How many years have you been you on TRT now?

[Dadoo]

Hello everybody.

How long are you on TRT ?

And please post whether you are happy with your TRT!

...

[pmgamer18]

I am going on 28 yrs of TRT the first 23 I never felt 100% you can read my story at this link and how low hormones messed up my heart.
http://forums.realthyroidhelp.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9239
If the link dose not work here it is below.
http://www.eaec.org/bookstore/books/sywth-excerpt.htm
The following was added to my story in a book Janie called Stop The Thyroid Maddness
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First I want to thank the mods here at STTM for telling me to get my Ferritin tested.

My labs I feel have showed a problem with my blood but Dr.'s only look for above or below normal on labs not trends.

The first lab test on my Ferritin was done on 10/07 it was 18 low with a range of 20 to 380 ng/mL. I later found out most younger men test between 100 to 170. We are trying to get me up past 70 I am not there yet.
At this time my Free T3 was 364 range 230 to 420 pg/dL on 4 grains of Armour you will see this go up as my iron levels come up.

Here is what my blood looked like at the time I tested Ferritin.

Red Blood Cell Count 5.42 range 4.20 to 5.80 Million/uL.

Hemuglobin 14.2 on the low side range 13.2 to 17.1 g/dL.

Hematocrit 44 on the low side range 38.5 to 50%.

MCV 81.1 on the low side range 80 to 100 fL.

MCH 26.2 below normal range 27 to 33 pg.

I always get a copy of my labs and I called my Dr. and told him how low this is and asked how do we treat this.

I went on 2 Iron pills one in between the morning meal and lunch and the other 4 hrs after dinner. You need to take Iron pill with some Vit. C. On an empty stomach about 4 hrs before eating for it to work it's best. Yet some Iron pills are very hard on the stomach. So my Dr. put me on the following because I suffered from Heartburn and Reflux.
Ferrous Fumarate 324 mg - 106 mg Elemental Iron so I was doing 212 mgs of Elemental Iron here is a link to where I got this.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100155&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod1194792
And this is the Vit. C I take with each Iron pill.
http://www.myvitanet.com/supbiocbuf36.html

I have been on this now 11 months and little by little my Ferritin levels were coming up very slow as follows.
After 8 weeks testing on 12/07 I went up from 18 to 24 and my above blood count all went just above normal my Dr. said not to worry this was because on the Iron pill.
He also started testing my Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.
Iron Total 83 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.
Iron Binding Capacity 391 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.
% Saturation 21 range 20 to 50% (calc).
My Free T3 364 to 365.

On 02/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 24 to 31 and blood count still above normal.
Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.
Iron Total 89 up from 83 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.
Iron Binding Capacity 345 down from 391 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.
% Saturation 26 up from 21 range 20 to 50% (calc).
My Free T3 went up from 365 to 372.
At this time I was having Hyper Thyroid symptoms I know TSH is nothing but mine show very low .03. I was have very high heart beat sweating and my temps avg went up to over 99.4. So my Dr. lowered my Armour down from 4 to 3 grains I later found this was to low. Also at this time my Heartburn and Reflux were gone and my Breathing and Energy was so much better I was able to come of 3 meds I was on for this. I never thought I could feel this good again.

On 04/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 31 to 43 and blood count still above normal.
Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.
Iron Total 117 up from 89 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.
Iron Binding Capacity 334 down from 345 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.
% Saturation 35 up from 26 range 20 to 50% (calc).
My Free T3 went down from 372 to 309 but I felt fine.

On 06/08 labs for Ferritin come up from 43 to 64 and blood count Just at the top of normal.
Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.
Iron Total 118 up from 117 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.
Iron Binding Capacity 354 up from 345 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.
% Saturation 33 dowm from 35 range 20 to 50% (calc).
My Free T3 has not been done my Dr. has a new lab tech and my labs are not getting done right.
At this point my Dr. lower me down from 2 Iron pills to one a day I still felt fine.

