What Should I Do? High Cholesterol, Prolactin And Cortisol

[Serotoninja]

Hey everyone so I did some labs recently and I would like to hear your suggestions, I started peating a year ago because I was suffering from severe ED (i was completely impotent) and low libido among other low energy symptoms (fatigue, low temps but high pulse), at that time T was 350 and prolactin was 25. I feel much better (high temps almost always, pulse is around 80) but sexual function is still low (weak morning wood, lowish libido, loose erections easily but i can get hard). Here are the results :

- TSH is 2.76 (0.43-4.20)
- T4 is 13.1 (10.1-17.9)
- T3 is 4.1 (2.9-4.9)

- Prolactin is 18.6 (3.5-19.1)
- Testosterone is 691 (136-1202)
- Cortisol AM is 591 (103-535)
- Cortisol PM is 404 (79-477)
- CRP is <0.5 (<5.0)

- Total Cholesterol is 6.03 (<5.18)
- HDL-Cholesterol is 1.35 (>1.55)
- LDL-Cholesterol is 4.30 (3.40-4.90)
- Triglycerides is 0.84 (<1.70)

I am happy about T, it's quite high considering prolactin/cortisol. Should I worry about high total cholesterol, low HDL? Any ideas/suggestions? @haidut

Diet is goat milk, OJ, maple syrup, chocolate, coffee, fresh fruits when i can afford them, eggs, spinach, cheese. Digestion is good, especially since i removed starches. Calories are 2500-4000. I do bodyweight exercises twice a week, get in the sun as much as i can and i am not under much stress (i do well at university and i enjoy studying there, good social life, i have ambitions but i lack the energy to accomplish most of them). I am 19 btw.

In the past year i have tried many many supplements (thyroid, pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, DHT, minerals, vitamins, lisuride, charcoal...) and nothing improved sexual function except high doses of T3 but it eventually stops working, i have tried T3+T4 for 4 months changing ratios and doses every 2 weeks but if anything it made things worse so i stopped 1.5 month ago. I am currently supplementing magnesium and zinc, magnesium makes me feel great. Anecdotally I react very badly to vitamin D, even low doses give me hypercalcemia symptoms (terrible migraines, back pain) so i think something is disrupting calcium metabolism (hence the high prolactin?).

 

[Dhair]

Your TSH is too high.

 

[Sobieski]

At Prolactin that high I imagine dopamine is going to be low, I'd research getting Prolactin under control and everything should fall into place. Dopamine is crucial for libido.

 

[Serotoninja]

At Prolactin that high I imagine dopamine is going to be low, I'd research getting Prolactin under control and everything should fall into place. Dopamine is crucial for libido.

I sure hope so!! I have tried lisuride (dopamine agonist) and it didn't help unfortunately. I think I might be magnesium deficient which makes me unable to retain vitamin D and it's keeping prolactin high whatever i do... It seems to be a vicious cycle because you need energy to get magnesium into the cell and retain it and prolactin inhibits metabolism. Maybe i should try T3 + magnesium and add some vitamin D later.

Your TSH is too high.

Yeah but only in Peat's land and T4 never helped. Do you think i should supplement some T4 because it should help in theory?

 

[raypeatclips]

Have you tried D alongside other fat solubles?

 

[Dhair]

I sure hope so!! I have tried lisuride (dopamine agonist) and it didn't help unfortunately. I think I might be magnesium deficient which makes me unable to retain vitamin D and it's keeping prolactin high whatever i do... It seems to be a vicious cycle because you need energy to get magnesium into the cell and retain it and prolactin inhibits metabolism. Maybe i should try T3 + magnesium and add some vitamin D later.


Yeah but only in Peat's land and T4 never helped. Do you think i should supplement some T4 because it should help in theory?

You won't find anyone on this forum who will tell you that your TSH is at an acceptable lab value. It's far from ideal. Treatment with T4 only doesn't work for a LOT of people. Lower your TSH and your prolactin will normalize, along with your sexual function. Danny Roddy just sent me these references, which prove this "theory" as far as I'm concerned:


Horrobin DF. Prolactin: role in health and disease. Drugs. 1979 May;17(5):409-17."The early studies of prolactin secretion produced two major surprises which have stood the test of time and which have clinical importance. The first was that prolactin levels rise sharply on going to sleep, remain elevated throughout the night and fall rapidly again on waking (Frantz et al., 1972). In some situations it may therefore be important to ensure that drugs for prolactin suppression are given in the evening in order to ensure control of the major part of prolactin secretion." "Those with overt or subclinical primary hypothyroidism. This is a small group but is important because treatment is so effective. The mechanism is not certain but a plausible concept is that reduced thyroid hormone levels lead to increased secretion of hypothalamic TRH with increased secretion of both TSH and prolactin. Whatever the mechanism. treatment of the thyroid problem alone consistently causes cessation of the galactorrhoea with return of prolactin levels to normal."

