feel much more comfortable at this point. He has me coming back in 5 weeks for my labs (just total T and Estrogen). He said that it's a common misconception that Free T needs to be checked all the time since it tends to mirror total T and therapy is best monitored by Total T. His protocol is to shoot for pellets being inserted every 4 months give or take depending on labs and how I feel.

Vince - apparently I can't get them out...without major surgery. After checking out the youtube, it makes sense...those suckers are in there deep.

Question, how would I know symptom wise if my estrogen crashes.

I'll keep you guys posted on how I feel.


 
Can you provide reference ranges for your lab tests? Was a PSA run prior to the pellets being implanted? Has the use of HCG been discussed?
 
As stated above, the big issues for pellets are, A) You are stuck with the dose even if you are too high, too low or have E2 issues of too high or too low, B) Even when pellets work, they often only work well for, say 2 1/2 months and then you are back to "low T" - but your doc will not insert more until the 4 months are up, and C) WAY too expensive. If you are getting the "friends and family discount" his prices are nuts.
 
I had a great experience with my pellets when I first had them inserted. Very often, the body has a honeymoon period with TRT before your body shuts down it's own production. Chances are, you are going to feel great for a few months. Enjoy it.

The second time I had pellets inserted, I retained most of the benefits (increased energy, sharper thinking, better workout recovery) but I also experienced some erection troubles. This coincided with some major bad news for the health of a close family member, so I know there was a psychological element, but the ED did not go away. There was nothing my Dr. could do but prescribe viagra/cialis/levitra etc. Those worked, and I got erections just fine, but I lost sensitivity -- I call it Zombie D*ck. I am also a guy who feels pain as my testes atrophy, so I did a restart.

I have been off TRT for almost a year (my family member passed away and I wanted to mourn a while before I make a major life decision). I plan on going back by the end of the year, but I have resolved to go with a TRT specialist like Defy or PrimeBody.

TLDR: Enjoy the ride, but switch to a specialist once the pellets wear out.
 
When I first started TRT I had a choice of pellets or injection. When I found out the price of pellets it was a no brainer for me. Of course I went with injections
 
CPTWilly, thank you. I hope I feel great and confirm that Low T was my issue. Already...I feel different. More clear headed in terms of concentration. Listening and being able to zero in on my tasks at work seems easier. This alone is so much better than taking anything for this or just accepting that I have ADD. Also, the libido is starting to hint at a return (HALLELUJAH!) but we'll see what happens.

CoastWatcher - PSA was low... 0.5 on both of my past two panels. HCG...that's what helps the nuts grow back to size right? My boys have been snipped, so no worries about fertility. I read that the boys will normally shrink by 10-30%. That doesn't sound too bad but I guess I'll see what happens to me. It would be weird having marbles down there. I'll get the ranges from my labs and upload them next.
 
So an update....I'm about 6 months or so into my TRT therapy on pellets. So far so good by and large. I had great results after my anastrazole pellet (8mg in my first insertion) wore off. My E2 crashed...not fun. I didn't feel like life was very interesting, and my penis sensitivity went way down. Strange stuff! I did, however, have a ton of energy, have explosive workouts, and have much much much better libido then prior to starting TRT. 4 months after my first insertion, I was back for another. This time minus the anastrozole.

Pellet dosage was 1900mg testosterone about 5 weeks ago. He also prescribed me 50mg of Synthroid per day. My labs as of last week:

Testosterone > 1500 (apparently Labcorp doesn't measure over 1500!!! WTF)
Estradiol = 43.5
TSH = 2.56

My symptoms are some slight nipple itchiness. A definite decrease in libido from where it was towards the end of my first pellet round and the very beginning of my 2nd. I also feel like I'm retaining water.

Question: Should I be concerned with my E2? My doc gave me a prescription for an anastrozole (1mg twice a week), but I'm worried about crashing my E2 again.

I'm watching Nelson's Estradiol presentation with Jay Campell to try to get some additional intel.

Any suggestions from this great group would be much appreciated!
 
