Libido:
I find that meloxicam is OK for me.
Cyclobenzaprine seems to damped libido for days after one or two doses. So might want to keep that in mind.
I don’t think therapy or hypnosis will help insomnia that is due to pain or discomfort. Diphenhydramine is a pretty innocuous antihistamine and won’t harm your T levels. I would try that before the z-drugs (like ambien) or benzos, which won’t harm T levels either but can be habit-forming.
Hey KSman - the dosing on the Apple Cider Vinegar was 2-3 shots a day, typically following meals, and always before bed, chased with a glass of water. It has to be the hippie stuff, all natural not filtered, with the “mother” - they key to this is the live acetobacter.
When dealing with a Candida infection of the gut, the yeast overgrows and the body ups stomach acid levels to try and kill it off - the result is heartburn, terrible, chronic heartburn, since it’s a losing battle - the candida is further down in the gut and the increased acid levels in the stomach cannot have much of an effect. …but by populating the gut with acetobacter, any alcohols produced by digesting fruits and other sugars (not to mention good 'ole booze) get gobbled up by the acetobacter, producing vinegar inside your gut, killing off candida.
Ideally, a balance can be achieved where there’s enough of both populations to self-sustain - the yeast producing the alcohol which the acetobacter uses to make vinegar and kill the yeast in a constant battle for dominance in your bowels.
…while I’ve kicked the heartburn and feel a lot better, I still need to continue taking ACV at least once or twice a day (though I take the extract pills now) to avoid the candida coming back in force. Maybe in a couple years I can quit, but in the meantime, it’s better than Omeprazole, and I believe I’ve likely got healthy acid levels in my stomach and gut. …sometimes I worry about acidosis, as my urine pH was 5, but overall my health has been dramatically better (I was also a bit dehydrated when that test was done so it was likely concentrated).
Still no prolactin results… kinda frustrating.
Cyclobenzaprine killed my libido too until I stopped using it, so I only use it when things are really, REALLY bad (like I can’t move), and that doesn’t happen more than once every two months or so. The Meloxicam has been helpful during this current roofing job, because it’s just such a damned killer on my back. Need another adjustment today, as I woke up with sciatic pain in my hip, leg, and left testicle. Sigh. This getting old nonsense sucks.
So the appointment with the endocrinologist was a mixed bag. He ordered me another T panel in 3 months, said he agreed with my reluctance to go on T replacement… said my free T levels were good, and to look the numbers up with a Free T calculator using my most recent results.
Well, I did.
Free T: 10.1 ng/dL = 2.78 % (9-30 ng/dL free T - Mayo)
Bioavailable T: 238 ng/dL = 65.3 % (30-39 years: 72-235 ng/dL - Mayo)
According to the Endocrinologist, this is “above average”. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is still far down on the scale. (9-30 ng/dL free T) However, my “bioavailable T” is quite high according to the Mayo clinic. (30-39 years: 72-235 ng/dL) - technically I’m outside that scale on the high end!
Color me baffled.
The Endocrinologist asked a lot of good questions and examined my features like body hair, etc… said I appeared to be exceptionally masculine, and my numbers bear that out. He believes sleep and stress are the primary causes, and the reason my symptoms weren’t worse was my low SHBG - my body uses Testosterone very efficiently. I told him I’d been feeling quite a bit better the last week or two and had great sex over the weekend… and that this coincided with the Melatonin and brain-dumps. He congratulated me on figuring out the problem and doing his job for him, in a very friendly and congenial way. Overall I really liked him - he seemed on the level, and not dismissive of my concerns, but is cautious and conservative, looking out for long-term health. A new panel in 3 months should provide more insight. He did say that if things go back to where they were or do not improve, Clomid may be an option, but that it has its own issues, and that too much T could possible cause caridovascular issues later in life.
Also of note, my Prolactin levels were 7 on a scale of 3.5-19 (dunno what the unit measurement was, since the test results were never sent to me, I had to see them on the screen there in the exam room).
In other news, sleeping better seems to be really helping. As I said, sexually things have been working better and I feel a touch sharper… one thing I’ve come to realize is that I absolutely need intense physical exercise in my life on a regular basis. That roofing job may have kicked my ass, but the sense of triumph I got from it was real, and the intensity of the job was an incredible workout.
