One has to stop and think about one very simple thing: if all the prostate supplements, including saw palmetto, that one sees on the shelf actually worked, would there still be any men out there with prostate issues? Same for hair loss products. If they worked, why are there still bald men?

I did look into a saw palmetto cocktail from the local apothecary here, along with pumpkin extract, etc., but the cost was prohibitive.

Valery_V (imported) wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 8:39 pm I don't understand why people want to get rid of testosterone completely.

I'm not sure I want to get rid of it completely, but from my understanding that is what CC does. In that regard surgical is 'better' in that it doesn't touch what the adrenals and other body parts produce,

But surgical is forever, and I want to do a trial that can be reversed... If I like the trial (and I expect to) then I can go for the chop. If I don't then I go back to start after the CC wears off, at least that is what I hope....

WheelyCurious

Paolo wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 9:01 pm One has to stop and think about one very simple thing: if all the prostate supplements, including saw palmetto, that one sees on the shelf actually worked, would there still be any men out there with prostate issues? Same for hair loss products. If they worked, why are there still bald men?

I did look into a saw palmetto cocktail from the local apothecary here, along with pumpkin extract, etc., but the cost was prohibitive.

I take a great many supplements for a wide range of things and at the level I'm using it (2 450mg capsules / day) it isn't that bad. Last batch I got was US$30.59 for 600 capsules so call it 30 cents / day, not a big deal... Given that I now have to shove a catheter through my prostate 4-6 times a day, anything I can do to avoid having it swell is a good thing...

WheelyCurious

Well, I have made the first tiny step in the process! I just called the Transgender Clinic @ Mass. General Hosp. and have made an appointment for a virtual visit on March 3rd - Wish me luck.

For whatever it's worth the person I talked with seemed pretty cool with it, and was right up front about asking if I wanted surgery. I told her that I wanted to do a 'test run' first with chemical castration - which I'm told is "Gender affirming hormone therapy" in their lingo...

I’m on omeprazole and amlodipine for the same reasons and have never had any issue.

WheelyCurious wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 9:35 pm I take a great many supplements for a wide range of things and at the level I'm using it (2 450mg capsules / day) it isn't that bad. Last batch I got was US$30.59 for 600 capsules so call it 30 cents / day, not a big deal... Given that I now have to shove a catheter through my prostate 4-6 times a day, anything I can do to avoid having it swell is a good thing...

WheelyCurious

If you are getting them from a reputable source, and they work - Great!

Paolo wrote: Sat Feb 19, 2022 4:03 pm If you are getting them from a reputable source, and they work - Great!

I use Puritan's Pride https://www.puritan.com for nearly all my supplements, including the Saw Palmetto... They are a 'name' company in the world of supplements and I've never heard anything bad about them, and they have had good prices on stuff pretty consistently.

WheelyCurious

WheelyCurious wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 8:53 pm Thanks for the cautions about permanence - my basic plan is to do the CC for long enough to see if being neutered suits me as well as I think it will, and if it does to then go for surgical. It sounds like the De

po wouldn't take many shots for the test....

WheelyCuriousTaking Depo or Androcur for a long time would become permanently castrated. Everyone's mileage may differ, but many said 6 months of chemical castration would typically result in permanent castration. My own experience with Androcur was pretty similar. I took it on a month, off a month for several cycles and found myself taking longer and longer to return to my original state of virility as well as libido. After a few cycles, I felt good enough to make it permanent and just kept taking Androcur for longer periods. Eventually, I had to stop after taking it on and off over a 4-year period. That was more than 10 years ago, and all the changes are permanent. No surgery needed.

sftineun (imported) wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 4:30 pm Taking Depo or Androcur for a long time would become permanently castrated. Everyone's mileage may differ, but many said 6 months of chemical castration would typically result in permanent castration. My own experience with Androcur was pretty similar. I took it on a month, off a month for several cycles and found myself taking longer and longer to return to my original state of virility as well as libido. After a few cycles, I felt good enough to make it permanent and just kept taking Androcur for longer periods. Eventually, I had to stop after taking it on and off over a 4-year period. That was more than 10 years ago, and all the changes are permanent. No surgery needed.

My basic idea is to do a fairly short test drive. Probably trying to get to castration levels of T and do a bit of E for long enough to see if the mental state changes ("eunuch calm", etc) suit me as much as the descriptions I see make me think they would. If I get results as expected I'd then want to go for surgery to get rid of the testicles and scrotum to get the physical comfort results of not having to deal with them when transferring and having them taking up space between my legs while in my chair.

If I find it doesn't suit me, presumably I'd just have to go back to my current drill of TRT plus whatever they put out - sex life function is already non-existent so I don't have a lot to lose if it does turn out to be permanent.

WheelyCurious

I am finaly going to test how chemical castration feels, Androcur has already been ordered.

I got the tip that you can reliably turn off the libido and become impotent with a small dose of Androcur about 12.5 mg/day and Estradiol 1 mg/day.

Is the estradiol necessary form loss of libido? I don't want feminization and I don't care if I'm impotent or not, so that's not a goal.