Just started androgel 1 month ago..side effects.

[vaylok]

I am starting to get some side effects.. Mainly bloating, oily skin and major night sweats..and I am sweating a lot more during the day not sure why..

I can't get in to see my doctor till nov 7..

I am not sure if I should keep using this androgel stuff or cut back to every other day at this point.. it 5 gram 1%.. it seemed to work amazing for the first 9 days I felt like I did 20 years ago.. Then its been a slow spiral down to this point where fatigue is an issue again like before.. I can barely lift weights which I started the same time I went on the androgel stuff.. My biceps muscles have grown quite a bit and I am impressed other than these nasty side effects.. I think its the estradiol since I weigh in about 290lbs before all this which is because I wrecked my back about 10 years ago and packed on about 60 pounds.

Anyways, I don't know if I should keep taking this stuff every day or slow it down to every other day? I want the doc to see the real numbers in november when he most likely will do his first blood check after starting.. I have no idea what my numbers were before hand other than "rather low for my age".. 37 btw.. My doc is middle eastern and doesn't speak english too well but he is one of 2 endo's so i think i am stuck since my primary GP is female and won't deal with this stuff..

 

[Milton]

Welcome to the forums! How much do you weigh, and bf%?

 

[halfwit]

The first rule of hormone replacement is that as testosterone goes up, so does estradiol. Estradiol is likely why you're feeling less than stellar. It doesn't help that gels tend to aromatize more due to how they're absorbed through the skin into fat cells, which is where aromatase is mostly held.

If you want to see numbers, you can order a private blood test (provided you don't live in a commie state) from Privatemdlabs.com and choosing the female menopause panel. Just be sure to state MALE at the end.

I suggest giving the TRT sticky a good read, as many docs are woefully undereducated on TRT.

Welcome to ology!

My .02c

 

[vaylok]

Welcome to the forums! How much do you weigh, and bf%?

Sorry for the late replies, takes time for my messages to get posted..

I am 37
33% bf
290lbs
5' 11"

I was diagnosed with a broken bone (spondylithieosis) in my back when I was 29 and was fairly crippled with pain so ended up gaining about 50 pounds in 8 years.
I try to put the androgel on my arms/shoulders, half pack in the morning, half pack in the afternoon.. I started doing that because I noticed when I applied it 100% in the morning, by 3 pm I was ready for a nap.

I also started putting it on every other day to help alleviate some of these symptoms and it has helped a bit, but I know I am not getting peak T levels..

I had an amazing first week on this stuff.. I began lifting weights again and have been every day for about 20-30 mins.. The muscle gain in my biceps was unexpected.. I used to lift all the time in my teens and never seen such fast results and back then I used to workout for a couple of hours every other day.

Since doing the gel every 2nd day, the oily skin has subsided a bit.. My fatigue levels are back to where they were pre gel era.. and my stomach is bloating but not quite as bad.

I have basically been on pain killers for about 5 years.. They think that is what caused my low T issues but I felt it starting in my mid 20s.. around 25 to be exact.. That is when I began snoring, sleep apnea issue night sweats.. The last 5 years I have been noticing massive night sweats, to the point I have to change my sheets almost every 2 days.

My primary GP is a female and won't deal with any of this stuff.. She discovered the low T and sent me to an endocrinologist who is either not very good or feels I am too stupid to understand his answers because he rarely gives me a straight answer.
I kept getting the feeling he didn't want me on this stuff but my primary GP wants me on it and off pain killers... I agree with her that if I can dial this stuff in right and feel like I did that first week I was on it.. I would absolutely not need pain killers anymore. I almost quit them that first week because I had zero pain in my back muscles, just a tiny pinching pain with the bone is broke was present but I am told that will always be there.. either way, It was 100% improvement in quality of life till day 9 when things like fatigue came back along with oily skin/bloating etc..

For 8 or so years, along with having the broken bone in my back, the muscles in my back wouldn't heal properly.. So if I did something like cut the grass, clean up the garage etc, my lower back muscles would micro tear and not heal for weeks.. If at all.. They always felt like that first time you exercise muscles in a long time, and the next day that stiffness/soreness would be there? I felt like that 100% of the time for 8 years.. It just made doing anything impossible..

 

[Milton]

Hope you get off those pain meds too, keep us posted on your progress and hopeful lack of pain

 

[oldmusclemike]

Halfwit told you the rule about when your Test goes up so follows the Estrogens. SO that why we use an AI to help control our Estrogen level. There are many side effects of high estrogen in men. Most think only Gyno but there are many more:
High Estrogen Side Effects:-
Gynecomastia
- Anxiety & panic attacks
- Depression
- Erectile dysfunction
- Water retention
- High blood pressure
- Loss of balance/instability/dizziness
- Respiratory related concerns
- Irritability
- Low libido
- Insomnia
- Prostate related issues

As you see you have a few now. So it's probably High E2 and as you were told , you should get some Blood work to find out to answer the Q's.
IMOP your 33% BF is may be the cause of you maybe spiking your Estrogen. Of course you know you need to loose weight and as time goes by everything you do here will start to work it's way out.

Get those Bloods done and IMOP you might go ahead and order some Arimidex and begin with a very low dose. .02 mgs EOD.

WE will see if we get some agreement here as others will chime in...

Start to read the sticky threads , found where you came in to post your thread. There are any and most all will help you with more understanding of the use of exogenous Testosterone.

Oh , Welcome to the board

 

[vaylok]

Just to update everyone here..

I got in early to see my endocrinologist today..And just so everyone understands, I was referred to him by my female GP who doesn't deal with TRT or hormone issues..

And to utter shock, my doctor refused to order any blood work, didn't know what estradiol was, and told me that it was beyond his knowledge to help me..

All i did was ask for a blood work to check for the estradiol levels and other pertinent levels..

I recorded the whole thing to because I was complaining to my wife about how bad this doctor was.. She didn't believe me till I played the recording lol..

He was such a bad doctor let me explain what he did to sabotage my blood work.

He and my primary GP had 4 or 5 different sets of blood work done over a 6 month period.. All showed t levels at what he said was 4.. 4 what I don't know..

So on his first visit he measured my testicles bare handed by the way, we talked about TRT and I told him I was interested in it because I had tried everything to lose weight and get in shape and nothing would help..

So he tells me he is going to refer me to another doctor in town.. a urologist. But 2 weeks passed by and the endo called me and said he wanted to see me right away.. I was totally expecting to be seeing another doctor who was more specialized in TRT.. but I didn't..

So this endo calls me in, tries talking me out of TRT, I still push for it because I know nothing else will help and life is hell as is.. So he prescribed me Andro gel 1% 5 gram, 3 months worth..

I leave his office at 1 30 ish, head to pharmacy pick it up, go home by 2 and I have this stuff applied on my shoulders like the insert says...

He calls me up at 4 30, in a complete panic, telling me he needs a better blood test because the ones I took were at 11 am, which is too late apparently.. I asked why is it too late and he said he needs to see my peak levels as soon as I wake up and 11 is too late.. i said well i woke up at 1030, so there really shouldn't be a problem with the blood tests he has already.. Anyways, he asks if i applied the gel yet, and I said yes I did a few hours ago... He says, ok, it takes 2 weeks to work anyways so go tomorrow 8 am for blood...

I am thinking, takes 2 weeks.. I feel this stuff working after an hour.. I was bouncing around like I was 18 and 100 pounds lighter... So I agree to it.. Goto bed etc, wake up with a raging morning erection unlike anything I've ever seen.. Think, ok this is probably gonna throw the blood off, wait a day and same thing happens, i never took the gel thing that 2nd day and day 3 morning still had morning wood?

So I did the blood test anyways... and he knew I had taken a packet of gel..

So that all happened 5 weeks ago.. Today I see him for the first time and he is rude, dismissive, cutting me off when I try to talk, kept saying he wasn't giving me any more testosterone etc.. I asked about blood work to check estradiol and he said literally " it was not in his knowledge" The fact he is some kind of muslim with thick accent doesn't help matters ...

So being in a somewhat isolated area of northern ontario, doctors up here are already c and d grade as is.. And now I am stuck with no doctor to pursue this TRT stuff.. And they all seem to be operating on 20 year old information.. He never heard of estradiol? wtf?

Sorry for the rant.. I had a feeling things would turn out this way after reading some other people stories dealing with bad doctors and already having the feeling my doctor was not up to par on this stuff..

He kept saying " so you have side effects? not good, not good, not working for you, we stop.." lol.. Im like ya it worked awesome for 8 days then it started to suck... lets fix the e2.. "no no no, not my knowledge"...

 

[vaylok]

So my primary gp wants me to stop the gel for one month and retest with a fasting AM blood work to re-check levels.
Apparently they had the original testosterone checked at a 4, after that fiasco with using one packet and told to re-test it went to 21.. Plus the needle went right into my arm where the stuff was probably still on my skin..So the doc thinks it wasn't even low to begin with..

Does this stuff take 1 month to wear off? Or is it possible to move the re-test up to a few weeks from now?

It seems like 1 packet of this stuff last about 3 days, then things start to become noticeable that its not in my system anymore..

 

[BigStu81]

This is the reason I decided to go to a specialist - luckily I found one who is extremely well respected in his field but charges very reasonable rates to his private clients (as well as also sub contracting to the extortionate men's health clinics on Harley Street at a much higher price!).

