Brief summary: Stopped Arimidex for 10 days because I suspected it was causing persistent arthritis in hands and fingers. I expected my estrogen to spike and bring symptoms of fatigue, etc. I’ve been back on Adex for 2 weeks and have had SEVERE fatigue (can’t wake up after normal night’s rest, falling asleep multiple times a day, profound weakness and exhaustion). I had my Dr. test E2 because I figured it must be way too high or perhaps too low, but nope! The results put me in the sweet spot: 20 pg/ml (scale says < OR = 39)
WTF?!?!!?
-age: 33
-height: 5’9"
-waist: 34"
-weight: 188
-describe body and facial hair: Normal hair all around. No balding. Facial hair starting to gray in spots.
-describe where you carry fat and how changed: Mainly in stomach. No changes.
-health conditions, symptoms [history]: Diagnosed with Chronic Lyme and other co-infections ~5 yrs ago. Moderate-strong symptoms affecting almost EVERYTHING. Cognitive issues (memory, irritability, etc.), bad low back pain, fibromyalgia, daily muscle tension, muscle weakness, nerve pain, headaches, severe heat sensitivity, insomnia, etc, etc, etc.
Low testosterone detected about a year ago, started Axiron w/o much success. Found endocrinologist ~ April who started me on injections. A couple months later started HCG. Then started arimidex once E went too high.
-Rx and OTC drugs, any hair loss drugs or prostate drugs ever: Opiate patch for pain (~5 years), benzos for anxiety, gabapentin for nerve pain, test cyp. 60 mg/week and HCG 500iu 2x week for low T. Arimidex .25 mg E3D. No drugs for hair loss or prostate, ever.
-lab results with ranges: I can give a brief summary since the recent full labs aren’t available online till next week.
Testosterone: about 950 (range 250-100)
Estrogen: 20 pg/ml (< OR = 39) as of today. Previous bloodwork about 45 days ago indicated my levels were between 20-30, if I remember correctly.
All the other basic stuff (cortisol, psa, dhea, tsh all normal)
-describe diet [some create substantial damage with starvation diets]: Try to eat as healthy as possible, but ideal diet isn’t possible due to my long-existing Lyme symptoms.
-describe training [some ruin there hormones by over training]: Used to be in great shape, but since Lyme I can only do light calisthenics ~3x week. Anything more intense isn’t tolerated with my muscular pain.
-testes ache, ever, with a fever?: Used to ache before starting T injections, not anymore.
-how have morning wood and nocturnal erections changed: Fluctuates… Haven’t noticed it last couple weeks because I’ve been so exhausted and sleeping so deeply.
Since my medical history is long and very involved, I’ll do my best to keep this as on point as possible.
When I started the T injections in April I felt amazing for a couple weeks, then back to normal crappy self. Tests revealed E2 to be 48 (scale says: < OR = 39) in mid-May so I was put on Arimidex. Rx was for .5mg EOD, but I soon had severe arthritis in my upper back, arms, and hands, with painful tingling in my fingers. I lowered my dose to .25 mg every 3 days, and the side effects subsided, but not completely.
This brings me to the developments in August.
I was about to find a Dr. to help with weaning off of long term Xanax, but I thought I should try to take care of the persistent arthritis I believed the Arimidex was to blame for first. The plan was to stop it for 2 weeks to prove that it was Arimidex and not something else. I made it only 10 days in because these symptoms developed/got worse: weak morning wood, depression, anxiety, water retention, easier to get angry, tired after eating meal (insulin resistance?), larger stomach, moderate fatigue. (I’m assuming my E levels spiked since I was w/o Arimidex and developed symptoms like these) The arthritis and tingling started subsiding within days.
Ok then, sounds like the plan worked. Arimidex is causing the arthritis, and since I still need to control my E levels, I’ll just resume it at my regular dose and the next time I see the endocrinologist, I’ll discuss the possibility of getting a lower dose compounded. That was the plan…
Except the last 2 weeks have been a living hell. I resumed the .25mg, E3D dose of Arimidex on 8/26. The fatigue has only been getting worse since that day. Sleeping 8 hours is normally enough to feel rested, but now I wake up and it feels like I’ve been asleep half an hour. I’ve fallen asleep in the middle of reading, being on the computer, watching my kids, etc just a couple hours after waking up. The last 2 weeks I’ve fallen asleep in the middle of the day EVERY DAY, sometimes three times in a day. When I’m awake I have ZERO energy and am too tired to move around much or frankly to think much.
I asked the Dr. to test my estrogen levels because surely they must be too high or perhaps too low. The results came back today and it’s 20 pg/ml, which from what I understand is in the ideal range (and a couple months ago when my levels were in the 20’s I felt fine).
I understand what some readers might think: I have a hell of an unresolved medical history, and with all that going on the culprit is probably something else. I definitely understand that argument. But things are a little too coincidental. I felt normal in early August (normal for me, that is) then decide to stop Arimidex a short time because of side effects. 10 days in, it seems like I’m having symptoms of high estrogen, so I go back on Arimidex. Instead of those high estrogen symptoms subsiding now that I’m on Arimidex again, I’m more fatigued than I’ve ever been in my life, for 2 weeks straight.
I’ve been an appreciative lurker on this forum for months now. The advice presented here has really helped me with TRT the last 6 months. Now I’m just wondering if anyone, anywhere, has any idea what the hell might be going on with me?!
Thanks for reading!