Lack of emotional responses on trt

[Phil Goodman]

Posting in this thread for increased visibility, but mods feel free to move to the side effect forum if needed. We often hear of people being overly emotional on trt, but I wonder how many people end up on the other side of the spectrum on this front. I’ve always been very even-keeled, and less likely to be overwhelmed with emotions no matter what they are (happy, sad, angry, etc.). It comes in handy lots of times(like dealing with stressful situations or sad events), but I also think that to a certain extent it can be good to get emotional. Since starting trt over 3 years ago there have been a few brief periods of being more emotional, but for the most part it has made my disconnection even more pronounced. For example there have been times when I probably should’ve cried, and even times when I wanted to cry but couldn’t. Again, I’m sure this is due in large part to my personality, but I’m also sure there is a hormonal aspect to it. And again, there are quite a few positives to this…but I also wonder what types of negatives there could be from this change. Curious as to what types of changes others have seen in this regard.

 

[Cataceous]

I've found that this kind of emotional responsiveness correlates with estradiol. With undetectable estradiol I was almost getting a flat affect, maybe technically a blunt affect. With high estradiol there's heightened sensitivity to the point where it feels like every drama movie is being overly manipulative. Neither extreme is ideal.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

I think constant high levels of the sex hormones can feel SSRI-like, where your mood is kept very even, you are insulated from events affecting you, and emotions are constrained. I think this can happen even when E2 is high, provided it is kept persistently and stably high over a long period. I think the hyper emotionality associated with high E2 is more pronounced when E2 is fluctuating and spiking above a previous baseline. I could be wrong, but these are my tentative observations.

I think the cure for this and for the disconnection from reality involves things like spending time at lower levels and less HPTA suppression. You can do this by simply reducing your doses, or if you are still trying to maintain benefits of higher dosing, a strategy that incorporates regular periods of low trough levels may help.

@Jerajera will have thoughts on this topic I'm sure.

 

[Phil Goodman]

Thanks for the responses. On my most recent bloodwork last month my e2 was slightly above the top end of the range, while my free t was pretty low even though total t was in the 800’s. I don’t put a ton of emphasis on a single snapshot because I know there can be a lot of variables, but I was surprised to see such an unbalanced e/free t ratio. I have my annual consult with defy this month so I’ll be interested to hear my doctor’s thoughts on this.

And now that I think about it, my emotional responses weren’t as blunted early on in the process. That could be due to my body not being acclimated to the higher levels at that point, but now I’m also wondering if perhaps my less frequent injections resulted in more of a roller coaster which allowed a wider range of emotional response. Probably a bit of both if I had to guess. Currently doing a Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat protocol so perhaps going back down to 2 injections per week would resolve some of this. Though honestly it isn’t a huge deal, and for the most part I really enjoy the feeling of my current protocol. I also tend to think that the stoic approach to things is more natural for men with higher levels anyway, and I could see an advantage from an evolutionary standpoint. We all know plenty of older men who seemed unfazed by all the things life threw at them, sometimes to the point of coming off cold. Perhaps that is how men evolved to be over the years as they had to be protectors who were able to set emotions aside and deal with protecting their families and livelihood. Thanks again for the input guys.

 

[Cataceous]

... Perhaps that is how men evolved to be over the years as they had to be protectors who were able to set emotions aside and deal with protecting their families and livelihood. ...

I have a sense that this is overlapping into the domain of oxytocin. There are some interesting ideas stemming from the research reported on here. The gist of it is that you need a reasonable amount of empathy and caring to live successfully with others. But you need to ditch that when you are hunting animals or fighting wars to survive. In experimenting with oxytocin supplementation I find it to be remarkably effective in improving empathy, willingness to share, etc. But I also feel these effects are reasonably distinct from the emotional responsiveness promoted by estradiol.

 

[Phil Goodman]

I have a sense that this is overlapping into the domain of oxytocin. There are some interesting ideas stemming from the research reported on here. The gist of it is that you need a reasonable amount of empathy and caring to live successfully with others. But you need to ditch that when you are hunting animals or fighting wars to survive. In experimenting with oxytocin supplementation I find it to be remarkably effective in improving empathy, willingness to share, etc. But I also feel these effects are reasonably distinct from the emotional responsiveness promoted by estradiol.

Yeah that definitely makes sense. I’d be interested to hear your experiences experimenting with oxytocin. It’s something I’d considered in the past after hearing Thierry Herroghe talk about the benefits of it, but I’ve never tried it myself.

Not to say that would resolve the issues of blunted emotional responses, but now that I think about it, it’s probably something I could benefit from as well.