On 08/08 labs for Ferritin went down and I feel it 52 from 64 and due to new lab tech no blood count labs.
Iron and Total Iron Binding Capacity levels as follows.
Iron Total 105 down from 118 range 45 to 170 mcg/dL.
Iron Binding Capacity 351 down from 354 range 250 to 425 mcg/dL.
% Saturation 39 down from 33 range 20 to 50% (calc).
My Free T3 is not done when it rains it pores not that I really need it the lab tech is not asking for it I think my Dr. Fired the person.
He is do a new test Folate RBC and I am below normal this is not good with Anemia 212 range >280 ng/mL RBC.
I told him I take a double dose of Folic Acid how can this be. He said I might need a different kind here is what I am taking.
http://www.myvitanet.com/foac80andb25.html
This is what I need to take.
http://www.amazon.com/Thorne-Research-Folacal-60/dp/B000FGWCIW
I am not feel very good I have the Heartburn and Reflux back and feel now like I am hypo on my Thyroid so my Dr. upped my dose 30mgs of Armour now on 3.5 grains. And I have a bad upper respiratory infection now going on 3 weeks just finishing my second set of Antibiotics.

A good friend of mine Hardasnails1973 told me about adding B-12, Folic Acid and a Multi-Vit to some DMSO and putting an eye dropper full on my forearms. I ran this past my Dr. telling him in the link the Phd said it helps to bring up Iron levels he said try it. Here is a link to the site one needs to read the links below Heath Notes on Anemia, DMSO and Crohn's Disease. Here is a cut and past on mixing it. When I tried this wow it felt like I took a big B-12 shot. Now I don't know if this is going to bring up my Iron levels until my next set of labs the end of this month but I am still on one Iron pill doing this DMSO 2x's a week after a morning shower. My breathing is much better and I feel much better and I am still sick with the infection.
http://www.krysalis.net/b12.htm

[pmgamer18]

Part 2.
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I use a two ounce bottle with an eyedropper, add 10mg of vitamin B12 sublingual (ten 1000 mcg tablets), 9.6 mg of folic acid (twelve 800 mcg tablets) and a single multivitimin-multimineral tablet and fill it with 99.9% DMSO (leaving a bubble at the top so it can be mixed when shaken). All ingredients were obtained from my local health food store. The tablets are mostly binder and take a few days to fall apart. They don't fully dissolve, but that doesn't seem to matter in terms of potency. I now use this regularly on approximately a once every month or two basis. It serves as a reasonable mood elevator for me, and I believe it contributes significantly to my general health. My interpretation is I seem to become deficient in vitamin B12 even though I take oral supplements regularly.
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I also found a better brand of Iron to take that is easy on your stomach and stronger. I am going to try this here is cut and paste about it from this link.
http://www.amazon.com/Feosol-Carbonyl-Supplement-Therapy-Caplets/dp/B000FKJX62
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Product Description
Feosol Carbonyl Iron Supplement is a pure form of Iron, and the No. 1 doctor recommended iron supplement. Designed to be gentle to your stomach. the supplement is made up of 45 milligrams of elemental iron per caplet (250 percent of Daily Value). Most ordinary iron products contain iron salts that can upset your stomach, but Feosol caplets are different. They contain pure iron micro particles called carbonyl iron. This advanced formula is specially designed to be well absorbed by your body and gentle on your stomach. The caplets also comes in an easy to carry bottle. (Note: The 45 milligrams of Elemental Iron per Feosol Caplet is the same amount of Elemental Iron as in 225 milligrams of Ferrous Sulfate USP.)
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I am also going to try this for my Heartburn and Reflux, Natural Factors - DGL Chewable Tablets -Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root Extract - T - 90
http://tinyurl.com/5buol6

I am getting relief using this taking 3 tablets in the middle of each meal.
http://www.myvitanet.com/dresuen180ta.html

I do feel I have been Anemic for over 25 yrs from the fist time I got sick and seen a Dr. he told me after labs I was Anemic after a time on iron pills and not getting better I was sent to see a Blood Dr. this guy I was told is the best yet he did not speak good English I had a hard time understanding him. Also he ordered new labs but did not tell me to stop the Iron pills I was on a week before doing the labs. So when the labs came back he said I was fine that my Dr.'s labs were not any good. I figured this out when my Dr. told me to stop iron pills 5 to 7 days before doing labs.

The following is a Cut and Paste of what Janie might have put in her new book "Stop The Thyroid Maddness".
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Though it's most common with women, men are not immune from having low ferritin. Phil, a thyroid, adrenal and pituitary patient who specializes in men's issues, states:




I had a lot of problems and couldn't pinpoint what was holding me back. My testosterone levels on meds were good; my HC meds were working; my thyroid levels were better; bI didn't get sick anymore in the winter.

Still I went to bed fatigued and got up fatigued. I had a high pulse rate over 110 bpm at rest. I was out of breath just from getting a glass of water. Sometime, I felt as if I would pass out. I had mucus stuck in my throat just at the bottom of my neck, and had to hack over and over to get it up so I could breathe.