My family doctor (a NHS GP) fobbed me off as being stressed despite me loving my job and told me my level (9) was in the normal range - at 35yo I had a lower level than the average 85-100yo!

It's a difficult situation. At least here in the UK it's legal to buy steroids as long as they're not imported or in huge quantities. I literally ordered some Test E online last week and was delivered the next day by the courier.

 

[halfwit]

So my primary gp wants me to stop the gel for one month and retest with a fasting AM blood work to re-check levels.
Apparently they had the original testosterone checked at a 4, after that fiasco with using one packet and told to re-test it went to 21.. Plus the needle went right into my arm where the stuff was probably still on my skin..So the doc thinks it wasn't even low to begin with..

Does this stuff take 1 month to wear off? Or is it possible to move the re-test up to a few weeks from now?

It seems like 1 packet of this stuff last about 3 days, then things start to become noticeable that its not in my system anymore..

The problem is that while the effects of the testosterone may only last about a day (for Gels at ~100 minute half-lives), it varies from person to person as to how long it takes to return pituitary function for an accurate baseline.

You and everyone reading this thread knows one thing for certain: You need a new doctor. Forcing you to qualify yourself over and over again, then a baseline once you start treatment is asinine to say the least.

I STRONGLY recommend that you read the TRT sticky and arm yourself with the knowledge needed to stand up to quacks that think since they have an MD after their name they somehow know absolutely everything there is to know regarding the human body.

You need to fire these idiots and start interviews with QUALIFIED professionals that know and RESPECT the fact that you are a human being with a legitimate concern. YOU are the boss here, and it's entirely up to YOU to make this happen.

Sorry for the mini rant, but I spent a DECADE being told I was fine, or I needed some antidepressant or drug that made me feel worse. It wasn't until I spent a great deal of time educating myself that I could finally get them to see that perhaps having body hair and a larger stature does NOT mean everything is in one's head.

My 0.02c

 

[vaylok]

The problem is that while the effects of the testosterone may only last about a day (for Gels at ~100 minute half-lives), it varies from person to person as to how long it takes to return pituitary function for an accurate baseline.

You and everyone reading this thread knows one thing for certain: You need a new doctor. Forcing you to qualify yourself over and over again, then a baseline once you start treatment is asinine to say the least.

I STRONGLY recommend that you read the TRT sticky and arm yourself with the knowledge needed to stand up to quacks that think since they have an MD after their name they somehow know absolutely everything there is to know regarding the human body.

You need to fire these idiots and start interviews with QUALIFIED professionals that know and RESPECT the fact that you are a human being with a legitimate concern. YOU are the boss here, and it's entirely up to YOU to make this happen.

Sorry for the mini rant, but I spent a DECADE being told I was fine, or I needed some antidepressant or drug that made me feel worse. It wasn't until I spent a great deal of time educating myself that I could finally get them to see that perhaps having body hair and a larger stature does NOT mean everything is in one's head.

My 0.02c

I have read the trt sticky after it was pointed out above by another poster. I wish my doctors would read it lol..

The medical system in Canada is not quite like the u.s.. I can't just pick a doctor.. I have to be referred to one. The only upside is I don't pay a cent for any of it.. My wifes medical benefits cover the cost of prescriptions, tax payers pay through a socialized system for doctors and visits..The private sector in the u.s poaches a lot of our best doctors simply cause they get paid better, and the facilities are way better, with better equipment etc..The other problem is living in northern ontario, there is 1 endo in town and he is on like 20 year old information. There is one other urologist in town, but the reviews were a mixed bag regarding HRT.. I am almost to the point the where I am gonna head to Toronto which is about 8 hrs away.. But they have actual hrt clinics..


i did get some results:
This was from the very first test ordered by the endo not the GP, the GP one for test she never sent me when asked for, this is everything they sent me:
Collected: 28/04/2016 12:01 PM
Resulted:
29/04/2016 11:17 AM
Ordered By:
SAMEH FARAH, MD
Component Your Value Standard Range
TESTOSTERONE 4.6 nmol/L 8.4-28.8 nmol/L
LUTEINIZING HORMONE 3 IU/L 2-6 IU/L
FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE [FSH] 1 IU/L 2-8 IU/L

I know for a fact he had a bunch other things ordered too but this is all they gave me recently when I asked for all the blood work results. Some are from the endo, some from my female gp.

