Testopel Implants

[UTE]

New here so bare with me.

I had blood work done 6 weeks ago to determine if low T was the root of my lack of energy, libido and overall wellness, all that was tested was the total T and it was at 212. (I'm sure the root is that I am 45yrs old, 6'0" 285lbs)

I had 14 Testopel pellets inserted 5 weeks ago. The blood levels at week 4 were Total T 1076, Free T 20.7 and E 72.4.

Yesterday the doc put me on Arimidex 1mg per day for 6 weeks. Is this normal? I realize by reading the threads here that the E is high but in most cases I read here .25mg EOD or so seems to be the dosage taken by most.

The implants were easy to have inserted and I had minimal discomfort for a week or so after. I felt great day 5 - 15, great meaning a noticeable difference in energy and morning wood, which seems to have mellowed quite a bit.

Just curious what others have experienced and what I might expect. Also any feedback on the Arimidex would be great.

[AnabolicDoc]

There is s high rate of complications with the Testopel implants. Some studies show a complication rate that approaches 15% (I think that's per year of use - I have to double check). The most common issues are infection and extrusion of the pellets. It's somewhat operator dependent. Also, it causes one to experience a broad range of T levels over a 3 month time interval. Some say that it can be done as infrequently as every 6 months, but realistically new implants are needed every 3 months.

I think the consensus will be that the dose of Arimidex is high, even for ppl taking much greater amounts of T (as u pointed out). But I'm a firm believer that u need to trust your doctor and follow their instructions, while being your own advocate. There's nothing wrong with discussing what you've read with your doctor and coming to a mutual understanding. If you don't have faith in your doctor (and I mean this as a generality) it may be time to consider finding a new one.

[APIs]

Congrats. There's a few on here that like the implants and have gotten good results. To each their own. Others will chime in, but that's an insane amount of Arimidex for him to put you on. Your E2 levels will quickly fall through the floor creating more problems than you started with. I could see maybe .25 or .5 mgs on Mon, Wed, Thur to start, but not 1 mg every day. I'd call him to re-confirm if that's the correct dosing & discuss your concerns. My $0.02...

[bass]

1mg ed is equivalent to chemotherapy as GD noted before, for God 's sake cut that down to 0.25 eod. Your e2 is no that high and will crash very quickly, and like AP noted you will be worse off than you started. After a weak cut that back to 0.25 twice a week. Of course BW in needed to make a better assessment.

[61er]

Welcome, UTE. I've had great success with pellets. Two rounds with no complications (e.g., extrusion, infection). Feel great (e.g., energy, libido, confidence, sleep). I'll definitely continue with this treatment (15 pellets). I intend to supplement with a small amount of Testim once levels begin to noticeably slide. In round one, this was around the three month mark.

[UTE]

Congrats. There's a few on here that like the implants and have gotten good results. To each their own. Others will chime in, but that's an insane amount of Arimidex for him to put you on. Your E2 levels will quickly fall through the floor creating more problems than you started with. I could see maybe .25 or .5 mgs on Mon, Wed, Thur to start, but not 1 mg every day. I'd call him to re-confirm if that's the correct dosing & discuss your concerns. My $0.02...

Thanks for input! I did confirm that is what he wants me on. I will consult with him about it. Thanks again!

[UTE]

61er I am glad to hear you have had great results! Hopefully I will get the same out of it. Did your doc prescribe the Testim?

[UTE]

Bass Thank you I will definitely give him a call! I will admit that after 1mg ed for the past two days, third today, I feel much better. Being new to this what are some of the effects of the e2 crash?

[AnabolicDoc]

Some estrogen is needed in men for emotional well being, intact libido, energy, as well as performing an anabolic function. Oddly, in studies where men were deprived of estrogen through aromatase-inhibition, there were deceases in LH levels (bc normally estrogen has an inhibitory effect on GnRH, LH, and FSH levels).

http://m.jcem.endojournals.org/content/85/9/3024.full

[sirupate]

On my third set of pellets as of last Monday. Doc has been doing 12 on me. No problems so far, infection or extrusion. I'm generally pretty happy through month 2, then OK in month 3 and month 4 begins to suck a bit. I'd like the doc to just re-implant me at 4 months...we'll see if I can get him there. He seems to want to wait on labs to reschedule the pellets, which takes a bit more time.

Doc also makes available a scrip for Androgel when I get toward the end of the pellet cycle.

Latest is that my doctor say that his office has his pellet supply on back-order with no firm delivery date being named by the supplier. Hope that situation resolves before my 4 months are up.

[kelkel]

Definitly reduce the AI amount. That's a breast cancer dosage for god's sake. Side effects of low and high E can be similar: Joint pain, loss of libido, etc., just google it. Consider it a front-load so cut it back to maybe .25 x 2 per week and recheck BW. No need to fast for this individual test. Just make sure it's a sensitive assay. If you use Labcorp I can provide the proper codes to they don't screw it up. It seems many of the lab workers just are not familiar with the sensitive assay.

I as well totally believe in an open/honest relationship with your doctor. Trust is everything, but your doc needs some education here. Remember this, people who "cycle" test with an average dosage of 500mg per week will take .25mg eod on average. That said, do the math on how much you are prescribed. Buy a pill cutter!

[UTE]

Definitly reduce the AI amount. That's a breast cancer dosage for god's sake. Side effects of low and high E can be similar: Joint pain, loss of libido, etc., just google it. Consider it a front-load so cut it back to maybe .25 x 2 per week and recheck BW. No need to fast for this individual test. Just make sure it's a sensitive assay. If you use Labcorp I can provide the proper codes to they don't screw it up. It seems many of the lab workers just are not familiar with the sensitive assay.

I as well totally believe in an open/honest relationship with your doctor. Trust is everything, but your doc needs some education here. Remember this, people who "cycle" test with an average dosage of 500mg per week will take .25mg eod on average. That said, do the math on how much you are prescribed. Buy a pill cutter!

Thank you for the info. I did call and talk to him and his recommendation was to cut it back to 1mg/eod for a month then blood work. I think I will try the .25mg/eod and go off feel for the next three weeks.

[61er]

61er I am glad to hear you have had great results! Hopefully I will get the same out of it. Did your doc prescribe the Testim?

My GP prescribed the Testim previously. I switched to an endo 8 months ago, and we moved to pellets. The endo agreed with my thinking about supplementing when I begin to feel the decline. I'll need a prescription from him. Hope insurance is okay with this.

[kelkel]

Well if you start feeling a loss of libido, joint pain, etc you may need to make a change asap.