20-02-2013, 01:21 AM
In the light of the various responses to my query, I've been reviewing my records. I would emphasize that the BP elevations I have been talking about have been quite modest, and although they initially seemed to have a pattern (see below), this has not been consistent. It occurs to me that there is one alternative explanation. Since my GB surgery last summer I have on and off been taking cholestyramine (to deal with mild bile acid problems) which may perhaps have been the cause of of my increased water retention. The prescription ran out last week, a day or two before the end of my PM cycle. My BP readings have now returned to normal, my weight has dropped sharply, and the problem for which I was taking the cholestyramine seems to have disappeared. So while I may have been right about the BP increase being due to water retention, it may well have had nothing to do with PM. According to the table accompanying our body composition scale, females tend to have a lower water content than males of the same age, which suggests that PM should not increase water retention.
When previously taking PM I had taken occasional ‘holidays’, and on restarting PM on September 30 I decided to follow the same practice and worked up the daily dose from 1 gram to three grams at the beginning of the third week , and after four weeks dropped back to 1 g. before repeating the build up, partly to reduce total PM consumption, but incidentally establishing a four week cycle. Up to Christmas, blood pressure levels rose and fell moderately, more or less in line with PM dosage, but Christmas and New Year caused an out of phase increase(they say that it’s a stressful time of year
) and the remainder of January also failed to follow PM consumption Initially I was splitting the doses, half in the morning and half last thing at night, but I then saw Abi Drew’s much more scientific cycle, and she provided the information that natural female estrogen levels were highest in the morning and dropped to low levels by the end of the day, suggesting that last thing at night was not the best time to take PM. A query arose around the same time as to the half life of PM, which is something obviously relevant to dosage timing. As far as I know, no reliable answer emerged, and I couldn’t find one, but 2 -3 hours seemed the most probable. Half lives are tricky, both because they depend on how a pharmaceutical is administered, and upon the half lives of active metabolites. So having started by reducing the relative size of the evening dose and taking it at about 7pm, and having noted no ill effects, I am now taking the entire dosage first thing each morning. I have also been using PC during two weeks in each cycle based on a suggestion by Abi Drew.
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Several people here have advocated splitting PM input ito multiple doses so as to maintain consistent levels, and while this may avoid side effects, it still leaves the question of whether growth is more dependent on high average estrogen levels or high peak levels. Given that estrogen levels in genetic females appear to have wide diurnal and monthly variations, the latter strikes me as more likely. Presently at least, the high peak levels that I expect are produced by my present dosage pattern seem to be working. As another query, how do estrogen levels vary in genetic girls during the course of puberty, and is this yet another pattern to emulate?
When previously taking PM I had taken occasional ‘holidays’, and on restarting PM on September 30 I decided to follow the same practice and worked up the daily dose from 1 gram to three grams at the beginning of the third week , and after four weeks dropped back to 1 g. before repeating the build up, partly to reduce total PM consumption, but incidentally establishing a four week cycle. Up to Christmas, blood pressure levels rose and fell moderately, more or less in line with PM dosage, but Christmas and New Year caused an out of phase increase(they say that it’s a stressful time of year
) and the remainder of January also failed to follow PM consumption Initially I was splitting the doses, half in the morning and half last thing at night, but I then saw Abi Drew’s much more scientific cycle, and she provided the information that natural female estrogen levels were highest in the morning and dropped to low levels by the end of the day, suggesting that last thing at night was not the best time to take PM. A query arose around the same time as to the half life of PM, which is something obviously relevant to dosage timing. As far as I know, no reliable answer emerged, and I couldn’t find one, but 2 -3 hours seemed the most probable. Half lives are tricky, both because they depend on how a pharmaceutical is administered, and upon the half lives of active metabolites. So having started by reducing the relative size of the evening dose and taking it at about 7pm, and having noted no ill effects, I am now taking the entire dosage first thing each morning. I have also been using PC during two weeks in each cycle based on a suggestion by Abi Drew..
Several people here have advocated splitting PM input ito multiple doses so as to maintain consistent levels, and while this may avoid side effects, it still leaves the question of whether growth is more dependent on high average estrogen levels or high peak levels. Given that estrogen levels in genetic females appear to have wide diurnal and monthly variations, the latter strikes me as more likely. Presently at least, the high peak levels that I expect are produced by my present dosage pattern seem to be working. As another query, how do estrogen levels vary in genetic girls during the course of puberty, and is this yet another pattern to emulate?
