Depression and Anxiety relief with TRT?

[lacey23]

I'm curious if anybody has found that TRT improved these symptoms for them.

I was on TRT, and got sick of trying to control E2, as it felt like I was on a rollercoaster, and could never find a dose that worked well. I had a lot of anxiety, and some depression, so my Dr prescribed an SSRI, and also I ended up going off TRT by using clomid. I felt great, with no depression or anxiety for a good stretch, and ended up stopping the clomid in September.

All of a sudden, mid November the anxiety started coming back again, followed by some depression. I got my bloodwork done, and test is 350ng/dl, and E2 is <70 (ref range <150). Free test is under the normal range. Doc wants to get my Test back up again.

I'm hesitant to get back on TRT. Curious if other people have relieved depression and/or anxiety from TRT, as maybe it's possible the drop in test levels post clomid are the reason for re-occuring anxiety?

Thanks

[sparverius]

One of my symptoms of low T was serious depression. I feel much better on an age appropriate level of T.

Your E2 could be high. A reading of <70 could be anything. You need to insist that the doc request the sensitive or male E2 test.
What units is that? A ref range of <150 is double the highest I have seen on a lab. That's for pg/dl. Too much E2 makes me depressed and anxious.

You may just need to be more methodical when adjusting your meds. Make only change one thing at a time, follow the new protocol for at least a month or two, then test. Many doctors will make too large a change, so you may do better by adjusting the meds yourself.

Do you know why you're low and need TRT?

[lacey23]

One of my symptoms of low T was serious depression. I feel much better on an age appropriate level of T.

Your E2 could be high. A reading of <70 could be anything. You need to insist that the doc request the sensitive or male E2 test.
What units is that? A ref range of <150 is double the highest I have seen on a lab. That's for pg/dl. Too much E2 makes me depressed and anxious.

You may just need to be more methodical when adjusting your meds. Make only change one thing at a time, follow the new protocol for at least a month or two, then test. Many doctors will make too large a change, so you may do better by adjusting the meds yourself.

Do you know why you're low and need TRT?

I appreciate the response. Did the Testosterone itself help relieve depression?

We don't get sensitive E2 testing in Canada, so I have to go with what I got. It is in Pmol/L. So, 70Pmol/L converts to about 19PG/ML. 150PMol/L converts to about 41PG/ML.

I'm currently off TRT, and it looks like test, free test, and E2 are all on the low end. Which is weird because in years past I always had high E2 coupled with low test.

[sparverius]

Yes, getting to normal levels of T helped my depression quite a bit. It was one of the major benefits. But if I could reach normal T levels naturally I'd do that instead of TRT.

Clomid raises E2. So it could be that your E2 was low on TRT due to excess AI, and the Clomid raised it to levels that work better for you.

You should find out why your T and E2 are both low, it might help you figure out what's wrong.

[lacey23]

Yes, getting to normal levels of T helped my depression quite a bit. It was one of the major benefits. But if I could reach normal T levels naturally I'd do that instead of TRT.

Clomid raises E2. So it could be that your E2 was low on TRT due to excess AI, and the Clomid raised it to levels that work better for you.

You should find out why your T and E2 are both low, it might help you figure out what's wrong.

I don't really know why it's low, or how someone would figure that out. Just kinda is. I assume it has something to do with doing steroids when I was young, and dumb, but who knows.

My E2 was high prior to TRT. Really high on TRT (without an AI). Never could get it stable with an AI in a good spot. Now all of a sudden E2 is low, lol. Makes no sense to me.

[miker295]

Can you describe what your TRT protocol was previously when you were on the roller coaster? How long were you on it?

I have had the same issue - big time anxiety starting TRT. I am eight weeks in and it has gotten much better. For me that meant reducing both the T dose and the AI dose. I've heard many people say less is more on TRT.

[GSXRvi6]

I had extreme depression prior to TRT.

My day to day life was a "routine" that I just did, NOTHING brought me joy, I couldn't listen to music as I couldn't focus for more than 1 minute at a time, there was no emotional response to it. I couldn't sit through a movie, simply didn't hold my attention. The only thing that kept me going was duty to my family, I had an obligation to provide for them and that's the only reason I got out of bed in the morning.

I kept declining to the point my hobbies didn't bring me joy, I had a complete lack of interest in sex. I still had some libido, my pecker still worked, but if the choice came down to sleeping or pounding away I'd sleep.

Eventually thoughts of suicide randomly would pop into my head, I struggled for years, no one knew, not even my wife, I kept my game face on 24 x 7 for years, no one had a clue about the battle in my head.

One day I randomly started thinking about the angle I would use if I put a .45 in my mouth and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was like, this isn't normal. I stress bad over stuff that I shouldn't be and thoughts like this are not normal, especially for me. Good life, good job, good family, awesome wife, I've got 0 reason to be depressed or have these thoughts, it didn't add up.

So I took myself to the gym, getting back in shape always made me feel better. I hit it hard for two months and I continued to decline. Normally I start feeling a mental pick me up 2 weeks into the gym, at this point I decided there must be something seriously wrong so I went to teh doc, asked them to check anything that could possibly be checked, and I refused depression drugs, I won't touch that shit, I'd rather fix the problem then mask the symptoms.