Weight loss seems to have stabilized. Still 82.2 kilos (181 lbs). Gonna have to start a bulking phase and see if I can’t get my muscle-mass back up and my weight back up to 200. I’m definitely leaner, but I miss the muscle. The ladies are just happy my johnson seems to work better now, and don’t give a rat’s ass how buff I am, but my self-image is better when I’m stronger.
The Dr. did give me some Viagra, gonna give that a go and see if there’s a difference. Maybe occasional short-term use of that will improve blood flow to the genitals and increase my androgens and overall health as I was advised by my aunt, who is a urologist. I’m concerned that it may cause migraines, but we will see.
Congo bro.i have one question do u got blood test for free T or it was calculated and how it is calculated.it will help me
[quote]sonudv8 wrote:
Congo bro.i have one question do u got blood test for free T or it was calculated and how it is calculated.it will help me[/quote]
Thanks! Hoping this is a return to normal and not a blip.
I used a free Testosterone calculator as advised by my Endocrinologist, like this one:
issam.ch/freetesto.htm
Got back in the gym today. Felt great. Did some compound lifts - like olympics with dumbells, only went down 5 lbs on my bent-over row, and did some core work to stretch my hip flexors and strengthen my back. I’m glad I haven’t gotten too weak, I was worried with the weight loss and time off!
Now for bulking, bulking bulking! 
Let’s see how big I can get by Christmas.
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Got back in the gym today. Felt great. Did some compound lifts - like olympics with dumbells, only went down 5 lbs on my bent-over row, and did some core work to stretch my hip flexors and strengthen my back. I’m glad I haven’t gotten too weak, I was worried with the weight loss and time off!
Now for bulking, bulking bulking! Let’s see how big I can get by Christmas.[/quote]
Stressing about one thing can cause havoc bro just chill and if still things are not working then we have options open:) my endo also told me that free T calulated through blood test can varry a lot and it cant be measured accurately.so m also thinking of calculating online.mine came 16.2 ng/dl and bioavailable 379 ng/dl .while on blood test it was 28 pg/ml.i dont understand why there is so much difference though.Any thoughts on this
[quote]sonudv8 wrote:
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Got back in the gym today. Felt great. Did some compound lifts - like olympics with dumbells, only went down 5 lbs on my bent-over row, and did some core work to stretch my hip flexors and strengthen my back. I’m glad I haven’t gotten too weak, I was worried with the weight loss and time off!
Now for bulking, bulking bulking! Let’s see how big I can get by Christmas.[/quote]
Stressing about one thing can cause havoc bro just chill and if still things are not working then we have options open:) my endo also told me that free T calulated through blood test can varry a lot and it cant be measured accurately.so m also thinking of calculating online.mine came 16.2 ng/dl and bioavailable 379 ng/dl .while on blood test it was 28 pg/ml.i dont understand why there is so much difference though.Any thoughts on this[/quote]
At first I figured it may be due to he different units of measurement, but then I realized that 1 pg/ml =. 1 ng/dl… Which makes the difference far more pronounced. Are you sure you got those units right?
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
[quote]sonudv8 wrote:
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Got back in the gym today. Felt great. Did some compound lifts - like olympics with dumbells, only went down 5 lbs on my bent-over row, and did some core work to stretch my hip flexors and strengthen my back. I’m glad I haven’t gotten too weak, I was worried with the weight loss and time off!
Now for bulking, bulking bulking! Let’s see how big I can get by Christmas.[/quote]
Stressing about one thing can cause havoc bro just chill and if still things are not working then we have options open:) my endo also told me that free T calulated through blood test can varry a lot and it cant be measured accurately.so m also thinking of calculating online.mine came 16.2 ng/dl and bioavailable 379 ng/dl .while on blood test it was 28 pg/ml.i dont understand why there is so much difference though.Any thoughts on this[/quote]
At first I figured it may be due to he different units of measurement, but then I realized that 1 pg/ml =. 1 ng/dl… Which makes the difference far more pronounced. Are you sure you got those units right? [/quote]
Yes m pretty sure about units i used same online calculator which u used and there is difference between what was calculated online and blood reports.m confused
[quote]sonudv8 wrote:
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
[quote]sonudv8 wrote:
[quote]SvartSvensk wrote:
Got back in the gym today. Felt great. Did some compound lifts - like olympics with dumbells, only went down 5 lbs on my bent-over row, and did some core work to stretch my hip flexors and strengthen my back. I’m glad I haven’t gotten too weak, I was worried with the weight loss and time off!
