Can I Take Clomid Or Dostinex For High Progesterone And Prolactin Levels And How To Improve My Libido?

Posted on Tue, 7 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 7 Jan 2014 Answered on

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello, I have low libido a bit of erectile dysfunction. I checked my hormones and I found out I have high progesterone and prolactin. What medication is available to lower their levels? Is Clomid, or dostinex or arimidex useful in my case? I want my libido back. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: Prolactin Detailed Answer: First, I would like to know your age, and if you are taking any medications. I have reviewed the attached lab result. The prolactin is just mildly elevated. Sometimes a stressful blood collection can lead to temporary rises in blood prolactin levels that quickly normalize. Such circumstances do not constitute any medical abnormality. I suggest you repeat the blood test for prolactin. Try avoiding a troublesome blood draw. Hopefully a good phlebotomist/technician can comfortably take your sample. There is no published literature to my knowledge that describes progesterone related problems in men. Your testosterone levels are fine, so even greater reason to not worry about the high progesterone. I suggest you also check your thyroid with the next set of labs along with a CBC and complete metabolic panel. Therefore the following tests are recommended 1 Prolactin 2 TSH 3 Free T4 4 CBC 5 Creatinine 6 Electrolytes 7 Liver function tests If you are truly elevated prolactin then further tests will be necessary to determine the cause and treatment will depend on the cause.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (8 minutes later)

Hello, I am 36 male and i am taking nebivolol 5 mg and sertraline 50 mg / day for panic disorder. I had gynecomastia since I was a teenager. I was operated to remove it 13 years ago. I believe i have gilberts syndrome and i dont know if it can affect hormones. When i last checked my blood i was very comfortable. I have libido problems, so i think there is a problem with my hormones. I did already mri of brain and ultrasound of whole abdomen, no adenoma was found. For what i know high progesterone can elevate prolactin not the other way around.

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (11 hours later)

Brief Answer: Follow up Detailed Answer: 1 Gilberts syndrome is not known to affect any hormones 2 Sertraline can cause low libido and impotence. It has also been associated with prolactin rise in less than 1% cases. If your repeat prolactin still comes back high, and your MRI of the pituitary is normal and your TSH and creatinine are normal, then discuss with your doctor who prescribes sertraline to see if this can be substituted for something else that would not cause libido and erection problems (and likely even reverse the prolactin elevation) 3 Sleep, sex and stress can also produce transient prolactin elevations to a very mild degree. This does not represent a problem 4 I did not say prolactin elevates progesterone. Further, it is estrogen that is more commonly associated with prolactin elevations. However, progesterone can cause galactorrhea (milky discharge form breasts in a non-pregnant adult).

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (1 hour later)

Thanks for reply. But my question still remain, is there no any drug that can reduce progesterone alone? Like Clomid or Arimidex?

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (23 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Second follow up Detailed Answer: Treatment discussion is relevant only when a disorder is diagnosed. Pure progesterone excess is not described as a disease entity, to my knowledge. However, there are rare 'feminizing' tumors in males that produce excess female hormones but they are associated with an elevated estradiol as well as DHEAS, and low testosterone. Your estradiol and DHEAS are not high, and your testosterone is not low. So it does not fit the picture.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar