Hot flashes, sore nipples and itching

[Maxx]

Won't taking estrogen cause ED? Are you taking it now TigerPaws?

Interesting note - I am taking a drug that blocks my testosterone receptors (Spironolactone), but I am also on testosterone replacement. Taking the T helped lessen some of the issues i started experiencing with ED, caused by the Spiro. However, it does make my hair fall out, and my scalp hurt. I also experience quite a bit of sleepiness as well as sweating.

A question i plan to ask my Endo is would it help to take Progesterone..maybe even just use the over the counter creams. I have read that it will slow the conversion of T to DHT, which is probably the cause of my hair thinning. It also would complete with estrogen, so hopefully prevent boob growth from the T aromatizing to estrogen, and stop the hot flash feelings. Thoughts?

[tedhasboobs]

My boobs are sore and itchy on a regular basis.
I sweat like crazy at times. Maybe this is why.

What do you mean? Are you on medication for an enlarged Prostate?

I was thinking a stable dose of estrogen may even things out and stop the hot flashes.

[Anon E Mouse]

Won't taking estrogen cause ED? Are you taking it now TigerPaws?

Interesting note - I am taking a drug that blocks my testosterone receptors (Spironolactone), but I am also on testosterone replacement. Taking the T helped lessen some of the issues i started experiencing with ED, caused by the Spiro. However, it does make my hair fall out, and my scalp hurt. I also experience quite a bit of sleepiness as well as sweating.

Not to be too personal, but Spironolactone and T seems an odd combination and I'm wondering why take the Spironolactone if you're also going to take the T?

[Maxx]

I take the Spiro for a condition called Primary Hyper Aldosteronism. Adrenal gland issue that makes me lose Potassium and hold on to salt...causing high bloodpressure, and a whole host of things that would shorten my life substantially.


Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that blocks the effects of the hormone Aldosterone. The process of blocking Aldosterone receptors, also blocks my T...hence I end up with low T symptoms. So, the T therapy puts back what I am not making naturally, because my body thinks i dont need to make it. It works, but could convert to estrogen. So far, it has not caused me any breast growth. I have to take the Spiro for the rest of my life.


Some MTF transgender hormone therapy uses Spironolactone to block the effects of T. If I took estrogen, it would most definately put me on the same drug regimen of MTF trans. I am thinking that would cause all kinds of stuff, not just Gyno.


This is why i asked about Progesterone. It might help with blocking excess estrogen and slow the build up of DHT - which is the likely cause of my hair wanting to fall out.


If the T doesnt work longterm, then my quality of life will never be restored. Living with low T is miserable. If taking Estrogen would give me my life back, at least so i feel good most of the time, I would seriously consider taking it. Even if it totally messed up my body from a mans point of view. Without the T therapy, I am dealing with 1/2 man syndrome anyway. Feeling like crap all the time is not a fun way to live. I want to feel good, more than worry about what I look like.

[hammer]

Maxx, I have the ultimate cause of low T, I lost my testicles after a vasectomy back in 1994/95. After being on injections for awhile, but dealing with side affects my wife and I decided to stop the injections. Shortly after that I suffered a heart attack. They even had to use the shock paddles on me to bring me back! I passed all the test that were given to me, but all my EKG'S were bad, but no 2 were alike, and I've never had any problems since. I was 37 at the time of the heart attack.

Looking back and now seeing all the lawyers advertising for lawsuits against drug companies for low T meds I'm thinking that was probably the problem and nothing else.

All that said, even though I have very large (46H) breast, I feel that I'm no less the man I was when I was 29, except I'm older and now have a bad back and prosthetic knees which people get with or without testicles!

[Anon E Mouse]

I take the Spiro for a condition called Primary Hyper Aldosteronism. Adrenal gland issue that makes me lose Potassium and hold on to salt...causing high bloodpressure, and a whole host of things that would shorten my life substantially.

Gotcha. I too take Spironolactone for BP issues, as well as it being a Diuretic. I also understand the side effects of low T as mine tanked several years ago. I supplemented the T for awhile, but eventually stopped. I have several meds that cause breast growth as a side effect, Spiro is only one of them. Having very low T to start with means my breasts are always sore and growing. Mine don't itch much anymore, but they did for awhile. Now they're just breasts that I take care of the way anyone else would with breasts.

