Just Starting HRT

[cjsabbath]

Hi Guys:

New member here. I'm just beginning HRT. Background:

39 year old white male. Diagnosed with seizure disorder (10 years ago), major depression, OCD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (2 years ago).

Currently taking Paxil 60 mg. as well as Dilantin 700 mg daily. Had been taking Trazadone 100 mg and Klonopin 1 mg daily up until a few months ago.

As a fitness enthusiast (weights/cardio), I became aware that these drugs can impact T. levels. Therefore, I requested blood work as part of a routine physical. My total T level came back 283! Thereafter I saw an Endo who ran additional testing (FH, Prolactin, Free & Total T, etc). All were normal save free and total T (219 this time). He put me on Androgel 5mg to start and said he wanted to bring my levels into the "600" range - to alleviate some of the symptoms I have been experiencing.

He believes the anti-convulsants coupled with the anti-d's is hampering my natural test (and possibly) sbhg? levels.

Does this sound about right to you guys? Frankly, for my age, I'd like to see more the "800" range.

Training and diet are in order. Needless to say, at the levels indicated above, gains in the gym have been hard if not impossible to come by.

[pmgamer18]

Hi I have this link.
http://www.mhsanctuary.com/rx/testos.htm
There are a lot more of them but this is the only one I have in my files. I was told that I had major depression when the Dr.'s were done testing me to see why I was so sick. This was over 21 yrs. ago so I was on every kind of AD med. on the market and never got better. One day I got a bad bladder infection from taking Prozac. The Uro. that checked me told me the med was slowing down my voiding and this is why I got the infection. He asked me why I was on all of these meds for Depression. I told him my story and he told me he thinks I have Low T and tested me I was very low 120 total T LH and FSH were high so I am primary. I was never suffering from Depression it was low T and I was off work on sick leave more in the 5 yrs. I was being treated for Depression then I was at work. As soon as the Uro. started treating me for low T I got better and was able to get back to work. The meds I was put on for Depression made me feel worse and I feel made my T levels go down even more. I was on Paxil and it was the worse of all of the AD meds I was on. They had me on it to try to help with the Panic Attacks I was having at night I would wake up in full blown Attacks in the middle of the night every night. I found out why I was having them 2 yrs. ago. I had read about high E2 Estradiol in men and got it tested when my test came back I was very high. I went on Arimidex 1/2 a one mg. pill everyday for 4 weeks and when my E2 came down my Panic Attacks stopped. I have been on Xanax for yrs. now I take none.
Phil

[cjsabbath]

Thanks for the info Phil!