High Prolactin Causes Severe Fatigue.

[Beyond]

Yeah I have high e2, but not super high. I know I need to lower it if I want to have a sex drive ever again lol Even, I discovered that high e2 and low free test are probably involved in my CPPS. But I think that working in the bigger picture will eventually bring my shitty hormones to good levels.

 

[heapsreal]

I dont know if its a cfs thing or not but even on trt and arimidex I cant get my freeT into the upper third of the range. Its only just in the normal range which is an improvement but have thought about bromocriptine to raise dopamine and lower prolactin?
Hormones can be a tricky thing to balance out??

 

[Beyond]

I am highly interested in the mechanism that blocks our free test conversion. Somehow I am inclined to say it has to do with chronic inflammation and HPA shittyness.

 

[Ema]

More on prolactin and the immune system can be found here:

http://rphr.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/57/1/435

Bromocriptine (BRC), a dopamine agonist that inhibits PRL release from the pituitary, can suppress autoimmuneuveitis and correct T-cell and NK-cell abnormalities in patientswith pathological hyperprolactinemia (Vidaller et al., 1992).BRC also suppresses SLE in some patients and reduces the numberof lupus flares (Walker, 2001). Although a clear causal relationshipis still lacking, these clinical data suggest that altered PRLlevels may exacerbate certain autoimmune diseases.

Under this condition,PRL as well as E2 protects against trauma-hemorrhage by reducingplasma levels of corticosterone and IL-6, enhancing splenocyteproliferation and function, and increasing survival of animalsto septic shock (Zellweger et al., 1996; Knoferl et al., 2000a,b).These studies show that both PRL and E2 protect against inflammationand improve dysfunctional immune responses under conditionsof severe stress. A reciprocal relationship is also found betweenhigh serum corticosterone versus low PRL levels after a burninjury (Thellin et al., 2001). In this model of burn-inducedstress, the low level of PRL is correlated with a significantincrease in IL-6 production by gut enterocytes, which is accompaniedby a loss of gut integrity, bacterial translocation into thecirculation, and septic complications (Ogle et al., 2000).

So it may be that prolactin helps protect against high levels of IL-6? It is all very interesting to me.

 

[Beyond]

Maybe the body produces high prolactin and E2 to counter inflammation.

 

[heapsreal]

There seems to be this big circle how it starts got know idea but insulin resistence is involved then we put weight on which cause increase inflammation and body fat has an enzyme that converts testosterone to E2, high E2 make it hard to lose weight, then we start looking at things like prolactin and sex hormone binding globulin, we turn into a hormonal mess.

Many hormonal and inflammatory things can improve with losing weight but we have so many things against us even with say a low carb diet. Metformin is a med that can improve insulin sensitivity and aid in losing weight and with the addition of bromocriptine maybe further increase insulin sensitivity. Arimidex can lower E2 and can also aid in losing weight but as weight comes down we produce less E2 so we have to be careful not to lower E2 too much, so its a med that we may only need for a certain length of time. Im not sure about this but maybe low dose T3 could also help with weight loss. Once we have weight down to a good level many of the meds wont be needed as insulin sensitivity improves with weight loss?? Exercise is really good but with cfs we are backed up against the wall with this.

The above is just a theory, trying to break the cycle of these different mechanisms holding us back in losing weight.
With cfs we tend to have 2 types of body types fatties and skinnies. Im a dam fatty, finding it harder and harder to lose weight.

 

[Beyond]

I am a skinny so the theory above does not fit for me. Interesting for you, I knew being fat makes men more estrogenic.

 

[adreno]

Phosphatidylserine can seemingly lower plasma levels of prolactin, by sensitizing prolactin receptors:

Abstract

1. PRL receptors in the hypothalamus and substantia nigra of aged rabbits (28-month-old) are significantly reduced in comparison with young rabbits (6-month-old).

2. Repeated treatments with BC-PS are able to gradually increase the PRL receptor number both in hypothalamus and nigra. However only after 30 days of treatment the binding reaches the mean values observed in young rabbits.

