Tribulus

[Hawkwind]

I'll be back tomorrow with information about Tribulus. I have to dig it up again. In the meantime, feel free to post your experiences with adding Tribulus to your training.

[slopedoctor]

are any members using a tribulis product and if so what do you think.I want to try and would like to see what everyonr else is using

[slopedoctor]

ow well I found my avaitar!

[DDRFreak]

I bought myself a bottle of T3 from NxCare. I've used products from NxCare before and I'm happy with it, so I thought since this is out, I'll give it a try.

So far so good I guess, I feel great in the morning, cuz it does suggest to take 6 pills right before bed time.

[Hawkwind]

LOL! Slope! Your new avatar reminds me of when my dad used to crank up our Ford Model T! (He was a member of a club...I'm not that old!)

[slopedoctor]

Hey Hawk....since I'm a newbie again I thought a new avitar was in order!Glad you like it!What tribulis product did you use...hmmmmmm?

[Hawkwind]

I use Solaray's Tribulus Extract. 450mg I take two, plus my 'female' wellness herbal supplement has 100mg of tribulus. So I'm taking 950 mg two weeks on, one week off. (Only 100mg the 'off' week.)

[slopedoctor]

Thanks Hawk,do you feel a bump from the stuff?

[Hawkwind]

Yes, actually it does seem to be helping me. I was wondering if it really was helping my LH levels and then I had a couple random hotflashes. Upon further research I discovered that taking trib can cause hotflashes in menopausal women when it causes their LH levels to rise!

So not only have my lifts remained steady or gone up a bit in spite of all the trouble my fibromyalgia is giving me this month...I had physical proof that my LH levels spiked a bit!

I was kind of thinking it's too bad you guys couldn't have some kind of metabolic response when your LH levels spike like I have. At least now I know it's working! (I'll take a few hotflashes with improved lifts anyday!)

[slopedoctor]

do you think if I take it my avitar will lift that weight off the floor!....lol

[Hawkwind]

LMAO! If your avatar cranks any faster is might just lift off!

[PoonTang]

Ive been using ON's Tribulis, 1250 mg per day for about 7 weeks now. I love it and the sex drive is back. 48 yrs old working out about 8 mths.
One of the best things along with that is the ZMA I just starting taking about a 1 1/2 weeks ago....what a sleep u get....there not lying about that. Love that two

[slopedoctor]

What is ON's tribulis and I haven't seen any doses at 1250 mg?Could you enlighten me!
Slope

[PoonTang]

i take Optimun Nurtion product (ON): Tribulus 625mg per capsule. I take two a day. one in the mornging again at dinner...1250 total

[Justitia]

Hey, I am a newbie here, post menapausal, 57 year old female who just started serious workout. My testosterone levels really dropped through menopause (no test to prove it--but man, the physiological sexual response is way down.) I take testosterone creme (prescribed by Gyn) but it makes me want to eat though it helps in the sex department. When I take testosterone pills (again prescribed by gyn) my libido shoots up but so does my appetite.

My mind is still extremely into sex--but my body doesn't really follow well...do you think tribulus will help it.

Another bb thought that the problem with the testosterone creme and pills was they acted like a spike and thats why my appetite shot through the roof.

I had been thinking about researching into tribulus as a pssible way to go for more natural evolving effect. I am on HRT--30 days (i.e., no on/off cycle) natural estrogen (i.e., estrace--estrodial) and natural progesterone (not the synthetic progestin that is causing all the problems and cancer reports etc.) The brand is Prometrium. I am also on Synthoroid 2 mgs (.2 mgs --I forget where the decimal pt is on this.)

I am pretty much completely finished menstruating (just a couple of monhts break-through spell last fall)

I have also been thinking about trying DHEA as well. I tried it in the early '90s when it was fad (way pre-perimenopause) but it made me too hyper and irritable (which I have a tendancy towards anyway.) But at this stage I am re-considering... I am also thinking about doing 7-Keto DHEA for fat-burning -- I have a question thread on this site re 7-KetoDHEA at another forum here: http://bodybuildingforyou.com/phpBB2...=236183#236183 I included a lot of info I found on it researching the net...but 7-Keto DHEA is deliberately designed not to have any hormonal effect. SO I was thinking of maybe combining it with something.

Sorry this post is a little all over the place--but I am really interested in info re: tribulus--I have only heard bits about it and have not researched it yet. I just wanted to give background and context for my query.

[Hawkwind]

Not all over the place at all. Has your doctor considered an oral estrogen & testosterone hormone replacement therapy for you? I take estra-test...an estrogen/testosterone hrt and my sex drive came back nicely on it. My estra-test doesn't make me hungry at all. When you were taking the oral test was it in combination with estrogen?

Tribulus could help but this is what I found. I have a complete hysterectomy-oopherectomy. I've taken tribulus and it has increased my drive even with my hrt. But it causes your LH levels to rise. LH is the precursor to test and it's been shown that raising the LH levels in menopausal women will cause hot flashes. That is what it did to me. You are post-menopausal so I'm not sure what it would do. But it is worth the try.

My other thought...have you tried a progesterone cream at all? I was using one before going on the estra-test and it did help some, but I was having such severe hot flashes after my surgery that we had to get me on the estra-test. I haven't used the progesterone cream since.

[Justitia]

I have been on oral HRT for 9 years--so yes, when I took the testosterone pills (my drop in sexuall functioning didn't happen until my 4th year) I was already on HRT (estrodiol (Estrace) and Progesterone (Prometrium).)

The tetosterone I took orally was the same as in Estratest but I took 1/5th of the dosage that is in Estratest--and by the end of the week I felt lust for every man and every consumable around me. LOL.

