Testosterone Replacement Therapy has greatly reduced my CPPS symptoms!

[bradyb093]

I’ve been suffering from CPPS for ~8 years now. This problem started for me when I was 32 years old. I recall when and where I was when I started experiencing strange sensations down there that over time turned to pain. Over the first few years I went to several doctors. First it was antibiotics, then prostate drugs. Nothing helped, I experienced side effects from the prostate drugs. Aleve (naproxen) always helped, I took so much over a long period of time that I started having stomach cramps and my Dr found blood in my stool. I also found through all the testing that I have prostatic calculi, I considered surgery to remove them in hope that my symptoms would go away, just couldn't go through with it. I learned about phytotherapy and got some relief from Quercetin and Curcumin. I lived like this for more than 7 years. This issue injured my life in many ways.

I have been reading posts on this website since Dec of 2019. I’ve learned a lot and thank you guys for all the information. I purchased and read “Headache in the Pelvis”, this was a game changer for me. I can relate to so much in the book. I see now that my problem was never my prostate. I have always been an anxious person, stress problems all of my life. When my problem started I had been recently promoted to a lead job in the oil industry and the stress was immense, likely the cause of my CPPS. I am a chronic overthinker and know that excessive cortisol levels have been a part of my life. Mindfulness of the pelvic floor muscles was a great tool for me, I could actually feel my pelvic floor drop when I made myself aware of it. I also experienced relief using a tens unit on my perineum area, this helped me get through flare ups.

In November of 2018 I went thru a very traumatic experience. Within a couple months after, I started experience sleep disturbances. I am still struggling with chronic insomnia. I was likely right on the edge of disaster and the traumatic experience pushed me over the top. My CPPS symptoms would flare up when my sleep was bad. I had 2 sleep patterns, either I couldn’t go to sleep or I could fall asleep and couldn’t stay asleep. I would experience sudden wake ups between 1 & 3 am, my body would be hot, sometimes sweaty. I would be energized for 1-2 hrs before I could get back to sleep and the following day would be miserable. I would get an itchy burning feeling around my bladder and I would constantly go to the bathroom, peeing tiny amounts at a time. Over time I experienced worsening depression symptoms due to lack of sleep and CPPS. Things seemed to be slowly getting worse, I felt like I was slipping into a hole and couldn't dig my way out.

In May of this year(2020) I went to a “whole health” Dr. for my sleep issues. He did full blood work on me and started me on hormone therapy to get me back to optimum levels. In June he put me on Testosterone, DHEA, & Pregnenolone.

In the second month of hormone therapy my CPPS symptoms started decreasing. This was extremely surprising to me, total unintended discovery! I went to this Doctor for help with sleep and now my CPPS saga is getting better! I started noticing that I was going longer periods without flare ups. When my sleep was decent, I would have little to no symptoms. When my insomnia would flare up, my CPPS symptoms would return. My symptoms would recede when my sleep got better and a good intense ejaculation often helped. I could actually sit for long periods without discomfort! In addition to the CPPS improvement, my depression symptoms when my sleep is bad is virtually gone. My mood and attitude are improved as well.

I am now in the 5th month of my TRT, I currently take 60mg of Testosterone Cypionate 2x/week, 120mg/week total. My symptoms have continually improved over time. I am still having sleep issues, but when my insomnia flares up I am not having pelvic pain. I am going many days without the slightest twinge down there. I am sitting for long periods of time with no discomfort. I am going many hours without needing to urinate. My urine stream is way stronger. I also noticed that I am not having pain if I get aroused without ejaculating. I believe that when I get my Insomnia corrected my CPPS might be totally gone.

I’m not exactly sure why testosterone has helped my CPPS so much, but I learned that testosterone blocks some of the negative effects of cortisol. Something about testosterone attaching to the cortisol receptors. I can tell you that I will remain on TRT for the rest of my life if it keeps my symptoms at bay! This discovery was truly life changing! Nearly 8 years of hell that tormented me and strained my marriage, I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope this helps someone else! Feel free to contact me for any additional info.

[NomorePain88]

Thanks for the interesting report. I am very happy for you that you are finally better. I've already achieved some improvement through stretching, but I will have my testosterone value checked. can't hurt I wish you all the best and hope that you will be completely healthy.

[bradyb093]

NomorePain,

My total testosterone before starting TRT was around 530, which is not super low. If I recall correctly "normal" ranges are from 300 to just under 1000. My Doctor said it was sub optimal and could be a cause of my insomnia. I was first put on 200mg/week of testosterone 1 injection per week, I stayed on this dose for the first 3 months. My next labs showed my total testosterone at 1100, I learned that 200mg/week is a "high" dose. In the second and third month, I felt a bit overstimulated on days 2 & 3 after my injection and I had some depression symptoms in the last day or so before my next injection. Due to several issues I swapped Doctors. My new Doctor lowered my dose to 120mg/week split in 2 injections, this was way better. The high wasn't as high and since I take 2 injections/week, the low wasn't low anymore. I literally never notice it now.

Another note: For the first 4 months I was on "Bioidentical Testosterone", I would find that my testicles would change size and firmness often and I would sometimes get a slight testicular ache. I recently swapped to good ole Testosterone cypionate, I find this better, as my testicles are more consistent and no more aches. Cypionate is way cheaper as well. At my current dose, it's only costing me about $10/month. I have to pay for labs every quarter as well.

Your normal doctor might tell you your T is not low. You might have to go to a T clinic or something to experiment.

Also, my doctor only checks Total T & free T. There are many other factors in the equation: Estradiol, Steroid Hormone Binding Globulin, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). One of these might somehow tie to the reduction in my symptoms, I never had them checked and really don't know how they fit into my success.

If stress and anxiety are your root problem like mine, it's worth a shot. I hope it helps you as well!

[webslave]

In some countries, the range is given in nmol/L, and the normal range is 8.0 - 30.0

In other countries, the unit is ng/dL, and the normal range differs by age, example:
Age, Total Testosterone
40–49 252–916
50–59 215–878
60–69 196–859

Conversion calculator from one to the other is here: http://unitslab.com/node/136