Help with doctor and testerone, she keeps pushing pellets

[patjza80]

Ok to start out i've got a benign pituitary tumor. They told me at a young age I may have to have hormone replacement later in life. So about year about went to the doctor, got testerone levels checked, they were like 210 or so, so i was put on a 200 shot every two weeks. It helped. Levels got to about 640ish. About six months later I conviced her to let me try 200 a week . Felt great was at about 1090 test level.

Did blood test, she thought that was to high, so she cut me to 100 a week. Blood test again, I was at 340. She thought that was too low, so now I a 200 shot for the first three weeks of the month, no shot the fourth week, then start over.

I heard there was a different doctor that was letting people get as high as 1500. Went to her, told her what my levels have been and on what doses. I also tell her my energy has been fading and sex drive is still a bit low. I ask her may if I have a bit to much estrogen. I have slightly puffy nips among the two other symptoms. She instantly prescribes me letrozole . I take 1.25 every week.

Took my first dose. For the first 4 days, energy was great, day 5 its starting to fade.

OK - Here is where I need advice.

She took my blood that day. I would have been getting my third shot that week for the month, but I held off because I was going to see her. SO I hadn't had a shot for 8 days.

She did blood work, the nurse calls me after the 4th of july weekend and tells me " my test is at 400, and the shots are not working". She then tells me " the doctor recommends that you should do the pellets". She is really big on pushing pellets.

I can't afford pellets. Everything has been under insurance so far.

What should I do? Ask her to do? Let me try the letrozole and shots together?

I mean why would the shots not be working? Because its turning into estrogen?


Thanks for your time!

[MastaMan]

What sort of test were you getting? cypionate?

[patjza80]

Yes sir.

[MastaMan]

Well then i wouldn't say the shots aren't working... according to drugs dot com the half life of cypionate is 8 days. So half of the test you injected eight days before the test was gone. And you sai your natural test was at 200, so 400 isn't greaaat, but considering the time frame? Might not be terrible. And it sure was working when you were injecting every week! 1090! so just tell her you want to go back to that

[lovbyts]

Sounds like they are working to me also especially if it was at day 8. Tell her NO, you cant afford out of pocket and want to stick with the shots. Tell her to up the dose a little more, do your shots more often, 1x a week or less, split it up and make sure she checks your E2 levels also to make sure your test is not being converted into E2.

Bottom line, you cant afford pellets, you would rather work out the proper test injections. Remember something, she works for you. If she starts giving you a hard time ask her for a referal to an Endocrinologist or someone who has more experience with HRT.

[GotNoBlueMilk]

Yes, you have the right to say no pellets! My doc discussed pellets with me a few months ago. The conversation came up because I was reacting to the cotton oil in the Test Cyp. Doc was pretty neutral on pellets. His points were interesting, but few positives over shots: You get the pellets once every 4-6 months depending on your lifestyle; simple in office procedure; when you exercise more T is released and less T is released when you are sitting on the couch, just like your body does; hard to get the amount perfect since you can't tweak the dosage easily; you certainly can't lower the dosage once it is in; cost more and may not be covered by insurance.

Your doc thinks the T shots are not working because you skipped a shot and did not tell your doc. Of course, not sure why doc thinks pellets will work when shots don't. But you tried to get your blood levels lower and you succeeded. It really is not good to try and fool your doc. You two are a team and have to work together to get things zeroed into the perfect zone.

Regarding this part of your post: She instantly prescribes me letrozole . I take 1.25 every week. Took my first dose. For the first 4 days, energy was great, day 5 its starting to fade.

I read that you took 1.25 mg in one dose, and you are taking one dose once a week? Letro has a half-life of 3 days if I remember correctly. So 5 days later you are going to start getting higher E2 values again. This would explain why you felt good and then not as good 5 days later. Break that out to even doses every other day. That should help keep letro blood levels steady and E2 down, consistently.

From what you have said here, your doc is open to HRT and obviously reading up on it, but the doc lacks experience and expertise. 1.25 mg once a week of Letro, a T shot once every 2 weeks, these are all bad prescriptions. However, she did break the shot out to 100 mg/week which is the way to go. So maybe you can work with her and gain benefit. If not, do as suggested and ask for a referral.

[patjza80]

Thanks guys for taking the time to comment. I wasn't my intention to not tell her my last shot was 8 days ago, I just didn't think about it. I have an appointment with her tomorrow at 2p. I'll let you know what she says.

My goal would be just like me take the shots my self and come back for blood work. I don't think she is going to let me, but i'm going to try.

[patjza80]

Good news. She is going to keep me 200 a week! Now 9 days after my last shot, my test was 480, and my estrogen was 44. I'm guessing my estrogen was high when my levels were peeked. What doesage should I be taking of Letrozole weekly? 1/4 pill of 2.5 pill every 4 days?

[Sledgehammer1]

Letro is very strong. Have in mind that Letrozole is hard on your lipids. Estrogen plays a major role in HDL production. Suppressing estrogen completely would probably do the same to HDL and send LDL through the roof. Estrogen also plays a role in memory as well as libido and erection. Eliminating estrogen will leave you impotent and sexless. Every man needs SOME estrogen for these reasons.

The Arimidex protocol for female breast cancer is 1mg daily. That is WAY too much for men but in women with breast cancer, starving the cancer of estrogen is more important because cancer WILL kill them. Men on AAS use lower doses like 0.25mg daily or EOD in hopes to suppress just enough estrogen to prevent problems but not so much as to cause others like the ones listed above.

[patjza80]

I got ya thats my goal, is to just to prevent problems. I'm taking a 1/4 pill every 4 days. Its .625mg. I IMMEDIATELY noticed a change in my energy, I wasn't crashing in the middle of the afternoon any more. But I can't tell a different in my sex drive, which has still be low even on TRT.