Zero libido, low T (21, male)

[lxm]

Keeping this thread updated. Hope these numbers are of interest to someone.

I have been on the AI (anastrzole) for 4 months. 1 month @ 1mg EOD, 3 months @ 0.5mg EOD.

At 1mg EOD I eventually began to experience unwanted side effects, I guess this was the 'e2 too low' feeling everyone harps on about. Anyway I suffered from pressure headaches, pressure type pain in my eyes and a general 'tense' and 'off' feeling. I stopped the AI completely for 14 days and re-started at 0.5mg EOD and these sides stopped. Results below.

As stated back in May, I feel good. 85% of symptoms relieved, Cognitive function is 100%, brain fog, quality of sleep, aches, and muscle burn completely gone.

I have lost 20kg since being on the AI. No extreme diets or exercise.

Also interestingly, pre AI my penis flaccid was always extremely shrived, 1.5-3". Now since the AI the flaccid size is 4" constant, and very veiny.

Libido is still completely in the pan

April 2014 (baseline)
Test: 13.9nmol (8.6 - 28.8 )
LH: 4.3ul/l (1-8 )
FSH: 11.3ul/l (1-8 )
E2: 76pmol (40-150)
SHBG 18.2 (18-45)
FAI : 76%

August 2014 (AI THERAPY RESULTS)
Test: 20.6nmol
LH: 5.3
FSH: 12.9
E2: 46
SHBG: INVALID


Bloods 'Pre TRT' < April 2013
Testosterone - 8 -13
SHBG - 12
E2 - 150 - 270
LH & FSH - 6

 

[James23]

Keeping this thread updated. Hope these numbers are of interest to someone.

I have been on the AI (anastrzole) for 4 months. 1 month @ 1mg EOD, 3 months @ 0.5mg EOD.

At 1mg EOD I eventually began to experience unwanted side effects, I guess this was the 'e2 too low' feeling everyone harps on about. Anyway I suffered from pressure headaches, pressure type pain in my eyes and a general 'tense' and 'off' feeling. I stopped the AI completely for 14 days and re-started at 0.5mg EOD and these sides stopped. Results below.

As stated back in May, I feel good. 85% of symptoms relieved, Cognitive function is 100%, brain fog, quality of sleep, aches, and muscle burn completely gone.

I have lost 20kg since being on the AI. No extreme diets or exercise.

Also interestingly, pre AI my penis flaccid was always extremely shrived, 1.5-3". Now since the AI the flaccid size is 4" constant, and very veiny.

Libido is still completely in the pan

April 2014 (baseline)
Test: 13.9nmol (8.6 - 28.8 )
LH: 4.3ul/l (1-8 )
FSH: 11.3ul/l (1-8 )
E2: 76pmol (40-150)
SHBG 18.2 (18-45)
FAI : 76%

August 2014 (AI THERAPY RESULTS)
Test: 20.6nmol
LH: 5.3
FSH: 12.9
E2: 46
SHBG: INVALID


Bloods 'Pre TRT' < April 2013
Testosterone - 8 -13
SHBG - 12
E2 - 150 - 270
LH & FSH - 6

Glad to hear that the AI-only worked for you 85%. (Much to the dismay of a certain naysayer around here. ;P)

As for libido, that won't return with SHBG still so low.

 

[lxm]

Another update. I got my bloods back after being off the AI for nearly 4 months. I was surprised by the numbers. You will notice that my 'chronically' low SHBG has shot up. James?

Again I feel 85%, all symptoms gone appart from ZERO libido and 'dead junk' - Penis cold, small and shriveled.

I think this is as good as I'm going to get.


November 2014 (4 months after stopping AI)
Test: 18.7
LH: 3.5
FSH: 6.3
E2: 109
SHBG: 30.0
FAI: 62.33

August 2014 (AI THERAPY 4 MONTHS RESULTS)
Test: 20.6nmol
LH: 5.3
FSH: 12.9
E2: 46
SHBG: INVALID

April 2014 (baseline - HPTA restarted after 8 months TRT)
Test: 13.9nmol (8.6 - 28.8 )
LH: 4.3ul/l (1-8 )
FSH: 11.3ul/l (1-8 )
E2: 76pmol (40-150)
SHBG 18.2 (18-45)
FAI : 76%



Bloods 'Pre TRT' < April 2013
Test: - 8 -13
SHBG - 12
E2 - 150 - 270
LH & FSH - 6

 

[James23]

Interesting that your SHBG increased to normal. I can't imagine why a course of AI would permanently double your SHBG! Certainly gives people hope...

