ED disappears, returns, disappears, returns...

[thirdstone]

Hello everyone, I am wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, if this is normal or unusual. And if anyone has a suggestion as to the possible cause. I started TRT almost 1 year ago after my ED had gotten so severe that PDE5's didn't work very well. About 10 days after I started, my ED went away completely and I was back to functioning about like I was when I was 20. I mean full long lasting erections from just thinking about sex. You can imagine I was beyond thrilled! But this only lasted about 4 days, then in a few more days I was right back to baseline ED same as before I started and stayed that way until about 2 months ago, when over the course of a few weeks it gradually got better and better, not quite like when I was 20, but I had no problem keeping a perfectly good erection through 45 minutes of sex. But once again, a few more weeks and I'm right back to where I started again. One positive change though is that once I started TRT strong nocturnal erections completely returned and have never gone away.

I've tried a few things already. When I first started TRT I was only taking T cyp subQ twice a week and 25mg DHEA a day. Since then I have added HCG 500 IU 3/week sub Q, Pregnenolone 30mg/day, DHEA 50/mg twice a day, and anastrazole 1mg twice a week. After I first started TRT my E2 went from 31.3 to 49.8, so high E2 was a guess at what was wrong. The anastrazole brought it back down to 27, but after months on that there was no change whatsoever, so it doesn't seem like that has done anything and I might just stop taking it. I also take Cialis 5mg a day, folate, citrulline, and a Neo40 Nitric Oxide lozenge.

And I have been using Trimix for my ED and my Doc says the dose is very low which means I have good vascularity.

I’m 49 years old, I eat healthy and workout a lot, not overweight, low cholesterol, not under any stress and feel great except for the darn ED.

Labs:
LH <0.07 mIU/ml
Pregnenolone 5.9 ng/dL
E2 27.4 pg/mL
DHEA 229.2 ug/dl
Total T 885 ng/dl
SHBG 36 nmol/L
Free T 19.75 ng/dL
Bioavail T 462.8 ng/dL
Cortisol 21.6 ug/dl
T3, free 3.6 pg/ml
T4, free 0.97 ng/dl
TSH 1.782 uIU/ml

Has anyone else experienced ED that comes and goes like this? It seems like there's just some little piece of the puzzle I'm missing and I'd have no ED.

 

[Sean Mosher]

Anastrozole twice a week, 1mg and your sensitive estradiol is still 27.4?
Are you sure that's LCMS?
Your old E2 of 49.8 honestly wasn't that high in the 1st place to justify that enormous amount of an AI.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Thirdstone

Are you able to get fully hard when you masturbate?

I believe that using Trimix continuously will eventually train your brain at not attaining an erection without it, so be careful.

 

[thirdstone]

Anastrozole twice a week, 1mg and your sensitive estradiol is still 27.4?
Are you sure that's LCMS?
Your old E2 of 49.8 honestly wasn't that high in the 1st place to justify that enormous amount of an AI.

It is LCMS, yes. And yes, I do agree E2 of 49 wasn’t that high to begin with. The only reason I tried lowering it was as a guess as to why my ED went away and returned. I have read other accounts that an E2 range of 20-30 helped some people with ED. It was worth a try. Didn’t work for me that’s why I think I should drop it.

 

[thirdstone]

Thirdstone

Are you able to get fully hard when you masturbate?

I believe that using Trimix continuously will eventually train your brain at not attaining an erection without it, so be careful.

Nope, can’t get an erection when I masturbate either. Those two times that the ED went way, I didn’t even need to masturbate. Even just randomly during the day, if I started thinking about sex, I’d start getting hard and could get to a full erection. But not now. Now, it’s like the connection between my brain and penis is gone. I think about but I don’t get that tingling, sort of, sensation down there.

I totally get what you’re saying about Trimix because it does make things easy in a way. I’d love to not need it, it also kills the spontaneity. But what is my alternative other than abstinence?

 

[captain]

What are you taking for DHEA? If it was working for you it would be higher I would think taking 50mg twice a day. Maybe check your prolactin level.

