One year on TRT with soft erections

[LFH40]

Hi guys.
Things have been not too bad for me up until a couple months ago. My protocol has not changed. Here are my numbers as of last month at my annual labs through low t.

Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 1044 ng/dL 348 - 1197 01
Free Testosterone(Direct) 25.6 High pg/mL 6.8 - 21.5 02

Estradiol, Sensitive 39 pg/mL 3 - 70 02
Male Female
0- 6 yrs. 0 - 15 0 - 15
7-10 yrs. 0 - 15 0 - 70
11-12 yrs. 0 - 40 10 - 300
13-15 yrs. 0 - 45 10 - 300
>15 yrs. 3 - 70

My issue is that the better part of the year I had RAGING hard ons and was able to perform like a champ. The diet is pretty good, and my protocol is: Tues and Wed HCG 250iu each time for a total of 500iu per week and .25 on a 1cc syringe twice a week of testosterone cypionate. I did VERY well with this until recently. At my one year checkup, the doctor read my labs and said my E2 was slightly elevated and I'm on Anastrozole now. I was about 7 months ago too, but I monitored it and tested independently and I was able to stop taking it (I had accidentally overinjected myself for months with HCG due to a reconstituting error and I had converted to estrogen due to my error) Once that was discovered and I was on Anastrozole for awhile it corrected.

However, now I'm having massive trouble with erections. I have been on 1/2 a pill of anastrozole for about a month now since my appointment and the erections aren't staying very hard at all. I thought that the anastrozole would bring me down into the 20s and firm up my erections, but they're just barely plump these days. I'm afraid. I don't really know what to do? Is 4 weeks at 1/2 pill twice a week enough to CRASH my E2 from 39? Basically I'm at 1mg per week. I asked the doc if I should just try 1/4 2x per week and he said "no, 1/2 tab 2x's per week should do it."

I'm super frustrated because I was doing so well. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please and thank you in advance for any informed opinions. I know I haven't been a good member lately and contributing, but to save the sob story, I had a work injury, a couple surgeries, a car wreck, and my wife had a major surgery too. I haven't been much on the forum lately due to circumstances. But would be grateful for some educated help. Thanks!

[Beethoven]

Hi guys.
Things have been not too bad for me up until a couple months ago. My protocol has not changed. Here are my numbers as of last month at my annual labs through low t.

Testosterone,Free and Total
Testosterone, Serum 1044 ng/dL 348 - 1197 01
Free Testosterone(Direct) 25.6 High pg/mL 6.8 - 21.5 02

Estradiol, Sensitive 39 pg/mL 3 - 70 02
Male Female
0- 6 yrs. 0 - 15 0 - 15
7-10 yrs. 0 - 15 0 - 70
11-12 yrs. 0 - 40 10 - 300
13-15 yrs. 0 - 45 10 - 300
>15 yrs. 3 - 70

My issue is that the better part of the year I had RAGING hard ons and was able to perform like a champ. The diet is pretty good, and my protocol is: Tues and Wed HCG 250iu each time for a total of 500iu per week and .25 on a 1cc syringe twice a week of testosterone cypionate. I did VERY well with this until recently. At my one year checkup, the doctor read my labs and said my E2 was slightly elevated and I'm on Anastrozole now. I was about 7 months ago too, but I monitored it and tested independently and I was able to stop taking it (I had accidentally overinjected myself for months with HCG due to a reconstituting error and I had converted to estrogen due to my error) Once that was discovered and I was on Anastrozole for awhile it corrected.

However, now I'm having massive trouble with erections. I have been on 1/2 a pill of anastrozole for about a month now since my appointment and the erections aren't staying very hard at all. I thought that the anastrozole would bring me down into the 20s and firm up my erections, but they're just barely plump these days. I'm afraid. I don't really know what to do? Is 4 weeks at 1/2 pill twice a week enough to CRASH my E2 from 39? Basically I'm at 1mg per week. I asked the doc if I should just try 1/4 2x per week and he said "no, 1/2 tab 2x's per week should do it."

I'm super frustrated because I was doing so well. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please and thank you in advance for any informed opinions. I know I haven't been a good member lately and contributing, but to save the sob story, I had a work injury, a couple surgeries, a car wreck, and my wife had a major surgery too. I haven't been much on the forum lately due to circumstances. But would be grateful for some educated help. Thanks!

High and low E2 can have similar symptoms. 1 mg of Anastrozole a week is a pretty large dose. When I need it, I only use .5 mg a week. Anastrozole is very good but very powerful. I crashed mine with a similar dosage way back. If you didn't need it before and your E2 rose because of human error in your HCG, assuming that has been corrected would stop taking it and stick with what is known to work.

