Hi All,

First, what a great group, so much information, so clear and informative. THANK YOU all for a tremendous resource.

i am fully committed to my path of hormone therapy, but being in the UK struggle massively to find a doctor to help montito me.

As i have no 'friendly' docyor in whom i can confide, i have only been to the docs twice in the last 10 yeas, and that was only to register when we moved house, i have little or no access to a comfortable medical route.

So, i decided after *much* deliberation and research to self medicate, admittedly as a careful and hopefully informed trial.

I have been taking 2 x 100 mg Spiro, one morning and night, and applying two Estroderm 100 patches twice weekly now for the last 3 weeks with no apparent side-effects.

The question is should i really be considering a switch to Cyproterone Acetate (Siterone) for my anti-androgen? The CPA, from what i have read, is a more effective mechanism to reduce and stop testosterone production and action than Spironolactone.

I would prefer not to have the action of reduced blood pressure and diuretic (especially the potassiun sparing) offered by Spiro. Additionally i would prefer the actual ceasing of T production rather than simply the receptor blocking action.

I am going to order a full blood test next month from BUPA to get my levels. If someone coudl help me with exactly which tests to get that would be superb.

Any advice, suggestion or other comment would be very very well recieved, with of course understanding that comment or otherwise is just that, not a medical reccomendation.

Thanks in advance,

charlene

Charlene- Spiro is not very effective as an antiandrogen for your needs. It is pretty weak that way and is seldom administered that way. Its most common use is as a diuretic which makes it difficult to sleep through the night when taking an evening dose. But it is inexpensive and has few side effects save for the potassium issue.

You will find Siterone to be much more effective at lowering your testosterone level but is more expensive. I don't have a problem with you self medicating yourself in this deal if you go about it rationally, use common sense and do the testing so you have an idea where your T level was and then is. I did it myself for nearly 3 years prior to my surgery and many others have as well. Just be patient as the changes you will experience do take time to emerge. The sexual effects are quicker to appear but you will have meny more theresfter. I only had total testosterone tests done as that tells you all you need at this point. Lower testosterone will give you lower DHT and free testosterone so you really don't need to know those levels unless your budget would match your curiousity.

Siterone responds best with a higher initial dose for some time ans then generally allows you to reduce your maintainence dosage. Read the package insert to see more on their recommendations.

Thanks Clysmaniac, MUCH appreciated....

Now all i have to do is work out the dosages, and place an order

Do i have too wean myself off the Spiro or just change ?

charlene

I have now been on Spiro and estroderm patches for 3 weeks and 2 days and have noticed my nipples have become unbelievably sensitibe, to the ppoint of being almost painful to touch to much. This is definitely not just the rings now, i am sure.

i have ordered Siterone (Cyproterone Acetate- also known as Androcur) and they should be here next week ( i hope).

i will stop the Spiro then and move on to the Androcur, starting at 1/2 a 50 mg tablet twice a day for the first week to see if i am Ok with them. Then i will move to one tablet AM and PM.

Will this have the effect of killing off my T? i do hope so.

charlene

Anyone in the U.K. looking for trans information needs to check the website for the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (www.gires.org.uk). There is a wealth of information on their site and the individuals connected with GIRES are very compassionate and helpful. They are considering an addition of Male-to-Eunuch to their widely distributed pamphlets.

Their web site covers most of the legal issues and they have connections to the NHS.

Thanks Jesus, i will definitely have a look.

I am taking 100mg Siterone daily (at night). It is simply amazing and works great.

do you have any side-effects Bridgette?

i have been advised (by a fellow TS) to only take 50 mg (1/2 tab AM and PM) due to it's strength, but am not sure this will be enough

charlenebrown (imported) wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:15 am do you have any side-effects Bridgette?

i have been advised (by a fellow TS) to only take 50 mg (1/2 tab AM and PM) due to it's strength, but am not sure this will be enough

Only good side-effects! I haven't noticed any negative side-effects since I first started this journey. Only good ones! I did get night sweats a few times but I believe my hormones are starting to balance out a bit now.

One thing they say is you should stay out of the sun (even short periods). I stay out of the sun as much as possible so I haven't noticed anything about that potential problem as well.

Everyone is different, though so I guess your mileage may vary.

I had mentioned starting out on 100mg for a month then cutting it in half and got feedback that 50mg wouldn't really be enough if I want to get the full effect so I have stayed on 100mg for the last couple of months. Before that I did herbal t-blockers and estrogen that had some positive effects. I also take 1mg Sandrena Gel and things have really kicked into gear!

Feel free to read my blog for some of my experiences.

charlenebrown (imported) wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:15 am do you have any side-effects Bridgette?

i have been advised (by a fellow TS) to only take 50 mg (1/2 tab AM and PM) due to it's strength, but am not sure this will be enough

50mg is usually not enough for the average person.

If you are on any female drugs, then it is a different story. Siterone (androcur) will enhance the effects with only a lower dose. If you were on spironolactone for a long time it is also a different story. May need only a smaller dose.