3. Aged rabbits showed an evident increase in PRL plasma levels in comparison with young animals. In BC-PS treated animals this increase was not more apparent. Moreover in young rabbits treated with BC-PS an evident decrease in basal PRL plasma levels was observed.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0278584688900887

 

[drob31]

There seems to be this big circle how it starts got know idea but insulin resistence is involved then we put weight on which cause increase inflammation and body fat has an enzyme that converts testosterone to E2, high E2 make it hard to lose weight, then we start looking at things like prolactin and sex hormone binding globulin, we turn into a hormonal mess.

You can counter the aromatase enzyme with DIM or I3C, or use aromasin instead of armidex. Armidex is a bit harsh on lipid values, while aromasin is friendly. Also armidex and aromasin are probably way over kill unless you're on trt. I would think DIM should get the job done. Fat cells do produce aromasin so it does make it more difficult to lose weight. However if this a true metabolic syndrome with mito dysfuntion, it's going to be very hard to lose weight until the internal machinery starts working properly.

 

[halcyon]

I've read that white blood cells can secrete PRL independent of the pituitary gland. I've wondered if this might be the source of the excess PRL a lot of us have. Perhaps this could explain the failure of dopamine agonists to lower PRL levels that some have experienced.

 

[drob31]

I am highly interested in the mechanism that blocks our free test conversion. Somehow I am inclined to say it has to do with chronic inflammation and HPA shittyness.

High cortisol increase SHBG which would cause lower free test, even with normal total test.

At the cellular level high cortisol would cause deficiencies of all hormones including testosterone and cortisol itself (sort of like insulin resistance).

 

[charlie1]

I am having an MRI (3T) at the end of the month and then I'm starting on prolactin lowering meds to see if I can't straighten this out

@Ema , This is an old thread but I'm wondering what the MRI showed...any abnormalities with the pituitary? I ask b/c when my CFS/ME first started, I had a CAT scan done which showed a 'deviated pituitary stalk" that would need a specialized MRI to rule out microadenoma. My GP brushed it off and said it's nothing to worry about, lots of people have deviated p stalks and that its not related to my symptoms. I had too much going on to push for the MRI.

More than 2 yrs later, I still have the OI, chronic low blood pressure and PEM crashes. The last 6 months I've occasionally had a very small amount of leakage from right nipple that I've noticed show up on t-shirts/nighties when bra-less. With my very low DHEA and testosterone and possibly low cortisol (to be tested soon), I'm wondering if my prolactin will be high, and if the pituitary is indeed the culprit.
Had a Hysterectomy 10 yrs ago so low estrogen and progesterone as well. Endocrinologist aware of my low DHEA (non-existant) and isn't alarmed so no use going back to him regarding this.

 

[roxie60]

How does one test for Prolactin?

 

[drob31]

How does one test for Prolactin?

Simple blood serum test.

http://www.truehealthlabs.com/Prolactin-p/quest_746.htm

 

[wastwater]

Think I should get prolactin tested

 

[Beyond]

I am gonna start again on Panthetine megadoses. This stuff lowers prolactin, nourishes the adrenal glands, increases HGH and lowers noradrenalin, at least its derivative cysteamine does, and studies show to a lesser extent panthetine itself does the same (because it gets converted).

 

[drob31]

Bodybuilders use high doses of b6 to control prolactin.

 

[Beyond]

Bodybuilders use high doses of b6 to control prolactin.

Yeah but bodybuilders don´t have very low adrenal hormones!

 

[Ninan]

Old thread but, @Ema , how's it going? I just found out first that I have low S-SHBG and high prolactin. Haven't got the numbers yet though. But I'm pretty sure it all started about the same time I got ME, eleven years ago. Hen and egg?

I'm all new to hormones and it sure is a can of worms! Interesting though.

 

[drob31]

Yeah but bodybuilders don´t have very low adrenal hormones!

It depends, they may have them. LH signals get shutdown when they use anabolics, and high levels of testosterone would drive cortisol down.