The last few days I’ve been depressed. Starting to cry over stupid things. Could this be from high E? I’m never depressed normally.
Going to dr. In a little over a week to get my blood results.
Don’t worry , depression IS a symptom of high estrogen level , as is low T levels . Are you on test
[quote]Sir toddington wrote:
Don’t worry , depression IS a symptom of high estrogen level , as is low T levels . Are you on test [/quote]
Yes. For almost 4 months now. This is the first time I’ve felt depressed. Usually my high E makes me snappy or bitchy. And that usually only lasts for a day or less, when my E spikes.
Are you taking AI
[quote]Sir toddington wrote:
Are you taking AI [/quote]
No. Last time I went to dr. She wanted to put me on arimidex, but I asked if I could lower my T dose first, to see if that lowered my E. So we lowered it from 100mg/twice a week, to 75mg/twice a week. After a couple weeks, my E symptoms didn’t get any better, so I called to see if she could prescribe arimidex like she suggested. After playing phone tag with different nurses for two weeks, she said no to arimidex because my bp was high. But, she knew my bp was high last time I was there, when she wanted to prescribe arimidex. So, since she wouldn’t prescribe arimidex, I lowered my T dose myself, to 50mg/twice a week. Overall, my E symptoms are less, but I don’t feel as well as I did with the higher dose. And now even with this lower dose, I’ve been depressed for the last few days. When I go to my dr. next week, if I don’t get prescribed an AI, I’ll get one myself. I feel like screaming at my dr.
Don’t burn bridge with the dr . She is being generous to allow 200mg per week ! That is normally too high but good to have room to play with dose . As for Arimidex , sounds like she chickened out on giving it to you . This however is very common - ARIMIDEX was not designed for TRT - but it works great for it . Since FDA does not recognize this use , drs don’t do it - unless they are specialize TRT drs that charge an arm and a leg .
Just order liquid Anastrozole from research company - they work good . The point is you need to address the T to E conversion . Without doing so is very counter productive . I know it is hard to see the light at end of tunnel while depressed but just keep telling yourself this is only a temporary symptom and you will beat it !
[quote]Sir toddington wrote:
Don’t burn bridge with the dr . She is being generous to allow 200mg per week ! That is normally too high but good to have room to play with dose . As for Arimidex , sounds like she chickened out on giving it to you . This however is very common - ARIMIDEX was not designed for TRT - but it works great for it . Since FDA does not recognize this use , drs don’t do it - unless they are specialize TRT drs that charge an arm and a leg .
Just order liquid Anastrozole from research company - they work good . The point is you need to address the T to E conversion . Without doing so is very counter productive . I know it is hard to see the light at end of tunnel while depressed but just keep telling yourself this is only a temporary symptom and you will beat it ![/quote]
Thanks for the reassurance, Sir toddington. 
I just would’ve thought 4 months of trt would be plenty of time to get “dialed in”. While I’m normally pretty patient, it seems like this is taking too long to get to where I should be. My bp has gone down some since I’ve lowered my dose to 100mg/wk. So, I’m hoping she’ll agree to keeping this dose, and prescribing arimidex. We shall see.
[quote]Sir toddington wrote:
Since FDA does not recognize this use , drs don’t do it - unless they are specialize TRT drs that charge an arm and a leg .
[/quote]
This isn’t true at all. There are many docs out there not affiliated with the anti-aging clinics who are prescribing an AI with TRT therapy, and they cost just what you would pay for any PCP or Specialist (if you are unfortunate enough to have to see an endo for your care)
I hope this doesn’t sound like it comes out of left field and I’m not trying to imply that you shouldn’t address hormones, but have you considered a self help book? I recommend “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. You may find some short-term benefits from reading it while figuring out how to handle your doctors.
I am curious - what drs in DC area will rx ARIMEDEX for TRT - I know a friend in Rockville Md that could use one .
[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
I hope this doesn’t sound like it comes out of left field and I’m not trying to imply that you shouldn’t address hormones, but have you considered a self help book? I recommend “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. You may find some short-term benefits from reading it while figuring out how to handle your doctors.[/quote]
Mytch,
Could you tell me how this post pertains to my thread? I’m asking if the depression that I recently got, is from high Estradiol, and you recommend a self help book? If I asked someone for help changing the brakes in my truck, would you recommend a cook book?