To be honest with you I felt like I had congestive heart failure. Here I am on Florinef for low aldosterone levels, yet I was holding water so bad that I needed to take water pills every other day. It made no sense.

Finally, the women on a group I belong to pushed me into testing Ferritin. My levels come back below normal. I was at 18 and the low end of the range is 29. After taking 212 mgs. of elemental iron from Ferrous Fumarate 324 mg., my Ferritin come up to only 24 after taking this for 7 weeks.

Yet my breathing is so much better. I fly up and down stairs without getting our of breath. I stopped taking meds to help me breathe, as well as a med for reflux. I have dropped 22 lbs since using iron while being on the Weight Watchers program, while before, I gained on Weight Watchers. I am now getting exercise and not housebound. My feelings of depression have lessened, and hell, my sex life is better. I asked my Dr. why my iron levels are so low, and he feels it's the hypopituitary problem with so many low hormones.

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I Pray I did not bore you all to death with this long post and hope this helps others. As I do more labs I will add to this.

[Dadoo]

...sked my Dr. why my iron levels are so low, and he feels it's the hypopituitary problem with so many low hormones.
I Pray I did not bore you all to death with this long post and hope this helps others. As I do more labs I will add to this.
that's a long road.... 28 years!!! and how old are you now?
Are you on T gels or shots?

[pmgamer18]

I am on 80 mgs of Test C every 3 days and 250 IU's of HCG Novarel the 2 days each in between my T shot. I also am on HGH doing a .3mg or .9 IU's shot every night.

[Dadoo]

I am on 80 mgs of Test C every 3 days and 250 IU's of HCG Novarel the 2 days each in between my T shot. I also am on HGH doing a .3mg or .9 IU's shot every night.
Whith the additional HGH you must feel better and your hair must be thicker, isn't it?

And you didn't tell how old you are, pmgamer?

...

[pmgamer18]

I am 66 yrs old on the HGH started last Nov. I now don't need to treat my Thyroid I am off meds was doing 4 grains a day of Armour.

Whith the additional HGH you must feel better and your hair must be thicker, isn't it?

And you didn't tell how old you are, pmgamer?

...

[CubbieBlue]

I am 66 yrs old on the HGH started last Nov. I now don't need to treat my Thyroid I am off meds was doing 4 grains a day of Armour.

Phil, I'm confused. I know you had some recent troubles balancing your armour dosage and figuring that out with your doctor. So you both decided to go without any thyroid meds and now you are doing fine? Yet you are hypopit? What do your test results say now?

[Dadoo]

bump!

[GirlyMan]

2 years now. Haven't seriously considered bailing out since starting it. And don't need the Wellbutrin or anti-depressants anymore. So double-thumbsup from me. :thumbup:

[Bulldog]

Less than one year for me. So far so good though. I feel much better overall but I'm still fighting with E2 a bit. Wish I would have started earlier.

[Dadoo]

Less than one year for me. So far so good though. I feel much better overall but I'm still fighting with E2 a bit. Wish I would have started earlier.
Great, how old are you?

[Bulldog]

Great, how old are you?

I'm currently 40. I will be 41 in June.

I started feeling crappy about 5 years ago with low mid level Free T and wish I would have started HRT back then. I feel great compared to just a year ago. If I could just get my E2 dialed in I would be in hog heaven!

[Katzenjammer]

About 6 months. I feel awesome. Not looking back. Wish I had started earlier.

[JanSz]

Process started sometimes around 2001.

Started on Androgel sometimes in 2003.

The whole process is of my own design.
I have seen some doctors, absolutely no help.
I got only horror story from doctors.
I am easy pray because I have enlarged prostate and PSA~4
Because of my high PSA I have decided to arrange for a number of biopsies before considering using testosterone.
All biopsies negative.

My first testosterone injection 7/9/07

..

[Dadoo]

Process started sometimes around 2001.

Started on Androgel sometimes in 2003.

The whole process is of my own design.
I have seen some doctors, absolutely no help.
I got only horror story from doctors.
I am easy pray because I have enlarged prostate and PSA~4
Because of my high PSA I have decided to arrange for a number of biopsies before considering using testosterone.
All biopsies negative.

My first testosterone injection 7/9/07

..
so here no looking back as well I guess. good for you that all biopsies were negative. must have been a whole bunch of $$$ to give away..

