I did that with a safety razor during Covid. Could be worse. I'm no Yul Brynner though, so saving some hair for a few more years would be nice with a safe method. Minoxidil has helped somewhat.
@Buddy, happy to hear you bought the book. She's a good writer; I think you'll get a lot out of it.
My 2 cents. If you have high estrogen symptoms, more T may make the problem worse because T converts to estrogen, therefore more estrogen and more penis problems. A low sex binding hormone globulin (SBGH) value may be present in your labs.
Taking some AI for a couple weeks is an easy way and cheap way to determine if this is the issue. Anastrozole will start working in a few hours. If it turns out estrogen is the issue, you can inject daily as opposed to weekly to help slow the conversion and lower the amount of AI you need.
This sounds plausible and is the current way most clinics are treating men. However, Dr. Nichols of Tier 1 (the fella on the podcast episode with Rip) argues that estrogen reaches a saturation point. He argues that estrogenic symptoms are due to the ratio of T to E, instead of the E being above a certain range limit. I was skeptical, but I took his advice, got off AIs, and got my free T way up to 40+ (Ng/dl). I have no estrogenic symptoms now. He claims that this is the case for his thousands of treated patients. Since I've experienced it personally, I believe it. Does this apply to all people in all situations? Almost nothing ever does. But it's worth considering and potentially trying before getting on another drug, especially a potentially harmful one like Anastrozole.
It seems to me that dosing frequency plays a part here too in managing consistent hormone levels and their associated symptoms - peaks and valleys can cause problems. Daily shallow IM (27g 1/2" needle) is by far the best regimen I've tried, based on how I feel.
This may very well be true, but just like T, E is a hormone and everyone reacts differently to different amounts. Plus, you would have to take multiple samples to get an accurate number anyway, which is not really an option outside of a study.
Couldn't agree more. Cut my AI use in half.
Ray, thanks for your advice in this thread. You’ve gone above and beyond. I also listened to the podcast with Rip and Dr. Nichols. I’m going to contact Tier1 for my testosterone. That seems like the place to go (much better than Defy) because I’ll never find an Endo locally who’s going to prescribe me more than 100mg/week. Have you tried the daily scrotal cream? I just can’t see myself injecting every day, even if it is with a 27g 1/2” needle, but will if it comes to that. The cream just seems so much easier and from what I’ve read and heard can significantly influence the levels of DHT in the body.
One other question. I won’t have a problem getting a daily Cialis script, but how would I go about getting a script for Flomax (if it comes to that) if I don’t have an enlarged prostate? Thanks again for all of your help.
I’d also like to mention that I’ve been off the Propecia for years now. Last took it in approx 2005 and that was for about a year.
What are your total and free levels of testosterone as well as estrogen levels on the dose you currently use? It may not be any of that but it's s good place to start? From what little I know, I'm inclined to agree with those who suggested it may be a mental thing. Its tough to get too excited if your partner(s) are uninterested in sex themselves. Not saying that's your issue but as an example. Plus, have a problem one time and you start thinking about it, which makes it even worse.
You shouldn't need an AI for 100mg unless your pretty sensitive to estrogen conversion but like everything else, we all respond differently. While I personally think 100mg is pretty low, I don't know that that's where the problem is.