aldospirone vs androcur - health risks?

[Ruth Ruthless]

So in the last 3 months (out of 7 months total on hrt) I've been gradually lowering my androcur levels in an attempt to get some sort of libido back without stunting the transition and my t levels haven't budged from lower than test range nor has my libido. I asked my endo if we could reduce the dose even more and she said that wouldn't work in her opinion but we can try aldospirone instead.

So my priority is transition > health > libido. Do you know if aldospirone is considered more dangerous than androcur health wise? I sort of got used to being asexual by now and I don't want to risk my health to get back some libido. Thanks for any input on this subject.

[KayXo]

Side-effects are different. Spiro (aldospirone) affects electrolytes and an imbalance can cause all sorts of complications, from minor to major. You need to discuss this with your doctor and take necessary precautions if you get on it like increasing salt/water intake and being careful not to overdo it with potassium. Blood pressure is affected too and may significantly go down. Androcur has other side-effects, notably depression in some and can cause prolactin to rise significantly. In the end though, as I mentioned, this question should be addressed to your doctor and be answered by them. I'm just sharing info that I've come across and you need someone in the field to confirm the validity of all this.

Some girls swear by spiro (aldospirone) while others do better on cypro so who knows how you'll do if you switch...Both are commonly prescribed to transgendered women across the world.

[Ruth Ruthless]

Thanks. That's actually helpful because I suspect I already have a problem with sodium absorption as it is now. Depression is definitely something I easily feel, but I find I managed to stave it off with running and high carb low fat plant based nutrition.

My doctor seems to be in the attitude of "let's try it and find out".

[kelly_aus]

I have a suspicion, based only on my own experiences, that once cypro has done a number on your T level, the deed is done..

As Kay mentioned, depression is (can be) a side effect of cypro, one I have experienced. Dose changes and even not taking it for some time did nothing to increase my T level - it did, however, relieve the depression. My libido never went away, sure, it changed, but it's still there.

[Ruth Ruthless]

Androcur = cypro?

My libido isn't completely gone but it's 99 percent gone. I used to feel the need to have an orgasm twice a day before taking it. Now I feel the need to have an orgasm once every month or two.

[Ruth Ruthless]

So if I switch to aldospirone I probably won't get it back? Anyone got any experience switching between the two?

[KayXo]

Androcur is a brand name for cyproterone acetate.

I just remembered one girl having better breast growth when she switched over to Spiro. But, her situation may have just been odd, I don't know.

[Ruth Ruthless]

Meh, don't care much for breast growth. The important transition element for me is my face. After that - waist line, but I got that covered with diet and exercise.

What kelly wrote led me to think there is no point switching to aldospirone because if what she says is right then "the deed is done".

[KayXo]

Your mileage may vary, everyone is different but more T, more your face will masculinize so why would you want to take that chance?

[Ruth Ruthless]

To find some middle ground where I can look feminine and be sexual, but if it's one or the other - you're right. Better to be asexual and look feminine. I just hope the feminine look will happen eventually and there are definitely advantages to being asexual.

And there is definitely no point if "the deed is done" and if it can hurt my sodium absorption which is already questionable.

[lemon_ice]

Hi, I'm sorry about your current lack of desire Ruth.. Now I might be barking up the wrong tree, so my apologies in advance if I am.. I also thought HRT had rendered me asexual.. absolutely no desire for sex or to orgasm etc. (my T is very low, I'm on cypro too), but I still desired some human contact and intimacy, pretty much just some nice hugs Well I met somebody with only that in mind.. but it turned sexual and now I'm enjoying a fairly healthy sex life.. it turned out my sexuality had just changed and it was the being touched and held by my partner that actually sparked the desire for sex, without that I'm quite happy without sex still. I still don't orgasm terribly much, although my partner does lol, I still enjoy myself none the less (its the foreplay that I love) and feel a lot happier Maybe this could be also the case for you?

Olivia

[Ruth Ruthless]

It's possible. I think by now I've gotten used to not being sexual and I'd need someone to be very supportive and patient in that department and even then I've gotten so used to not being sexual that I'm afraid of trying and a bit disgusted. So there's definitely by now an emotional element reinforcing my biological limitation as an adaptation to the situation.

[Ruth Ruthless]

I still love cuddling and that's become for now all I want in the department of physical intimacy.

[KayXo]

Sometimes it's not necessarily the low T that can contribute to low libido but the effects of the drug (Cyproterone) on some other dimension or lack of E/P.

[calicarly]

It could be that your Estrogen levels are low. Low E is a strong reason for low libido just like low T, I personally think trying to regaine some T for libido op purposes is slightly contra productive, I did however, go through a period of very low libido, my estrogen leves were low for some months... Once my E increased after some changes to HRT , so did my libido. I also, am on cyproterone and I have found it to have a lot more potency reducing T compared to spiro, and with much less side effect profile, my blood pressure was always low, I felt tired and I kept having to pee every 5 mins for the time I was on spiro.

Good luck Hun

[Ruth Ruthless]

My e levels at start of treatment were at peak menopause level and as the e started going down we increased dosage while lowering t blocker. Still in female range throughout all tests but now the e is lower and t is same despite lowering blocker dosage. My e dosage is now such that they double check for overdose at pharmacy. They will probably refuse service for higher. Throughout all this time my libido has been same almost zero.