Collected: Female GP ordered these ones, not sure what she was checking.
15/06/2016 2:00 PM
ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE [ALT] 73 U/L 12-49 U/L
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 64 U/L 45-129 U/L
ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE (AST) 52 U/L 7-37 U/L
GAMMA GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE 83 U/L 15-73 U/L
SODIUM 142 mmol/L 135-147 mmol/L
POTASSIUM 4.2 mmol/L 3.5-5.5 mmol/L

CREATININE 81 umol/L 62-115 umol/L
GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE PREDICTED 107
CHLORIDE 103 mmol/L 100-110 mmol/L

These are the botched results from after using 1 gel packet:
Collected: 18/08/2016 8:19 AM
Resulted: 19/08/2016 4:14 AM
Ordered By:SAMEH FARAH, MD
Your Values Standard
TESTOSTERONE, FREE 536 pmol/L 196 - 636 pmol/L
TESTOSTERONE 21.0 nmol/L 8.4-28.8 nmol/L
LUTEINIZING HORMONE [LH] 1 IU/L 2-6 IU/L

There seems to be a lot missing because I know I've done about 8 blood tests since last march.. My female GP checked my testosterone first when I asked about it way back in march, and she found it low and sent me to endo.. But she never gave me the test results from way back then.. But they had multiple T checks, at least 3 before prescribing me any gel.. Then this very last one with normal looking ranges was the one that was all screwed up because he reordered blood after he prescribed the gel and I used it once.. I even told him I used it and he said it wouldn't work that fast, then claimed I never told him when I last saw him which is when he basically dismissed me as a patient..

So now the Female GP told me stop taking the testosterone for 1 month to retest..

 

[Milton]

I have read the trt sticky after it was pointed out above by another poster. I wish my doctors would read it lol..

The medical system in Canada is not quite like the u.s.. I can't just pick a doctor.. I have to be referred to one. The only upside is I don't pay a cent for any of it.. My wifes medical benefits cover the cost of prescriptions, tax payers pay through a socialized system for doctors and visits..The private sector in the u.s poaches a lot of our best doctors simply cause they get paid better, and the facilities are way better, with better equipment etc..The other problem is living in northern ontario, there is 1 endo in town and he is on like 20 year old information. There is one other urologist in town, but the reviews were a mixed bag regarding HRT.. I am almost to the point the where I am gonna head to Toronto which is about 8 hrs away.. But they have actual hrt clinics..


i did get some results:
This was from the very first test ordered by the endo not the GP, the GP one for test she never sent me when asked for, this is everything they sent me:
Collected: 28/04/2016 12:01 PM
Resulted:
29/04/2016 11:17 AM
Ordered By:
SAMEH FARAH, MD
Component Your Value Standard Range
TESTOSTERONE 4.6 nmol/L 8.4-28.8 nmol/L
LUTEINIZING HORMONE 3 IU/L 2-6 IU/L
FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE [FSH] 1 IU/L 2-8 IU/L

I know for a fact he had a bunch other things ordered too but this is all they gave me recently when I asked for all the blood work results. Some are from the endo, some from my female gp.

Collected: Female GP ordered these ones, not sure what she was checking.
15/06/2016 2:00 PM
ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE [ALT] 73 U/L 12-49 U/L
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 64 U/L 45-129 U/L
ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE (AST) 52 U/L 7-37 U/L
GAMMA GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE 83 U/L 15-73 U/L
SODIUM 142 mmol/L 135-147 mmol/L
POTASSIUM 4.2 mmol/L 3.5-5.5 mmol/L

CREATININE 81 umol/L 62-115 umol/L
GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE PREDICTED 107
CHLORIDE 103 mmol/L 100-110 mmol/L

These are the botched results from after using 1 gel packet:
Collected: 18/08/2016 8:19 AM
Resulted: 19/08/2016 4:14 AM
Ordered By:SAMEH FARAH, MD
Your Values Standard
TESTOSTERONE, FREE 536 pmol/L 196 - 636 pmol/L
TESTOSTERONE 21.0 nmol/L 8.4-28.8 nmol/L
LUTEINIZING HORMONE [LH] 1 IU/L 2-6 IU/L

There seems to be a lot missing because I know I've done about 8 blood tests since last march.. My female GP checked my testosterone first when I asked about it way back in march, and she found it low and sent me to endo.. But she never gave me the test results from way back then.. But they had multiple T checks, at least 3 before prescribing me any gel.. Then this very last one with normal looking ranges was the one that was all screwed up because he reordered blood after he prescribed the gel and I used it once.. I even told him I used it and he said it wouldn't work that fast, then claimed I never told him when I last saw him which is when he basically dismissed me as a patient..

So now the Female GP told me stop taking the testosterone for 1 month to retest..

i wish those docs would come here and learn some.

 

[halfwit]

I'd edit out those names for starters.

I know a few guys that have been able to change doctors in Canada. I don't know exactly how they went about it, but I do know it's doable.

Hopefully some Canadian brothers can chime in.

 

[tx045]

Lol put those no good docs on blast. It still boggles me how docs can be so clueless. Especially when the Internet at our fingers