Need help, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) nightmare.

[HRT Horror story]

Need help, Hrt nightmare.

Ive been on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for 2 years and recently had symptoms ranging from Hot flashes to testicular pain. Had blood work done 1 month ago and Test was 1300 and estrogen was 11.6. Ive been on Anastrazole for the last 2 years @ 3mg a week. Recently I was taking it 3 days following injection of 1cc test enan 1 time a week. 3.5 WEEKS AGO DOC TOLD ME IT WAS TOO MUCH anastrazole. I haven't taken it since. He also switched me to Test cream @ 200mg per ml applied 1ml a day. My Hot flashes have gotten much worse and I feel like absolute crap. Gritty and Hollow, no concentration.and today the doc told me it is from low Test. Had blood work done this morning will post when results come back. I need help if anyone has any ideas what to do. Would like to know what the hell is going on! This is hell.

 

[babyface58]

You probably don't wanna hear this but just wait for your test results. Then at least u can see what's going on in your system and can make a better decision about what to do.

Hot flashes sounds like high estrogen. Not sure about testicular pain that's no good man I'm sorry to hear.

Let us know the test results as soon as you get them!

 

[babyface58]

Also switching from injections to cream sounds like a terrible idea. Cream is less effective and I wouldn't be surprised if your T is low again.

 

[HRT Horror story]

Talked to the doc today. Results aren't back yet . I took the cream yesterday at a higher dose (1.5 ml instead of 1) as he suggested and it flushed the hell out of me. He said it was impossible for the cream to have aromatized that quickly into estrogen so it was the Test that flushed me. It put alot of this into perspective. Another local doc said that maintaining balance is all about ratios. Here's what I'm speculating at this point. The test Injections never gave me these hot flashes because they dose out evenly over the course of about 2 weeks. The cream enters and exits the system in a hurry. I was getting hot flashes before (I should refer to it as flushing) from the HCG it would last from about 4 hours after the shot to 3 days out then taper off. I think this was a reaction to the test my body was producing.
Prior to this happening and, I believe leading to the situation, the Doc put me on 3mg of anastrazole per week the 3 days following the test shot. As a result,my estrogen levels dropped way down to 11.6. Thats when I was having these problems. I think the ratios are way off and when I add Test (from the cream) I get the Test flush without the estrogen to buffer. Does that make sense to you guys?

 

[HRT Horror story]

By the way thanks for the responses. I just want to get this right. Hormones out of whack are a bitch!

 

[trtgiant]

The trouble is you are trying to balance out too many things at once, and this is what is getting you in trouble. Also listening to the doc is one thing, but thinking over what he is saying and what you are feeling is more important. 3mg of arimidex is a lot, It also sounds like you have been taking a dose every two weeks instead of every week or even every 3 days.

You are trying to balance out some very tricky hormones, so finding ways to balance one and then another is a good strategy.

I inject subcutaniously every other day into my belly fat and have found this keeps me from having wild swings in test, which then produce wild swings in the estrogen.

Even now I am still having a hard time balancing out my estrogen, but I work at it, and get it close. I am learning to listen to my body, and the doctors don't agree on anything I am doing. I am also having to deal with being diabetic/pre diabetic, so it gets even more complicated.

Also the cream is WAYYY more expensive, I honestly make more money since I am on testosterone, so it pays for itself

 

[HRT Horror story]

Ive been taking the Anastrazole @ 3mg per week. 1mg a day for the three days following the shot. NOw the Test cream is flushing me as well. It's a horrinble feeling. It's overwhelming and concentration is gone. It brings on strong anxiety as well. I need to find an answer.
hOW LONG DOES THE TESTOSTERONE FROM THE CREAM STAY ACTIVE AND IN THE BODY? I'm guessing that the crazy up and down of the test is causing this flushing. I want to know if going back on the shots (1cc 200mg per week) would regulate this.
Anybody have any idea if that's a good idea?

 

[trtgiant]

I want to know if going back on the shots (1cc 200mg per week) would regulate this.
Anybody have any idea if that's a good idea?[/QUOTE]

The cream will start wearing off pretty fast after you stop using it. What I would to is start back on the test, but start back on 75 mg every 3 days, then figure out how fast your estrogen is going up. try 1/4 mg every other day arimidex, if that is not enough, go up a little. there will be a nice comfortable spot where your testosterone is at the upper part of the range, and your estrogen doesn't skyrocket.

The more test you take, the more estrogen problems you will have.

 

[RA64]

Talked to the doc today. Results aren't back yet . I took the cream yesterday at a higher dose (1.5 ml instead of 1) as he suggested and it flushed the hell out of me.

So instead of following your Docs instructions you increased the dose all by yourself, even thought you are having problems, and don't know what is causing it.

How is you Doc going to help you when you are doing whatever dose you feel like?

 

[rgideon2]

Good luck. I'm following with interest as I've had trouble as well. Had no idea hormones could make you feel so rotten. Its brutal.

 

[HRT Horror story]

Actually I've followed my docs orders exactly and I keep ending up worse off than I was. He suggested 2 days ago that I up my dose of test cream to 2ml a day. Said I could do it all at once or split it. I split it .5 in the am and 1.5 in the afternoon because I wasnt sure how I'd react. When I used 1.5ml I got a crazy bad rush. It's like the test was hitting all the nerve endings that were raw. I have to believe its the huge fluctuations in the level thats messing me up. They keep telling me they've never had anyone else have any problems like this but that doesn't really help me. If they are going to be perscribinbg this kind of therapy they need to have some answers.

 

[HRT Horror story]

By the way,
The cream is 200mg per ml The dose reads 1ml per day applied topically. Is this a lot of test? I don't know how the cream is absorbed but the shot is 200 mg per cc 1x a week. If they're equivalent thet means I'm taking 7 times the test in the cream as in the shot. That cant be good. Ive lost 10 lbs and am never hungry, I can't concentrate and cant think. Any docs out there that could explain how the cream works I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[HRT Horror story]

Test results came back:
Test 250
estrogen 17.6
SHBG 45.5
Doc just left that message on the phone. Seems to indicate the drastic swings of the test cream for the flushing. Any doc out there agree or disagree? When I use the cream it blasts me, get flushed big rush to head, ears ring, headache, complete lack of focus. Would switching back to test shot for now change that? I think after all of this I'm getting off, I just need to get healthy first in order to do it right. Maybe a good PCT. Any recomendations.

 

[HRT Horror story]

By the way,
Test was 1329 one month ago when I felt decent.
Estrogen was 11.6
Shbg was 49
But the HCG shot (250 IU 2x a week) would cause similar flushing just not as bad.
See above for more of the regimen. Anastrazole 3mg taken 1mg for 3days following Test shot.
Any Ideas?

 

[cjw2021]

Do you really need the Anastrazole? Why did you switch from shots? There will be a higher conversion of test to DHT with creams. I do not trust the creams for this reason. I say you get back to the basics and just try a simple 75 mg test shot every 3 days and see how you feel on that. There are too many drugs in this picture to tell what is doing what.