It's tough for most men to wrap our heads around what our bodies are doing. Just remember that they're just a container for who we really are. So, breasts or not we're still the men we've always been.

TRT has it's own issues to deal with, aromatization and increased cancer risk may be part of that. I don't currently have the hot flushes I used to, but everyone is different. From what I've read, low dose estrogen does help with low T symptoms. I'm not you, but I don't think taking a low dose of estrogen for relief of low T symptoms would be a huge deal. If breast growth is the worst that happens, that seems a reasonable trade-off compared to some other possibilities. The hard part seems to be our making peace with that possibility.

You're not alone in this! Make the best decision for your health and quality of life and work from there.

[Maxx]

Thanks for sharing, Hammer! Tragic story...

I get frustrated with all the medical studies that contradict each other. It is impossible to trust any studies. I dont know if it is safe or not. There is a lot of money to be made selling it, so I always worry someone has a reason to find a positive outcome in the study.

So you think the heart attack came from low T, or the stopping of the T injections?

I was a bit dramatic in my earlier post. I honestly dont like smearing the gel on everyday. I worry about it getting on my wife, even though i am very careful. I dont like taking two showers everyday, and I dont like sleeping with a shirt on.

I took T-Gel for about a year. Then I stopped for a year, and now I have been taking it again for about 6 weeks. My family doctor wasnt for it, but my endo reluctantly said I could try it again...as long as I understood the possible risks. My T was around 250 when i started. The lowest I ever tested was 112, but I have never been over 300 unless I was taking T.
---------------------

Anon - Thanks for your thoughts, too.

I have never talked with my endo about taking estrogen to counter the low T symptoms, and he has never suggested it. If it would make me feel better, and viagra would still make the marriage tackle work, then maybe that is something I should ask him about when I see him in a few months.

I already got visible boobs, a little bigger isnt gonna make any difference I guess. I am close to just getting some type of bra and accepting it. My wife mostly supports it, as I have talked with her recently about it. I am just not ready to take that step in public, yet.

Surgery isnt something I am willing to do, just to look 'normal'. When I am taking drugs that are going to keep stimulating growth, it makes no sense anyway. I would probably end up with a set of deformed breasts growing back.

I know some of you guys have been down this road. You had to face the reality of the situation and just choose to be comfortable. Man, it can be so frustrating trying to figure out how to feel human again.

[hammer]

Maxx, I know at this point its tough, but don't let extra fat, breast tissue and skin scare you! That isn't going to change you anymore then standing in the garage will change you into a car!

As far as your sex life, hopefully your wife will be as understanding as mine was. We both feel that there is so much more to a great marriage then the physical act of sex but the physical act of love!

[46bboobs]

From working in a pharmacy, I would say taking testosterone is hard on most people.
Here in Canada it has to be stored just like narcs are.

[TigerPaws]

Thanks for sharing, Hammer! Tragic story...

I get frustrated with all the medical studies that contradict each other. It is impossible to trust any studies. I dont know if it is safe or not. There is a lot of money to be made selling it, so I always worry someone has a reason to find a positive outcome in the study.

So you think the heart attack came from low T, or the stopping of the T injections?

I was a bit dramatic in my earlier post. I honestly dont like smearing the gel on everyday. I worry about it getting on my wife, even though i am very careful. I dont like taking two showers everyday, and I dont like sleeping with a shirt on.

I took T-Gel for about a year. Then I stopped for a year, and now I have been taking it again for about 6 weeks. My family doctor wasnt for it, but my endo reluctantly said I could try it again...as long as I understood the possible risks. My T was around 250 when i started. The lowest I ever tested was 112, but I have never been over 300 unless I was taking T.
---------------------

Anon - Thanks for your thoughts, too.

I have never talked with my endo about taking estrogen to counter the low T symptoms, and he has never suggested it. If it would make me feel better, and viagra would still make the marriage tackle work, then maybe that is something I should ask him about when I see him in a few months.

I already got visible boobs, a little bigger isnt gonna make any difference I guess. I am close to just getting some type of bra and accepting it. My wife mostly supports it, as I have talked with her recently about it. I am just not ready to take that step in public, yet.

Surgery isnt something I am willing to do, just to look 'normal'. When I am taking drugs that are going to keep stimulating growth, it makes no sense anyway. I would probably end up with a set of deformed breasts growing back.