The estrogen in Estratest is the estrone derived from mare's urine, the same as in Premarin, the most commonly prescribed HRT. Estrone is the predominant form of estrogen in the body post-menopause. Estrodiol (the one I take) is the most prominent form in the body pre-menopause.

I am "exquisitely" drug senstive (doctor's term). Everything I take works fast and like gang-busters whether for good or bad. In other words, I heal fast or I usually get every negative side effect no matter how uncommon or both (heal fast and negative side-effects.0

So my goal was to restore me as much as possible to pre-menopausal state. Frankly, it was like a miracle. Not only did it stop the majority of hot flashes, etc. but it so improved my mood I was in much better emotional state than before I started menopause.

Premarin is the drug usually used in those studies that are now showing various forms of cancer from HRT--it uses the estrone that is in Estra-test. They are suggesting that it is estrogen therapy that is indicated as the cause. Frankly, I don't believe it. (I am not anti-science; I am a statistician) I think it is the progestin in the premarin, which is a synthetic replacement for progesterone --which you don't take b/c of your hysterectomy. My "casual observation" is that progestin is the cause of most bad side effects in women who take Premarin or pregestin presescribed separately. About 1/3 of women have varying degree of problems from Premarin or related HRT. When I convince friends to go my route, most the time, their bad side effects disappear. The most common is really bad PMS.

I am not sure why you were prescribed any progesterone or progestin creme post-surgery Its primary purpose is to counteract the risk of cancer in the uterus that might occur from an estrogen therapy. As you had a hysterectomy, there would be no need. But frankly I am not up on the latest because once I settled on what worked for me, I only casually kept up witht he the research and once all my friends went through menopause, there was no need for me to follow-up.

I am surprised that increasing LH increases the potential for hot flashes (and that you indeed experience that) b/c testosterone itself is usually viewed as decreasing hot flashes. But again, my knowledge is at least 6 years old.

Does the LH then convert into testosterone in the body? I am glad to hear it increased your drive. Mine has been reduced--but the most signifcant effect is my physiological response --it takes forever, if you know what I mean--and it ain't as great as it used to be at the end. (Sorry guys, if that was more than you wanted to know :-) That's what I want to fix. Side effects on muscle and lean body mass are more than welcomed too.

Did you ever experiment with DHEA?

[Hawkwind]

The 'estra-test' that I'm on is the one with plant estrogen's. I was active in horse rescue and now German Shepherd rescue. I absolutely won't use an estrogen made of mare's urine. I know what they do to those mares!
Come to think of it my 'estra-test' is actually called Syntest. My bad on the name!

I am also drug sensitive, but on the allergic end of things. I was actually allergic to every other form of estrogen (alone) that my doctor tried me on. I'm on a higher dose of the Syntest. The first 'scipt helped, but I didn't have the vibrancy I was looking for with a lower dose. I just felt blah all the time.

The progesterone cream that I was using was made from wild yams. (I wouldn't use anything that was made from an animal.) My doctor was getting a bit stymied as to what to do to help me with the hotflashes while we were tring to find a 'script that worked. I was taking the progest cream in conjunction with black cohash.

I think because I'm on the test that is why I had the hot flashes when I took the tribulus. I basically really messed with the level of test my body is acclimated too and it rebelled! I take my syntest 3 weeks on 1 week off, similar to a woman's natural menstral cycle. I noticed on the week off I had the hotflashes more often. On the other weeks it was just when I first got up in the morning.

LH stands for Lutenizing Hormone. (Sp) I'm not sure how it converts or what exactly is the chemical chain that causes the conversion, but I do know you need the LH to help with raising the test levels.

I understand what you are saying about the physiological response completely. But part of my problem is my drive is high and 'runs long', hubby's isn't. So we are a bit at odds there. One of the benefits to the tribulus when I took it was to help with physiological response. And I did like the boost it gave me in training.

I'm a very active woman and I think one of my biggest problems was that my body just plain needed the higher hormone levels to keep up with what I wanted to do to in life. I haven't experimented with DHEA. But I've been seriously thinking about it.

[Justitia]

Well, your response encourages me to try tribulus. I am not that happy with the cream as it is wreaking my clean food plan. Prometrium (my progesterone) is also made from wild yams...I guess that is the standard for producing it.

I was wondering how you found the plant estrogen. Recently (like in the last 3 months--I think) a study came out finding that the plant estrogens did not really work. But I think it was based on soy.

I wonder where the estrodiol that I take comes from. I know its not the mare's urine product but I am not sure where it is from.

Anyway, do you have a recommendation as to where to buy Tribulus from. My supp costs these days (along with all the meds I take --a new pill every year, lol) is really racking up. I plan to add at the least --7-keto DHEA (which does nothing for hormones --it designed not to --it is just for fat-burning). The cheapest is $19/monthand the luxury can run $46-$66 per month -- but as 7-Keto is patented and licensed I don't think I have to worry about quality --the more expensive versions just wrap the 7-Keto with caffeine products--which I try to stay away from. So I will probably go the cheap route on this one.

I guess those will be my new supp additions...thanks for all your help.

[Hawkwind]

You're welcome.

I'm not sure what type of plant estrogen is in my Syntest. If it wasn't working I would probably know in short order!

I buy my tribulus via Vitamin Shoppe. I was using the 450mg dosage x2 by Solaray, next time I order I'm going with the 725mg. They have quite a selection of brands that are all reputable. I use the Solaray as I began using that brand via my local healthfood store years ago and trust it. I understand about pricey supps! I take a few other things for my fibromyalgia that are pricey.

Keep me posted on how things work out too.