Prolactin

[Chewy55]

I got my lab results and I’m wondering about prolactin. I can’t find much info in regards to TRT. My estradiol is a little low, prolactin is high and test is high.

Estradiol 16.3
Testosterone 1595.3
Prolactin 17.4

My test dose what cut to 100mg per week from 200mg. I don’t mind that, honestly I didn’t feel as good on 200mg. I split the dose in half and inject every 3.5 days.

What I’m wondering about is prolactin. Is it something to be concerned about? If so how is it treated?

 

[CoastWatcher]

Can you post the reference ranges for each lab test/result? Labs establish their own ranges and it provides context if we know with what standard you and your doctor will be evaluating these results.

When were these taken in respect to your injection schedule? They are true tough readings? Total testosterone of 1595.3...at trough? Was your estradiol captured via the sensitive test, LC, MS/MS? How long have you been on your current protocol? No AI? HCG?

Prolactin - if elevated - is controlled typically with cabergoline. That said, an MRI may be ordered to rule out issues with the pituitary. Is your prolactin level increasing?

 

[Chewy55]

Can you post the reference ranges for each lab test/result? Labs establish their own ranges and it provides context if we know with what standard you and your doctor will be evaluating these results.

When were these taken in respect to your injection schedule? They are true tough readings? Total testosterone of 1595.3...at trough? Was your estradiol captured via the sensitive test, LC, MS/MS? How long have you been on your current protocol? No AI? HCG?

Prolactin - if elevated - is controlled typically with cabergoline. That said, an MRI may be ordered to rule out issues with the pituitary. Is your prolactin level increasing?

Labs were done with LabCorp.

Reference ranges:

Testosterone: 264-916 (mine was 1595.3)
Prolactin: 4-15.2 (17.4)
Estradiol 7.6-42.6 (16.3) This test was the Roche ECLIA methodology which I see is a worthless test for a man.

I just started splitting the dose so I injected 200mg on Saturday morning and blood was drawn on Thursday morning.

I’ve been on test cyp for about 8 months. After about four months I started anastrozole, .5 three time a week which was too much. Dropped it to .25 twice a week but I’m going to lay off it for a little while. No HCG.

I don’t know if my prolactin has been rising because this was the first time tested. I did recently have an MRI to check my pituitary because I had high cortisol which is now under control.

 

[captain]

Corticotropin-releasing hormone that made Cortisol high also increases Prolactin. DHEA and Cortisol oppose each other. You would need to check your DHEA and correct it if low then retest Prolactin. Your level of Prolactin is probably from stress. Cabergoline would wipe all your prolactin out to close to 0. You didn't say you was having symptoms so you wouldn't treat it. I tried Caber and I wouldn't recommend you use it for this level of Prolactin.

 

[Chewy55]

Corticotropin-releasing hormone that made Cortisol high also increases Prolactin. DHEA and Cortisol oppose each other. You would need to check your DHEA and correct it if low then retest Prolactin. Your level of Prolactin is probably from stress. Cabergoline would wipe all your prolactin out to close to 0. You didn't say you was having symptoms so you wouldn't treat it. I tried Caber and I wouldn't recommend you use it for this level of Prolactin.

Interesting, I didn’t know that about DHEA. My cortisol was really high that’s why I had the MRI. I took Phosphatidyl to get it under control and it worked great. The only symptoms I have seems to be low estradiol from what I’ve read. I’m not sure what the symptoms of higher prolactin are. I’ll ask to get my DHEA checked. Thanks.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Chasteberry is a cheap and effective way to reduce prolactin. (h/t Dr. Saya) As with most things, less is usually more. You do not want to crash prolactin but a small drop may be helpful.

 

[Pone]

Interesting, I didn’t know that about DHEA. My cortisol was really high that’s why I had the MRI. I took Phosphatidyl to get it under control and it worked great. The only symptoms I have seems to be low estradiol from what I’ve read. I’m not sure what the symptoms of higher prolactin are. I’ll ask to get my DHEA checked. Thanks.

Is that phosphatidyl choline or phosphatidyl serine or some other nutraceutical?

 

[Pone]

Chasteberry is a cheap and effective way to reduce prolactin. (h/t Dr. Saya) As with most things, less is usually more. You do not want to crash prolactin but a small drop may be helpful.

At low doses chasteberry increases prolactin. Do you have any studies that would show efficacy and help calibrate doses?

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

Looking at this again, there seem to be conflicting reports, however Dr Saya suggested it as an anti-prolactin and reports such as this one https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/vitex-agnus-castus

suggest is may reduce it, given this quote "This herb may inhibit secretion of prolactin by the pituitary gland ".

That said, I would not trust any study for any one individual and as with anything else, there is no substitute for trial and error. The use reports I found suggest that at low doses it can increase libido and decrease refractory period which are both consistent with lowering prolactin, but will crash libido at higher doses, which is consistent with either crashed prolactin or too-high prolactin. I find it to be one of my go-to supps at low doses, however that could also be due to the progesterone impacts. It's cheap so I would just try it an see.

 

[fifty]

My 2 cents... chasteberry is garbage. I don’t understand why you keep promoting it.

Chasteberry

 

[Ronnny]

Over the years I have tried so many different herbal products for various reasons. None of them did nothing to me. I do no not believe in herbal product at all. I have wasted lot of money for many years.May be it works for someone but I do not believe in any kind of herbal product.

 

[Ronnny]

I got my lab results and I’m wondering about prolactin. I can’t find much info in regards to TRT. My estradiol is a little low, prolactin is high and test is high.

