Where are you from (country)? USA
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?) Google search, I do not remember how I came across it.
What is your current age, height, weight? 24, 5’4, 164lbs
Do you excercise regularly? If so, what type of excercise?
Yes, resistance training 4-5 times a week for the last 9 years.
What type of diet do you eat (vegetarian, meat eater, raw, fast-food/organic healthy)?
No specific diet, my ensure that I get all my micronutrients in my diet, while eating whatever I want.
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Anastrazole, or Arimidex
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 0.25mg every 2-3 weeks for 3 years, then 1-3mg every week for 2 months in May/June 2017
What condition was being treated with the drug? Hyperestrogenemia, for recreational bodybuilding purposes (illegally) while supplementing with Testosterone
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? Total of 3 years
How old were you, and WHEN (date) did you start the drug? 20, March 2014
How old were you when you quit, and WHEN (date) did you quit? 24, August 2017
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? 3 years
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Put an X beside all that apply:
Sexual
[x] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[x] Erectile Dysfunction
[x] Complete Impotence (only in a crash)
[x] Loss of Morning Erections
[x] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[x] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate (had this from being on Testosterone already - was considered normal)
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate (same thing)
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility (same thing)
Mental
[x] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks (only in a crash)
[x] Severe Depression / Melancholy (only in a crash)
[x] Suicidal Thoughts (only in a crash)
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[x] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness (same thing, had this from steroid use and was considered a normal finding)
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[xxxx] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[ ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[ ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[xxxxxx] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
-Penile Hypersensitivity (pre-mature ejaculation)
-better sleep
-better energy
-faster body hair growth that now grow coarsely and feels dry
-water retention
-loss of vascularity
-loss of acne
-loss of sebum production
-loss of appetite
-gastroparesis (only in a crash)
-reduced nail growth and reduction of texture
-dry skin
-dry hair
-loss of the ability to achieve reactive hyperemia (muscle pump during resistance training)
-loss of nipple puffiness that I always had on testosterone that indicated my estrogen was high
-severe and adverse reactions to clomid, nolvadex, and phytoestrogens (Horny Goat Weed, Flaxseeds) that I never got before
-cold extremeties
-lower blood pressure and basal heart rate
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
Increasing estrogen through increasing T dose, clomid, HCG, nolvadex, alprazolam
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
Nothing at all has changed on my comprehensive blood tests.
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Yeah, this disease is absolute bullshit.
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
Before May 2017, I considered my life to be perfect. I had just finished a Cellular and Molecular Biology Degree at a Pennsylvania based University and I have just finished a bachelor in science for nursing from a New Jersey based university, bolstering a Summa Cum Laude GPA. I am fortunate to have a beautiful family and many supportive friends.
I had no health concerns, no psychiatric issues, no previous hospitalizations, no allergies, no prior illnesses, no family history of depression or anxiety, and no indication of other endocrine disorders. I do not use any prescribed medications to promote health or any recreational drugs. I would consider myself a healthy young man. I was extremely active my entire life and loved to be in the gym. Owing to this passion, I started self-medicating with replacement doses of testosterone in March 2014. I have never had any health issues being on testosterone and kept a close eye on my bloodwork. At this time, I dosed the testosterone at 100mg per week with 0.2mg of the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex every two to three weeks as needed. I still supplement testosterone; however, this regimen is now under doctor’s supervision. In terms of physical characteristics, I have always had a thick head of hair, no hair loss or impending signs of it, and no family history of male pattern baldness. My skin was always soft and supple; it produced copious amounts of sebum which warranted at least 2 showers a day to avoid acne breakouts. My skin would flush with blood during any vigorous activity. It was always warm and radiated heat, and I loved sleeping in colder temperatures. My nails grew rapidly and I had to cut them almost twice weekly. My metabolism was extremely fast and had great GI motility. In the gym, my performance was excellent. My muscles responded efficiently to resistance training and my muscular endurance was superb. Lastly, I always had great libido no matter my mood or situation. My erectile function was just as efficient as my libido and I never had a single sexual or psychosexual issue either before, during, or after the use of testosterone. Unfortunately, all of these characteristics are now dramatically altered.What Happened?I should note at the outset that any pharmaceuticals I have used were obtained via a pharmacy. It is important to understand when I normally dosed0.2mg of Arimidex, like clockwork, I would lose water weight within two days through excessive urination and would experience a cessation of the presumed symptoms of high estrogen. However, in late May 2017, this did not happen this time. I remained bloated when I took