Side effects on T, confrontation would help

[rorythedinosaur]

Hi all,

i am new here.
I am Daniel Michael, 30 years old, i am a psychologist and psychotherapist... glad to know you all !

I read the topics in this session to avoid double-posting, but i did not find all that i was looking for so i am writing here to have some confrontation.

I started T on september the 8th on a low dose due to past health issues and general health frailty. I am on Testoviron IM every 4 weeks.

The first month went away well for the first 3 weeks, then i experienced some numbness in my leg for the last week and my ends decided to try another shot before passing to Gel.

The second injection was on October the 6th, i experienced some joint and tendons issues and pains and i read this can happen and can be considered as normal.
After 2 weeks from 2nd injection (4 days ago), tho, i started having irregular hearbeat. Mostly arrhythmia and palpitation, with some feeling of "skipping a beat". Heart rate at rest went up to 75 and even 90 (i have bradycardia usually so i stay at 55 more or less). Now things are slightly better (don't skip beats anymore, just palpitations).

Do You think this can be T-related? Of course i will talk with my endo and i am seeing my GP in about 2 hours, i was just curious about experiences on this. Do you think the heart rate change can be T-related ? My dosage is low and my injection was more than 2 weeks ago... is the timing compatible?

Also, i am experiencing acufene in both ears. Already checked pressure a lot of times, always fine with that tho.

Thank You!

[Kendra]

Hello Daniel Michael, welcome to Susan's and great to meet you.

I'm not one to diagnose, and I'm glad you are following up with your GP and with your endo.  I had to remove the dosage from your post as Susan's Terms of Service doesn't allow the publishing of dosages.  The TOS are readily available but I'll also add some links and pointers to help explain and save time:

Things that you should read

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)
Reputation rules	Cautionary Note	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy

Also when you get a chance, would be great if you write an intro in the Introductions Board. 

Thank you, and welcome!

Kendra

[Kylo]

I had arrhythmia myself long before I took T and haven't noticed much of an increase in it as such, what I notice is a high sugar or caffeine diet will increase that. T has affected certain muscles for me, such as giving me the occasional eye twitch during the initial 8 months after starting, which is known to be associated with both T and caffeine, so it could affect other muscles in the same way.

Some people definitely report an increase in heart rate following T treatment (including those taking it for non-trans purposes) but there could be other factors involved such as being on exercise regimens that affected their results. And others report a lowering of heart rate. I believe mine went up only slightly in the first few days (my body temperature seemed to increase too) but lowered overall.

Best to speak to your doc if you are concerned though.

[rorythedinosaur]

Thanks for replying!
Heart rate was back to normal after 2 days. Never happened again to suffer from Arythmia or such (Finger crossed).

I still have tingling and numb legs/feet/fingers, on the shot day and when I'm in the third week after shot.
I also experienced very very bad migraine for 3days in the third week last time. Seems like I am adjusting. I hope these effects will go away as soon as my levels become stable.
My endo decided to make one shot every 3 weeks now (instead of every4). My levels are still low (blood work was okay just low T levels). Still dose is low (not injecting  the entire dose)

Could it be that going so low and slow can partially contribute to all these issues? I stay without t for one week (since the dose "stays" active for 2 weeks more or less... an I correct?) so maybe I am going up and down with levels?

[Faith]

Make sure they test your potassium levels. You're describing some of the symptoms. While that may not be it, you should rule it out.

[rorythedinosaur]

Make sure they test your potassium levels. You're describing some of the symptoms. While that may not be it, you should rule it out.

thanks, i am going to for sure. Do you think that, if that's the case, it could be too high or too low? so i know if i have to quit bananas in the meanwhile

[Faith]

symptoms are similar both ways. Takss a blood test to be sure

[Dena]

I have access to my lab reports before the doctor sees them. Normally  Potassium is one of the standard tests so if you haven't changed your eating habits, you might check your old tests if you have them and see what your levels were in the past. If they were marginal, it makes it that much more urgent to have another round of tests.

[Alexthecat]

[rorythedinosaur]

thank You!
i guess i am having some of these effects, indeed, but they look mixed in different categories. Moreover they could be considered as "blurry"... I have no more heart issues at the moment. Tingling looks confined in periods with very low T (last weeks before shots) and soon after shot (first 2 days). Rest of the days are kinda fine, arms tend to fall asleep faster but nothing "out of control" or concealing to me.