Estradiol 16.3
Testosterone 1595.3
Prolactin 17.4

My test dose what cut to 100mg per week from 200mg. I don’t mind that, honestly I didn’t feel as good on 200mg. I split the dose in half and inject every 3.5 days.

What I’m wondering about is prolactin. Is it something to be concerned about? If so how is it treated?

your prolactin level is mildly elevated. Not too high. It may be medication induced, if you are on medication. Certain drugs like opioid based drug causes mild Prolactin elevation I know that. May be there are some other drugs there that can also cause elevated Prolactin level.

Lapcorp's normal Prolactin range for male: (4-15.2 ng/mL)

 

[antelopers]

At what point does prolactin actually become problematic? Mine is always on the higher end, or slightly above the range.

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

My 2 cents... chasteberry is garbage. I don’t understand why you keep promoting it.

I keep promoting it because it is a low-cost, easily obtainable alternative to Caber and other anti-prolactins, and almost no one seems to be aware of it as an option, especially since it was first suggested to me by Dr. Saya who apparently also thinks it is worth trying. Many things that are worth trying only work for a small subset of people and because something doesn't work for you doesn't make it "garbage". Maca and AIs and Whey protein (for example) don't work for me but I don't call them "garbage" when other people want to try them. That said, I could be missing something so if you have something civilized to add to the forum like Pone did, I will try to respond.

 

[captain]

your prolactin level is mildly elevated. Not too high. It may be medication induced, if you are on medication. Certain drugs like opioid based drug causes mild Prolactin elevation I know that. May be there are some other drugs there that can also cause elevated Prolactin level.

Lapcorp's normal Prolactin range for male: (4-15.2 ng/mL)

Antacids can cause an increase in PRL.

 

[SilverSurfer]

I’m a recovering addict so take Suboxone, which as a side effect raises prolactin and thus lowers testosterone. Even on TRT my prolactin is about 20 - 22 unless I take P5P or Cabergoline. After two or three months on the P5P I started noticing numbness indicating nerve damage, which is a side effect of high dose P5P. Cabergoline just complicates my E2/testosterone balance too much. I’ve given up on reducing my prolactin and just living with it.

Given your prolactin is “only” 17 I would leave it alone tbh, unless you’re having some moderate/serious side effects. My prolactin is interfering with my libido, which sucks. I’m hoping to be off my Suboxone in 6 more months.

 

[antelopers]

I’m a recovering addict so take Suboxone, which as a side effect raises prolactin and thus lowers testosterone. Even on TRT my prolactin is about 20 - 22 unless I take P5P or Cabergoline. After two or three months on the P5P I started noticing numbness indicating nerve damage, which is a side effect of high dose P5P. Cabergoline just complicates my E2/testosterone balance too much. I’ve given up on reducing my prolactin and just living with it.

Given your prolactin is “only” 17 I would leave it alone tbh, unless you’re having some moderate/serious side effects. My prolactin is interfering with my libido, which sucks. I’m hoping to be off my Suboxone in 6 more months.

Just curious, how can you be 100 percent sure the prolactin is what's responsible?

 

[SilverSurfer]

Just curious, how can you be 100 percent sure the prolactin is what's responsible?

I have had all of my various hormones checked. Testosterone, E2, DHT, DHEA, prolactin, complete thyroid, etc... My prolactin was the only remaining culprit. I did notice a moderate lift of libido on both P5P and Cabergoline and my prolactin was 11 - 13. Could it be placebo, sure....but I don’t think so.

I’ve gotten my free testosterone up to 2.5% free for several weeks at a time, and my libido never budged. My libido is the only thing TRT has not fixed. Everything else has been great; morning wood, no ED, regained muscle mass, stronger, very little recovery time needed from gym, brain fog reduced.

In addition, all of my recovery brothers on Suboxone complain about it killing their libido.

 

[antelopers]

I have had all of my various hormones checked. Testosterone, E2, DHT, DHEA, prolactin, etc... My prolactin was the only remaining culprit. I did notice a moderate lift of libido on both P5P and Cabergoline and my prolactin was 11 - 13. Could it be placebo, sure....but I don’t think so.

I’ve gotten my free testosterone up to 2.5% free for several weeks at a time, and my libido never budged. My libido is the only thing TRT has not fixed. Everything else has been great; morning wood, no ED, regained muscle mass, stronger, very little recovery time needed from gym, brain fog reduced.

I took a single .125mg dose of caber once. I felt amazing for about 6 hours, and spent the next 3 days tired af and feeling like a zombie.

 

[swoops36]

I have had all of my various hormones checked. Testosterone, E2, DHT, DHEA, prolactin, complete thyroid, etc... My prolactin was the only remaining culprit. I did notice a moderate lift of libido on both P5P and Cabergoline and my prolactin was 11 - 13. Could it be placebo, sure....but I don’t think so.

I’ve gotten my free testosterone up to 2.5% free for several weeks at a time, and my libido never budged. My libido is the only thing TRT has not fixed. Everything else has been great; morning wood, no ED, regained muscle mass, stronger, very little recovery time needed from gym, brain fog reduced.

In addition, all of my recovery brothers on Suboxone complain about it killing their libido.

Silver I’m on Suboxone as well with my TRT. I have never had my prolactin measured, but got my Dr to Rx Caber, which I took for 2 weeks but stopped because I kept getting panic attacks, which lead me to think my PRL can’t be that high. Didn’t see any libido boost. But I haven’t heard from many ppl that are on Subs while also doing TRT.