[LFH40]

My e2 was elevated to 39 at my doctor appointment last month and I was in NO AI at all yet. Should I have left the E2 slightly higher? So should I drop the dose to 1/4 2x's a week or just stop or altogether and retest independently in a few weeks?

[LFH40]

How long does it take to crash E2? Since it wasn't the sensitive assay, I'm wondering if at 39 I was just fine? I'm contemplating laying off the AI altogether for a month's time and then going to LabCorp to get independent testing done on the sensitive assay and see where I'm at. It has been noticeable over the last month or so that the erection quality has gone down. Even though my test levels are optimal at this point, the erections are complete crap and non-usable. The climax comes, however it's with a practically limp penis. That is awful and humiliating. Rather than titrate my dose down, should I just maybe eradicate if from my protocol for awhile and let it normally bounce back (if it's even crashed at this point)and see where I'm at? I guess if I've had terrible quality for a month now, it can't get worse, but only better?

I had told my doctor that I felt great, but he said the estrogen was a bit high at 39 and needed to be in the low 20's (to which I agreed on the number) however, if it was NOT the sensitive test, could this perhaps been an inaccurate reading and by adding in 1mg of AI per week that I just crashed it in a month? Is a month enough time to crash it?

I was doing so well with this too. My marriage and sex life were making a rebound and now I'm at optimal level and I'm back to square one with an insufficient erection during sex. This sucks.

[Beethoven]

If your level was 39 you were well within range. But what is important is how have you felt. If you felt good at 39 who cares. I've had both the standard test and the sensitive assay. With me the sensitive assay is about ten points lower. My point is if you were already dialed in at a certain protocol just go back to it any you would be fine. I did that with my HCG a couple of months ago. It spiked my E2 and I countered with a bit more Adex. I lost control and wasn't able to do BW to dial it in so I sim went back to my proven dialed in protocol and no problem. Back to normal.

[Metalject]

That much anastrozole (I'm not saying it's a massive amount) could lower your E2 too much. It just depends on how sensitive you are. You could always retest and see where you are, just test levels and E2 and go from there. Or you could stop the anastrozole for 2-3wks and introduce maybe 50mg of zinc per day and see if that does the trick. If you do end up needing a bit of anastrozole, maybe reintroduce .25mg/wk the day of or after your testosterone injection. If more is needed, add in another .25mg the day of or after your other testosterone injection.

Two personal notes, simply what I prefer - I prefer to take the HCG and testosterone on the same days, this seems to help me overall. I also seem to function better with a little more E2 lately than the standard 20-30 range. For years I've always sat around 18-22 pg/ml on E2 with testosterone alone and a few points higher with added HCG at 250iu/2x/wk...never needed anastrozole. However, since doubling the HCG to 500iu/2x/wk, while it hasn't affected my testosterone levels significantly, it has increased my E2 to over 30 and my libido and all of that is much stronger. I still don't take any anastrozole.

Last thing, I just mentioned this in another thread - keep in mind blood flow issues aren't always related to testosterone and E2 issues. Sometimes we need other types of help other than just LowT treatment, i.e. PDE5 inhibitors. As time goes by, things simply change, they never stay the same. Anyway, my .02 cents.

[2Sox]

LFH40,

Pretty good advice above. Can you clarify exactly how much T your are taking - in mg?

As Beethoven said, it seems pretty clear that the logical thing to do is to go back to the protocol you had when things were going well.

Some other answers: As has been said, Adex is VERY strong stuff, 1mg/week is WAY much on a standard TRT regimen, and from my own experience, can crash you E2 in days. When you stay off it, you can also come back within days.

[Lifted1]

My e2 was elevated to 39 at my doctor appointment last month and I was in NO AI at all yet. Should I have left the E2 slightly higher? So should I drop the dose to 1/4 2x's a week or just stop or altogether and retest independently in a few weeks?

if you were doing ok at that level, I would suggest going back to it

[Chicagotarsier]

Hormones are a funny thing. As Beethoven above said if it was working go back to it.

I have very hard sides to adex. It tastes like shat and it makes me feel like shat. Extremestane does not. But all beside the point....get back to what works. Cialis can also be your friend..it is my friend lol.

[LFH40]

Thanks guys! It's sort of what I wanted to do in the first place, but wanted some reassurance. I was leary at first because the doctor is through the site sponsor. But I guess he's advising me what he is supposed to based on my numbers. But I really did feel better before I stared taking the anastrozole. I will be happy to get back to the way I was feeling. So if I was taking it for a month, I suppose it's going to take me a month to get back to the way i was feeling pre-anastrozole.

