T, fatigue, and changing frequency?

[Nero]

hey guys.

I have been asleep practically all week since my last T shot last Monday (not yesterday). Just extreme fatigue. I have an endo appointment on the 11th within I will discuss with her. I keep hearing about this '10 day cycle' of T. It only lives in the blood 10 days? I do get kinda weird a few days before my next shot. I don't know. How many guys who are injecting weekly instead of biweekly were advised to do so by your doctors?
I just want to be armed with T knowledge before my next appointment. 

Note: as always, please don't refer to actual dosages. thanks.

[myles]

I inject weekly and am also having fatigue problems, still sleep frequently.
Myles

[Mister]

I have found that shots fall into one of four categories:
-Sleepy shots
-Hungry shots
-Horny shots
-A combination of 2 or more of the above.

[Vancha]

What could be the explanation for these different reactions to shots?
Could the side effects be decreased by injecting weekly?

[Mister]

I do (and always have) inject weekly.

[Ender]

"Testosterone enanthate (7 carbons) and testosterone cypionate (8 carbons) both take about 8-10 days to be fully released in the system, and so they are typically injected once every 7-14 days."
--from Hudson's FTM Guide

My doc prescribed a weekly T shot for me without mentioning that it can also be done bi-weekly.  If she hadn't prescribed it weekly, I would have requested it anyways.  I had already read that T remains in the bloodstream for ~10 days, and I get the impression that I'm sensitive enough to hormone fluctuations that a 14-day schedule would be a problem.  I didn't feel like having a 'T cycle'.  The cycling estrogen and progestin were bad enough.

That said, I did experience unusual tiredness and a change in my sleeping patterns about 2-3 months into T.  I've been a morning person since my late teens.  Now I've basically turned into the night owl that I used to be when I went through puberty the first time.  However, I believe the tiredness came from the fact that I could no longer fall asleep before 2-3am and had to get up at 7am for morning classes (I can sleep long and well into the early afternoon if given the chance, and I won't be tired when I finally wake up).  I've never been unusually tired the day before my shot.

[petzjazz]

I inject weekly (after learning that T only has a half-life of 7 to 10 days max in the human body), but I used to inject bi-weekly. Either way, I was (and am) ALWAYS exhausted the day of a shot (or the day after, if I do the shot late at night). When I was doing it bi-weekly, I was exhausted for 2 or 3 days after each shot - at once a week, that exhaustion usually only lasts one day.   

[Mister]

Just a word on the half life of Testosterone...   While all IM testosterone currently available in the US only lasts about 7 days in the human body, there are other formulations of testosterone that last much longer.  Sustanon, for one, is commonly prescribed in Europe and some parts of Canada. 

[Vancha]

Sustanon, you say?
I'm in Canada.  Perhaps it would be worth looking into getting it.  How beneficial would the increased half life be, do you think?  If it is very helpful, it would certainly be worth it.  Even if it is extra money.

[Radar]

My endo told me he has all his trans patients inject once a week. He says it helps against the roller coaster of hormones. I guess if- for whatever reason- someone couldn't inject once a week he'd make an exception, but once a week is his common rule.

[xxaussiexx]

Im on Sustanon and have an injection every 3weeks.  THe last couple of days b4 my next shot i get kinda weird as well.  More moody, sleepy, fatigued. Ive found that my moods have rly steady being on Sustanon, and that its a general release seeing as there is a few types of testosterone mixed in.

I have found that shots fall into one of four categories:
-Sleepy shots
-Hungry shots
-Horny shots
-A combination of 2 or more of the above.

Mine is a combination of all but they all come around different times.  Horny towards the middle/end, sleepy/hunger at the end. 

[Mister]

Sustanon, you say?
I'm in Canada.  Perhaps it would be worth looking into getting it.  How beneficial would the increased half life be, do you think?  If it is very helpful, it would certainly be worth it.  Even if it is extra money.

Aye, Sustanon!  I believe w/ the almighty power of the Sustanon, you go more like 3-5 weeks/shot...