[quote]Gossamer wrote:
[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
I hope this doesn’t sound like it comes out of left field and I’m not trying to imply that you shouldn’t address hormones, but have you considered a self help book? I recommend “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. You may find some short-term benefits from reading it while figuring out how to handle your doctors.[/quote]
Mytch,
Could you tell me how this post pertains to my thread? I’m asking if the depression that I recently got, is from high Estradiol, and you recommend a self help book? If I asked someone for help changing the brakes in my truck, would you recommend a cook book?[/quote]
Well like I said, I wasn’t implying that you shouldn’t pursue medical treatment. I certainly didn’t mean to offend.
I have bad depression, along with other things when my E is high! Also feel like sh*t when it is bottomed out.
[quote]cobra003 wrote:
I have bad depression, along with other things when my E is high! Also feel like sh*t when it is bottomed out.[/quote]
Cobra003,
Has depression due to high E, been a symptom all along, or is it something new? I ask because I’ve been on cypionate for almost 4 months, and this is the first time I’ve had depression as a symptom. Usually my high E symptoms are bitchiness, getting more easily aggravated, being more tired than usual, stuff like that. While I figured the depression was hormonal, it was tough to just ignore.
Just wait and see what your BW looks like. You have lots of option for lowering E2 if it’s still and issue. If it’s slightly high, you can try some things to deal with it “naturally”. You could try smaller more frequent injections. You could try calcium d-glucarate, DIM, boron, hefty zinc dose, resveratrol. I’m doing small EOD injections and have been taking calcium d-glucarate, Boron and some extra zinc. We’ll see how that works for me with no AI.
If you need an AI, it’s easy to get.
When my e2 is high, as it was pre-trt, I had the snappy bitchy, no patients thing going on.
In my head I just wanted to tell people to F Off all day, and I get serious road rage.
When my e2 is too low, I get depressive, hopeless feelings.
When it’s balanced, I’m as a calm as a Hindu Cow.
It’s really helpful to keep a daily notepad or journal on what you took the prior day
including, diet, supps, your outlook on life etc, did you exersize, did you have nocturnal
or morning wood, and how much T and or AI you took. I also note my weight, and water % from my
scale.
I keep mine in a simple excel sheet, and it helps me to recognize symptoms of too high or
too low e2. E2 is a moving target, in general I take the same AI (aromasin) EOD, but sometimes
based on the way I feel, and the data I record, I skip a day, or take it two days in a row.
[quote]PKNY wrote:
It’s really helpful to keep a daily notepad or journal on what you took the prior day
including, diet, supps, your outlook on life etc, did you exersize, did you have nocturnal
or morning wood, and how much T and or AI you took. I also note my weight, and water % from my
scale.
[/quote]
Unless one of your symptoms is OCD, in which case the list-making can make you even crazier.
Well, got back from the dr. With my test results. Day before injection, my t was 795, and estradiol was 40.
Good news is she’s keeping my t dose at 150mg/wk, and I got a prescription for anastrozole @ 1 mg/wk, split into two doses @ 1/2 mg ea. I’ll keep you all informed about how I feel, finally getting to see what an AI will do for my estrogen symptoms.
Might also want to check for free T. When my free T is above range, I don’t feel so great mentally.
An 800 trough is pretty high. You might actually feel better a little lower in the range. You’re right to start with the AI though.
You could probably avoid the AI all together if you decide to lower your dose a bit.
[quote]dhickey wrote:
Might also want to check for free T. When my free T is above range, I don’t feel so great mentally.
An 800 trough is pretty high. You might actually feel better a little lower in the range. You’re right to start with the AI though.
You could probably avoid the AI all together if you decide to lower your dose a bit.[/quote]
Free t was 239 with a range of 35-155. And I was really starting to feel better mentally, until I lowered my dose to 100mg/wk. My memory was getting better, and I could think clearer. Then a couple weeks after I lowered my dose to 100, I started getting more tired, and started losing motivation again.
I lowered my t to 100 mg a week, and my trough e was still 40. And my e symptoms don’t really manifest themselves at trough. So my guess is in order to lower my t enough that my e would be low enough not to cause symptoms, my t would probably be too low to do me any good. Or, I’d have to inject every day, as not to have e spikes. And, I really don’t want to inject a minuscule amount of t every day. But possibly now that I have an AI, maybe I could get away with a lower t dose than the 150mg/wk I’ll be in for the next 8 weeks.
My t will probably go up because I won’t be converting as much to e, now that I have an AI. And if my blood work in 8 weeks shows my t is too high, I would have no problem lowering it. If I’m stuck taking an AI, I want to be at the top of the ‘normal’ range.
I’m hoping with the AI now, I’ll start to feel like I did for the first 6 weeks of trt.