I seen doctor benson today and he said hes going to give me testosterone gel. Will It still deepen my voice and increase the amount of hair on my body?
i'm not sure, because injections go straight into your bloodstream, but gel gets absorbed through your skin. i'd say injections are the way to go for transitioning purposes.
I've heard plenty of guys talk about gel v. injections, and from what I've heard they pretty much do exactly the same things to you. Your voice will deepen, you'll get hairy (you won't grow a beard right away though. Sorry. :P), you'll get acne, your body fat will redistribute, etc.
Ultimately, your changes will vary from other guys' changes because of how your body reacts to the T. Maybe the changes will take long, or maybe they'll happen quickly. There's no way of knowing until you start T yourself. Good luck.
On the standard issue dose of T injections my spouse was at 400ish T.
On the standard dose of gel my spouse is curently at 760 T.
Gell works just fine and dandy.
Well i've been watching this kid on youtube named Kaden, (drunkenlullaby) and he is 4 months on T (gel), and his voice doesn't sound like it dropped at all..i'm worried that it wont work as well as the injections
I watch Kaden's videos too. You're right, his voice doesn't sound like it's dropped much. Only ever so slightly... But still, changes are slower for some people.
I'm 5 months on gel. I consistently get called 'sir' on the phone and have done for at least 3 months.
People react differently to T and everyones body uses T differently. It's impossible to know until you start.
Your doc wants to give you T, stop complaining :P
It is HRT so it is a YMMV situation. 4 months on T gel and my spouse sounds almost tottaly male. Hir voice is deeper than my natal male voice.
Quote from: Damian on June 24, 2010, 05:09:35 PM
Well i've been watching this kid on youtube named Kaden, (drunkenlullaby) and he is 4 months on T (gel), and his voice doesn't sound like it dropped at all..i'm worried that it wont work as well as the injections
Not to be a YT whore, because I'm generally not, but watch mine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LofsixB1G0# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LofsixB1G0#) I've been solely on AndroGel. It works. It really does. It works more slowly, along the same timeline of an average male puberty. I took down my earlier vids in a fit, but I think I show a recording somewhere. It will make your voice drop. Just make sure if you're using gel that you apply it to /all/ of the application areas. Both arms, shoulders, and upper abdomen every day. From what I've experienced, it spreads through your system faster.
Oh hey! I've seen your videos as well! Glad to see the gel has worked so well for you. Your voice is ridiculous. :)
To clarify cynthialee these numbers you provided were T LEVELS not doses correct?
Me and Kaden started T one day apart :)
I don't think any form of T is better than another. They all have their pros and cons.
Gel forms of T give far more stable and natural testosterone levels, whereas injections spike your T level and then it slowly dies down. There's more associated risks with injectables too.
Gel will give the same effects as injectable T, but they will usually be slower.
Quote from: LucienOctopus on June 24, 2010, 05:21:28 PM
Oh hey! I've seen your videos as well! Glad to see the gel has worked so well for you. Your voice is ridiculous. :)
wait wut mine?
Yessir. Yours.
Oh, very swell. Cheers then!
dAddyslicer, how long have you been on T?
Year and a half, or a quarter, something like that.
Wow! it really worked out for you!
Quote from: Osiris on June 24, 2010, 05:23:27 PM
To clarify cynthialee these numbers you provided were T LEVELS not doses correct?
How could you even contrue that as dossage when I am clearly speaking in terms of actual values of T in blood testing?
Quote from: cynthialee on June 24, 2010, 09:41:47 PM
How could you even contrue that as dossage when I am clearly speaking in terms of actual values of T in blood testing?
That's what I figured, I just wanted to clarify for others. 8)
Quote from: Damian on June 24, 2010, 09:23:12 PM
Wow! it really worked out for you!
Yes, yes it did. And with all the greasiness of a 1950s salesman, "It can work for you, too!".
I actually like the idea of gel for that reason given earlier on here (nice level hormones, all the time). Also, no big scary needle!
Quote from: SnailPace on June 25, 2010, 02:28:33 AM
I actually like the idea of gel for that reason given earlier on here (nice level hormones, all the time). Also, no big scary needle!
Only problem is that gel is a lot more expensive. And it can be absorbed by people who touch you (girlfriend?)
Quote from: SilverFang on June 25, 2010, 03:34:24 AMOnly problem is that gel is a lot more expensive. And it can be absorbed by people who touch you (girlfriend?)
Cat. (Which is why I didn't start Rogaine but jumped directly to Finasteride pills, lol.)
Quote from: SilverFang on June 25, 2010, 03:34:24 AM
Only problem is that gel is a lot more expensive. And it can be absorbed by people who touch you (girlfriend?)
True that. I have to keep hands off my mate for 2 hours after hir gel is applyed. And yes the cost is much higher for the gel.
yeah dr benson told me it was 300 $ a month. I cant afford that..
Well, I have a boyfriend so it probably wouldn't have too many adverse affects on him (other than it would be less for me!). But that price is pretty steep! I'll have to talk to my doc anyways, see what's available around my neck of the woods.
I'm just starting testosterone cream, currently on day four.
The cream is custom compounded via a local compounding pharmacy, and costs $30 for a 30 day supply, out of pocket.
Compounded is almost always cheaper, because there is no generic of the un-compounded gel as of yet, and name brand always costs more.
Because I have mental health issues, cream was a better choice for me personally, as both my doctor and I were concerned about fluctuations associated with injection and how that might exacerbate existing issues.
Was that a typo? $30 is considerably less than $300, I like the sound of that! Did you have the option to take the crazy expensive kind? (Why would anyone choose to pay $270 extra?)
Nope. Not a typo.
My rx costs $30 US, for a 30 day supply.
The Testim and Androgel preparations are name brand, produced by only one company. Name brand rx's are always far more expensive than generic, and there are no generic brands of those gels on the market in the US.
However, your prescribing doctor can write an rx for custom compounded gel or cream, that you take to a compounding pharmacy, for individual preparation.
I was never even asked if I wanted to try the name brand [I would have declined, anyway].
I honestly don't understand why a doctor would ever prescribe the expensive name brand, when a custom compounded generic is a fraction of the price, and does exactly the same thing.
Make sure to let us know how it works out for you! (And thanks a lot for that info, it will be very helpful when negotiating with my doctor.)
sweet muddy! i will bring this up to my doctor. thanks.
I have a friend who has been on Androgel for about 2 years. He has a full beard, and his voice has dropped completely. It definitely works, but the changes are slower to start because it has to build up in your system. I have a couple other friends who use it too, and everything is going well for them.
It's also common for people who have been having emotional up and downs on the injections to switch to the gel because it's every day, so you don't get the down. Your hormone levels are much more steady on the gel. Just be patient, because it takes longer to start to see changes. I 100% guarantee that it works though.
Congrats Damian!
The only other downside that i've heard about the gel, is that it's more expensive. ALSO, there is a risk of cross contamination with other people. Be sure to wash your hands! And you have to wash your sheets/bedding if you have someone else sleep in your bed. You also gotta be careful about sharing shirts with people.