casodex ?

[butterflyjack (imported)]

Thanks Alex and hkeunuch...You both used androcur as a hormone blocker. Any experience from you guys, or anyone with longterm Spiro/Estradiol usage? I'm contemplating this regimen to de-masculinize/ feminize...dragonfly

[clysmaniac (imported)]

1. Hemoglobin (red blood cell count -- for which I ended up having had to stop Androcur because of persistent anemia, but recovered once I stopped Androcur)

Testosterone is a factor in the level of red blood cells. I have given blood for decades and never had an issue with my hemoglobin or hematocrit counts. However when I went to donate another pint several months post-castration, I failed because my hemoglobin was too low. A quick consult with the urologist who castrated me had me on a daily iron suppliment and the problem was solved. I've decreased it now to every other day and my hemoglobin has been fine. Physically, I couldn't tell the difference higher or lower but then I'm not into endurance kind of activities.

You could have done things to increase hemoglobin without having to drop Androcur should you have chosen to stay on it.

[hkeunuch (imported)]

Thanks, clysmaniac, for your insights about low hemoglobin. I did take iron. Red blood cell count improved but did not return to normal level.

You're right, I don't really feel any direct impact of my low hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin was only one of several reasons why I had to stop Androcur -- depression was serious, loss of overall health from lack of energy and thereby

lack of exercise, weight gains,

loss of ability to focus and concentrate on work.

But in the process of stopping Androcur, I found out that the changes to my testicles have been permanent so that they no longer produce testosterone. In short, I no longer need Androcur to lower my testosterone and I can enjoy the eunuch calm and lowered libido.

[alex1234 (imported)]

The Dr suggested trying to reduce the Androcur (like one pill every odd day instead of every day) but about a week the libido started to return. I am trying to find a balance... such as not taking Androcur every 3 days or so. The goal being to take the lowest done necessary to maintain the effect. A rhythm like that is difficult to maintain because I can not always remember if I took it the day before or the day before that.

I do take Tamoxifen every day. My nipples are very sensitive ... even clothes rubbing on it hurt. And my breast definitively have some volume they didn't use to have. I can feel them moving if I run. I can start to understand how it is for women and why they need a bra but I don't want this for me. I hope the Tamoxifen is going to help stop the sensitivity and reduce the volume. The Dr said it would take at least 2 months before I see an effect.

I have some blood test every 6 months or so and they include a number of things. Liver functions are tested of course but everything has always been normal in that area so far.

I am not sure hemoglobin or red cell count is part of the test ... I don't see anything that looks like it in the result.

I have seen a big loss of energy over the past few months ... difficulty to concentrate too and loss of interest in many things. Even to the point of thinking about suicide sometime but I am fighting these ideas. I am aware it is having an effect in lots of area of my life including my works. I feel like I have been in depression for several months now.

I try to take as little as possible of Androcur while maintaining a low libido but i don't want to stop. I don't want to go back to what it was before.

I wish there was a way to kill the libido but keep the positive mood and the energy.

I had taken a little bit of weight (like 4 or 5 kg). My weight had been stable around 75kg for over 10 years and it came close to 80kg. Maybe i am lucky enough that stress and depression make me lose weight and I have noticed recently that I was back at 75kg. So no issue there.

I take some calcium supplement every day (calcium citrate). Since I am not sure if I need anything else, maybe I should try some multivitamins too ... something that would include some iron just in case.

I try to force myself to exercise but I have a busy schedule and it takes lots of will. I just try to force myself to be active because I don't want my overall health to degrade too much. Its a difficult balance.

advices are welcome

-alex

[hkeunuch (imported)]

Hi Alex,

I agree with your doctor's suggestion in reducing the Androcur dosage. But I would suggest maybe taking half a pill (i.e., 25 mg) every day. (That was my sustaining dosage.) Then you don't have to remember if you took it or not, etc. More importantly, it is best to keep Androcur levels in your system at a constant level rather than letting it fluctuate all the time.

When I tried to stop my breast growth (very achy breasts) and painfully sensitive nipples (like you), I took 2 pills of Tamoxifen a day (1 after breakfast, 1 after dinner). Tamoxifen is generally quite well tolerated by most people. It could be ramped up to higher dosages for short periods of time. But my dosage was enough to stop the pain in the nipples within 1 week.

After the pains stopped, I dropped Tamoxifen down to 20 mg per day, i.e., 1 pill per day.

If you let the pain go on too long (as I did before I found where to buy Tamoxifen), the nipple and breast growths are irreversible.

After 4 years of the treatments, I

had to stop Androcur because of

all the side effects. But I still have to maintain 10 mg of Tamoxifen to prevent breast and nipple development.

At my sustaining levels of the treatment, and even now, nearly a year since I stopped Androcur, my libido is down to about needing some form of release every 2 weeks or so. I could stretch it to as long as a month sometimes.

Calcium supplement is definitely good, though Tamoxifen is supposed to help prevent osteoporosis too. But please be sure to include Vitamin D, and try to get some sunshine for the calcium supplement to be effectively used by your body.

Be careful with iron supplement. Can't say I know a lot about that. But I have read that too much can be damaging for males.

Vitamin B Complex, especially stress formula, can help restore some energy. Although I took that all the time, I still lost too much energy to get myself to do any exercise during the treatment. Now that I no longer need to take Androcur, my energy level and my health improved drastically.

Depression can be very serious. Please be very alert to your moods and your reactions to problems.

[riloal123 (imported)]

Hi, alex1234, i found your post very helpfuk. How are you doing now? what it,s your actual regimen? Thanks