I know some of you guys have been down this road. You had to face the reality of the situation and just choose to be comfortable. Man, it can be so frustrating trying to figure out how to feel human again.

A little bit about Estrogen therapy. It will stop the hot flashes and many of the other low Testosterone side effects, the trade off is that taking a Testosterone blocker will increase the feminine side of the equation. There are benefits but no free ride, your blood pressure will decrease, the down side is the your blood will become more acidic and leach calcium from your bones. Some of the negative effects can be offset by adding Progesterone, this will have several positive effects is that it reduces the negative effects of Estrogen and is a natural sleep enhancer (you will sleep like a baby and typically have vivid dreams). The negative is that Progesterone will enhance the roundness of your breasts, remember that a breast is 3 dimensional and Progesterone will increase and round/fill out your breasts. As I said there is no free lunch here.

Viagra will work for a while but not forever, a man will quickly become sterile but on the plus side your orgasms will be more intense and last longer. The down side is that you will loose the morning erection and it will be more difficult to become excited.

Think for a moment women have some Testosterone but at very low levels yet they are perfectly able to become sexually excited, men on HRT are exactly the same, it jest takes a little assistance from your lady.

[TigerPaws]

I take the Spiro for a condition called Primary Hyper Aldosteronism. Adrenal gland issue that makes me lose Potassium and hold on to salt...causing high bloodpressure, and a whole host of things that would shorten my life substantially.


Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that blocks the effects of the hormone Aldosterone. The process of blocking Aldosterone receptors, also blocks my T...hence I end up with low T symptoms. So, the T therapy puts back what I am not making naturally, because my body thinks i dont need to make it. It works, but could convert to estrogen. So far, it has not caused me any breast growth. I have to take the Spiro for the rest of my life.


Some MTF transgender hormone therapy uses Spironolactone to block the effects of T. If I took estrogen, it would most definately put me on the same drug regimen of MTF trans. I am thinking that would cause all kinds of stuff, not just Gyno.


This is why i asked about Progesterone. It might help with blocking excess estrogen and slow the build up of DHT - which is the likely cause of my hair wanting to fall out.


If the T doesnt work longterm, then my quality of life will never be restored. Living with low T is miserable. If taking Estrogen would give me my life back, at least so i feel good most of the time, I would seriously consider taking it. Even if it totally messed up my body from a mans point of view. Without the T therapy, I am dealing with 1/2 man syndrome anyway. Feeling like crap all the time is not a fun way to live. I want to feel good, more than worry about what I look like.

Please be very careful with taking Testosterone, and enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer are very real side effects. Sometimes the best option is to switch sides and go the HRT route. 

[hammer]

What's a morning erection?

Oh what a minute I think I remember them!

[Maxx]

Thanks TigerPaws! All good stuff in there.

Hammer...you are a funny guy. Made me chuckle.

I am starting to really accept that feeling good is the number one most important thing, within safe guidelines. Being manly, not so much, as that will fade no matter what I do.

I am going to read as much medical literature on the topic of progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone therapy for men that I can. That way, I will be fully prepared for my next endo appt.

[jrflatnow]

I am not sure if this is the proper section for this but here goes. As the title of this inquiry states: hot flashes, sore nipples and itching, all of these have been happening for 10 to 20 years to me but only within the last few years has any growth taken place. Are the above "annoyances" precursors for growth, or are they just "annoyances"? This question is one of curiosity more than one of need. Thanks!

Your hormones are out of whack.
1) lose excess body fat
2) lift weights
3) increase your TESTOSTERONE to Estrogen ratio
4) take natural supplements ie; tongkat Ali, pine pollen mucuna cops
5) get a male hormone panel blood test
6) see a doctor
7) get gyno surgery 

[expedient-traveller]

JR: I cannot take any testosterone due to a dark spot on my prostate. Reducing the testosterone has greatly helped reduce the spot. I was bleeding into what comes out of the prostate but over time that has stopped. The downside is the "floation devices" that appeared on my chest. I can live with all of that but I am annoyed by the mood swings. They can hit in a flash out of the blue and be gone just as fast. I am agreeing with everyone else on how very hard, dangerous, amazing, special and etc. that hormones are. Geesh! Zei gehzunt! (be well)