7 weeks on Androgel

[conklcl]

A little up date on my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) so far I have been on Androgel for 7 week. I have not felt anything so far other that my strength has gone up at the gym the last 2 weeks. I had my blood work done last week and went to my Endo yesterday to find out the results. Not to surprised to find out that my test levels have not gone up much they went down 50 points. So I said I would like to move to shots he said ok and showed my how to pin myself so I would not have to come back for the shots.
We also had a long talk about Aromatase inhibitor (AI) and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) he has some people on all three but needs to see more blood work for me before he makes the call so more blood work in a month, I think I found a Doctor that is willing to work with me.
So I leave the office and go to Walgreens to get all my stuff and they tell me my insurance will not pay they have to have my doctor fill out some paper work first turn it in to see if they will pay. What the hell they will give me gel that cost $700 and is bad if my kids or wife get it on them but they say no to shots. Thanks Obama Health care.

I know you guys are going to tell me to call chip and I have talked to him a couple of times and he is really a super guy but I would like to use my insurance for now. I should just move over to Maximus

Chip from what I have heard you are in MI I am to I live in the Saint Joseph/Benton Harbor area are you anywhere close to me.

 

[DeusMalo]

I had the same experience with androgel. Good luck with getting insurance to pay. I was covered by 3 diff insurance companies and none would pay. My doctor spent nearly 2 months going back and forth making a case only to be declined. Wife on her Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - the same.

If u can't afford a few hundred every 3 months, you are prob stuck with androgel. Personally, I believe it's worth it and I'd give up eating out a few times for TRT.

 

[conklcl]

I had the same experience with androgel. Good luck with getting insurance to pay. I was covered by 3 diff insurance companies and none would pay. My doctor spent nearly 2 months going back and forth making a case only to be declined. Wife on her Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) - the same.

If u can't afford a few hundred every 3 months, you are prob stuck with androgel. Personally, I believe it's worth it and I'd give up eating out a few times for TRT.

DeusMalo
Your wife is on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is she with Chip and if I may ask what is she taking and what is it helping. Maybe my wife needs some HRT

 

[cjw2021]

gel is poison. It will turn you into a bitch because aromatase enzyme is highly concentrate in the skin and the first reaction to high estrogen conversion is a raising of SHBG which just makes the problem worse. Some people for a weird reason claim to do well on it but majority of people I have seen on these types of forums it does not work for. In me it did not work at all after about 2 weeks.

 

[Natehayes]

I had no luck with Androgel either and I stuck with it for about a year.

My Doc was against shots in the beginning, but I explained to him I have young children and a wife who is very sensitive so I was not comfortable with the gel and the possibility that it might rub off on them. I think it helped that I have an RN in the family so I was able to tell him I had someone to teach me the proper protocol for administering injections.

I can tell you the injections have worked world's better than the Androgel ever did.
Also, I don;t want to turn this into a political debate but Obama has nothing to do with this, it's all the insurance companies and the fact that steroids are a controlled substance. I had the same problem when I first started with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and Bush was the president then. The way they look at it is you can't abuse the gel pretty much no matter how hard you try so it is considered less of a steroid risk than injectables.

Even if you convince your doc to prescribe you injectable test you may have to then convince your insurance company to pay for it because some companies (like mine) do not have it on their formulary so your doc will have to fill out a special form saying why you need injectables instead of the gel.

Either way, it's definitely worth it so I say keep trying!

 

[conklcl]

I had no luck with Androgel either and I stuck with it for about a year.

My Doc was against shots in the beginning, but I explained to him I have young children and a wife who is very sensitive so I was not comfortable with the gel and the possibility that it might rub off on them. I think it helped that I have an RN in the family so I was able to tell him I had someone to teach me the proper protocol for administering injections.

I can tell you the injections have worked world's better than the Androgel ever did.
Also, I don;t want to turn this into a political debate but Obama has nothing to do with this, it's all the insurance companies and the fact that steroids are a controlled substance. I had the same problem when I first started with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and Bush was the president then. The way they look at it is you can't abuse the gel pretty much no matter how hard you try so it is considered less of a steroid risk than injectables.

Even if you convince your doc to prescribe you injectable test you may have to then convince your insurance company to pay for it because some companies (like mine) do not have it on their formulary so your doc will have to fill out a special form saying why you need injectables instead of the gel.

Either way, it's definitely worth it so I say keep trying!

Natehayes
I was joking about Obama: but I still don't like him.
Yes I can't wait until I try the inject able I just have to wait until they get all the paper work done. I guess this is common because they told me the paper work will have to be done every year that the scrip will only be good for one year
Not really looking forward to the pinning part the doctor showed me how and has no problem with me doing it at home he did recommended the leg but we will see.

