Advice - Testosterone

[Packgus]

disabledvet- is that 100ml or 100mg? If you ment to say 100mg that would not really be enough test at every other week to do much. If you meant 100ml then maybe your test is 200mg/ml then you would be getting 200mg every other week which is still bad because you should be taking a dose every week or even better every 5th day.

You need to try an educate that doctor at the Vet hospital.

 

[TR2838]

Disabledvet, you probably meant 100mgs every other week.. Not even close to enough.. Frequency nor dosage.. It's not worth shutting down your own system to stay in low normal range.. You won't feel any better.. MINIMUM should be 100mg PER WEEK.. Throw in 500iu HCG and an AI.. That would be a good base and then there is a lot of little tricks that You could talk to Chip about that would maximize your protocol.. As for MPB.. You will lose hair if your prone to it.. Proscar and propecia work for that but I wouldn't take the gamble w/ the possible sexual sidE effects from DHT inhibitors..

BTW start your own thread.. You will get a lot more feedback if you do.. Good luck!

 

[Vigilante]

Hello again guys,

Well finally my doc has given in after hearing the full symptom list, and agreed with me that my current level of testosterone is infact too low for my age.

He has taken it upon himself at present to give me Testogel 50mg 1 x daily, my problem so far is since taking this which I started 3 days ago I actually dont feel any different as yet, his advice was to try this for 1 month and get my bloods done again to check how the levels are.

Does anyone have experience using Testogel or any testosterone gels?

To top it all Im meant to the best man at my mates wedding next weekend and my anxiety is killing me, im at the point where i feel sick with that too.

 

[jomamma007]

Hello again guys,

Well finally my doc has given in after hearing the full symptom list, and agreed with me that my current level of testosterone is infact too low for my age.

He has taken it upon himself at present to give me Testogel 50mg 1 x daily, my problem so far is since taking this which I started 3 days ago I actually dont feel any different as yet, his advice was to try this for 1 month and get my bloods done again to check how the levels are.

Does anyone have experience using Testogel or any testosterone gels?

To top it all Im meant to the best man at my mates wedding next weekend and my anxiety is killing me, im at the point where i feel sick with that too.

I don't quite know about Testogel but hearing from guys on here who do injections, it takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks to start to "feel" it. 3 days is nothing bro. You should ask your doc if you can switch to injections as well.

 

[DeusMalo]

Yes - I've tried a lot of gel/cream type testosterone. Don't want to ruin your day entirely so will start with at least your doctor finally agreed with you. Now it is important you educate him that any topical testosterone won't do much. It may help a little for some people in the first month or two, but it'll stop. Problem with topical t is almost all of it converts to estrogen and none of it hangs around as test. I don't know official %, but have read that everywhere and experienced it first hand.

When I began Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), I started on androderm: 5mg/day patch. By the end of month three I was on four patches per day (per doc) and my test dropped 30 points (oh and I looked like a walking bandaid with skin problems). I got the common bad skin reaction to the patch after a couple months. My doctor moved me to androgel, 2 x 50mg gel/day; two months later, no change in test, but e was up. Went to compounded t cyp cream, 200mg/day, month later feeling worse, went to 400mg/day - no change to t, e way up.

We went to t cyp injection, 200mg/week - bam! Almost instant improvement. Ended up at 400mg/week with my GP, t was in the 700s (3x that of the patches/gel/cream), e through the roof still and nuts the size of grapes. My doctor wasn't interested in e levels, I educated myself, but he wasn't open to an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) or HCG. T cyp (or other ester such as propionate or enanthate) injections are the answer, but NEED an Aromatase inhibitor (AI) to control estrogen. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) to keep the nuts pumpin. Bam! Proper protocol.

I'm sure you know how that movie ended. I had to find someone that knew what they were doing - fortunately I came across this forum.

If you got a shot of t cyp, even the first one you'd probably not be complaining about anxiety - as much anyway. Shit, I was popping xanax like candy until I started doing the shots - then completely forgot about that stuff after a couple months (literally - never crossed my mind), but almost instantly didn't have to take much at all. Could be placebo-effect that early on, but hell of a good one.

A common progression in HRT is starting with gels/patches, people start feeling better for a couple/few weeks, saying "damn, I've been sleeping for years" and usually end up feeling worse because their t levels are only elevated temporarily then their e levels go through the roof. They hit a brick wall then they move to injections which are orders of magnitude more effective.

 

[Vigilante]

Now am I am amazed!, coming up to the end of month 1 on Testogel and my fiancee has just tested positive on 2 pregnancy tests!

I must say I feel better than I have ever done at present, seem to be making better strength gains at the gym too, energy levels are superior and getting wood every single morning for the last week or so.

I should be getting latest blood work through on friday morning, actually being tested for prolactin as well.

so yea things seem to be improving, I would like to switch to injections though, while also looking at lowering estrogen - still no idea on estrogen level doctor tells me its not a test that they do. (or more likely that he knows about)

 

[DoubleEdge]

Are you in the uk Vigilante?

 

[Vigilante]

yes mate why?

 

[DoubleEdge]

Just curious to know since I'm also from the uk and on testosterone therapy.

 

[Vigilante]

Just curious to know since I'm also from the uk and on testosterone therapy.

ah, what are you taking atm? gels? or did you start on gels?

