Voice Changing or Allergies?

[Crow]

How can you tell if your voice is changing or if it's just a cold/allergies/etc?

Those of you whose voices have changed or are in the process of changing: What did it feel like? How soon did it start after you started T (and were you taking T as a cream/gel or injections)? Did you have trouble telling the difference between voice changes and colds/allergies, or was the difference obvious?

I've been on T for around a year and 3 months (with a couple brief, insurance-related pauses), but I recently switched from cream to injectable and have had three shots so far. The injectable feels like it's working WAY better, but I'm so used to the slooooow, almost nonexistent changes I got on the cream that I keep second-guessing the effects of the shots. For the past week and a half, my throat has been feeling scratchy and slightly stuffy and my voice has been strained, almost like it does right before I get a cold or an influx of allergies, except I haven't had any other symptoms of either. No sneezing, no watery eyes, no general feeling of grossness-- it just feels like I lost my voice. It seems hard to believe my voice is actually doing anything when it's barely changed at all the past year or so I've been on T, and I don't want to get my hopes up... but I did just switch to injectable T, and I don't usually feel like I've lost my voice in late June without accompanying sneezing/watery eyes/allergy symptoms.

[Simon]

Mine started cracking/changing around the 6 week mark. A few weeks before that I remember my throat feeling really tight and I would subconsciously clear it but nothing came up because I wasn't sick. There's a good possibility that yours is changing now since you've been on a form of T for so long prior to injections.

Record your voice and compare it every month. That has really helped me hear the differences in myself. 

[Crow]

Yeah, I really need to get into the habit of recording myself, more. I made a really half-baked effort to record my transition when I first started T, but then life got the better of me and I forgot. Time to get back in the habit!

[aleon515]

There are so many youtube videos at about 1-2 months where they say "My voice isn't really lower, I'm just sick (or this is an allergy). Makes me wonder about it. I've had some "jumps" down in voice (at 4 months) and each time is preceded by having an annoying raspy throat.

--Jay

[TheoLeo]

Injections. Started cracking at 3 weeks, and was made noticeable between 5-7. Both my therapist and endo said mine changed abnormally fast, though. It felt like something was constantly stuck in my throat, similar to allergies. I honestly can't tell the two apart, aside from the fact that allergies are more nasal. I legitimately thought I was sick at the 3-month mark, but it ended up just being my last big voice drop I've had thus far (now almost 8 months on T).

Sounds odd that you've been on for 15 months and didn't notice much. I guess it reacts differently for everyone. I would definitely suspect what is going on is a drop, though.