What's wrong with injections? It' the most effective way to minimize side effects and could possibly allow you to do away with the AI altogether and feel consistent from day to day. Eventually you'll get tired of dealing with all the issues, why are you doing things the hard way?
 
I know...my doc is family, so he introduced it to me. The part of pellet therapy that is awesome, is that after the 1 week of soreness, you don't have to do anything. This all assumes that you can get the dosage dialed in. I mean, my life is 100% better than before TRT. BUT, I hear you. I figure I'll go with one more insertion, and that will give me 1 solid year of experience with TRT pellets. If I'm even on the fence at that point, I'm switching to a doc who will prescribe shots. The problem is that the only docs that will prescribe shots around me that I've found are MORE expensive for TRT. I'm spending 800 every 4 months. The shots guys are charging 250/month. Crazy. I live in the DC area. Lot's of wealth and I think TRT is still new to the area. DC tends to be very conservative.
 
LetsGoHokies said:
I know...my doc is family, so he introduced it to me. The part of pellet therapy that is awesome, is that after the 1 week of soreness, you don't have to do anything. This all assumes that you can get the dosage dialed in. I mean, my life is 100% better than before TRT. BUT, I hear you. I figure I'll go with one more insertion, and that will give me 1 solid year of experience with TRT pellets. If I'm even on the fence at that point, I'm switching to a doc who will prescribe shots. The problem is that the only docs that will prescribe shots around me that I've found are MORE expensive for TRT. I'm spending 800 every 4 months. The shots guys are charging 250/month. Crazy. I live in the DC area. Lot's of wealth and I think TRT is still new to the area. DC tends to be very conservative.
Click to expand...

I don't know where you're going but TRT doesn't have to cost that much, you're going to the wrong places. Defy Medical only costs on average $100/month and they know what their doing. You risk infection every time you get pellet inserts.
 
LetsGoHokies said:
So an update....I'm about 6 months or so into my TRT therapy on pellets. So far so good by and large. I had great results after my anastrazole pellet (8mg in my first insertion) wore off. My E2 crashed...not fun. I didn't feel like life was very interesting, and my penis sensitivity went way down. Strange stuff! I did, however, have a ton of energy, have explosive workouts, and have much much much better libido then prior to starting TRT. 4 months after my first insertion, I was back for another. This time minus the anastrozole.

Pellet dosage was 1900mg testosterone about 5 weeks ago. He also prescribed me 50mg of Synthroid per day. My labs as of last week:

Testosterone > 1500 (apparently Labcorp doesn't measure over 1500!!! WTF)
Estradiol = 43.5
TSH = 2.56

My symptoms are some slight nipple itchiness. A definite decrease in libido from where it was towards the end of my first pellet round and the very beginning of my 2nd. I also feel like I'm retaining water.

Question: Should I be concerned with my E2? My doc gave me a prescription for an anastrozole (1mg twice a week), but I'm worried about crashing my E2 again.

I'm watching Nelson's Estradiol presentation with Jay Campell to try to get some additional intel.

Any suggestions from this great group would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...

1mg 2x/wk of an AI with an e2 of 43.5??? A total of 2mg a week of adex, am I reading this correctly?
 
Beyond Testosterone Book by Nelson Vergel
43.5 is really not that high. Sensitive nipples will occur as your hormone change.

With a T of 1500 you are bound to have some serious hematicrit issues soon. Also have you had your PSA checked again?

You may be able to find a doctor that will prescribe you the T and charge you for visits and not a monthly fee. My Doctor charges $50/visit after an inital visit. I see him when I get my regular labs done. I pay about $45 for a 3 month supply of T, $20 for a 2 month supply of syringes (inject EOD with T and twice a week with HCG), about $50 for 2/3 month supply of HCG ( I went longer with it but probably wont this time since I think it got too weak near the 4/5 month period). I pay for lab out of pocket through discountlabs.com - Once you are dialed in, labs maybe twice a year?

Be persistent, I am certain you can find Dr in your area that will be able to provide you with good care without raking you over the financial coals.
 
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