Martin, C. Endocrine Physiology. 1985. "Plasma PRL concentrations undergo diurnal variations that include sleep-associated elevations. The levels also rise in response to demanding activity and some forms of stress, and sharp peaks have been observed following food ingestion. Estrogens are potent stimulants that affect DA turnover in the brain. In cycling females. plasma PRL reaches its highesl levels during the times of maximal estrogen secretion."

Strishkov, V.V. [Metabolism of thyroid gland cells as affected by prolactin and emotional-physical stress]. Probl Endokrinol (Mosk). 1991 Sep-Oct;37(5):54-8. "A conclusion has been made that one of the most important mechanisms of the adaptive effect of PRL is its ability to suppress thyroid function, thus decreasing the metabolism level, which results in reduction of oxygen consumption…"

Serri, O., et al. Diagnosis and management of hyperprolactinemia. 2003. "Prolactin is a pituitary hormone that plays a pivotal role in a variety of reproductive functions. Hyperprolactinemia is a common condition that can result from a number of causes, including medication use and hypothyroidism as well as pituitary disorders.” "An excess of prolactin above a reference laboratory’s upper limits, or “biochemical hyperprolactinemia,” can be identified in up to 10% of the population.Women with oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, galactorrhea or infertility, and men with hypogonadism, impotence or infertility must have serum prolactin levels measured.” "The hyperprolactinemia of hypothyroidism is related to several mechanisms. In response to the hypothyroid state, a compensatory increase in the discharge of central hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone results in increased stimulation of prolactin secretion. Furthermore, prolactin elimination from the systemic circulation is reduced, which contributes to increased prolactin concentrations. Primary hypothyroidism can be associated with diffuse pituitary enlargement,which will reverse with appropriate thyroid hormone replacement therapy."

Schwartz MF, Bauman JE, Masters WH. Hyperprolactinemia and sexual disorders in men. Biol Psychiatry. 1982 Aug;17(8):861-76. "All eight experienced some degree of improvement of sexual function following a 2-week course of intensive psychotherapy, although full restoration of libido was contingent on reduction of circulating prolactin to normal or near-normal levels. Measurement of prolactin levels should be routinely performed in all men presenting with the above sexual disorders and depressed testosterone levels."

 

[CLASH]

@Serotoninja
Hey man I was in a similar position at one point and ran the gamut of peat based options. Heres what helped me

1) drop the milk and cheese, the opiate effect even from goats milk leads to decreased dopamine and elevated prolactin that inhibits your sexual function. I got the same side effects from cow and goat milk although cows was worse. The cheese has a concentrated effect.

2) replace the milk with fatty red meat (1lb per day Is what I do, with 2oz of the 1lb being organ meet), beef fat, coconut oil (refined if virgin bothers you, its possible refined can bother you to), and cocoa butter/ and or chocolate. Aim for .6g of fat per lb of bodyweight min to start, adjust from there. Aim for .6g of protein per lb of bodyweight min to start, adjust from there

3) id keep the maple syrup if it isnt bothering you but if it id switch to sucrose or invert syrup, its a 1:1 ratio of glucose to fructose and digest easily for humans. Cane sugar soda is a good source of this. Aim for a min of 200g of sugar a day. Id leave the starch out.

4) if the oj or fruit bothers you to (it doesnt make me feel good at all) just replace it with soda, the sugar is the most important part, you can pick up the nutrients from the greens and meat.

5) leafy greens are good; spinach, kale being the best. I’d cook them tho. 5oz a day should work for the nutrients. I add in carrots for the fiber. These do work wonders over time.

6) lay off the coffee for a while and reintroduce it to see the effect on you unless you know it doesnt bother u.

To summarize i’d start with a basic, meat, fat, soda, greens, carrots diet to start. Then I would add things like chocolate or coffee in one at a time to see how you feel and adjust from there. This diet should be cheaper by far so try to go with grass fed meat. Also I’d stick to 3 square meals a day about 4 hours between meals. Dont snack at night. This allows your body to digest. If your interested check out the “migrating motor complex of the intestine”. All these things worked pretty well for me. Hope they help out with you. I was in a similar situation at one point.
For supps id stick with energin, vit k2 mk4,, vit d3 and vit e (use health natura or a combination of health natura with tocovit (has to do with alpha: gamma ratio)). I’d also get a vit c supp like dried camu camu or somthing like that to protect your heart (check out dr. Matthias raths research on subclinical hypoascorbemia to see what I’m talking about).

 

[YourUniverse]

@Serotoninja
Hey man I was in a similar position at one point and ran the gamut of peat based options. Heres what helped me

1) drop the milk and cheese, the opiate effect even from goats milk leads to elevated prolactin that inhibits your sexual function. I got the same side effects from cow and goat milk although cows was worse. The cheese has a concentrates effect.

2) replace the milk with fatty red meat (1lb per day Is what I do, with 2oz of the lb being organ meet), beef fat, coconut oil (refined if virgin bothers you, its possible refined can bother you to), and cocoa butter/ and or chocolate. Aim for .6g of fat per lb of bodyweight min to start, adjust from there. Aim for .6g of protein per lb of bodyweight min to start.

