Testosterone Gel or Shots - Your Experience?

[Guest Talon]

Hey guys (and girls too if you know something about this) ,

After a long, ridiculous wait in the public health care system here, I decided to try to get T privately, at least until the therapists feel like they are done tormenting me and can start me out. Privately, you gotta pay for it yourself but there's a lot more freedom in doing it that way and you won't have to go through long, painful, unnecessary "therapy". Privately, you'll only be turned down if you have a health problem and I don't think I do.

My question is to those of you who are on T. I am seeing a specialist on the 24th who usually starts people out right away if they are healthy. I have talked some to guys who get T from him now and they all say that he starts you out on a gel to see how your body reacts, determine the right dose etc. and then lets you switch to shots later on if it's safe. I am fine with that but really hope I can switch to shots in time!

I have heard many different things about gel vs. shots. For one thing, I heard that gel works slower than shots, that you get a peak when you are on shots, that gel is a hassle, that gel is not a hassle etc. etc.

I can't wait to make my own experiences but I'd really like to hear yours as well? It seems like most guys I talked to here are taking shots. Are any of you on gel/have been? Did you feel any differences/what differences? And do you know if gel works slower, is absorbed slower etc.? Do you know if gel is "strong" enough to change your body shape?

I guess all this varies from person to person and I am sure the specialist can tell me lots. I am just always curious to hear other guys' experiences.

So... any knowledge you have on gel vs. shots would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Talon.

[Guest Jo-88]

Girl here haha but I know a bit about the different delivery systems and the pros and cons of each, maybe it will help. Both of them are safer than any sort of pill because they both bypass the liver so thats a good starting point. The shots are going to be cheaper and more convenient because you don't have to take it as often, but for that same reason your going to get the rollercoaster effect (peaks and valleys). The transdermal gel is likely going to be more expensive than the IM shots and it will be messier and less convenient, however because you use it everyday you wont get the rollercoaster effect... that and you dont have to stick yourself in the leg/butt with a needle. As far as efficacy, there is not much of a difference between the two, whether the T is being administered transdermal or intramuscular it is going to pass straight into your blood stream raising your T levels in the process.

T levels thats my next point.... If I were you I wouldn't concern myself with whether shots are going to masculinize you faster than gel because it really doesnt work that way (at least theoretically it doesnt). Your goal should be to get your T levels within the range of an average cis male... this can be accomplished just as easily with gel as it can be with shots (or a combination of the two, or even other deliver systems like transdermal patches). Heres where it gets different to FTM and MTF though...with estrogen dosing too high can be very dangerous but it isnt going to negatively effect feminization, estrogen can never be converted to testosterone. However having to much testosterone can actually cause your estrogen levels to rise (hence why roid users sometimes grow breasts), that being said it is important to get your T levels in the correct range without going to far.

Im 99% sure it is accurate but if it is inaccurate please correct me, anyway I hope this can help you Talon.

[Guest Talon]

Thanks Jodie,

Yeah I also heard that too much T will actually convert itself into estrogen which would be very unfortunate for an FTM

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I really appreciate it!

[JJ]

I absolutely hated gel. It is messy and super dangerous if you have females around-you even need to wash your clothes separately and be sure not to touch anything till you have scrubbed your hands, not to mention scrubbing the tub free of residue etc., and I have heard it is unreliable as to dosage delivered. It made my throat sore and not much more in the couple of months I was on it. I don't even count it as part of my starting T date.

The injections are fast, easy and painless. Giving yourself an injection seems bad but really isn't . You know what your body is getting too.

And they are many times less expensive. Gel can run $150 a month where shots are less than $30.

I'd recommend shots any day.

Sorry to be late to answer -been sick.

Johnny

[KathrynJulia]

I was on testosterone replacement for 24 years, so I've experienced it all. I gave myself shots for years and went from every two weeks to weekly because the roller coaster effect. With shots, you use a one and a half inch, 23 guage hollowed out railroad spike. You need to know where the sciatic nerve runs. If you hit it, trust me you'll know it. Testosterone patches I hated them as they dried out my scrotal skin and I had irritation from the. Gels. There are different Gels out there. Androgel comes in packets and in a pump. The packets are in diferent gram weights. I used the pump from androgel for many years and it saves you money over packets.. I never had any issues with transferring testosterone to my wife. I would take a shower in the morning, then apply the gel. Androgel evaporates quickly and never left me with any messy residue. I made sure I washed my hands after applying and my clothes covered the testosterone for the several hours it took to be absorbed through my skin. I did wash my clothes separately from my wifes and my kids. By the time I took my next shower was 24 hours later and the testosterone was absorbed by then. I filled my prescriptions for 90 days and my deductible cost me for three months was $81.00 or $27.00 for a 30 day supply. There are two brands of gel on the market. I can't recall the name of the other gel, but I've heard guys complain about it. Androgel dries clean and very quickly. 3 to 5 minutes and it's evaporated. I used it for 16 years. Katheryn

[Guest Talon]

Thanks Johnny and Kathryn! I definitely think I want the shots as soon as I can get them instead of the gel. Especially because the thought of not being able to play with the kids in my family, touch my girlfriend, pet a dog etc. freely after applying it really sounds like an annoying thing. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Talon.