As for the eye roll about the adjective "chronically," you might have been confusing "chronically" ["long-lasting and difficult to eradicate"] with the word "permanently." Yours HAS been chronically low, and my message has simply been that you need to get it higher to be well. You did, and you are feeling better.

Although, now, it is too high for your TT. That FAI is sub-bar.

If you now take testosterone, assuming your SHBG stays where it is, you might be able to improve that libido a bit.

 

[lxm]

Its been 4 months since my last post, 8 months since I stopped the AI therapy.

Steadily for the last 3 weeks I have developed night sweats 5/7 nights of the week. They consist of soaking wet(cold) sweats in the lower groin area with a very meaty cheesy smell with clothing and sheets completely soaked.

I have also developed a very debilitating sensation within my head most evenings since these sweats have started where it feels like 'cotton wool' , or another way to describe it the sensation when you put two positive magnets together and they 'bounce off' each other. This usually comes with very achey, pressured sore eyes, and I get tight pulling feel across my cheek and one of my eyes droop slightly.

I feel highly agitated and irritable and find myself putting all lights off, and laying on the sofa which helps symptoms.

I'm a pain in the ass..... I thought all of this was done. Hopefully its not a return of symptoms with more to come.

I have decided to simply 'get on with it' as best as I can.

 

[lxm]

Also some self admission; Wow, the start of this thread really was a bit of a train-wreck. I really did feel so awful, and was desperate to feel 'normal'. I think this led to a little obsession over blood test results etc... Reading it all now, I think to myself 'WTF'

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

Read the whole thread. It was nice to see an Aromatase Inhibitor work so well with you.

but about your symptoms returning have taken any blood test as of late to confirm ?

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Also some self admission; Wow, the start of this thread really was a bit of a train-wreck. I really did feel so awful, and was desperate to feel 'normal'. I think this led to a little obsession over blood test results etc... Reading it all now, I think to myself 'WTF'

One of the best posts I have ever read.

 

[foreveryoung]

funny how after so much evidence to the contrary some people still seem to cling to his libido issues being shbg or testosterone related at all

 

[dogheat]

funny how after so much evidence to the contrary some people still seem to cling to his libido issues being shbg or testosterone related at all

How do you or any doc know what his problem is?

 

[foreveryoung]

How do you or any doc know what his problem is?

I don't, but I certainly would start to look at many other pathways than hpta when it seems the problem persists through many different testosterone ranges... way too many are automatically hung up on the idea that testosterone and estrogens are the blame or solution to everything when someone us complaining of libido issues.

 

[lxm]

For the past fortnight I have been experiencing some pretty severe night sweats and headaches in the evenings.

A year ago I presented myself to my doctor with 3-4 large swollen lymph nodes in my left groin, they were examined and deemed normal. Within the last 14 days I have had another cluster of 4-5 appear on the right side, with an additional couple appear on the left, which are quite itchy.

My doctor is sending me to have a node biopsy, hopefully it is all OK and worst case maybe my T has dropped again hence the night sweats and headaches.

 

[nbois]

Sorry didn't read this whole thread but wanted to say I had the same issues when I was younger went in to the doc at 20 took about a yr for them to find an answer they ended up doing a spinal tap and finding I had a swollen nerve I had all the same symptoms as you same blood test but it ended up being a brain and nerve problem they put me on 50mg test cyp eow for a couple months it helped the nerve go down all in all its been 10yrs on trt I'm up to 300mg test cyp eow letrozole 2.5mg ed and works great the only thing that is a little different between our situation is the nerve also makes it so I can't eat very much or I get really sick so the most I can take in a day is 3000cals

 

[lxm]

Well I got my bloods back...... I feel 'ok'. Still lots of lingering things, but I'm 'getting on with it' as I did for 3 years before the whole TRT thing.



May 2015 (9 months post AI)
Test 18.6nmol


November 2014 (4 months after stopping AI)
Test: 18.7
LH: 3.5
FSH: 6.3
E2: 109
SHBG: 30.0
FAI: 62.33

August 2014 (AI THERAPY 4 MONTHS RESULTS)
Test: 20.6nmol
LH: 5.3
FSH: 12.9
E2: 46
SHBG: INVALID

April 2014 (baseline - HPTA restarted after 8 months TRT)
Test: 13.9nmol (8.6 - 28.8 )
LH: 4.3ul/l (1-8 )
FSH: 11.3ul/l (1-8 )
E2: 76pmol (40-150)
SHBG 18.2 (18-45)
FAI : 76%



Bloods 'Pre TRT' < April 2013
Test: - 8 -13
SHBG - 12
E2 - 150 - 270
LH & FSH - 6

 

[Whoremoans]

