Estratest? Anyone ever heard of it?

[BronzedGoddess]

Well, I went to see the doc today. I finally got up enough nerve to discuss my low libido problem. He gives me a prescription for Estratest (estrogen/methyltestosterone). It's used mainly for women in menopause. The amount of estogen is about 1/20 of that found in birth control pills. He told me to take 1 pill every 3 days. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever heard of it? I guess I will keep everyone posted on my result. I feel like a dried up old lady taking HRT's

 

[NY Muscle]

damn methyltest eh?
how many mg in each pill?

 

[BronzedGoddess]

2.5mg. Is that low? Women in menopause take the tabs daily so he told me to take it only 2xs a week. If I don't get any results from that I will bump it up slowly until I get my MOJO back!!!!!!!

 

[wilson6]

Good question, I'd have her check her E2 blood conc. mid-luteal and see where it is at.

Personally, androgel would have been my first choice. Never been a fan of methyl-T, even 2.5 mg is likely to decrease HDL.

W6

 

[The Shadow]

consider some zma

 

[FitFossil]

RE: Estratest

BG - I've been doing a lot of reading on hormones/low libido. From everything I've seen, the first (and hopefully only) route I want to go is some kind of topical natural testosterone (natural meaning bio-indentical) made from a compounding pharmacy. I'm still waiting for my appt w/ the endocrinologist, so I haven't tried it yet.

Below is a thread about Estratest from the newshe.com bulletin board. Not all of it applies to your situation specifically, but there's info and personal experiences w/ Estratest:

http://www.newshe.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000228.html

 

[BronzedGoddess]

Thanks everyone! Well my doc didn't feel comfortable giving me the test gel first. I did ask him about it and I told him I knew of a few ladies using the gel. He went and asked other doctors their opinion on the gel for women but since non of them had ever used it on a woman my age he was reluctant to give it to me. I also explained to him that I was worried about the side effects from the estrogen because I can not even tolerate bc pills becuase the estogen makes me SICK!!! When I was on bc I had to take a progesterone(sp) pill. He said I had nothing to worry about becuase the amount of estogen in the pill is very very low. However the test cream is available for me if the Estratest does not work. He just wanted to start me out on this to see if it works; if not in a month we will try something else. We discussed test injections but he told me that he's only given those to elderly men and it would do something to my cholesterol levels so I was not up for that at all.

W6 what is E2 blood conc. mid-luteal? Could you explain that to me. If the test gel is a better and safer bet for me maybe I should call him back and ask for that. How do I keep my HDL (that's good cholesterol right) from dropping.

Corn, I have ZMA but I went on a website that talks about drug interactions with methytest and it says that it increases zinc production or something and that supplementing with zinc may not be a good idea. Or were you suggesting to take that alone?

I know I sound confused because honestly I am. 23 is too damn young to have to be on meds for libido IMO.

Thanks again Spatts, FF, W6, NYM and Corn, I really do appreciate it. I'm going to go check out that website now. And one more thing. He told me weight gain could be a side affect. Is that from the estogen or the test????? If it's anything like what I went through on Depo I'd much rather have a low libido........

 

[BronzedGoddess]

Fit Fossil, I went to that message board and it scared the crap outta me!!!!! Oral test is bad for the liver?

"Estratest will cause side-effects, including but not limited to acne, permanent increase in body and facial hair, permanently deepened voice, permanently enlarged clitoris, more aggression."

WTF, I wasn't told about all these side affects. No, No, No, No, No!!!!! Also will my body stop making test like it does in guys that use some forms of AS? Is synthetic test bad? Woe is me, I'm so confused...............

 

[BronzedGoddess]

So its 1 injection every 3 weeks. I'll run that by the doc at my check up in a month. He's pretty open minded. I guess the only way to find out how the oral stuff is going to effect me is by using it. So I will take it as directed and watch for side effects.

Thanks so much Lobo, I appreciate it!!!

 

[FitFossil]

BG: Didn't mean to scare you with that message board. Those are side effects you could get from most any androgen if the doses are too high for you. Everyone's tolerance is different. What works for one person might not for another.

The great thing is you have a dr who's willing to work w/ you. Even in this day and age there are docs who'd dismiss you and say "Take a hot bath and put on something pretty...you just need to relax more..." But even those who're understanding may not have extensive experience w/ hormones for premenopausal women other than birth control. The idea that women actually have a libido has long been a taboo subject, so it hasn't received the same attention from medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, etc. as male impotence.

The lady from that post who took too much Estratest and had bad side effects probably had no idea what her side effects were from and didn't know to tell her doctor, she just trusted he knew best and didn't question anything. That's why it's so important that you educate yourself as much as possible on treatments, their sides, etc. This board and newshe.com are great because you can hear from women who've done different treatments, which is more than just 1 doc can tell you.