Ok let me lay this one on your we have a guy at the H2 group that was tested just Total T and put on Androgel this guy never felt right. Found a new Dr. that took him off the Androgel can't remember if it was 2 weeks or 4. Put him on 1mg. a day of Arimidex and his levels went up into the 600 last time he posted he was up higher. Turns out this Dr. is having a lot of success doing this. He finds that men he tests that have low T and low LH and FSH but high Estradiol this works. I told the guy that this is a dam high dose and he said this is the dose that works for the Dr.
Here is a link to the start of the thread it's dam long.
Yahoo! Groups
And this is a cut & paste off his first post.
Phil
Arimidex **instead** of TRT Message List
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My only prior post was a contribution a few days ago to the exercise
thread. I promised that I would have more to report on a new
protocol I'm following once I got the followup bloodwork. Now's the
time.
I'll start with the conclusion: I'm now on 1mg of Arimidex
**instead** of testosterone replacement therapy, and this puts me in
the high range of normal for T with a nice level of estradiol. Who
woulda' thunk I could get to that T range without supplementing with
T?
The background is that I was diagnosed with low T about 6 years ago
by my endo/PCP, a diagnosis stimulated by my complaints of erectile
dysfunction. I went on TRT, ultimately settling on a regimen of 10g
of Androgel per day. At the time of diagnosis, I learned whatever I
could, as I always do, and was generally satisfied with my PCP's
handling of the situation; e.g., he tested for total and free
testosterone as well as prolactin, LH and FSH, and then sent me for a
precautionary MRI of the pituitary when the LH and FSH turned out to
be at the low end of normal range. He did test for estradiol, but
only because I asked him to after having read about its importance on
the Life Extension Foundation website. Nevertheless, the T level was
the most important thing to him, and he was happy to get me to the
high range of normal with the 10g of Androgel. This did not become a
cure for the ED, and I resorted to the new wonders of pharmaceutical
remedies for that.
This spring, I changed insurance companies and learned that they
would not pay for Androgel without a demonstration of the medical
necessity, so I asked my doc to order a retest of whatever he would
need to provide that proof.
June 19th, blood was taken for this purpose, and here are the results
(remember, this is on 10g/day of Androgel):
FSH 2.3 (Range 1.6-8.0 mIU/mL)
LH 2.2 (Range 1.5-9.3 mIU/mL)
Total T 562 (Range 260-1000 ng/dL)
Free Testosterone
% Free 1.1 (Range 1.0-2.7%)
Free 63.6 (Range 50.0-210.0 pg/mL)
I was somewhat surprised and a bit disappointed that he didn't test
for estradiol.
Shortly after doing this bloodwork, I was informed that my PCP had a
back injury and my appointment would have to be postponed. This got
postponed yet again, and I later learned that he would be out for an
extended period and that he would not be able to tend to me for quite
some time.
Fortuitously, I had to look for a new urologist, since the one I used
to go to had moved his office to an inconvenient location, and I
preferred to keep my doctors' appointments within walking distance
(I'm in Manhattan).
I brought all my bloodwork to my new urologist. After he examined
me, he spent a few minutes telling me how useless the PSA test was,
then started talking to me about my testosterone. Mind you, I had
already found this group, and had read lots of stuff confirming the
importance of estradiol levels. I had also read lots of comments
generally dismissing the competence of endocrinologists or urologists
to deal with these issues.
Well, this urologist is obviously a different breed. He looked at my
numbers and said I was at the right dosage of Androgel, but then he
started talking about Arimidex as his preferred method of treatment.
At this, I already had the feeling this guy knew more about T than
any other doctor I've seen. In fact, he then pulled out a copy of a
manuscript he had written about using aromatase inhibitors in men for
a whole host of good effects. The paper has been accepted for
publication in a British international urological journal.
Before putting me on Arimidex, he wanted to see my estradiol level
and get another reading on my T. Here's what he found:
Estradiol 39 (Range 10-50 pg/mL)
Total T 687 (Range 241-827 ng/dL)
With these results, he gave me a prescription for Arimidex, to take
1mg per day. I did a double-take, since that's a far greater amount
than what I read about in this group. He said this was definitely
the dosage for me. I asked about getting a new prescription for
Androgel with my new insurance company, and he then apologized for
not making himself clear. I was to drop the Androgel altogether.
Let it wash out of my system for at least a week before starting the
Arimidex. Then take the Arimidex for 3 weeks before re-doing the
bloodwork.
Well, the 3 weeks was up last Friday and I revisited my doc this
afternoon. Here are the results on 1mg Arimidex per day and dropping
the T replacement:
Estradiol 13 (Range 10-50 pg/mL)
Total T 617 (Range 241-827 ng/dL)
Wow. That 617 of testosterone is all me, not some "additive."
He was very pleased and told me to come back in a month for re-
testing. As I was leaving, he smiled and predicted that in our
lifetimes the majority of men will be taking Arimidex.
Bob
