[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
carruthdm wrote:
Desperate for an answer - my husband tried androgel 2.5, 5, 7 - for six months. T last tested 113. After that we dropped the Endo and went back to the family doc. He has prescribed shots - 200 every 2 weeks. After 4 weeks we convinced him this wasnt’ enough. Levels were still in the low 200s. This last time my husband received 300 mg. The next day he was in a great mood, but not much else. He has had some anxiety since. All of the docs we’ve mentioned estradiol to (3) look at me like I have horns. They blame the low drive and loss of libido on the antidepressants he HAS to take. Any advice? He is feeling DONE with doctors.
OK, firstly, let me say that I’m sorry to hear of your husbands issues. Godspeed to a happy, fruitful resolution!
Anyway, some folks are very poor responders to transdermal application. Injections give a much more consistent result - usually.
100mg/wk should be enough to get a high-normal T level, however a once weekly shot is a hell of a lot better then a bi-weekly shot.
You have to remember that once you begin supplementing with test, the body will see this and drop its own natural production quite quickly. This is why it’s best to wait about 6-7 weeks into treatment before testing for T levels, as this will allow you to obtain a true level, rather than a transient one.
If you ask an endo about E and he/she looks at you like you are mad, find a new endo, since E has been shown beyond question to have many negative effects on men, relating to libido, mood, cognition, etc. If your husband has more adipose tissue than average, he will have a higher than average rate of conversion of T into E.
It is quite possible that once his T levels come into range, that he no longer has a physiological need for anti-depressants. The flipside of this is that if he doesn’t need them, but is still taking them, they may cause some anxiety.
I suggest (but I’m only a chiropractic student with a strong interest in hormones and the body, not a Dr of medicine) that 100-150mg each week, for 5 weeks (to allow blood levels to rise and then normalise), before retesting. Once levels of T rise into range, and E is controlled down into the lower end of the range, that the need for antidepressants is re-evaluated.
Just my opinion though.
BBB[/quote]
What he said. Also, he’ll need HCG to prevent complete shutdown, plus arimidex (ana) to stop the conversion from T to E.
Go to a real steroid doc at an anti-aging clinic. Forget the endos and the uros — waste of time and money.