 

[thirdstone]

I take LifeExtension DHEA 50mg, one in the morning and one at night. Come to think of it, I may have only been at 50mg a day of DHEA when those labs were done and I may have upped it after those. Those are my most recent, but I am waiting on results from another one now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GTBLW...&colid=4VXVLRQTF1ZK&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

I can get prolactin checked, what range am I looking for? And what can be done if it's not right?

 

[captain]

I tried LEF DHEA and it didn't work for me neither did a topical cream but Empower DHEA Troche works well. You will have to see if your prolactin is high and how high it is before looking at how to correct it. If its way high you may need more test.

 

[thirdstone]

I tried LEF DHEA and it didn't work for me neither did a topical cream but Empower DHEA Troche works well. You will have to see if your prolactin is high and how high it is before looking at how to correct it. If its way high you may need more test.

Thanks, after looking at peaktest and examine I see what you mean that my intake of DHEA is on the high end while my DHEAS level is on the low end. It can't hurt to try another source. Also, I will get my prolactin checked.

Did you notice a specific symptom change after switching the DHEA source? Or just that your levels changed?

 

[Vince Carter]

I'd dump that garbage DHEA and Preg, you don't need that stuff. TOo much HCG, cut that down to 250iu twice per week.

Id rather see how you do minus all that garbage, get to Cyp alone and test and judge whether you need an AI. You're giving classic elevated E symptoms but thinking more about lab numbers and second guessing your body.

 

[captain]

Thanks, after looking at peaktest and examine I see what you mean that my intake of DHEA is on the high end while my DHEAS level is on the low end. It can't hurt to try another source. Also, I will get my prolactin checked.

Did you notice a specific symptom change after switching the DHEA source? Or just that your levels changed?

My levels was like yours then switched to the troche and it went way over range. I have been taking small does through the day and I think I have better libido and erections. I can see my veins dilate after a dose. Other sources had no affect at all. Do some research on Prolactin, TRH and DHEA and you will see the connection and reasoning on backfilling the pathways. I recall a video of Dr. Shippen explaining what happens. Give it time its like everything else it don't happen over night.

 

[Indy57]

I would stop the HCG and see if that helps. I was having similar issues and went away when I discontinued the HCG. The HCG also spiked my E2 which also elevated my blood pressure to 165/110. I stopped the HCG and my blood pressure was back to 110/75 ( my normal ) in about 7-10 days. And my erections came back too!

Good luck!

Indy

 

[jmyers]

I’m having the exact same problem and I think it’s due to the HCG. When I stopped it my erections came back.. but I don’t want to screw up my other pathways...what other alternative do we have without HCG... would just taking preg and dhea be enough for backfilling without hcg?

 

[thirdstone]

When I first started TRT I was only taking the T cyp, 25mg of DHEA, and had Cialis and Viagra troches. No HCG. That's when I had the first instance of ED disappearing then returning. And maybe a month or so after I started my testicles started aching and I'd swear they didn't hang down as far either. I went that way for a few months. So, no HCG didn't solve the ED, at least for me. After I started the HCG my testicles stopped aching and they feel much better and more normal. Definitely, everyone is different. I do also believe back filling the pathways is the right way to go for me. I would prefer to return my body to as close as it's natural state as possible.

jmyers — Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that preg and DHEA are filling in some building block hormones that our bodies use to make other hormones. While HGC simulates luteinizing hormone release from the pituitary and makes your testicles start producing testosterone again. So basically, they do very different things, preg and DHEA don't replace the need for HCG.

 

[jmyers]

You are right... I have a higher body fat percentage and i think from labs hcg is causing some e2 problems. I’ve read guys using 50iu per day and that solves the issue. I’ve been using 100 per day...I’ll try that and post an update and labs

 

[thirdstone]

You are right... I have a higher body fat percentage and i think from labs hcg is causing some e2 problems. I’ve read guys using 50iu per day and that solves the issue. I’ve been using 100 per day...I’ll try that and post an update and labs

Just thinking, but perhaps it's possible that if you are adding HCG without lowering your T cyp injection just a little that your T levels are going up which is making more E2. Maybe look at your T levels as you made changes and see if there is a correlation between T and E2? If so, decrease the injection to get back to the T level that had a good E2. And of course you can always add an AI to bring E2 down also.