Questions about my HRT

[doughbooy]

Hello all, looks like a great board here. I would like to ask some questions about the HRT I was recently put on if that is OK.

I have been put on a cream that I rub on my skin every day which consists of 50 mg of testosterone, 5 mg dhea and 10 mg of pregnenolone. Along with a pill consisting of .1mg of Arimidex which I take every other day.

Here are my questions.

1. My doc told me the testosterone is a natural version as opposed to synthetic, is one better than the other?

2. Will I suffer from these side effects - Hairloss or infertility? My doc said no hairloss and if anything my sperm will be more motile.

3. What is the best way to apply the cream and not worry about contamination? I have children and want to keep them away from this stuff. I apply the cream with a latex glove on the inside of my forearms and inside upper arms and on top of my feet. How long after I put it on can they touch my arm?

4. Where is the best place to rub the cream on for effectiveness?

Thank you.
Derek

[pmgamer18]

Hi Derek,
I was on a cream like this it is called a Compounded Testosterone and the T in it is the same as in Androgel ,Testim or shots. Do you get this from your Dr. does he sell it to you. I ask this because it is one of the cheapest forms of TRT. When you buy it from a Compounding Phy.
I would pull the cream out with a plastic syinge and put in on my fore arm then rub it in. No gloves. I would shower that night when I went to bed so as not to get it on my wife. And wore long sleeve shirts. To me this was a pain in the ass. I then did the gels same thing. Now doing shots every week and like this the best.

[doughbooy]

Thx for the reply.

It is made by a compounding pharmacy, I believe it is test cypoinate. I do not buy it from the Dr. It already comes in a syringe. I guess its too early to determine if it is working, it has only been a week. How often do you get the injection?

I hope others can answer the other questions I have.

Thx.

[GymJim]

I am a thirty-six year old male that has been on a 10% compounded testosterone gel for almost seven weeks now and it has done wonders for my formerly flagging libido and sexual function. I feel like new man, horny all day with super-hard erections and better health and mood overall so I am very happy with that result since that was my main concern when I first went to see the Dr. (Swale).

I purchased the gel from a compunding pharmacy and got it Fedexed to me based on the Dr.'s prescription and have been rubbing the gel on my body every day after my morning workout. I am a single guy who live alone so I don't worry about transferring it to anyone by contact. I am going to make one caveat though. I think it has accelerated my already rapidly progressing male pattern hair loss. Maybe this would vary for others on the same gel. I am going for follow up lab results this week, to see what my hormone levels are.

[Weatherlite]

Welcome to the site.

to answer your ?'s in order....
1) If the test is natural then they must have extracted it from a living thing. Otherwise it's synthetic. However, test is test. If it has the exact same chemical composition then it's identical.

2) No one can say for sure if you'll suffer from those sides. Besides, they are NOT side effects. Hairloss is genetic. If you are going to lose it you will lose it no matter if you're on T or not. However, if your DHT goes too high it will accellerate the process. As for infertility, you should have no problems.

3) Don't worry about the glove...just wash your hands thoroughly. To keep it away from the family I would recommend two things, 1st, like pmgamer said, shower before sexual contact with the Mrs. For casual contact with others just make sure the area you apply it to is covered at all times. It's a pain in the ass! And don't believe the insert about there being no issues with cross contamination after a couple of hours. One night we decided to give the insert info a chance and I didn't shower before sex. I had applied the gel almost 16 hours prior. To put it nicely it DOES cross-contaminate even after a looong time! She did say she liked the sensation though!

4) The thinnest skin is the best...such as the tops of the feet, insides of arms and legs, etc. Lean areas are best. Try to avoid fatty areas as they contain more of the aromatase enzyme.

Hope that all helped.

[doughbooy]

Thanks for the info.

I have decided to switch to the inner thighs to be safe, had to get rid of a lot of hair though

I think Ill keep the latex gloves for peace of mind.

It seems like a lot of people are getting cream or gel, why don't doctors use injectins more?

[Weatherlite]

Get rid of hair? No reason to do that...hairy legs won't inhibit absorbtion.

My opinion about docs is that gek or cream sounds less dangerous to them than Testosterone Cypionate. They relate the latter to the steroid "scandals" going on and they don't want to be associated with em.

[doughbooy]

Hmm i thought hair would be bad. It is according to this article http://www.1fast400.com/?articleID=52

Also not 100% sure about this but my friend who is also on HRT was given the same prescription and on his it said testosterone cypionate. I didnt realize there were different forms.

