Blog of my experience trying to COUNTERACT high dose depo-provera shots

[DavidB (imported)]

you should see a doctor, this is a hell of a lot of self medicating going on.

[SplitDik (imported)]

you should see a doctor, this is a hell of a lot of self medicating going on.

Thanks, but I know as much as any doctor in this regard. All they can tell you is the side effects, which I'm already aware of. The only option is to let myself be castrated by the depo with the side effects of lethargy, weightgain and depression, or to counter-act it by replacing the testosterone that I can't produce for a while.

Testosterone is perfectly safe for men when it results in normal range. The depo-provera is already injected so there is nothing they could do about that anyway, they'd just say to wait. And the Ralista is known by my doctor, since I'm using it to control my sexual addiction.

I'm monitoring my blood should get the results of my latest blood tests within a couple days. If anything gets out of whack or blood pressure does something I might see someone.

Also, it is not actually that much medication compared to what most people take. You should see the amount of anti-depressants, anti-cholesterol, heart med combos the average person over 35 is on. And any steroid user in the gym is taking more, etc. Heck, it is still healthier than any smoker/drinker or overeater.

These aren't really "medications" either. They are hormones. One is just a cream so isn't particularly potent (at least no chance of overdose or anything.) As long as the hormone levels are within normal ranges then there is no worry. The only one of these that is oral (which can stress the liver) is the Ralista, and I have my liver function monitored by my doctor -- she knows I'm on that one. And as you can see, I'm extremely healthy and athletic otherwise.

[SplitDik (imported)]

Got my blood test results. They look darned good:

free testosterone 23.5pg/mL where normal range is 8.7 to 25.1

estradiol 38.3pg/mL where normal range is 7.6 to 42.6

triglycerides 72mg/dL where normal range is 0 to 149

T. Chol/HDL Ratio 4.8 which translates to estimated CHD Risk of 0.9 which is slightly lower than average.

So I think the regimen is working, and I'm definitely able to maintain my testosterone levels despite the depo-Provera.

[SplitDik (imported)]

Okay, I'm not going to continue the blog because I think the general purpose is served and don't think everyone is that interested in my sex life and exercise routines.

The main point I think I've proven is that if you have taken depo-Provera for some reason and then regret it or can't handle the side effects, due it being so long-acting you will wish you can counteract it. For men, it seems that testosterone HRT will do that sufficiently and I think a SERM helps as well. That combo will keep your testosterone high maintaining energy, strength, aggression and sexual performance, while the SERM will ensure that you don't get any estrogenic effects (prevents nipple soreness, breast development, etc.)

Hope that helps or is otherwise interesting.

[Riven (imported)]

Well I've certainly found it interesting. I seem to be hypersensitive to cyproterone acetate and have wondered if I might get on better with depo-provira. The worrying aspect was how will I deal with it if I get the same heavy side effects (severe hot flushes causing loss of sleep) that I have had on even small doses of ca.

So thank you for blogging this stuff, and if you feel like making updates you'll know that at least someone's interested: me.

[Wolf-Pup (imported)]

It seems to me, that the Depo alone will shut down the testes for a period of time. Using Testosterone will shut down the testes too. So besides not knowing when the Depo is out of your system and letting it recover, you might be extending the period that your system is shut down and inadvertently making the situation worse long term. Once they are shut down and starting to atrophy you won't know when it is the Depo since T has the same affect.

I think it is short term gain at the expense of your long term health doing it this way. However I'm not a doctor and not qualified to give medical advise. However just saying...

Best of luck!!!

[SplitDik (imported)]

It seems to me, that the Depo alone will shut down the testes for a period of time. Using Testosterone will shut down the testes too. So besides not knowing when the Depo is out of your system and letting it recover, you might be extending the period that your system is shut down and inadvertently making the situation worse long term. Once they are shut down and starting to atrophy you won't know when it is the Depo since T has the same affect.

I think it is short term gain at the expense of your long term health doing it this way. However I'm not a doctor and not qualified to give medical advise. However just saying...

Best of luck!!!

Well it might work that way, but don't think it will. I've been a steroid user since the 1970s so I'm pretty well versed in taking test and then getting the testicles going again. The Ralista I'm taking will do that.

Pretty much each of the drugs has a half-life. It is true that the half-life might be extended if the process for removing/bonding/metabolizing gets overloaded by the combination. But I also measured my progesterone levels and the results yesterday were 0.5ng/mL out of normal range of 0.2 to 1.4. So the depo-Provera is mostly out of my system. That makes sense because in an intact male the half-life is only 30 hours, which is why they do weekly injections of up to 600mL for sex offenders. The injectible half-life of 50 days that is often listed seems to be for women.

[Lasander (imported)]

Still interesting, surprised your progesterone levels arent that elevated. Maybe it takes awhile for the rest of the DP to seep into your system? Hmm, I guess one shot doesnt do all that much. If you could update after a few weeks just to be thorough that would be neat.

Well, I enjoyed reading your posts!

[HumanFly (imported)]

Well I've certainly found it interesting. I seem to be hypersensitive to cyproterone acetate and have wondered if I might get on better with depo-provira. The worrying aspect was how will I deal with it if I get the same heavy side effects (severe hot flushes causing loss of sleep) that I have had on even small doses of ca.

So thank you for blogging this stuff, and if you feel like making updates you'll know that at least someone's interested: me.

Riven: I read about your experiences with Androcur when looking into CC medication for myself, and it was a major factor in not going for it. Also, Androcur is really expensive, even in the generic Siterone form - one box of 50 tablets costs UK £35, compared to £18 for a vial of DP. I used DP and it was very effective and had no side effects for me -- it just did the job it was meant to, no hot flashes at all (I was a little bit weaker though). One person on here (anonymuske) has had liver problems while on it and had to stop, but that's much rarer than with Androcur.

In the UK, when people are prescribed anti-androgens for sex offender management purposes, they get Androcur, and I'm not sure why when it's harsher and more expensive than DP.

[SplitDik (imported)]

Still interesting, surprised your progesterone levels arent that elevated. Maybe it takes awhile for the rest of the DP to seep into your system? Hmm, I guess one shot doesnt do all that much. If you could update after a few weeks just to be thorough that would be neat.

DP is weird because once it is in your system the half-life is only 30 hours. The only reason is it considered long acting, is (like you said) because it is supposed to seep in slowly. So one of two things happened -- it either got into my system quickly or it is seeping slowly.

One thing I didn't mention because I was embarrassed, but will mention for scientific accuracy -- I actually injected it directly into my testicles. Yeah, I know I'm weird. But it definitely went in -- three full vials of milky white pre-loaded syringes from inhouse pharmacy.