3) id keep the maple syrup isnt bothering you i’d keep it but if it is switch to sucrose or invert syrup, its a 1:1 ratio of glucose to fructose and digest easily for humans. Cane sugar soda is a good source of this. Aim for a min of 200g of sugar a day.

4) if the oj or fruit bothers you to (it doesnt make me feel good at all) just replace it with soda, the sugar is the most important part.

5) leafy greens are good; spinach, kale being the best. I’d cook them tho. 5oz a day should work for the nutrients. I add in carrots for the fiber. These do work wonders over time.

6) lay off the coffee for a while and reintroduce it to see the effect on you unless you know it doesnt bother u.

I’d start with a basic, meat, fat, soda, greens, carrots diet to start. Then I would add things like chocolate or coffee in one at a time to see how u feel and adjust from there. This diet should be cheaper by far so try to go with grass fed meat. Also I’d stick to 3 square meals a day about 4 hours between meals. Dont snack at night. This allows your body to digest. If your interested check out the “migrating motor complex of the intestine”. All these things worked pretty well for me. Hope the help our with you. I was in a similar situation at one point.
For supps id stick with energin, vit k2 mk4,, vit d3 and vit e (use health natura or a combination of health natura with tocovit (has to do with alpha: gamma ratio)).

+1, maybe orange juice instead of the soda

 

[Luckytype]

Hmm

 

[CLASH]

@jamies33
I’d be inclined to agree with you but OJ doesnt sit too well with me. Makes me cold and brain foggy. This is post rifaximin, nystatin, bacteriophage and fluconazole trial as well (I say this to rule out the SIBO aspect, the phages I used where specific for bacteria that had been shown in a stool test, I shipped them from a russian pharmacy). I think its best to try things out for yourself and come to your own determination overall. I just wanted to give a starting point for @Serotoninja, then add in from there. Always nice to start from a baseline.
On a side note check this out:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4089052/

 

[fradon]

Hey everyone so I did some labs recently and I would like to hear your suggestions, I started peating a year ago because I was suffering from severe ED (i was completely impotent) and low libido among other low energy symptoms (fatigue, low temps but high pulse), at that time T was 350 and prolactin was 25. I feel much better (high temps almost always, pulse is around 80) but sexual function is still low (weak morning wood, lowish libido, loose erections easily but i can get hard). Here are the results :

- TSH is 2.76 (0.43-4.20)
- T4 is 13.1 (10.1-17.9)
- T3 is 4.1 (2.9-4.9)

- Prolactin is 18.6 (3.5-19.1)
- Testosterone is 691 (136-1202)
- Cortisol AM is 591 (103-535)
- Cortisol PM is 404 (79-477)
- CRP is <0.5 (<5.0)

- Total Cholesterol is 6.03 (<5.18)
- HDL-Cholesterol is 1.35 (>1.55)
- LDL-Cholesterol is 4.30 (3.40-4.90)
- Triglycerides is 0.84 (<1.70)

I am happy about T, it's quite high considering prolactin/cortisol. Should I worry about high total cholesterol, low HDL? Any ideas/suggestions? @haidut

Diet is goat milk, OJ, maple syrup, chocolate, coffee, fresh fruits when i can afford them, eggs, spinach, cheese. Digestion is good, especially since i removed starches. Calories are 2500-4000. I do bodyweight exercises twice a week, get in the sun as much as i can and i am not under much stress (i do well at university and i enjoy studying there, good social life, i have ambitions but i lack the energy to accomplish most of them). I am 19 btw.

In the past year i have tried many many supplements (thyroid, pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, DHT, minerals, vitamins, lisuride, charcoal...) and nothing improved sexual function except high doses of T3 but it eventually stops working, i have tried T3+T4 for 4 months changing ratios and doses every 2 weeks but if anything it made things worse so i stopped 1.5 month ago. I am currently supplementing magnesium and zinc, magnesium makes me feel great. Anecdotally I react very badly to vitamin D, even low doses give me hypercalcemia symptoms (terrible migraines, back pain) so i think something is disrupting calcium metabolism (hence the high prolactin?).

here are my thoughts: addrenal weakness...

low insulin effecting dopamine...try eating a big meal like burger fries and coke.

perhaps add chicken or fish to your diet to increase amino acid profile are you getting enough tyrosine, phenalinin to create adreanaline and dopamine

just read this today about methylation and how it creates dopamine and the need for an insulin spike...
How Blood Sugar Influences Dopamine/Adrenalin Levels – COMT and MAO

from another article i read...raising dopamine can raise testosterone and lowering one can lower the other. sugar also lower SHBG.

do you know what you VLDL is compared to just LDL.

magnesium antagonizes sodium in the kidney/adrenal cortex one gives you energy the other slows you down.
the magnesium could be activating your vitamin D or helping to counteract calcium. have you tried increases sodium level.

perhaps cut back on the eggs if they are raising your cholesterol and last try adding folate rich foods like turnip greens and pinto beans and the added fiber will help with your cholesterol.