Now for bulking, bulking bulking! Let’s see how big I can get by Christmas.[/quote]
Stressing about one thing can cause havoc bro just chill and if still things are not working then we have options open:) my endo also told me that free T calulated through blood test can varry a lot and it cant be measured accurately.so m also thinking of calculating online.mine came 16.2 ng/dl and bioavailable 379 ng/dl .while on blood test it was 28 pg/ml.i dont understand why there is so much difference though.Any thoughts on this[/quote]
At first I figured it may be due to he different units of measurement, but then I realized that 1 pg/ml =. 1 ng/dl… Which makes the difference far more pronounced. Are you sure you got those units right? [/quote]
Yes m pretty sure about units i used same online calculator which u used and there is difference between what was calculated online and blood reports.m confused
[/quote]
Weird. Yeah I’m afraid I’m out of ideas - maybe KSman will have more. I could see a 50-150% discrepancy, but a 2000% discrepancy is a bit more than seems explainable (unless I’m reading it wrong).
" too much T could possible cause caridovascular issues later in life."
There really is not basis for this myth. Years ago, someone asked a doctor at a convention why males had more heart attacks and he said that men had more T than women and that that might be the reason. We now know that men will less T die earlier. Compounding this was body builders taking oral testosterones that damage liver, other “fake” testosterones and pushing E2 down to extremely low levels that can mess up lipid profiles. But those issues can be thrown out in a TRT context.
Good to see that you are making progress.
So, an update. Been awhile since I’ve posted about this.
Things were doing really well for awhile. Performance-wise, I was doing quite well - the viagra only made a slight difference, giving me a bit of extra stamina (which was sometimes welcome and sometimes not, heh). Have only used it a half-dozen times or so. Had amazing sex without it, and amazing sex with it.
Then things started going downhill again. Tweaked my back a little at the gym, and it threw everything into the toilet. At first it wasn’t so bad, I was ok (though certainly not 100%) as long as the lady was on top. As soon as I got up it killed my erection. I’m guessing it was the pain at this point. Took a desert trip with the girlfriend a couple weeks ago and could barely stay hard. Was difficult to orgasm. Sex was almost impossible. Also developed a stitch in my left side near my lat insert.
Took about a week and a couple days off from the gym to heal up, apart from a day or two of yard work digging up bamboo and cutting grass. Back is feeling a bit better - less spasms and shooting pain, hiked 6 miles in the mountains on Sunday with a 20 lb pack and felt excellent during and for awhile after. Erections though… haven’t recovered. Feel like sex drive is way down. Viagra helps a bit but not always - there’s been failure to launch when using it, and it does cause headaches (but interestingly not migraines). Starting to feel dependent on it if I want good sex (not the case before my back went out again). Mood has been a bit testy. Less patience, lower confidence, overall bitchiness and emotional sensitivity. Some brain fog. Definitely “feels” like T is low right now.
Taking tongkat ali, l-arginine, l-citruline, tribulus, maca, ashwaghanda, garlic, zinc, and ginseng extract. Doesn’t seem to be having much of an effect. Was taking Saw Palmetto for awhile until I found out it reduced the body’s ability to turn T into DHT - gave it the heave-ho about a week ago.
Strongly considering going back to the doctor and asking for the T-replacement, or maybe clomid and an armomatse inhibitor. Something tells me that somehow my back is causing my issues, but not seeing any real way to fix it. Currently doing rehabilitation exercises for it and seeing a chiropractor, but again, progress is limited. Wondering if I’m caught in a negative feedback loop. Back pain/injury causing low t and more stress, low t and stress impacting body’s ability to heal back effectively, back pain/injury causing low t and stress, wash rinse repeat.
Hope you all are well. Thanks for listening, brothers, and good luck to everyone else in similar shoes.