Oh and slightly off topic, I just got back from a urologist because I just wanted to get my semen count tested as we are trying to have our 4th child and it is taking longer than previous births. Anyway I told him I was on HRT and he looked at me like I was crazy, he started questioning me as if I made a big mistake. He asked who my Dr was and if they were an endocronologist and when I said no, he had a disapproving look on his face. He then asked why Im on it and I told him my T level was low at 265, he said that was normal and I replied not according to what I have read. He said well its borderline low but not bad, I told him my symptoms and blah blah blah, I felt like I had to defend myself to this ass. Dude pissed me off.

[Weatherlite]

Gotta love docs who deal only in numbers and not with patients.

Hair isn't a bother. Trust me! Although I suppose if you were REALLY hairy (like gorilla hairy) it may be a problem because then you'd never get the gel to the skin in the first place.

Test cyp in a gel/cream? I don't think that sounds right. Yes, it is possible but it doesn't make much sense. I dunno.

[cpeil2]

Originally Posted by Weatherlite

Test cyp in a gel/cream? I don't think that sounds right. Yes, it is possible but it doesn't make much sense. I dunno.

You're right WL, it doesn't make sense. The purpose of esterifying the T is to lengthen it's half-life in the system-- from hours (or less) to days by slowing down absorption.

With the transdermal, you're applying every day, and the skin and subcutaneous fat layer become a reservoir for the exogenous T, allowing to be taken up by the system gradually.

I suppose that a transdermal T cyp might lessen the opportunity for aromitization, but it might be absorbed so slowly, if at all, that it would be hard to increase T level enough to do you any good.

[doughbooy]

Originally Posted by cpeil2

You're right WL, it doesn't make sense. The purpose of esterifying the T is to lengthen it's half-life in the system-- from hours (or less) to days by slowing down absorption.

With the transdermal, you're applying every day, and the skin and subcutaneous fat layer become a reservoir for the exogenous T, allowing to be taken up by the system gradually.

I suppose that a transdermal T cyp might lessen the opportunity for aromitization, but it might be absorbed so slowly, if at all, that it would be hard to increase T level enough to do you any good.

Yeah I have to double check on this, his prescription label said cyp I thought but mine just says Test. I have an appt on 10/15, for my 3 week checkup since inception, Ill ask the doc.

[doughbooy]

Originally Posted by Weatherlite

Gotta love docs who deal only in numbers and not with patients.

Hair isn't a bother. Trust me! Although I suppose if you were REALLY hairy (like gorilla hairy) it may be a problem because then you'd never get the gel to the skin in the first place.

I dont think im gorilla hairy, but i dont mind having bald patches on my legs

[James23]

As for hairloss, I can attest to the fact that it will accellerate MPB! Just as any reduction in DHT will slow your MPB, any increase will speed it up.

Moreover, you cannot say for sure that gels won't start or "cause" MBP. Everyone has a threshold where hair is lost. If you lower DHT past that threshold, MBP slows greatly or can stop altogether. If your DHT is borderline, and you use a testosterone gel which raises DHT above the threshold, it could be argued that the gel has started and thus "caused" your hairloss situation, because the natural state of your body before the medication was not one conducive to hairloss -- the gel threw it off balance. The genetic resistance to MBP is just that, an immunity. T gels would not cause hairloss in someone who is immune. (Inflammation of hair follicles is due to a common genetic defect, unfortunately not removed by our natural selection.)

I maintain that there are differences between the biological value of injected and transdermal testosterone, but that argument is contained within an entirely seperate post.

It may very well be true that hairy areas absorb less of the medication. It has nothing to do with the hairs themselves, though. Thick hairs are an indication of certain properties of the skin that make it less permeable.

[doughbooy]

Originally Posted by James23

As for hairloss, I can attest to the fact that it will accellerate MPB! Just as any reduction in DHT will slow your MPB, any increase will speed it up.

Moreover, you cannot say for sure that gels won't start or "cause" MBP. Everyone has a threshold where hair is lost. If you lower DHT past that threshold, MBP slows greatly or can stop altogether. If your DHT is borderline, and you use a testosterone gel which raises DHT above the threshold, it could be argued that the gel has started and thus "caused" your hairloss situation, because the natural state of your body before the medication was not one conducive to hairloss -- the gel threw it off balance. The genetic resistance to MBP is just that, an immunity. T gels would not cause hairloss in someone who is immune. (Inflammation of hair follicles is due to a common genetic defect, unfortunately not removed by our natural selection.)

I maintain that there are differences between the biological value of injected and transdermal testosterone, but that argument is contained within an entirely seperate post.

It may very well be true that hairy areas absorb less of the medication. It has nothing to do with the hairs themselves, though. Thick hairs are an indication of certain properties of the skin that make it less permeable.

Thanks James, so is their a way to lower DHT and still get the benefits of HRT. Doesnt propecia lower DHT?