Hi all,
It has been a while since I have posted and a fair bit has happened since I last did. To cut a long story short, I got fucked over after using Saw palmetto for a month and woke up one morning to a host of horrific symptoms and strange things happening to me.
What I have done in the 3 years I have suffered:
Initially as we all do, we panic because we have no fucking clue what is happening to us or why and think that things can be resolved by taking more medication. I was having issues with raised prolactin which I figured was not helping my sexual sides. I trialled cabergoline and that alone has been the only thing that has bought back spontaneous erections etc for me, unfortunately it seemed to wear off after a couple of weeks trying it and it would make my insomnia and issues entering sleep x10 worse.
After much reading and research, I started to live a cleaner life. I cut out all processed foods and gluten. I showed markers for gluten issues and I could feel in myself that my guts were in a bad way. I eat mainly meats, fish, veggies and fruits. Some dairy occasionally. Try to keep it organic but its not always easy to find or the most cost effective! I also do not drink or smoke. All of that went in the bin when this happened to me!
I continued to live the most healthiest lifestyle I could. I began taking a few supplements:
Magnesium citrate in the evenings. (Also Epsom salt baths x2 a week)
B complex in the morning. I have to be careful as this can hinder my sleep.
Vit C in the morning
Vit D3 4000iu
Boron 8mg under tongue (Trying to lower my SHBG)
Occasionally L-Glutamine powder
These are the list of things I have stuck to religiously and have made some improvements by.
After a year or so of doing this, keeping active, starting a new business, trying to exercise without being exhausted, I decided that the natural process was not taking me any further and I needed to try and notch things up a gear.
My Total T has hovered around 400-600 ngdl but since becoming ill my SHBG had climbed to nearly 50 nmol/l. It was around the high 20's before. I know numbers do not necessarily mean much in this condition but I figured my free androgen levels were not that great.
My Estradiol appeared to be getting lower and lower. My joints and hips were cracking a lot and I was concerned with osteoporosis. My father had this in his hips also and has had to have multiple hip replacements. I did not want to end up in that condition.
I decided to try HCG Monotherapy. Upon starting, it felt like someone had flicked a switch back on. Things began to hang low, I felt sensation down there that I had not felt in a long time. I did not start to get random erections again like the cabergoline aided me but my libido came back where as it had been non existent before. My brain fog lifted and I thought I was on the way to recovery. This lasted a few weeks and then began to taper off. I started to experience a lot of anxiety and tight chested feelings, felt like estrogens had probably got to high.... blood test shows that my E2 was at an optimal level....
After to sticking to this for a few months and having not much change in my free androgen status, I decided to add in Testosterone, desperate to recreate the initial HCG feeling again. I began T Enanthate at around 100mg a week. I felt pretty explosive, muscles became pumped, dick started to work better, looked bigger. Without having to be to graphic, my loads increased substantially and returned back to firing rather than a dull dribble. I thought this must be it! My stamina increased, I finally had the energy to work out. I had that natural want for physical exercise again. This lasted a few months, morning erections and night time erections became all the time but still weak. erection strength improved too. Libido still didn't seem to come back like it had initially on HCG alone.My sleep was better and for the first time in years I could fall asleep easily.
After a while TRT seemed to lose its effectiveness and all it seemed to do was make me feel agitated and too aggressive. I did not feel myself at all and decided that now was the time to tackle this properly for once and for all. I knew that I could be affected by androgens. In the time I was on TRT my body hair seemed to explode, (I am already a hairy guy), hairline receded some more so I felt that I cannot be in as big of a mess as some of the other guys in this condition. One thing I will add, I have always been lean and even when I crashed I have never had issues with weight, only nipple puffiness.
I weened off the Testosterone whilst continuing with the HCG. I carried the HCG on for a few weeks after that to maintain testicular production then slowly tapered that also. Another strange thing to add, when coming off HCG, the week after my last injection I appeared to have a surge in libido again. I was so horny. Erections were still not that great but my balls were bigger and excuse for the details, loads were bigger than ever. I have made progress with this as when I first crashed it was watery or nothing for a year or so. After a few weeks things got worse, insomnia came back off and on and libido and erections plummeted. I did not want to PCT with clomid or any other SERM due to the sides of them.
Thats where I am at now. Sleep sucks, tired all the time and sexual function isn't great at all, however I still get nocturnals and morning wood but its not very strong. I have had blood tests which show all my numbers have returned to what they were. LH and FSH are back to normal so I am not shutdown.
I have studied the protocols listed by CD himself a lot but avoided going the herb route before the TRT as I was cautious over the fact a herb did this to me. I know this might seem stupid for some, but every time I walk in a store or health shop and I see that shit sat on the shelf next to other herbs that ''boost testosterone'' it makes me feel uneasy. Having read Maxout777's recovery from saw palmetto it has inspired me to follow the protocol fully and cst those doubts a side. I have fasted and done all the other aspects and followed them strictly. I am not a quitter! I WILL fight this. I have changed my whole life around to get better from this and I am not stopping yet!
It has been spoken about a thousand times before on this site and others regarding what this condition ''is'' but learning my body and how it reacts to things I can identify the key areas this condition has fucked me. I do not think I suffer much in terms of 5ar inhibition physically as I look like a chimp in terms of body hair and I am still balding. I believe my issues lie in the brain or nervous system. I believe my issues are mainly at play with GABA, DOPAMINE and ALLOPREG.
The whole GABA thing is a big one for me because I literally find it so difficult to fall asleep, even now after 3 years. My blood sugar regulation seems terrible and I crash a lot. My eyes are very sensitive to light, feels like someone has just shined a torch in my eyes a lot of the time, it becomes hard to see.
I got very interested in the 5A-DHP and think this could really help me in this aspect seen as ,from what I understand, it is a GABA A agonist. This may explain why I initially had some success with cabergoline then it faded. I have seen a study somewhere on Bromocriptine down regulating GABA further. Not sure if this would apply to Cabergoline too. There is an upset somewhere between dopamine and GABA.
Anyway, enough of the postulating. It does not matter what it is or is not. It is time to fix this once and for all! I have already applied the building blocks for the last 3 years and although TRT was maybe a little setback, it confirmed for me that I can alter this condition and respond to something.
I know it is listed all over this site but if anyone has any pointers or tips in terms of the herbs and dosages, what time of the day to take etc it would be much obliged. I would also like to know if it is possible to source SUPER R ANDRO in the UK, if not, will it clear customs if I order it in? Same goes for SUPERMAN HERBS.
Thanks again for your help.
