Anastrozole or not

[Maximus220rr]

Hello guys,
Need some advice I have to get labs but am not due till the end of January. Here is my protocol 100mg of cyp twice a week, 400ius of hcg three times a week and .25mg of anastrozole a week.
I am having no moring wood, no nocturnal wood, low libido and erections are bad.
Here is my question should I stop anastrozole or increase it?
Or keep things the same till the end of January?
Thanks guys

 

[Gene Devine]

Sounds like your E2 is low but only blood work will confirm. You could stop it for a few weeks to see what and how you respond.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Without lab values, you're driving in the dark without headlights. Self-testing through Discountedlabs.com, total and free testosterone along with a sensitive estradiol test, can be had at a reasonable cost and give you some insight. I would note that you are taking a significant dose of testosterone, 100mg twice weekly. What was your doctor's reasoning for prescribing a dose of that size?

 

[Maximus220rr]

In the beginning the doc had me on 200mg test a week with 1000ius of 3 times a week of hcg and 3mg of anastrozole? I have no idea the reasoning. I have been able to dial in my trt yet.
So I guess I should order some self test before my blood work I January?

 

[Vince]

Your protocol does not seem to bad, why are you on an AI. Was your estrogen high? Are you using the E2 sensitive assay.

 

[Maximus220rr]

Vince thanks for the reply.....my protocol now is 100mg twice a week and 400ius of hcg three times a week. Doc told me I could use a small dose of anastrozole at .25mg
But at these doses am having no moring wood, lack of sex drive and nt good erections.
In your opinion is my test and hcg doses too high?
I know I need a blood test but it's not till the end of january. Not sure if to keep doing everything the same till then or stop using anastrozole for time being?
My estradiol was at a 38 when doc had me on a higher dose of HCG in the being I have since cut my hcg down and the anastrozole always kept test the same.
Thanks

 

[Vince]

It would be nice to see a testosterone panel, if it were me. I would probably wait until after my labs before making any more changes in your protocol. But if you must, like Gene said you could stop your AI for a few weeks and see how your feel.

 

[Maximus220rr]

Thanks for the reply vince! I wish it was January already......I have never felt that great on trt so far.....too many up and downs really. It's been hard to dial things in also m y anxiety has been super high lately.

 

[ERO]

My 2-cents: Stop the AI for now. Your symptoms sound like too low of E2 instead of too high, and if you are low, it takes awhile to get back to a good level. That and make use of Discountedlabs.com to take control of your testing. They are a great resource.

 

[Maximus220rr]

Ero thanks for reply! I will stop ai and see how I feel.
I was think I was high? Some other symptoms are increased fat in bellyonly and my anxiety is pretty high, also my junk down stairs doesn't hang that great? My joints don't hurt that bad....I have been too low before and my joints just are miserable
Thanks

 

[CoastWatcher]

You may well be high, or low, or where you should be. Set your mind at ease with self testing.The peace of mind is worth it.

 

[Vince]

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/sho...-Boosts-Libido-in-Men-on-Testosterone-Therapy
From the paper:

Elevated Serum Estradiol Is Associated with Higher Libido in Men on Testosterone Supplementation Therapy

Testosterone has always been considered to be a male hormone, whereas oestrogen has typically been discussed in the context of being a female hormone. Conventionally, the goal of testosterone supplementation therapy (TST) in men was to raise serum testosterone levels and lower oestrogen levels. A recent study by Finkelstein et al. high- lighted an important role for oestrogen in regulation of sexual function in men on TST [1]. In that study, dramatic declines in libido were observed in conjunction with decreased levels of serum oestrogen. Although oestrogen is associated with male sexual behaviour [2], the distinct roles of testosterone and oestrogen on sexual function in men on TST are controversial. We thus sought to elucidate the associations between serum testosterone, estradiol, and libido in men undergoing TST for symptomatic hypogonadism (total testosterone <300 ng/dl and three or more symptoms on the Androgen Decline in Aging Male [ADAM] questionnaire).