Little bit of background, Im 21 years old. About 3 years ago I became completely unintrested in sex and relationships and women in general. My libido completely vanished and I could not for the life of me become aroused and horny.
(i.e. that huge noticable surge/flucuation of sexual hormones when seeing an attractive female, or when a female is flirting with you and being sexually suggestive)

Since then ive pretty much felt like an old man, not intrested in sex at all and would rather do something else, when out partying and enjoying myself and attractive girls show intrest, put themselfs on a plate I feel completely 'baseline' like its a chore, I have to 'push myself' to interact with them and when it ever comes down to sex etc they will become extremely aroused and I will feel nada, ill end up yawning, loosing intrest within 5 minutes of foreplay and go find something else to do. Recently with more steady partners its been causing real issues and its really effecting quality of life, Im 21 and want to start getting into relationships, and its really not fair me pretending to be intrested in partners just to keep them happy, I wish I could experience that crazy aroused state that I used to when a teen.

During day to day life ive also started to become unmotivated, with no intrest in setting goals, moving forward in life, I pretty much exist at 'baseline' and no more, im not depressed as my mood is fine.

Most recently ive started to experience night sweats, really cold soaking wet episodes, and also my memory has been really bad, putting down a set of keys then five minutes later searching the whole house for 20-30 minutes for them, only to find them in a simple place, also ive been finding it very difficult at work writing up the most basic of reports which has been causing issues.

I went to the doctors about 14 months ago (September 2011) and explained all of this, she ordered a blood test, it came back as 12.5nmol. she told me this was normal for a 21 year old male and my problems were mental.

I went away and decided to change my diet to contain a more balaced range of macros (carbs,fats,protien), eating fish, lean meats salad & veg along with healthy fats, I started doing cardio x5 a week and lifting weights x3 a week. I lost about 48lbs in weight (220lbs 30%bf to 170lbs 22% bf) from september 2011 - april 2012. I was still feeling terrible and although I had lost lots of weight I had zero muscle mass under what I had lost and at 170lbs held an extremely abnormal & disproportionate level of bodyfat. I then continued the lifting and cardio and struggled hugely. Between April 2012- August 2012 I went on a very consistant and strict working regime and mealplan with cardio and in the 16 weeks I made zero gains and failed to loose any of the extremely flabby fat stores I held. No matter how hard i tried I could not lift weights.

my current body comp; 175lbs, 6ft, 20% bf+?

In October 2012 I went back to the doctors, only this time to see a different person and explained everything to him, explained I had made all of these changes and there had been zero difference, he listened to me and took more bloods, then came back at 13.5nmol He decided to send me to see an endocrine specialist.

I visited the Endo at the start of january 2013, He looked at my body and noticed high levels of fat, and also stated he could feel non fatty tissue growth in chest he took bloods and the below results came back ;



He says he is confused that FSH/LH are a good range yet T levels are 'low end of normal' and estrogen is 'slightly high'

Is anyone willing to give theories and thoughts to my most recent bloods and outlook on my story/history ? What can be done to sort out my issues ?

Thank you.

Do you do drugs and or drink
Frequently? If so that could be your answer. That, on top of your quite apparent shitty diet would probably be the cause.

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

Stress could also be a major factor to consider.
Given that his T levels check out at 536.
They did raise considerably but not really enough to benefit from completely.

 

[dogheat]

Stress could also be a major factor to consider.
Given that his T levels check out at 536.
They did raise considerably but not really enough to benefit from completely.

So basically you,re trying to say he could benefit from a higher level?

 

[lxm]

Well guys... Here I am.

Unfortunately I still dont feel right.

Through the whole of June and July I suffered daily from moderate night sweats, and severe headaches. This has now subsided and has been replaced with very strong nausea, no appetite and pretty much a limp dick (August - present)

I had ultrasound of my groin lymph nodes, although 3cm & 3.5cm lymph nodes all appeared entirely normal apart from the sizes.

I guess I can only get on with it.

 

[foreveryoung]

Well guys... Here I am.

Unfortunately I still dont feel right.

Through the whole of June and July I suffered daily from moderate night sweats, and severe headaches. This has now subsided and has been replaced with very strong nausea, no appetite and pretty much a limp dick (August - present)

I had ultrasound of my groin lymph nodes, although 3cm & 3.5cm lymph nodes all appeared entirely normal apart from the sizes.

I guess I can only get on with it.

keep updating here, always good to have a running play by play through the years of how we feel and what we are going through

what is your current protocol?

 

[PharmD518]

Weird, I had a cluster of swollen lymph nodes pop up in my groin area as well within the last year and I too have had libido issues (though due to past finasteride use.) Had a CT scan which showed they were normal but they never subsided. I believe I even made a thread here about it when this happened. Not saying there's a causation or even correlation here, just interesting.