-Svart
I have had some lower back problems. But they do go away in time which indicates that the problem is not a bad disk etc. For me its a muscle issue and massage therapy breaks the pattern. Try to find someone who does deep tissue work and focus on back, butt and hips.
I’ve been using the foam roller to take care of my glute medes etc, along with a lacrosse ball - seems to be doing the trick! The biggest factor I’ve figured out with my back is that my girlfriend’s bed is MUCH better for it than mine. Two nights with her and I feel close to 100%.
In other news, things downstairs continue to be not so good. I can get hard and perform most of the time with Viagra, but it’s inconsistent. Can get hard easily without it, but can’t STAY hard. Seems like its worse than ever without the sildenafil. Starting to wonder if I’m having fluctuation in androgen levels or SHBG. Wondering if the Tonkat Ali and Tribulus is screwing me up, or did screw me up.
Talked to the Endo again, he said he didn’t think hormones were the issue, that my levels seemed ok etc - I basically said that without a baseline from a year ago or so when I felt great and had awesome boners all the time, the “normal range” is useless, and that unless we tried changing my androgen levels, we wouldn’t really know if they’re the problem or not. He gave me a referral back to Urology because I want to try Clomid for a few weeks or a month to see if that will have an effect. I’m trying to avoid crashing my HTPA axis with exogenous T if possible - especially when trying to eliminate possible sources of issues.
Endo is reluctant to call more tests. says my levels are “fine” and that “we have to play the hand that nature deals us”, and I wanted to slap him and tell him that 6 months ago I was having the best sex of my life without any help at all and that something has screwed me up. This is entirely unacceptable, and I’m glad to take the referral, even if it means just saying screw it and doing TRT.
Discussed Clomid with a friend who had been experiencing similar symptoms and low T - his Urologist suggested he try it and it made a massive difference for him, he feels like a new man. I discussed it with my Endo, he was reluctant to try it even though it would give us data to solve the equation. He suggested talking to the Urologist again, and I did. He’s open to it, but wants to consult with a couple other doctors first and keep the Endo in the loop. Seems hopeful. Fingers crossed that Clomid will be tried and will be a solution for me instead of having to make the lifelong commitment to T-replacement.
Both Clomid and Nolvadex can get the job done. But Clomid causes nasty side effects with some guys.
You could try 20-25mg of either one ED or EOD.
If dose is too high, E2 can become a major problem because of excessive LH levels.
SERM will always increase E2 and AI can manage this if LH levels are not excessive.
Competitive AI’s cannot manage T–>E2 rates inside the testes.
[quote]KSman wrote:
Both Clomid and Nolvadex can get the job done. But Clomid causes nasty side effects with some guys.
You could try 20-25mg of either one ED or EOD.
If dose is too high, E2 can become a major problem because of excessive LH levels.
SERM will always increase E2 and AI can manage this if LH levels are not excessive.
Competitive AI’s cannot manage T–>E2 rates inside the testes.[/quote]
I’ve been prescribed Clomid 25mg/daily, re-test LH, FSH, and T in 2 months - hoping they can test my E2 as well. By ED or EOD do you mean Early Day or End of Day? I just started Sat - wasn’t aware time of day made a difference. May I ask the benefits of the different dose timing?
Haven’t noticed any effects yet, but this is only my third day. As my E2 was extremely low, I’m hopeful there won’t be many side-effects for me, I plan on continuing to use sizable doses of Zinc to help limit aromatase activity - also, I’m pretty lean now, only 14% BF, so hopefully that continues a positive trend.
Will continue to update with info as it bears. I’ve read so many different accounts of Clomid it’s really interesting to see what’s going to happen with me. I’m hopeful, but a little nervous.
ED is every day
EOD, E2D is every other day
E3D is every third …
If it makes you depressed, ask for Nolvadex.
[quote]KSman wrote:
ED is every day
EOD, E2D is every other day
E3D is every third …
If it makes you depressed, ask for Nolvadex.[/quote]
Oh duh, that’s obvious… dunno why I had to ask, sorry.
I’ll try and take stock of my emotions regularly. Gonna be complicated with personal life stuff a bit difficult right now.
How long do you think before I’ll start feeling effects, if indeed I do?