Feeling like I'm crashing... could use some advice

[forrest_and_trees]

Had my blood tested one month ago and at that time, my Total T was 1132 and my E2 was 167. At the time of the test, I was injecting 200mg of Test Cyp once a week; on a daily basis, I was taking 50mg DHEA, some useless OTC AI, 1000mcg of Sublingual B12, along with a diuretic for water.

Other than the water retention, and occasional irritability, a day or so after injection, the only other noticeable draw back I had was short term breakout that lasted a day or two; usually one to 3 days after pinning. Other than that I was actually beginning to feel better. My energy and mood was improving but most importantly, my desire to be active, workout and excercise was increasing. For the first time in over 10 years, I actually WANTED to exercise.

Fast forward: Due to my test results, the doc suggested I back off the Test Cyp some and lower my dosage from 200mg to 180mg weekly. I also laid off the DHEA and began taking Arimidex. I started the Arimidex at .25 EOD for the first week and then bumped it to .5 EOD. I've also split my injections to bi-weekly at .4ml.

I had expected to feel EVEN BETTER once I lowered my ridiculously high E2; which I started to feel the second week of the AI. However I'm now on week three and the past week has been a steady decline of my feeling more and more tired and useless each day. I've had mild to moderate headaches for several days now and today I felt like I never fully woke up all. I even slept for a few hours in the mid day which I rarely do. I *really* don't like feeling this way especially when I was expecting the opposite. Any ideas or suggestions on what could be the cause or what I could do to improve things? I've got about another week and a half before I have my next test and don't want to go through another week like the last.

Is it possible my E2 dropped too much in that short of a time frame? I know going from 200mg to 180mg is not that big of a drop, but could that be contributing? Is it possible some people are better off at Total Test numbers as high as I had as opposed to the low to mid 800 range most everyone else shoots for?

I've also been thinking about adding HCG too; but want to get other things under control before I add another factor to the mix. From what little I've read about HCG, I've seem some comments that it can actually make you feel better. Would it be to my benefit to try that or should I wait until I resolve my current issues?

Thanks.

P.S. Hope that all made sense as my brain is feeling a little foggy too.

[Vettester]

Forrest, glad you're doing some upcoming lab work. Your body is going through a lot of changes, so be a little patient. I doubt your E2 dropped too low at this point of time, based on the amount of Adex you've posted, but anything is possible. Are you experiencing any aching joints or a noticeable change in libido?

If you're exercising, keep in mind that your body needs the extra rest. It also needs the proper replenishment of nutrients and protein so that you don't go catabolic on us. That's one of the reasons I started that supplement thread ... It's vital to know what products are needed to compliment your TRT program.

Take an evaluation of everything from diet to sleep and see is anything can be refined. Get your labs done and see what the story says. May be seeing a little lipid reaction and see what the ALT/AST part tells you. Once you get that in tune, let's talk HCG. You will need to probably modify your current program if you introduce HCG into the picture.

[forrest_and_trees]

Libido seems to be down some. As for joints, I did have a couple days where they were surprisingly achy. I woke one morning early this past week in considerable pain, in fact my left knee, which acts up from time to time, was *so* bad I couldn't walk down the stairs without using the rails. A couple ibuprofen later and I was beginning to feel better. Since then my joints have improved but I'm still getting headaches. Today was a little better than I've been except I felt nauseous most of the day. It's been awkward this past week as little things creep up and change day to day. As far as exercising, I've been too tired to do any.

Lastly, I've been getting plenty protein and complex carbs. I usually stay away from sugar and especially candy however, one day when I was feeling exceptionally tired, just to see if it made a difference, I had a candy bar to bump my blood sugar. My muscles started to ache about 5 mins after I ate it and then about 20 mins later I began to feel a *little* more awake; but of course that did not last long.

I'm thinking about going back to weekly injections just to see if it makes any difference. Not to mention the annoying itchy feeling I've been getting; I'd rather live with the break-outs. I've also been noticing I get hot flashes after dinner which last most of the evening.

[Vettester]

Definitely get in and get your labs done ... Bump it up a few days if you can. Hows your BP and anxiety level? 180mg is still up there and you still might be hanging around in the 1000 range on your score. This is the period you're trying to dial this in, so possibly consider 150mg for a week or two and see if that makes a difference.

[forrest_and_trees]

You seem to be batting a thousand right now... I actually was a bit on edge most of the day. You obviously suspect something; so what's up?

[HawaiianPride.]

Not a wise first post qingxi. Remove the source link and read the rules.

[Vettester]

You seem to be batting a thousand right now... I actually was a bit on edge most of the day. You obviously suspect something; so what's up?

Forrest, the symptoms you're describing obviously suggest the body is under some stress. There could be a hundred+ things that are causing this, but right now anything discussed is just pure speculation. Your labs will cut to the chase and tell you exactly what is going on. If I had to take a guess (and this is just a guess), I'd lean to look at the liver area and see if the enzyme (ALT, AST) function is normal. Could be a case of just a little too much, too soon as you're adapting to your TRT regiment. If you're drinking any alcohol *STOP*.

Might be a case of just cutting everything back a bit and see if it helps. 1000+ total "T" works for some, but might not be what's best for you. In your case maybe 600 or 700 is a good place, I dunno. Get some labs done ASAP, and keep everything clean for the time being.

[forrest_and_trees]

Forrest, the symptoms you're describing obviously suggest the body is under some stress. There could be a hundred+ things that are causing this, but right now anything discussed is just pure speculation. Your labs will cut to the chase and tell you exactly what is going on. If I had to take a guess (and this is just a guess), I'd lean to look at the liver area and see if the enzyme (ALT, AST) function is normal. Could be a case of just a little too much, too soon as you're adapting to your TRT regiment. If you're drinking any alcohol *STOP*.

Might be a case of just cutting everything back a bit and see if it helps. 1000+ total "T" works for some, but might not be what's best for you. In your case maybe 600 or 700 is a good place, I dunno. Get some labs done ASAP, and keep everything clean for the time being.

Got it! Thanks!

[forrest_and_trees]

Vetteman:

So I'm thinking the Male Deluxe Anti-Aging Panel from Prvt. MD Labs should do the trick? Monday of next week will be one full month that I've been on Arimidex and since I pin on Wednesday, I was thinking Tuesday of next week [the 3rd] would be a good day for my test draw. Anything wrong with that?