Came back, low T, otherwise in good health. At first the feeling was "oh hell" but then I was happy, I had a REASON for what was wrong with me and it all made sense. Started on TRT and my life transformed. I'm alive again, I enjoy music, sex life is off the charts, I'm alive again, I don't know how else to describe it.

Yes, TRT 110% relieved my depression. My doc even told me they used to treat a lot of men with anti-depressants with very little success, they started checking hormones and switched many of them over to TRT, got them off the drugs and successfully treated the depression.

I have a friend that has been depressed for years, I told him into getting checked, he ended up on TRT. Several months later he phoned me up, and thanked me for helping him get his life back.

You have to give TRT time, it's not magic.

[vmons01]

TRT completely relieved my daily anxiety. Haven't felt anxious nor depressed a single time in the almost 1.5 years I've been on TRT. In my case, yes, most definitely complete relief, in fact, I'd say cured!

[lacey23]

Just wanted to thank you all for sharing your stories.

Right now the doc has me on clomid again. I think I may just switch back to TRT at this point.

[lacey23]

I had extreme depression prior to TRT.

My day to day life was a "routine" that I just did, NOTHING brought me joy, I couldn't listen to music as I couldn't focus for more than 1 minute at a time, there was no emotional response to it. I couldn't sit through a movie, simply didn't hold my attention. The only thing that kept me going was duty to my family, I had an obligation to provide for them and that's the only reason I got out of bed in the morning.

I kept declining to the point my hobbies didn't bring me joy, I had a complete lack of interest in sex. I still had some libido, my pecker still worked, but if the choice came down to sleeping or pounding away I'd sleep.

Eventually thoughts of suicide randomly would pop into my head, I struggled for years, no one knew, not even my wife, I kept my game face on 24 x 7 for years, no one had a clue about the battle in my head.

One day I randomly started thinking about the angle I would use if I put a .45 in my mouth and it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was like, this isn't normal. I stress bad over stuff that I shouldn't be and thoughts like this are not normal, especially for me. Good life, good job, good family, awesome wife, I've got 0 reason to be depressed or have these thoughts, it didn't add up.

So I took myself to the gym, getting back in shape always made me feel better. I hit it hard for two months and I continued to decline. Normally I start feeling a mental pick me up 2 weeks into the gym, at this point I decided there must be something seriously wrong so I went to teh doc, asked them to check anything that could possibly be checked, and I refused depression drugs, I won't touch that shit, I'd rather fix the problem then mask the symptoms.

Came back, low T, otherwise in good health. At first the feeling was "oh hell" but then I was happy, I had a REASON for what was wrong with me and it all made sense. Started on TRT and my life transformed. I'm alive again, I enjoy music, sex life is off the charts, I'm alive again, I don't know how else to describe it.

Yes, TRT 110% relieved my depression. My doc even told me they used to treat a lot of men with anti-depressants with very little success, they started checking hormones and switched many of them over to TRT, got them off the drugs and successfully treated the depression.

I have a friend that has been depressed for years, I told him into getting checked, he ended up on TRT. Several months later he phoned me up, and thanked me for helping him get his life back.

You have to give TRT time, it's not magic.

Thanks for telling this.

It makes sense that if someone had low T, their body would be in an inflammatory state, and that is the cause of depression. So, remedying the low T should lower inflammation, and improve depression. Very successful in your case, congrats.

But it's weird how there has to be a ton of old dudes in retirement homes that have low T, and don't have major depression. Why?

[PJS19]

GSXR, how long on trt till u felt better? Just started TRT and mysymptoms -are same as yours were

[GSXRvi6]

Thanks for telling this.

It makes sense that if someone had low T, their body would be in an inflammatory state, and that is the cause of depression. So, remedying the low T should lower inflammation, and improve depression. Very successful in your case, congrats.

But it's weird how there has to be a ton of old dudes in retirement homes that have low T, and don't have major depression. Why?

Test declines naturally as we age so I would assume as your test slowly drops your body somewhat adapts (no clue, total guess) however, my levels were below what is considered normal for an 80 year old man (assuming doc's have the measurements right).

GSXR, how long on trt till u felt better? Just started TRT and mysymptoms -are same as yours were

I don't remember completely, I just know it took time, and the wife noticed changes in me before I noticed changes in my self. They came gradually with time, little better sleep, morning wood came back out of the blue, music sounded good again, gradual change.

Lots of little changes mentally on how I approached situations and thought about things, the guys I worked with noticed I had become calmer, things that would set me off didn't. I didn't notice these things right away, others did first. After an amount of time I would notice spikes in my sense of well being, not sure how to describe it. Some things just make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and when you get the warm and fuzzy's you feel good, at peace, calm, I wouldn't say happy so much as, content and satisfied.

I didn't wake up one morning and it "kicked in" and I was like ok now things are awesome. Little bit here, little bit there.

I have some friends that started and they were pushing it, expecting quick results and getting worried when they were a month in an they didn't feel any different.