[Metalject]

Thanks guys! It's sort of what I wanted to do in the first place, but wanted some reassurance. I was leary at first because the doctor is through the site sponsor. But I guess he's advising me what he is supposed to based on my numbers. But I really did feel better before I stared taking the anastrozole. I will be happy to get back to the way I was feeling. So if I was taking it for a month, I suppose it's going to take me a month to get back to the way i was feeling pre-anastrozole.

It probably won't take that long at all...assuming that's the only issue, and it could be.

[kelkel]

Nothing wrong with an E2 of 39 if you feel good there. Simply stop the adex and retest in a month.
When it comes to adex think about this. The avg cycle dosage is .25 eod for a 500mg test cycle. You were doing more.

[LFH40]

Nothing wrong with an E2 of 39 if you feel good there. Simply stop the adex and retest in a month.
When it comes to adex think about this. The avg cycle dosage is .25 eod for a 500mg test cycle. You were doing more.

I agree with you. I listened to the doctor and took .5 rather than .25 twice a week. I should have listened to myself. But that's a sound idea like you and the others say, leave it alone and retest in a month... And find a hobby for the next month while I have no libido and weak wood. Lol.

[kelkel]

It'll come back around in no time LFH.

[LFH40]

Glad I listened to you guys. I dropped the AI from the routine for a little over a week now and I'm starting to come around. The downstairs plumbing is starting to make a comeback. I'll give it 4 or 5 weeks and I'll test at the beginning of the year and see where the E2 is sitting and assess from there.

Thank you again!

[Beethoven]

Glad I listened to you guys. I dropped the AI from the routine for a little over a week now and I'm starting to come around. The downstairs plumbing is starting to make a comeback. I'll give it 4 or 5 weeks and I'll test at the beginning of the year and see where the E2 is sitting and assess from there.

Thank you again!

Good to hear.

[BigPimpin76]

Also, if you can switch from Adex to Aromasin (Stane)
Its a much smoother ride compared to Adex.
Keep us posted

Sent from my iPhone using Forum

[2Sox]

It'll come back around in no time LFH.

....especially if you keep on looking at Kel's avatar.

[LFH40]

....especially if you keep on looking at Kel's avatar.

Bumping this because I just got my 6 month labs back. No wonder why I have no wood. My E2 is in the low 70s. Haven't seen the hard copy results yet as they haven't posted, but I just got off the horn with the doc and he told me. I'm mid 800s for total and a 33 free.

I had stopped adex in the fall when I had my last labs and showed a 39 for E2. I was paranoid of crashing it, I guess the opposite happened. Doc gave me choice of .25mg of anastrozole 2xweek, or .50mg 2xweek. I think I'm going to get some more DIM with copper and some ZMA and do .25 twice weekly and retest e2 in a month. Does that sound feasible or should I try half pill twice w week?

[2Sox]

Bumping this because I just got my 6 month labs back. No wonder why I have no wood. My E2 is in the low 70s. Haven't seen the hard copy results yet as they haven't posted, but I just got off the horn with the doc and he told me. I'm mid 800s for total and a 33 free.

I had stopped adex in the fall when I had my last labs and showed a 39 for E2. I was paranoid of crashing it, I guess the opposite happened. Doc gave me choice of .25mg of anastrozole 2xweek, or .50mg 2xweek. I think I'm going to get some more DIM with copper and some ZMA and do .25 twice weekly and retest e2 in a month. Does that sound feasible or should I try half pill twice w week?

For each individual, it seems to be all trial and error. It's an unfortunate and inconvenient fact. Yes, Adex is some pretty strong stuff so it's good to cultivate a healthy respect for it. Have you considered Exemestane/Aromasin?

[LFH40]

For each individual, it seems to be all trial and error. It's an unfortunate and inconvenient fact. Yes, Adex is some pretty strong stuff so it's good to cultivate a healthy respect for it. Have you considered Exemestane/Aromasin?

Hey Sox, I agree. I don't think that my trt through the site sponsor gives aromasin as an option. I guess I'll start with .25 twice weekly and titrate as needed?

[Low Testosterone]

Sox is correct, it's often a lot of trial and error, more for some than others. Is that annoying? You bet it is. It would be easier on everyone if we all worked the exact same way. Take your E2 number for example, plenty of men would have zero issues with erections at that number and then others like yourself would have a problem. Nothing works exactly the same for everyone, and the most annoying factor of all is that our body changes over time. What worked or didn't work may very well be the opposite later down the road. That's why I've never been a big fan of the phrase "Dialed In." I'll use the phrase myself but only loosely because "dialed in" can change over time.

Are you still taking any zinc? You might be able to get it down where you need to with zinc and only .25 anastrozole a week. Regardless, find what works, talk with your doctor and find the right balance and when you're ready let us know and we'll check your E2 again.