[Flameboy]

Sustanon 250 is commonly used in the UK. I started on it, though I'm now on Nebido, which is a slow release type of T. I started on Sustanon 250 every 4 weeks, which is the general rule for patients at Charing Cross GIC (the largest GIC in the UK). I was then put onto it every 3 weeks as my levels after a few months were too low.

Others start Sustanon 250 at every 2 weeks and then decrease the frequency if necessary - this is commonly done by the main private practitioner for trans people in the UK. Of all the guys I know who are, or have been, on Sustanon, to the best of my knowledge I've never met anyone who takes it less frequently than every 4 weeks.

A lot of guys over here are switching to Nebido, the slow release form. I started it back in January, and after an initial loading period it's given every 10-14 weeks (depending on blood levels around the 12 week mark. I started on every 12 weeks, and have just been advised by the endo to take it down to every 13 weeks instead. I've no idea what it's called elsewhere in the world, but I'm definitely pleased with it so far.

[Vancha]

I cower in the almighty glow of Sustanon.
Would natal males have the same sort of "cycles" (odd as that may be) due to testosterone, or is that a luxury only we have to cope with?
Post Merge: August 04, 2009, 02:12:33 PM

Sustanon 250 is commonly used in the UK. I started on it, though I'm now on Nebido, which is a slow release type of T. I started on Sustanon 250 every 4 weeks, which is the general rule for patients at Charing Cross GIC (the largest GIC in the UK). I was then put onto it every 3 weeks as my levels after a few months were too low.

Others start Sustanon 250 at every 2 weeks and then decrease the frequency if necessary - this is commonly done by the main private practitioner for trans people in the UK. Of all the guys I know who are, or have been, on Sustanon, to the best of my knowledge I've never met anyone who takes it less frequently than every 4 weeks.

A lot of guys over here are switching to Nebido, the slow release form. I started it back in January, and after an initial loading period it's given every 10-14 weeks (depending on blood levels around the 12 week mark. I started on every 12 weeks, and have just been advised by the endo to take it down to every 13 weeks instead. I've no idea what it's called elsewhere in the world, but I'm definitely pleased with it so far.

Nebido sounds even better.  Man, injecting only every 13 weeks!  Suddenly, taking T seems that much easier.

But is this available anywhere outside of the UK?  I'll sniff around.

[Flameboy]

Nebido sounds even better.  Man, injecting only every 13 weeks!  Suddenly, taking T seems that much easier.

But is this available anywhere outside of the UK?  I'll sniff around.

A little checking shows that it appears to be called Reandron elsewhere - that might help!

[Kara]

If it helps...I'm not taking estrogen just yet, and I feel the need to take a nap just about every day. 

[Vancha]

I think Reandron is available in Canada, but I'll have to take another look.  I think it's classically injected every 12 weeks.  Honestly, that would be fantastic for many of us.

[Luc]

I'm on testosterone cypionate, weekly shots. I was told the half-life is 7 days, and given the option of weekly or bi-weekly; for me, it was no contest that I'd do weekly. The last thing I wanted was more mood swings. I don't get tired on it; in fact, I've noticed my energy levels are way up from before T. I do, however, know when I'm ready for a shot... my sex drive shoots sky-high the night before, though I have no idea why. If I miss a shot by 2-3 days, I start getting irritable. Otherwise, though, my moods are totally stable.

SD

[Vancha]

I'm on testosterone cypionate, weekly shots. I was told the half-life is 7 days, and given the option of weekly or bi-weekly; for me, it was no contest that I'd do weekly. The last thing I wanted was more mood swings. I don't get tired on it; in fact, I've noticed my energy levels are way up from before T. I do, however, know when I'm ready for a shot... my sex drive shoots sky-high the night before, though I have no idea why. If I miss a shot by 2-3 days, I start getting irritable. Otherwise, though, my moods are totally stable.

SD

How were your energy levels prior to starting T?
It seems to me that people who feel energetic beforehand feel tired after staring, and vice versa.  I always feel tired.  It's like my lousy sex drive... Or just about anything else.  I want to do things, but when it comes down to it, I don't have the means to do so.  I always feel exhausted.

I hope T helps with that.  But if it doesn't, I'll manage.