These results, with the exception of 3-adiol-g, are excellent. Do you have any non-sexual symptoms? Have you ever tested cortisol with a saliva test?Assuming that you took propecia for hair loss, your pre-propecia DHT was probably higher than your current one.
Not really, feel tired/lethargic sometimes, have lack of motivation/mild depression I guess but thats probably normal for anyone dealing with this situation. Don’t have brain fog or anxiety although had these when I was taking it. Main symptoms are 0% libido, no/rare nocturnal erections (weak), no morning erections (rarely I’ll have weak ones), no spontaneous erections, penile tissue change (probably peyronies but haven’t been to urologist to verify), also the skin of my dick/balls is like a sharpee puppy’s. Dribbling/leaking after taking a piss, and no pleasurable feeling accompanying ejaculation.
Twice, once before I went on TRT and once during. Couldn’t figure out a good way to put it in the excel sheet though.
Cortisol, Saliva, 4x (07/12/11)
8 AM - 0.081 [0.025 - 0.600] ug/dL
12 PM - 0.077 [LT 0.010 - 0.330] ug/dL
4 PM - 0.050 [0.010 - 0.200] ug/dL
12 AM - 0.017 [LT 0.01 - 0.090] ug/dL
Cortisol, Saliva, 4x (08/02/11)
8 AM - 0.130 [0.025 - 0.600] ug/dL
12 PM - 0.091 [LT 0.010 - 0.330] ug/dL
4 PM - 0.083 [0.010 - 0.200] ug/dL
12 AM - 0.013 [LT 0.01 - 0.090] ug/dL
Maybe, but when I was on TRT my DHT went high out of range, yet I still felt nothing. I think it has something to do with my 3-adiol-g barely going up at all and still being out of range low, even with high DHT.
Why don’t you talk to your dr and discuss about increasing cortisol to at least mid-level?
your FT3 to RT3 is 13.3 I am pretty sure people say it should be 20:1.
Have you got a log of body temps?
Because I don’t see the point in my case. I’m not aware of anyone who recovered their libido, nocturnal/morning erections, etc by boosting cortisol that was already in range, but if these members exist I would be interested in their experience. Plus it seems like theres a pretty good chance of messing things up worse trying to artificially raise it. My doctor doesn’t think theres an issue with my cortisol at all, after my initial serum came back high he had me take a 24 hr urine and that came back fine, case closed as far as he was concerned. Since then I’ve just been adding the saliva cortisol, RT3, etc. to the lab orders myself. Also, I have no idea what any of my pre-propecia levels were. As far as I know these levels are what I’ve always operated just fine at until taking Pro.
No I don’t. Since I’ve been getting RT3 tested my ratio has been 14.4, 14.5, and most recently 13. So not far off from 20, and I feel ok besides the persistent sexual sides. So not sure boosting my ratio up to 20 or higher would make much of a difference.
correiovip felt much better with prednisone, which can be considered a very powerful version of cortisol.
I feel much better on cortisol… What are your body temps. If they are not normal you will not feel normal. Your temps should be 37c in the day. If they are not. Fix that first.
I haven’t checked my body temperature besides a couple times when I’ve gone in for physicals or doctor visits, and they said it was normal. How did you feel before you started supplementing cortisol, compared to how you feel now? I don’t seem to have any low cortisol symptoms besides feeling lethargic/sleepy sometimes, which may or may not be caused by low cortisol. Also my pregnenolone is out of range high on my last blood draw, unfortunately I didn’t get cortisol tested at the same time, but its probably about the same as the previous two were. For now I’m just kind of waiting on the results of the study to be published before I try anything else.
You should invest in a thermometer. Your body temps are a very good way to measure you thyroid / cortisol. They actually measure how much thyroid hormone is getting into your cells.
I think it is a very important test, it is not expensive and can be done at home.
I was feeling out of energy before I started cortisol. That has been solved. Still can not solve the libido issue. But overall I feel good when my temps are 37 and less well when they are 35.5 +/- .3
Hey buddy!
Where are you?
Did you measure your temp? 10 bucks says your not optimal.
I read your thread again.
This is what I have to say now.
Your in a very similar situation to how I was in first 2 years. Except I had some exhaustion feelings.
0 libido, no pleasure - exactly the same as me.
Good blood levels of cortisol but low siliva levels same as me. But your rt3 is not that high.
Why is your free cortisol but your total cortisol high?
First guess would be transcortin. You can test that.
My theory is this. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone, it breaks down your tissues. Testostrone is anabolic it repairs / retains and builds tissue.
So if you had low cortisol but good free active testosterone levels you would probably get stronger and stronger. Is this happenening to you? I doubt it.
So the body will reduce free cortisol to a level where it matches the anabolic hormones.
The question is why are your anabolic hormones so low. This is hard to answer and could be the root cause of PFS. But saying evey single cell in our body that has androgen receptors has changed is a little hard to swallow.
What would explain it would be a change in the T/E balance. I think small changes in this balance could have a large effect. It seems E will reduce the number of androgen receptors, and bind to and block androgen receptors. And obviously increase SHBG which will further reduce the function of your androgens.
So there are many mechanisms that estrogens can lower your anabolic hormones. I guess that is why the body increases cortisol binding hormone when estrogen increases to reduce catabolic hormones now that anabolic hormone effectivness has been reduced.
To test this you just need a siliva estrogen / testosterone test. This will test unbound hormones. Which removes all the worries about SHBG. If your siliva hormones show good levels. Then this theory is bunk.
If this theory is bunk. Our body has somehow became androgen insensitive and we are probably screwed. Only time may help. But your 7 years in. sooo…