I've been on T for 6 months and for the past 2 doctors appointments my levels came back way too high. My doc cut my dose in half and I'm hoping that helps. Did anyone else have trouble finding a dose that works for them? It just makes me worry.
My doc started me on a very low dose, and cut it 20% after my first blood test, when my mid-cycle level showed up over 800. I'm still on that dose a year later, and my levels are fine.
Everyone responds a bit differently -- it's just normal variation. (I'm happy with my response -- it means that a vial of T lasts a really long time.)
Not to worry. (https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fthefiringline.com%2Fforums%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Fsmile.gif&hash=2c5a4907e2673dfa63557696254abe82f5c9641e)
I've had the same issues on Sustanon. When I was injecting every two weeks, my levels were almost twice the maximum of cis male levels. Instead of halving my dose, my doc made me inject every three/four weeks (if I'd half my dose, I'd have to throw away half a vial, which is just wasting money). That didn't really help, so in the end, I switched to Androgel.
Blood levels of testosterone have a broad range when it comes to normal. Blood levels change in cis men as they age, and some Dr.s try to mimic that in trans men as closely as possible.
My level came back twice normal a couple of times on the androderm patch, and the dose was dropped. In the very beginning, I had to get my levels checked frequently while they were trying to get the results that were in a normal range and giving me the secondary sex characteristics I wanted. If you haven't had your ovaries removed yet, then it might be more challenging, but an endocrinologist will be able to figure it out.
Personally, I think that until your testosterone is stabalized where you want it and your Dr. feels is within the normal range, staying with an endocrinologist is a good idea. Family physicians, (some of them), are comfortable running levels and scripting T once you are stabalized.
sam1234
Quote from: nyrangers30 on March 18, 2015, 08:01:49 AM
Did anyone else have trouble finding a dose that works for them? It just makes me worry.
Yes, I have been on T for 4 years, and it has been a struggle to find a dose that keeps me at a safe range. I will say that it has been much easier the past year (after having the ovaries removed). It can be worrisome, but I think it will work out okay for you. In my case, my body kept responding to varying doses by creating both more estrogen AND more testosterone. I will say that the dose my body required to maintain an optimum level was MUCH lower than what is considered an average dose for transmen. This made me panic a little about not seeing many changes that I wanted, but over time it seems to have worked out. Every body is different. The most helpful injection regimen for me has been to keep a very small dose at more frequent intervals, thus avoiding extreme peaks and valleys.
Good luck as you move forward...
Did anyone have any side effects moving from a higher dose to a lower one? I'm trying to figure out why I feel so crummy, but it could be a number of things. I'm having hold/cold flashes and headaches.
Yes, definitely headaches for me, too... And sometimes very low energy. I also cry like a baby! I have always been a fairly sensitive person and things like those commercials for organizations that advocate for abused animals make me wail... If my T is too low, or drops too quickly, something like that will make me sob for an hour...which also gives me a headache :'(
Quote from: HeyTrace19 on March 25, 2015, 10:07:06 AM
Yes, definitely headaches for me, too... And sometimes very low energy. I also cry like a baby! I have always been a fairly sensitive person and things like those commercials for organizations that advocate for abused animals make me wail... If my T is too low, or drops too quickly, something like that will make me sob for an hour...which also gives me a headache :'(
Gotcha, thanks! I haven't been emotional, but I have been tired and getting headaches and muscle pain. Hopefully it'll go away soon.
When I first started T, I got terrible headaches. But those are gone now.
I've only had one test to confirm my levels since I started, and I was on the higher end of average. I'm interested to see if there are any significant differences now that I've switched from gel to injections. I don't feel any different, but I've had roommates/boyfriend tell me that I'm going through another voice drop.