Hormones

[big916]

I wanted to start a topic on supplemental hormones and how they could or couldn't be the fountain of youth. Of course these would never replace the need for a healthy diet and exercise program that is why they are called supplements. Anyone who has knowledge of these supplements please post here. Hope we can gather some good information here.

the first question i have is what is the difference between synthetic and bio identical hormones?

[dancingdoc2]

> the first question i have is what is the difference between synthetic and bio identical hormones?

I might be wrong; although, I believe "bio-identical" hormones are derived from plants and are molecule for molecule identical with what is/are in our body. Synthetic hormones are created in the lab.

[Brandye]

No, that is not why they are called supplements. Hormone replacement therapy is just that: adding hormones to the body to replace those that are diminishing naturally with age. Hormones are never "supplements" but may be replacements." They can also be abused.

No, they are not a fountain of youth. They may reduce the signs of aging slightly and keep some things functioning that would otherwise be slowing down, but they do not keep anyone youthful.

The most popular female replacement, or female HRT, is Premarin, made from the urine of pregnant mares. That is a biologic. The "pill" (all that I am aware of) is made from synthetic hormones, chemically manufactured substances that replicate, more or less, the action of natural hormones in the body. Bio-identical refers to a maufactured substance that is biologically identical to natural substances. An example is that Vitamin C is actually ascorbic acid. You can buy it extracted from rose hips of right out or a chemical plant. Even though they look slightly different under a microscope, they are clinically undifferentiated, bio-identical.

Your question about synthetic and bio-identical is irrelevant. A substance can be both. The difference you are looking for is between "biologicals" or "biologics" and "synthetics." The former are made from once living organisms and tend to be quite expensive; the latter begin simply as chemicals and are easier to gather and process.

When people start messing with hormones, they are messing with the endocrine system, and sometimes the exocrine system as well, and this is the realm of highly specialized knowledge and practice. My participation in a thread advocating playing with hormones would be to discourage it.

[maupassant]

With us blokes, the amount of semen seems to diminish, but orgasm is still there even at my time of life.
So, Brandye, is there nothing I could take/eat to maybe ensure that I don't lose what I still have???
Does the 'use it or lose it' maxim hold any water??? Regular masturbation seems to keep things going.

[Brandye]

Mau,

Decreased semen output, decreased rigidity of erections and increased recovery times are all natural processes of aging in the human male. Maybe those animals with penis bones have some advantage! These effects vary greatly from one man to the next. Their onset is usually noticeable in the forties but the functions continue adequately for decades in most.

Guidelines for keeping it going would be regular exercise, good diet and be careful what medications are prescribed. Both psychotropics and blood pressure and/or heart rate medications often have side effects that reduce "potency." And, yes, "Use it or lose it," seems to be operative! Masturbation is more effective than letting it lie fallow. The parts that need to function do not know whether it is going into a tissue or a more interesting place.

[Ducy]

I agree with brandye. Hormones, be they synthetic or natural, are not the fountain of youth. Will they help you feel younger? Certainly. GH is typically abused because of the "healing effects" on tendons and ligaments. It has shown to help ligament strength and repair in several case studies. But then again there is the "gh gut" that you suffer from. Look at pro bodybuilders, they are ripped but have a gut at the same time. If I'm not mistaken its because the GH causes the stomach to distend (due to an enlarging of the stomach and intestines?)

Testosterone, which is a commonly abused hormones, will make you feel...well jacked. You just feel amazing. You fell on top of the world, you ooze self confidence. You burn a lot more adipose tissue and increase the amount of lean body mass. It does also cause problems such as prostate enlargement, increase in cholesterol and BP (although as long as you diet is spot and exercise is arranged) you can minimize cholesterol increase.

Winstrol, decavol, annivar...all hormones that make you "feel" better, stronger, younger, more confident. But they all are simply side effects. They go away with discontinuation of use. Although even greater side effects remain after use.

My honest advice. After helping people arrange PH and Anabolic/Androgenic steroids (although it is not a professional service I offer) I would say don't bother. There are so many possible outcomes to using hormones and manipulating hormones, that you could either become a "better" physical specimen or a useless mess.

Hormones introduced into your body cause your bodies natural production to shutdown. Shoot up with some test or decoval you will wind up with testicular atrophy. You also have a negative feedback loop. More test = more estrogen. Which can cause gynocomastia (breast growth in men) water retention and increases in adipose tissue. You can counter such results with aromataise inhibitors or estrogen blockers. The only problem is when these are discontinued you can suffer estrogen rebound. For instance taking nolvadex prevents estrogen from binding to satellite cells. But when discontinued (if not tapered properly) can cause the side effcts to still occur. (Not to mention nolvadex can cause eye sight trouble)

But then if you take too much (estrogen blockers or AI's) you wind up with achy joints, loss of ligament elasticity (which as we know aren't very elastic in the first place), and loss of libido.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that if you wanted to use hormones to "stay young" you would be stuck trying to constantly monitor and control your hormone levels. Your diet would have to be perfect, you would wind up living an incredibly strict life just to live a while longer. Not forever. You become a machine you no longer have as many freedoms

My favorite "advice" I received was.

Take care of yourself now, and enjoy yourself later. Live healthy, make an effort to be in shape, and as you age you can enjoy life. Rather than retiring and spending most of your time complaining of arthritis and having to be on cholesterol meds and watching everything you do, you can have more freedom, love your life and enjoy it till you kick the bucket.

I personally fooled around with a PH called HAVOC. It was a "prohormone" meaning you ingest it as one thing and it turns to another. In order for this to happen it was 17 alpha alkylated. I forget the exact molecule attached but basically when the chemical hits the liver it removes the "extra" molecule and doesn't break down the actual PH. This is effective for keeping the hormone functional. But it causes an absurd amount of stress on your liver. Ya it was nice seeing my puberty induced gyno to go away (since HAVOC was the same chemical make up as the hormone used to treat breast cancer...began with an eq) and it was also nice seeing my libido increase and my strength sky rocket. Not to mention I felt invinsible and was incredibly slef confident and "ripped". Was it worth the estrogen rebound? No. Was it worth the achy joints? No. Was it worth taking nolvadex as an estrogen blocker only to suffer night blindness until I stopped? Hell no. Did I enjoy the strict diet to keep my cholesterol low and my liver healthy? Nope...worst than the healthy eating that I already force myself to eat. Would I want to extend my life a few years by taking all these hormones and suffering these downsides?

NO...gimme a healthy diet, a prostate check every year, and let me grow old in style.

[Brandye]

No need to give people a list of common hormones to abuse. There are no hormones that are safely ingested outside of medical need. Yes, I put myself on Premarin at the first symptoms of menopause. Was that wise or necessary? We all choose our own risks to take and even HRT for menopausal women has risks. My gyn pointed out all the risks; I made the decision. Two (female) physicians can arrive at decisions on hormones a bit more objectively than a gym rat and trainer.

[EvilEvilKitten]

May I also point out that although hormones may make him feel all powerful - his testicles shrink to the size of raisins and his ability to satisfy in bed DISAPPEARS! If he's ripped at my age - I walk away since he's not going to be worth my time.

[Ducy]

Yes I am aware that a lot of hormones can help but a lot can also have its bad side effects. I know a lot of men who use GH because it helps them look and feel younger.

And I must have overlooked the testicular atrophy. I meant to put it in when I mentioned the negative feedback portion of my reply

[EvilEvilKitten]

In the tradeoff between being ripped or having testicles, wouldn't a man rather have the ability rather than just the appearance?

You know they never 'grow back'.