Hey guys,
Thanks for the kind words. I have a new update for you.
Firstly, for peeps who are new to this thread, the title of the thread is a bit unfortunate.
The truth is that Clomid has not played a big role in my ongoing recovery. I did use it at the beginning when we (my Endo and I) thought I had classic Secondary Hypo, but we quickly realised that my pituitary didn’t need stimulation per se, but rather that it was an overactive aromatase enzyme / elevated E levels that seemed to be shutting my system down. Hence the shift to Letrozole, an Aromatase Inhibitor. The side effects of Clomid were significant, particularly in terms of mood, and it also had noticeable effects on vision (!). Side effects from Letrozole are subtle, and I can’t really distinguish between Let sides and PFS effects i.e. the main issues that persist are fatigue, anxiety and flaccid shrinkage, particularly when stressed. Erect isn’t quite what it used to be, but not far off. Libido is good.
I’m all for a “natural” approach. I did try this for a year before seeing a specialist, but the truth is that my T levels literally didn’t shift one decimal point despite heavy gym / supps etc. So now I’m looking for the minimum effective dose to get results, along with supps, diet, exercise.
So here’s an interesting update on my condition. I feel like each time I’m forming new distinctions and getting closer to ideal treatment:
Recap: Back in September I noticed that lowering my E2 with Letrozole wasn’t always correlated with higher T levels. Endo suspected it might be Letrozole’s dual function of action that was spiking T levels (as per previous transcript from meeting) and not just the fact that E2 was being lowered. Endo suggested adding I3C complex to the mix, gradually lowering Let dosage and monitoring what happened. I3C complex = a natural supp containing DIM and Indole-3-Carbinol. I was skeptical of “natural” supps due to previous experiences, but value his opinion.
So as per the chat (again, see previous transcript), I initially did 3 weeks on 2.5mg Let per day to raise T, and lower E. I used previous test results as guide to keep costs down - previous results had me at about T: 34 / E2: 40 after 3 weeks on 2.5 daily Let.
Then I went onto 1.25 Let every other day + x1 I3C every day. After 8 weeks of this I re-tested:
T = 31,3 nmol
E2 = 75 pmol
SHBG = 23,7
Free T: 868
My conclusion was that T was holding well, and E2 seemed to be lower than it usually would have been. As a point of comparison, a previous period of 4 weeks in 2013 with Let 1.25 every day (not just every other day) had led to E: 98 and T: 21.9. So it seemed to me that I3C did have some efficacy in terms of E2 levels.
I decided to try just adding an extra dose of I3C every other day to see if it could lower E2 a bit more and then retesting i.e. 1.25 Let plus x1 I3C every other day, with x2 I3C alone on the days in between. I retested after 8 weeks.
T = 34 nmol
E2 = 55 pmol
SHBG: 27,5
Free T: 898
My conclusion again was that the I3C seems to have a real affect on E2 levels, they were down 27% just by adding an extra an extra dose of I3C every other day.
I decided to try dropping Let from the mix altogether and seeing what happened. i.e. just x2 I3C every day. I did this for 6 weeks and re-tested:
T = 14,4 nmol
E2 = 62 pmol
SHBG: 26,9
Free T: 330
As a point of comparison, stopping Let for 6 weeks back in 2013 resulted in a spike of E2 to 117 pmol, and a drop of T to 14. My conclusion was that I3C definitely seems to help keep E2 levels down, but doesn’t have the same effect of raising T levels as Let / AI’s.
So whatever the AI is doing to spike T levels, I3C isn’t doing, but it’s good to know that I can keep E2 levels under control with a natural supplement alone. I don’t think this is what my Endo was expecting, I’ve mailed him for his thoughts.
Will let you know when I hear anything more…