 

[rimini]

Obama has nothing to do with this

Of course he's responsible for it. He's fucking responsible for everything gone wrong in each and everyone's lives in this world. Yes, even if your dog can't take a shit or for some reason you can't get your wife pregnant, you can sure bet it's obama's fault. THE FUCKER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING! Amen.

 

[corvettels3]

A little up date on my testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) so far I have been on Androgel for 7 week. I have not felt anything so far other that my strength has gone up at the gym the last 2 weeks. I had my blood work done last week and went to my Endo yesterday to find out the results. Not to surprised to find out that my test levels have not gone up much they went down 50 points. So I said I would like to move to shots he said ok and showed my how to pin myself so I would not have to come back for the shots.
We also had a long talk about Aromatase inhibitor (AI) and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) he has some people on all three but needs to see more blood work for me before he makes the call so more blood work in a month, I think I found a Doctor that is willing to work with me.
So I leave the office and go to Walgreens to get all my stuff and they tell me my insurance will not pay they have to have my doctor fill out some paper work first turn it in to see if they will pay. What the hell they will give me gel that cost $700 and is bad if my kids or wife get it on them but they say no to shots. Thanks Obama Health care.

I know you guys are going to tell me to call chip and I have talked to him a couple of times and he is really a super guy but I would like to use my insurance for now. I should just move over to Maximus

Chip from what I have heard you are in MI I am to I live in the Saint Joseph/Benton Harbor area are you anywhere close to me.

How is that Obama's fault? Please explain (if you can)..

 

[DeusMalo]

DeusMalo
Your wife is on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is she with Chip and if I may ask what is she taking and what is it helping. Maybe my wife needs some HRT

No. Maximus specializes in men - plenty of places handle women. She uses a doc that only deals with hormones. Bioidentical. Pre-Menopause issues...

 

[Natehayes]

Natehayes
I was joking about Obama: but I still don't like him.
Yes I can't wait until I try the inject able I just have to wait until they get all the paper work done. I guess this is common because they told me the paper work will have to be done every year that the scrip will only be good for one year
Not really looking forward to the pinning part the doctor showed me how and has no problem with me doing it at home he did recommended the leg but we will see.

Best of luck to you! I can tell you that going the injectable route is MUCH less expensive than the gel so even if you have to pay for your test it is quite affordable.
My insurance is vary buggy in terms of paying. It seems to depend on how the Dr writes the scrip to a certain extent as well. Since one 10ml vial is a multi-month supply sometimes they charge me more than one copay. Lately he has been writing a more vague prescription and they payed for it all minus my copay. The time before that they refused to pay for it at all because they didn't like the way the scrip was written. It was too much of a hassle to go back to the doc so i just paid the $60.

 

[David1963]

DeusMalo
Your wife is on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is she with Chip and if I may ask what is she taking and what is it helping. Maybe my wife needs some HRT

He'd better hope his wife isn't with Chip!

 

[AGtrain]

I disagree gentlemen,

I have ben on androgel for some three months. My quality of life has improved to such an extent that I will never go back to test cyp, injections,

FOr those of you whom androgel has not worked, or as fast as you wish... here are some things to consider....

Androgel or any gel (i.e. Testim) as applied and soaked into your skin through your pores.
The best way to get your pores open for absorption at the application site is to take a long hot shower to open up all your pores. Then take a exfoliator pad and wash/ scrub vigorously the skin you are about to apply the gel too. if you are going to use soap on your skin during your shower, so do before you exfoliate.

Once you get out of the shower, dry pat the application areas (I used the shoulders and upper arm. There are studies out there talking about applying it to the forearm and ankle.) It is good to apply the gel to any area that has less fat and more veins/muscle so it can get to the blood stream faster and more efficiently. Your skin acts like a reservoir, the gel is assigned to be absorbed into the skin over time throughout the day,

When I get out of the shower and apply the gel, I wait for it to completely dry before putting on my shirt.

I noticed that when I used injectable test cyp., I would have mood changes, ups and downs because of the half life of the test oil. With androgel, I get about the exact same test dosage everyday. My body looks better than ever, also due to working out 6 days a week.

In conclusion, androgel has been a godsend, I cant put all my eggs in once basket and swear I will never inject again, but the ladies seem to like the smell of the androgel too !!!! weird

Im not trying to promote shit I am just telling you guys from my personal experience, androgel has improved my quality of life without any big ups or downs in mood changes. I realize it is expensive, I got on their restoration program and get a discount, paying about 60 per bottle rather than 450 a bottle...