You have Clomid?
Danazol lowers SHBG really well, but as others in the thread have noted, it may not be that simple.
The problem is your symptoms are probably more about low E2 than a low FT. We are starting to find out how important E2 is for men. It plays a role in libido, brain function, bone and joint health and many other things.
Basically your body isn’t making any E2 because the FT is so low it is trying to conserve, so even if you get the SHBG down, there is no guarantee your E2 is going to climb.
It could be the finasteride, that can really wreck your HPTA. If you’re on TRT it doesn’t matter, but for someone who is natural it can shut you down hard.
Any headaches? Joint pain?
Good luck and hope this helps.
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That sucks, but at least you’ve tried, back to the drawingboard i guess.
I just got my first appointment yesterday and i’m also having doubts ( i should put this down in my own topic), got a shitload of sups, vit d, DHEA, medrol ( for cortisol), pregnolone, calcium, tryptozol…this stuff i could work with, but i also got thyroid meds and testosterone.
Offcourse i went online to see if thyroid meds will raise SHBG…and it does? They were also not happy about a every week protocol with testosterone, so i explained the info i got and discussed that im gonna do 125mg every week, so lets see what happens.
i’m having serious doubts, but for me this is the only chance i got to get on prescripted TRT so lets see what it does. Bloodwork in 5 weeks, so i will keep you posted on my experience
I do have some clomid but it made me legit bat shit crazy last time I took it. So I’m trying pretty hard to avoid it
Agreed regarding low e2 being the symptom causer. The popping in my jaw and left hip have returned and I’m back to getting headaches late in the day again. Those symptoms plus the sexual ones are textbook low e2 to me.
I’ve been looking into danazol, my “normal” places don’t have it though. Seems like it might help. I keep reading that if I lower my shbg significantly my total T is going to drop a lot too as my total T is “used up” so I’m not sure I’ll be better off long term? Maybe I still will be, not sure.
Going to try to talk to Defy later today
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I hope all that helps. 125mg once a week should help and is a whole lot better than nothing or 200+ every other week like a lot of people get
Keep us updated
I doubt that SHBG reduction will lower Total T, It will certainly up the free T, which is part of the problem. That does sound like low E2, and SHBG will bind to the estradiol and lower it as well, especially if there is a shortage of T and DHEA in you system. On that note, have you tried DHEA? Or is hair loss (you mentioned taking finasteride) a serious concern. SHBG has a greater affinity fro DHEA than E2.
I’ve been taking boron, dhea and magnesium for the last two weeks or so. I’d shave my head today if it made me feel normal… I mean, I’d like to keep my hair, but it isn’t really much of a priority right now, so I’m open to whatever
I haven’t taken finasteride in over a year but I did used to take it
And I agree on e2 symptoms… it matches really well to what I’m experiencing
Pick up a bottle of DHEA and see what happens.
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Could my inadvertent intermittent fasting cause shbg to be this high?
I’m not on the current IF bandwagon, BUT I’ve always not had breakfast and don’t usually eat after 7-8pm, so I end up with like 16 hours of fasting a day. It’s not on purpose, that’s just what I’ve done since I was a kid because I was too lazy to get up early enough to eat breakfast, haha
Doesn’t affect me that way. I rarely have more than a coffee for breakfast.
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Well, I couldn’t handle the feeling like crap and numb dick.
60mg test E and about 500 IU’s HCG on Tuesday night and I already feel better. I’m planning to do E3.5 dosing.
I’m about ready to give up on the supplements and just stick with TRT for now and see what I get. I feel so much better.
But I’d still rather it be “legit” and doctor prescribed just in case
I wonder if defy would still work with me if I just told them the truth instead of trying to play games of stopping long enough before the next blood tests, etc.?
It’s better to tell the truth. They aren’t really likely to care a bit.
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I think so too. I just want a legit prescription at this point
Nothing much new. I’m contacting defy today to see if I can get a second opinion from a doc instead of the nurse I met with before
I don’t have the oily skin / acne yet that I got last time. I remember feeling good around when that started. It hasn’t been long though so perhaps it’s too soon to expect anything like that
I’ve felt “OK” the last few days. Not great but not bad except for my knee that’s been hurting. Hoping my e2 going up will help
I have a follow up / second opinion appt with Dr. Sayar on Monday, so we’ll see what he says.
I was going back through some of the old posts here and am remembering danazol helping some others with high shbg. I will ask the doc about it on Monday as well for the heck of it. I’m assuming with enough extra T the high shbg won’t matter as much, but bringing it down some doesn’t seem like a bad idea to me? I dunno.
I’ll update after the call.
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I am not sure why you had “so much trouble” finding a review of boron with proof?
My thread is here.
And I have proven boron works to lower SHBG, but the amount is trivial when you have insane levels like I do … and like this OP @ncsugrad2002 does.
The fact that Defy has told him to try these things with a 150 SHBG reinforces what I said about Defy and their inability to work outside the cookie cutter approach.
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I’m hoping the doctor there I’m meeting with today will have a different opinion than the nurse I met with before. I agree, very unlikely boron is going to be the answer.
We shall see what Dr. Saya has to say about my insane shbg values. I think he will prescribe trt but I kind of doubt he includes danazol. I guess I’m going to find out though.
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Had my consultation with Dr. Saya today. Super nice guy and he was very good at explaining things.
He basically said trying the supplements was worth a shot given I’m younger and there was some small chance of it helping and avoiding me having to deal with TRT, but given my SHBG is that high it wasn’t likely.
He suggested 140mg test and 1000 IU’s of HCG per week, twice weekly dosing. No AI.
He did mention that if this isn’t enough to bring my SHBG down, there is the possibility of adding Danazol on top of this later on if needed, but he didn’t want to start with that… so, he’s open to it if needed
I am very worried about fertility as I’ll be trying in about a year, so hopefully the HCG keeps me going well enough so that it isn’t an issue. It sounded like FSH could be added when I’m closer to wanting kids to try to boost sperm production if needed, but may or may not be needed
We shall see.
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All my new “toys” shipped on Friday from the pharmacy, should be here by Wednesday.
I keep reading about different protocols and I’m planning to follow what has been prescribed at this point (or at least very close to it)
@dbossa I am beginning TRT, see my blood results earlier in this thread. Decent TT, low FT, low E2, super high SHBG. Blood results are in an earlier post here.
Prescribed 2x a week dosing, 140mg total. No AI. 1000 IU’s of HCG weekly, bi weekly dosing.
My question is what are your thoughts on HCG? Fertility matters to me. I’m trying for a kid in about 1 year. Am I better off using the HCG from the beginning or am I risking my fertility if I start with testosterone only then add HCG close to when I need it?