What i know for sure is that headaches are now my worst issue, it's been a week now, and my guessing of those being caused by low T is being shattered by the fact i had my shot on friday and still i experience them just like before my shot. I'm kinda depressed now, because i don't really want to go off T because of them. I never experienced them in the first 2 months on T but this last one is crazy for headaches.

[November Fox]

I used to have the same thing. First two months (androgel).

It´s completely gone now. When I went to the GP, they measured my heart rate, and it was fine. I have no idea what caused it to this day. If you ever figure it out, it´d be interesting to know.

Headaches were also a thing  for me at the start. It was due to the tension in my shoulders, neck and upper back the T was creating. It might be your body adjusting to the new amount of energy.

Try and see if physical tension is what´s causing your headaches. Perhaps you can find some methods of relieving it.

[rorythedinosaur]

I used to have the same thing. First two months (androgel).

It´s completely gone now. When I went to the GP, they measured my heart rate, and it was fine. I have no idea what caused it to this day. If you ever figure it out, it´d be interesting to know.

Headaches were also a thing  for me at the start. It was due to the tension in my shoulders, neck and upper back the T was creating. It might be your body adjusting to the new amount of energy.

Try and see if physical tension is what´s causing your headaches. Perhaps you can find some methods of relieving it.

Thanks for sharing! My headache disappeared in a couple of days after my injection. It went back in the last days before today's one and I am expecting it to go away in a couple of days.  It seems to be some how linked to low t levels ??  While, right after injection, I experience tingling and needles in my feet, like they could be linked to high t levels instead. I am okay (well more than ok!) in 2-3 days after injection and for 2 weeks more or less. Then Again I start experiencing things LOL. I guess the important thing is that I am ok in the time t is "average"?

[Kylo]

From experience, a sudden drop in E will give you hellish migraines. Since we now get all of our E from our T, it makes sense you will get them if you don't get your shot and I will get them if I don't take my gel. Judging from the time it takes to metabolize T, I'd say you're going to get them 1-3 weeks after quitting taking any. It's not good for your body not to have a constant supply of T or E as it's responsible for a lot of jobs in the body including healing, repairing your muscles daily, etc. The migraines are the withdrawal symptoms of having not enough T/E.

[rorythedinosaur]

From experience, a sudden drop in E will give you hellish migraines. Since we now get all of our E from our T, it makes sense you will get them if you don't get your shot and I will get them if I don't take my gel. Judging from the time it takes to metabolize T, I'd say you're going to get them 1-3 weeks after quitting taking any. It's not good for your body not to have a constant supply of T or E as it's responsible for a lot of jobs in the body including healing, repairing your muscles daily, etc. The migraines are the withdrawal symptoms of having not enough T/E.

makes sense!! i am seeing now they start to come after the end of week 2 - middle week 3 after the shot. Reducing the frequency of my shots helped (i get one every 3 weeks now).

Honestly, i have to say most of my side effects were transitory - and they still are. But they are somehow ciclic, so they tend to come back.
I.E., i got my shot friday (after a couple of days i had MILD migraine - i never had one like those days before). Friday went okay, i only got some soreness/light numbness in my leg. But yesterday and today are a mess, because as usual my blood "flows" all in my feet. It's a very strange feeling, like my blood is thicker and "flows slowly" to my feet. and there it stays. So my feet are red, very hot, and heavy, and i feel like "all my blood is there". They are not puffy, and legs are not hard at touch.  I cannot see any vein in particular but the ones in my feet, which are very visible (not elevated from the skin surface tho). It's not an unbearable situation, but it's not funny ^^ It always happens when i have my shot. It comes together with a slight blurriness of the sight - nothing like i am blind or so, i just see that lights bother me more than usual and it becomes hard to read slides for a long time i.e., because the screen they are projected on bothers me. It usually stays there for a couple of days or so, and then goes away - so i hope to feel better tomorrow. But if i have to feel like this every single shot of my life, things can be hard to take. When i talked to my end about this he suggested to make some screenings for trombosis. I could not take the blood test for my genes, because my doc messed up with the prescription, but the other  values were okay. So my endo did not feel like it was something to worry about. I have to see him in february, maybe i will ask him to do the genes test, too, just to feel more comfortable in this.