Considering HRT, Worried About Sides

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

I had a full checkup and asked my doctor, who also happens to be a family friend, to check my test levels. I’m 43 and my health is excellent right now. Cholesterol, heart, thyroid, all is well. I even had a an angiogram and a CT scan of the heart and my arteries are clean.

My total T was 336, which I think is low and explains my delining libido, stubborn midsection fat, and crapppy recovery from workouts.

To make a long story short, he seems to be unwilling to do anything about it - instead he said that “we’ll keep an eye on it”. He claimed that that giving me T will cause more problems than it’ll solve. I just get the feeling he knows nothing about it and doesn’t want to get into it.

So I’ve been all over the net doing research - and as one might expect, the information is very contradictory. Overall, I think the information is promising and I’m ready to go with it. But I have a few concerns.

  1. I’d hate to have my cholesterol and BP to go up.
  2. I know it sounds vain, but I have a full head of thick hair. I don’t want to get bald.
  3. I’m worried about the increase in the probability of cancer.
  4. I don’t want my gonads to be permanently rendered useless

For those of you who have gone into HRT - to what extent do you think these fears are real or just myth?

Thanks in advance!

2

Amazing!
You say a DOCTOR said this?
Well Shiny you are in the RIGHT place!

In these forums is decades of personal experience.
Please keep reading and maybe repost in other threads if you get no other feedback.

I have been on T supplementation for ten years, I’ve done Androgel, Adroderm.
Personally I have not had negative symptoms.

Goodluck and keep searching!

3

“”"

  1. I’d hate to have my cholesterol and BP to go up.

  2. I know it sounds vain, but I have a full head of thick hair. I don’t want to get bald.

  3. I’m worried about the increase in the probability of cancer.

  4. I don’t want my gonads to be permanently rendered useless
    “”"

  5. Oral steroids do that and these are not used in TRT.

TRT will lower total cholesterol while leaving HDL mostly unchanged. TRT maintains endothelial function and lowers blood pressure by maintaining the suppleness of the muscles in the arteries. Low T leads to congestive heart failure. The heart has the highest density of T receptors in the body.

  1. If you were virile when young and have not lost any hair, you will not on TRT as your genetics are not for male pattern baldness. When a guy has low T over an extended amount of time, you can see a loss of hair on the legs.

  2. T keeps your immune system working well and that is your best protection against cancer. Also prevents osteoporosis [men do get that, 10 percent of women with a broken hip will die within one year. For men, 30 will die. Low T kills sex drive and ejaculations stop. Seminal fluid in the seminal vessels putrefies and there is a lot of inflammation, that spreads to the prostate. Low T leads to more heart attacks and strokes. Weak muscles and sluggish nerves lead to falls and broken bones. Feebleness adds to inactivity which has its own problems, compounding muscle wasting. T opposes the action of E and vice versa. Low T leads to an adverse T:E ratio, which lowers insulin sensitivity… TRT is shown to improve insuline sensitivity.

  3. The greatest problem for your gonads is doing TRT and not using hCG to keep them alive. T alone is not right. Estrogen must be controlled with an AI. A poor T:E ratio will cause mental/emotional problems. Ditto for low absolute T numbers.

===
Better to focus on the side effects of not doing TRT.

4

Side effects for me not everyone.

  1. My bad cholesterol went down
    Good cholesterol went down also this happens sometimes

  2. My blood pressure went up just a little bit, but my blood got thick also from the testosterone. Getting blood taken out this Wed. this happens sometimes also.

  3. My gonads were hurting but went on HCG and now they don;t hurt

What did not happen so far

  1. My PSA went down
  2. No hair lost at all and I am 51
  3. No acne
  4. No sleep problems now
  5. I have not killed my family
  6. I have no cheated on my wife

Now the good points

  1. I feel great
  2. I can workout out again and get in better shape
  3. My sex drive is great
  4. The wife likes number 3
  5. I am in a much better mood
  6. My diabetes got better and don’t need Metforum anymore
  7. I can read again and retain what I do read
  8. I have much more energy and endurance
  9. Did I mention sex was good again :slight_smile:

I can not say enough how much better my life got after HRT. I was sick a long time and did not know why. I thought it was how older men felt. I am kind of new to HRT and I am sure after Dr. Crisler gets me dialed in other problems will fade. It does have side effects but no where near as many as all the meds you got to take to treat the shit low levels do to you.

I take T-CYP, HCG and Adex. I do not take Metforim, Viagra, and several supplements now. I am alive again and enjoying life. Did HRT have side effects for me yes it did, but they are minor to what I had going on before HRT.

5

The biggest problem that I see with the scenario you’ve outlined is no understanding of the big picture by either you or your doctor.

For example, everything you’re attributing to low testosterone could also be explained by high (relatively) estradiol.

We’ve seen time and time again that testosterone alone is a poor protocol for TRT. Yes, it will shut down your testicles and that very well may cause them to atrophy. However, if you add hCG to the therapy, then that problem is eliminated and you get the added benefit of the other hormones and biochemicals produced by the testes. If you also add and aromatase inhibitor like anastrozole to your therapy, then you eliminate the problems that are caused by high levels of estradiol.

Testosterone alone is not the cause of your problems and testosterone alone is not the answer.

So your doctor is actually right, but for the wrong reasons. If you get the half-assed treatment he would no doubt give you, the outlook is not so good. But if you get first rate treatment from someone who really knows his stuff, then your chances for a good outcome are excellent.

That having been said, if I were you, I would seriously look into ways to lower my estradiol first and see if that doesn’t help. There are several things you can do on your own to lower estradiol.

The first is to understand that fat produces estradiol, so if you’re carrying excess fat, you should work hard to get rid of it.

You can also improve your hormone balance by getting the majority of your carbohydrates from fresh vegetables and in particular spinach and broccoli. Get rid of starch. So getting your nutrition is another thing you can do for yourself that will help.

You can also take a couple of drops EOD of the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole to control the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Anastrozole can be purchased over the counter as a research chemical but it is a powerful drug and you should research it carefully before you start taking it.

It isn’t all about testosterone. It’s about your body as a complete system and you have to take a whole body approach. We’re talking about your endocrine SYSTEM here and no one-dimensional approach is ever going to be right.

Keep reading and good luck!

6

Thanks for your information and suggestions. I think you all pointed me in the right direction. I’ll be looking for a decent HRT doc in South Florida and I’ll be sure and report any progress.

Thanks again!