[Dadoo]

I'm currently 40. I will be 41 in June.

I started feeling crappy about 5 years ago with low mid level Free T and wish I would have started HRT back then. I feel great compared to just a year ago. If I could just get my E2 dialed in I would be in hog heaven!
=)) I am sure there is a way to do it, e.g. very low doses Adex for QD, proper hcg dose, myomin, and broccoli (http://www.musclechatroom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13435), haha


About 6 months. I feel awesome. Not looking back. Wish I had started earlier.
that's interesting, you are surely as well 30-40 yo, arent you? I am 25 and the decision is kinda not easy

[Mike Peck]

Started last june ish im 33 started having issues about 5 years ago, started with this shortness of breath palpitations, worsened when laying on my back worse with lack of sleep, thought it was my heart saw 2 dr's for that did 2 echo, stress tests all clean other than could bearly run on the treadmill for a few damn minutes, gained weight got out of the Corp in 1999 probably around 165 175 im now 205 and still cant seem to lose any i dont Exercise. Since TRT for the most part that anxiety feeling and palpitations are gone but that changes depending on my E2. if i go to low my joints freaking ache like hell if im to high i feel like i cant breath. i am loads better though. I started trying vinpocetine and dmae and i feel sometimes that i am not as burned out at the end of the day mentally, little more energy but still dont wanna work out. Im getting there though. If i eat like crap pizza etc.. i seem to creep closer to 205 if i eat better like subway i tend to fall back towards 201.. Sleep Sleep Sleep is really what i need to work on though, ive tried some things the gaba and the melatonin feel groggy alot of the times in the AM though. i am just stubborn and fight going to sleep. if i go to sleep early i tend to wake up at 4:30 am alot and sometimes cant go right back to sleep. Plus i do have moderate obstructive sleep apnea most likely due to my neck fat i have gained lol

[Dadoo]

Started last june ish im 33 started having issues about 5 years ago, started with this shortness of breath palpitations, worsened when laying on my back worse with lack of sleep, thought it was my heart saw 2 dr's for that did 2 echo, stress tests all clean other than could bearly run on the treadmill for a few damn minutes, gained weight got out of the Corp in 1999 probably around 165 175 im now 205 and still cant seem to lose any i dont Exercise. Since TRT for the most part that anxiety feeling and palpitations are gone but that changes depending on my E2. if i go to low my joints freaking ache like hell if im to high i feel like i cant breath. i am loads better though. I started trying vinpocetine and dmae and i feel sometimes that i am not as burned out at the end of the day mentally, little more energy but still dont wanna work out. Im getting there though. If i eat like crap pizza etc.. i seem to creep closer to 205 if i eat better like subway i tend to fall back towards 201.. Sleep Sleep Sleep is really what i need to work on though, ive tried some things the gaba and the melatonin feel groggy alot of the times in the AM though. i am just stubborn and fight going to sleep. if i go to sleep early i tend to wake up at 4:30 am alot and sometimes cant go right back to sleep. Plus i do have moderate obstructive sleep apnea most likely due to my neck fat i have gained lol
thanks for the little review!
so you think subway is a better idea?))
I know that waking up at 4:30 stuff, still not too sure why that occure, I only see that it occurs with me after long periods of going to sleep late in the night and then switch right to normal sleep rhythm. another point is if I have not had some stress including going to university, I also tend to have less good sleep.

[pmgamer18]

My testing 8 weeks ago was hyper and my last one lowering my Armour I was hyper feeling this way sucks it set me back 5 weeks. Today I am not on any Armour and I take my Temps 3x's a day and chart the avg. My avg. before going on Armour was 97.2 on Armour 98.4 off Armour on HGH 98.6.
And I feel fine.

Phil, I'm confused. I know you had some recent troubles balancing your armour dosage and figuring that out with your doctor. So you both decided to go without any thyroid meds and now you are doing fine? Yet you are hypopit? What do your test results say now?

[Dadoo]

bumppp!!!

I'll keep on upping until we have 30 votes :toetap05:

haha:bigear:

[00slotiv]

I am very happy with hormone replacement therapy. Since late 2007.

Biggest surprises are testosterone's positive and calming effect on mood and the effect of HGH on body fat.

Bob

[Dadoo]

I am very happy with hormone replacement therapy. Since late 2007.

Biggest surprises are testosterone's positive and calming effect on mood and the effect of HGH on body fat.

Bob
perfect ==))