my dose. Puzzled, I continued taking Arimidex to get the desired effect.I began using large doses of Arimidex (2-3mg per week for roughly 3 weeks) to counteract what I suspected to be the symptoms of high serum estrogen. I began to feel different, like something was missing from my body, as if something fundamental had been taken away from me, but I still did not receive any symptoms of low or normal serum estrogen that only took 0.2mg to receive. I started feeling quite odd and socially awkward in social situations which is something that is not typical of my extrovert personality. Physiologically, my performance in the gym began to decline. I would not feel sufficient blood flow to my muscles when I lifted weights, and they started to get cold and clammy. Starting on May 23rd when I began using copious amounts of Arimidex I began losing hair on my scalp at a rapid pace. Within 25days, I lost a portion of hair on my temporal regions, which the follicles here are known to be more sensitive to hormonal changes. At this point I decided to pursue laboratory blood work. My E2 reading revealed <5pg/ml (7.6-42.6). Despite this, I wasn’t having any of typical lower/normal estrogen “symptoms”. Logically, I stopped Arimidex, and within 96 hours I began to feel almost normal again. I lost a lot of water weight through urination, my muscles became full looking again and my low mood lifted. But, I still did not feel exactly as I did before. A week later, after feeling high estrogen symptoms once more I took another 0.25mg Arimidex, which quickly resulted in water retention and feeling very odd. I decided to cease Arimidex, and within 3-4 days, the same pattern repeated: I felt better, but had not returned to my complete usual self. In July, a DO, prescribed me 120mg T cypionate, 500IU Novarel twice per week, 0.25mg Arimidex twice per week. This protocol, which I stayed on for 8weeks, did not help and only made things worse, despite my E2 coming back at 17.2 pg/mL(8-35pg/mL) on the sensitive scale. I also had no response to HCG. In the past, I had great responses to it in terms of testicular size and ejaculatory volume. By the end ofAugust, when I permanently ceased Arimidex, I did not feel a positive rebound that I was getting in June or July. I began not feeling like myself at all, despite no Arimidex. My skin became permanently dry and did not produce any sebum. My libido decreased further, my erectile function suffered, I lost considerable vascularity, and my blood pressure dropped. My hair was (and still is) falling out at a rate you would be forgiven for associating with intense chemotherapy. I’ve also lost body hair and my formidable aggression that I always had.
Since August, my symptoms have continued to worsen, especially when I used a 25 milligram dose of Nolvadex -something that I have used in the past to come off Testosterone temporarily, with no adverse reaction. This single dose of Nolvadex caused my erections suffered even more, my hair loss worsened and accelerated ,my lips and mouth became very dry and arid ,and I lost many more veins that used to be very apparent on my body. At this point, my body completely and permanently stopped producing sebum. In addition to the physical symptoms that appeared immediately after I took the Nolvadex, I suffered from a loss of appetite and intense nausea and exacerbation of previously mentioned symptoms. In early September, I decreased my testosterone dosage back to 100mg (30mg every other day, SQ) as per an endocrinologist. This resulted with no improvement in symptoms, but no worsening. Two weeks after this, I tried a small dose of Clomifene, which I have used in the past with no adverse reactions, which gave me the same outcome as the Nolvadex. In a desperate effort to increase my erection quality I tried a standardized Horny Goat Weed Extract which is something that, when trying in the past out of curiosity, had provided a great result. When I used it this time, within 8 hours I noticed a sharp decline in libido and could not get an erection for days. I later learned that iicarin contains potent phytoestrogens.In November, I returned to doing intramuscular injections instead of subcutaneous, but the same dose. This resulted in an increase of T from 759 to 1006, and an increase of E2 from 25 to 35. After returning to my usual route of administration, symptoms worsened just like they did with the Nolvadex and Clomifene. I felt as if I was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy. I lost appetite, lost chunks of hair on my scalp, lost body hair, had intense nausea, and had muscle wastage. Increasing my testosterone(and therefore estrogen since I was not using an aromatase inhibitor) dosage had never gave me these symptoms, in fact, it increased my libido, hair growth rate and thickness, and made my skin oilier. However, here it had a clear paradoxical effect on my body as my E2 rose from 25 to 35. I deduced from my experiences that my symptoms would concurrently worsen following any increase in estrogen, as if my body was continually silencing my estrogen receptor function in
response to the increased levels, and in addition, paradoxically caused harm to me. The use of SERMS, phytoestrogens, or endogenous increases of estradiol all led to the same outcome. I believe my inhibition of Aromatase initiated an epigenetic down regulation in at least one promoter region relating to the function of the Estrogen Receptor, causing a reduction in my body’s ability to activate certain estrogen responsive genes. As I explained, this reduction in activation of the ER progressively worsened every time I altered my estrogen level in an upwards manner.
I firmly believe that this condition is triggered by receptor over-expression that occurs when SOME people inhibit their hormone production. There is obviously a genetic predisposition to this, hence why not everyone develops what I have or PFS.
There are a few others like me on other TRT forums, namely, lowE2sucks.
I have applied to Baylor’s Undiagnosed Diseases Network for genetic and epigenetic studies, but I believe my chances of getting in are slim.