Men on TST (injections or gels; n = 423) presenting to a large-volume, tertiary referral andrology clinic were asked to rate the quality of their libido using 5-point Likert scales (1 = terrible, 5 = excellent) as part of the validated, quanti- tative ADAM questionnaire [3]. Men were categorised as having low (0.5&#8211;5.0 ng/dl) or high (>5.0 ng/dl) estradiol

Univariate analysis noted associations between libido and age, and FSH, LH (analysed as continuous variables), estradiol, and testosterone levels (analysed as categorical variables, and which remained significant even when analysed as continuous variables) (Table 1). Interestingly, on multivariate analysis, only estradiol at serum levels >5 ng/dl (2.13; p = 0.04) was associated with greater libido.

While this study highlights the importance of oestrogen in men on TST, the limitations include a lack of control group and no score comparisons before and after com- mencement of TST. Furthermore, a larger sample size may have unmasked a confounding relationship between testosterone and libido.

 

[Maximus220rr]

Vince I just ordered estradiol test from discountlabs.Com so hopefully this will give me a better perspective and also easy some of my anxiety.
Have u ever ordered labs from them....is fairly easy to do? Am guessing there is shipping cost to send test in?
Thanks

 

[maxadvance]

Vince I just ordered estradiol test from discountlabs.Com so hopefully this will give me a better perspective and also easy some of my anxiety.
Have u ever ordered labs from them....is fairly easy to do? Am guessing there is shipping cost to send test in?
Thanks

How Does It Work?

You can order by credit card or Paypal. Just choose your blood test and order. Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation email with a lab form that you take to your closest lab location. This location can be searched in the page tab entitled “Find a location”.

Please bring the lab form and ID to the local lab of your choice in our network. You will receive your lab results 3-5 days later via email. Your results will be emailed to you within 3-5 days depending on the lab test.

 

[Maximus220rr]

Thanks for reply! Where is the id? On the form?
Thanks

 

[CoastWatcher]

Vince I just ordered estradiol test from discountlabs.Com so hopefully this will give me a better perspective and also easy some of my anxiety.
Have u ever ordered labs from them....is fairly easy to do? Am guessing there is shipping cost to send test in?
Thanks

I have used them on six occasions. Flat out easy and hassle free. All charges are quoted on their site. Email results, in my case, in three or four days. Couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Vince]

Vince I just ordered estradiol test from discountlabs.Com so hopefully this will give me a better perspective and also easy some of my anxiety.
Have u ever ordered labs from them....is fairly easy to do? Am guessing there is shipping cost to send test in?
Thanks

No, I have not yet use discountlabs. I use Defy Medical, when I get a lab order in my e-mail. I printed it and take to my closest LapCorp, which is only a mile from my place.

 

[Vince]

No, I have not yet use discountlabs. I use Defy Medical, when I get a lab order in my e-mail. I printed it and take to my closest LapCorp, which is only a mile from my place.

If the time comes when I feel I need extra labs or just want to check a lab. I definitely will use discountlabs.

 

[HoustonTX]

Why is everyone thinking that he has low E2? It sounds like high E2 to me at least the way high E2 to makes me feel, but I agree you're taking the right steps in getting blood work done and it's fairly cheap and easy. I too have been the same place Maximus is. It seems like at least from the doctors that I've met or spoken with that most want to start everyone on 200 mg of testosterone a week, but from what I've read that's not a TRT amount. Either way it would be extremely rare for someone to be able to take 200 mg of testosterone a week and not have to take the anastrozole. I've been lowering my testosterone and eliminated in anastrozole. At 30 mg every other day of testosterone cypionate with 250ius of hCG every other day, my Morningwood is back and I'm feeling good, but I'll be getting lab work done soon. I don't have that done yet, but I feel good and everything else seems to be working.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

Why is everyone thinking that he has low E2?

Probably because of a lack of any other symptoms. Without lab work, your guess is as good as mine, but I'm joining the crowd that thinks he crashed his E2.

It seems like at least from the doctors that I've met or spoken with that most want to start everyone on 200 mg of testosterone a week, but from what I've read that's not a TRT amount.

200mg a week is definitely on the high end of TRT. Most guys I either know personally, or have read about here on TRT start with a much lower dosage.

Either way it would be extremely rare for someone to be able to take 200 mg of testosterone a week and not have to take the anastrozole.

If someone was pinning a single injection of 200mg/week, I'd probably agree with you. That same dosage broken up and pinned EOD, then who knows? It depends on the person...everyone is different.