I was able to do my injection late (going to be traveling and don't want to bring my works ... actually, the biggest issue was a sharps container) and I didn't have a mental breakdown this week. It seems like the hormones have finally stabilized and/or my ovaries have stopped fighting the change. I had hot flashes the first month but that's been over for a while. More recently I've had migraines when my T levels dipped. I had incipient migraine over the last week (musty rooms seem to trigger it) but no blowouts. I was having a weekly depressive episode 2 days before my shot, but it didn't happen this week even though I had plenty of stress. Maybe this is the point where some people go off T because you feel kind of 'cured'? Except of course I'm not cured, and if I stop, changes will reverse and I will be miserable again.
Anybody else farther along who can tell me what I don't know?
I feel it was also at the 4 month mark when my moods started to stabilise and my dysphoria was starting to ebb away. Now my dysphoria is a slight buzz in the background instead of a constant drone. I'm on testogel btw so I dont get the subsequent side effects of injections like depressive moods before a shot or migraines. I too wonder what it'll be like to stop taking T because i feel 'cured' but i know what miserable side effects that would result. Oh and my depression is also non existant and my social anxiety has improved.
I do think there is a point fairly early on where things level out hormonally. I can't remember when that was for me, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was somewhere around the 3-4 month mark. I switched from gel to injections at 3 months on, so I think it may have taken me a little bit longer to reacclimate to the new delivery method. Once I did, no issues with mood or any menopause-esque symptoms.
If you ever pursue having your ovaries removed, that whole process starts over again for a bit while your body adapts, and your dose will likely change because of it. But aside from that very brief period of time, once I was "settled", I was settled.
Travel advice: I have a travel container I take with me on trips. It's fairly small, but large enough to hold all the important items. Hard plastic and waterproof, so pretty safe means or transporting stuff. I highly recommend it. I too try to plan trips or move my shot time so that it won't be impacted by traveling, but it's nice to have some peace of mind just in case things don't work out as planned or you end up somewhere longer than you expected. I got this (and a larger 2-tier tackle box that I keep all my shot stuff in) at Walmart, both for under $5.
Pics:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1072.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw362%2Fmonsterbot13%2Fpics%2520for%2520groups%2FIMG_3033_zpsrff2vjcz.jpg&hash=738d3efd125005ddfbbb1e0875585cebe3cf560d)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1072.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw362%2Fmonsterbot13%2Fpics%2520for%2520groups%2FIMG_3034_zpsodd02jbp.jpg&hash=4ed038a98cc5101a8a75f40db874e0fc7912d207)
Link:
http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowaway-utility-boxes/waterproof-stowaway-utility-box-3449-size (http://www.planomolding.com/fishing/stowaway-utility-boxes/waterproof-stowaway-utility-box-3449-size)
That looks very organized! What do you do with sharps?
Quote from: AnxietyDisord3r on July 22, 2016, 06:29:11 AM
That looks very organized! What do you do with sharps?
When I'm traveling, they just get recapped and stored in there until I get home. Then they get tossed in a sharps container. I have also bought a soda and used the empty bottle to dispose of them in the past when I'm on the go.
Empty soda container. Good to know.
i am taking back this thread from the dead to ask if anybody else had migraines when going low on T. I started having them 2 days ago, i had my shot nearly 3 weeks ago and will have the next in 3 days. I am nearly 3 months on T, never happened before to have this migraine. It's killing me. I did not change medication or dosage since i started. thanks!
Hey Rory,
I've been getting migraines before I started T and they used to be very frequent but very sporadic. They started to develop into cluster headaches.
After starting T my migraines lessened and became more predictable. When I was on a low dose of T I would get my migraines about twice a month and it would always correspond with when I was due for my next T shot. The migraine cycle lasted about a week each time and always ended with a cluster headache on the last day of the cycle. After having my T dosage increased the migraines became even less frequent. Now I only get them once a month and the cycle only lasts about three days. It doesn't always end in a cluster headache either like it used to. I do my shot weekly instead of biweekly like before and I think that's what helped decrease their frequency.
It probably has a lot to do with your body adjusting to the fluctuation in your hormones and the drop in T when you get close to being due for your next shot. You should definitely talk to your doctor about it and you can ask them for a prescription to help with the migraines. It might be a good idea to increase your dose gradually but take it weekly instead of waiting so long in between shots.
One thing is for sure, migraines come when your estrogen has fallen significantly and suddenly. Such withdrawal migraines can be severe, and can last days, even weeks, last through sleep and resist painkillers. Since some T is converted to E I wouldn't be surprised if that's your issue - you're too low on both at the end of a shot cycle, perhaps.
I don't do shots but if I had this problem I would figure it's not the dose, it's the drop-off time before the next. If so it might be fixed by shorter spacing between shots.
Quote from: Viktor on November 22, 2017, 02:57:48 AM
One thing is for sure, migraines come when your estrogen has fallen significantly and suddenly. Such withdrawal migraines can be severe, and can last days, even weeks, last through sleep and resist painkillers. Since some T is converted to E I wouldn't be surprised if that's your issue - you're too low on both at the end of a shot cycle, perhaps.
I don't do shots but if I had this problem I would figure it's not the dose, it's the drop-off time before the next. If so it might be fixed by shorter spacing between shots.
This is exactly what I am hoping. My endo changed my frequency from 1 every 4 to 1 every 3 weeks (Same dosage), not because of this migraine (I have not told him yet since it's pretty new thing) but because my blood work was okay so it was time to go up somehow. I truly hope this thing will vanish on Friday when I have my injection since it is killing me, my left side is burning and aching and no pain killer helps.