 

[gburomd]

It is so important to see a doctor who has an interest in hormones and testosterone replacement in men. Otherwise it is a waste of time and money. Testosterone has a huge range and many men are in the lower end of normal and are told they are fine when they are really infact low. A proper workup include total and free T, SHBG, estradiol, LH, FSH. I agree with the comment that topical are not very effective and most guys do best on weekly or twice a week injections. Research your doctor before you go see him or her as unless they are educated on this subject the visit may not be worth much. Dr Gary uroantiaging.com

 

[DoubleEdge]

ah, what are you taking atm? gels? or did you start on gels?

I started on injections, never tried gels.

 

[Vigilante]

Ok so bloodwork is back...

Serum Testosterone - 14.2 nmol/l or 417 ng/dl (converted)
Prolactin -239 <400ui

Advice from the Doc at the moment is continue on Testogel 50mg and have the bloods re done at the start of November to see if it has gone up with continued treatment.

So yeah thats where I am right now, I have just had my highest Testosterone test score but yet I feel a little down in the dumps because in all reality it could still do with being a fair bit higher than that.

Also Im wondering if there is a peak time for Testosterone from the gels to be in the blood stream, this latest blood test was done at 10:30am having applied the gel at around 8:30am.

I also need to try force my blood work on this next test in November but Im from the Uk as many here know so Im just not sure what tests are possible here.

so far I have had:

Testosterone
LH
FSH
Prolactin

 

[Nordic11]

I have just had my highest Testosterone test score but yet I feel a little down in the dumps because in all reality it could still do with being a fair bit higher than that.

TRT has changed many lives. However, you have to maintain realistic expectations. Testosterone is not a miracle drug that cures all. You may have other health issues that could be addressed too.

How was your estrogen?

 

[Vigilante]

I asked for an estrogen check and I just got the answer "we dont check estrogen, we dont even check it in females". I do truely belive im under estrogen stress too

Dont get me wrong, since I started the gel i seemed to improve on a daily basis, my mood and energy levels have been much better and as a bonus I actually now get errections in the morning

Back in the day when I was first diagnosed with depression the only smymptoms I actually gave were I feel strange, I feel like a zombie or like my head feels cloudy. i was 17 at the time and doing well at college.

its been 12 years of this nonsense and all this time iv been put down as a depressive/anxiety/stress maniac no drug given ever helped me.

Apart from losing weight and training only testosterone has made feel any different at all.

Im not sure if im playing a waiting game at present, iv been told to come back in 2 months (thats 3 since treatment) for another testosterone test. But I do feel its a little more complexe than just giving me a gel.

The actual cause would be Hypogonadism due to an operation on a undescended testicle or basically testicle failure. - that one is full of scar tissue and totally underdeveloped.

im not sure if I should keeping pushing for more or wait like this doc said then if its still same or not much higher push for injections as well as estrogen/shbg tests?

 

[TR2838]

Nordic likes to say 'keep realistic expectations'. I'm not sure what his point is with that? reality for me is that I feel great on HRT..Damn, I even felt pretty good on Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) monotherapy,but, not good enough.. So, I'm back to test injections for a couple weeks and I feel GREAT! Don't settle for mediocre results.. Having said that; if you feel better than ever now than you ever did then stay with what your doing! Don't start looking to add other chemicals in your body if you feel good.. Don't worry about e2 for now.. If it was high, you would not feel good.. You could be one of the few people who respond well to gel? Best!

 

[Vigilante]

erm update!

after 3 weeks of testogel I had a level of 14.2 to recap

Latest bloodwork came back after 8 weeks of Testogel the level is 52 (9 -29) = wtf?

I dont even know what to make of that, my first thought is surely the blood test was wrong?

Doc atm is continuing the treatment but told me to try applying it before bed rather than in the morning then get a retest done in 1 month.

 

[Vigilante]

Hello all sorry for dragging this topic up yet again, Just had some latest blood work come through.

Testosterone - 18.2 nmol/l (535 ng/dl) scale : 9.0 - 29.0 nmol/l
Oestradiol - 88 pmol/l (23.9 pg/ml) scale : 40 - 450 pmol/l

This was taking the Testogel ( Androgel ) before I go to sleep at around 10-11 pm then getting the bloods at mid day, so would I naturally be on the decline then anyway?

Only thing of note was my red blood cells were slighly raised according to my doc but I dont have that reading on me at the moment.

Im actually trying Testim at present, but I heard the two gels are pretty interchangable? Testim from my limited experience of 3 days seems to stay wet longer and tacky/sticky to the touch for at least 1 hour, while also smelling - quite a plesent smell really.

 

[AlanLat]

^

Sorry to hear of your troubles with doctors not taking your low test results seriously. The female doctor especially sounds like a bitch. If you were in menopause she would probably be all over your issues...

In any case I was initially blocked by at least 2 doctors when I said I wanted to be tested. I pushed each and tested at 180 ng/ml. I was put on testosterone entanante 250 mg every 12 days and felt amazing within a short time.

I would recommend injections if you are going on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and try to get something for your nuts. I was treated in Asia and the doctor wouldn't prescribe me anything (he didn't even know what to prescribe) and I ended up with raisons.

I'm going to advise you to sort yourself out with the best meds, advice, and ancilliaries (sp) you can come up with. I'd be surprised if anyone in the medical community makes things very easy for you. In my experience, none have...