I used Testim for the first time today and I have a few questions. My shoulders are bit sticky even though I applied it over an hour ago. Does that mean that it's not totally dry? Am I suppose to wash it off after a certain amount of time? Is it going to leave any residue on my clothing?
I have ussed it before my transition and I found that if you rub it in real good and wait about 20 mins before you dress it isnt so bad. Keep it on at least 2 hours is what I was told by my physician when I was on the stuff.
It won't stain your clothing.
My hersband Sevan (androgyne) usses it and I like the way it smells when ze has had it on long enough to blend with hir natural scent. (mmmmmmm) **snaps out of it***
why did you go with testim instead of shots? My spouse tried both but the trough 2 days before the next shot was brutal on hir so a daily was the answer.
Great, thanks for the reply. I did injections for 13 months and got sick of having to stab myself once a week. :laugh:
What insurance do you have? Testim is like $300 for a month supply if you have to pay out of pocket.
Blue Cross Blue Shield. I'm only paying $50 a month. I think a 2 or 3 month supply of injectable was $30, so it's quite a bit more. I was also having severe joint pains on injectables and I've heard that topical T reduces it slightly. It was either stop T all together or try this. so here I am.
Random question Did you notice if the application site was more susceptible to sunburn?
I always put it on my chest and shoulders and as I never walked around without a shirt on (even pre transition) I never expossed it to sun.
My spouse sometimes aplies it to hir calves and ze always wears shorts and ze never has sunburned on the legs so I would guess that it does not.
Have you considered androgel? It is not as expensive as testim.
Testim is very sticky/oily and never dries, even if you rub yourself forever in front of a fan. After 10 min I would give up and put a tee shirt on. Later I'd peel the tee shirt from my skin.
It did great boosting my T levels; OTOH after several months I developed an allergic rash to it.
Androgel is more alcohol based and less sticky, but still takes a few minutes to dry in front of a fan.
Jay
Quote from: sneakersjay on August 16, 2010, 07:55:45 AM
Testim is very sticky/oily and never dries, even if you rub yourself forever in front of a fan. After 10 min I would give up and put a tee shirt on. Later I'd peel the tee shirt from my skin.
It did great boosting my T levels; OTOH after several months I developed an allergic rash to it.
Androgel is more alcohol based and less sticky, but still takes a few minutes to dry in front of a fan.
Jay
I will agree testim is sticky but not oily. I was told that androgel took longer to dry and was more of an asspain than testim. (obviously I have never ussed it and niether has Sevan)
Quote from: cynthialee on August 16, 2010, 08:15:14 AM
I will agree testim is sticky but not oily. I was told that androgel took longer to dry and was more of an asspain than testim. (obviously I have never ussed it and niether has Sevan)
Androgel dries completely and in less time. Testim had a greasy feel to me and never dried.
I use androgel daily.
Jay
I stick with estrogel rather than pills, patches or injectioons and its a nice light gel that I put on my inner thighs at bedtime - yep I sleep alone - so that it stays moist as long as possible on the theory that this might allow more or better absorbtion...
can you put the Testim on at bedtime and put it on inner thighs or inside upper arms?
I'd be interested to know if any area of skin is more absorbent than any other as it seems to me that there are capillaries under all the skin so any chemical that does soak through the skin will get into blood fairly quick.
men naturaly peak T in the morning so my spouses doctor has advised to aply the gel first thing in the morning
the scrotum is 40x more absorbative than standard skin
Quote from: cynthialee on August 16, 2010, 02:44:39 PM
the scrotum is 40x more absorbative than standard skin
hard to believe that...I'm picturing men getting in bath and getting out with a gallon of soapy water sloshing in their scrotums.
Quote from: lilacwoman on August 16, 2010, 02:47:39 PM
hard to believe that...I'm picturing men getting in bath and getting out with a gallon of soapy water sloshing in their scrotums.
we are talking its ability to absorb chemicals like hormones
I honestly want to know what both Andro and Testim ARE.... I've given injectable "T" thought, but it's not really something I would be comfortable with *That and my doctor would hate me forever and a week cause I run like hell from needles*.
How exactly does it work? Is it like lotion...? And I can already tell it's daily.
THANK YOU~ :DD
<3 Alun
Testim is alot like hand sanitizer.
Quote from: cynthialee on August 16, 2010, 09:55:02 PM
Testim is alot like hand sanitizer.
Hunh... I see.... So it's pretty much -- Rub on "T"? :DD
*Thank you for answering~*
<3 Alun
Quote from: Alun C on August 17, 2010, 08:07:28 AM
Hunh... I see.... So it's pretty much -- Rub on "T"? :DD
*Thank you for answering~*
<3 Alun
Yep.
Now I just gotta work on *TALKING* to the doctor... and a therapist.... aaannddd everything else.
Thank you Cynthialee~ :DD
<3 Alun
Just used my first dose of testim today! It smells very solventy but I don't mind, plus I use a lot of hand sanitiser so I'm used to the rubbing lol. Hope it goes well from here :S
Quote from: Prince Larien on June 26, 2012, 10:51:23 AM
Just used my first dose of testim today! It smells very solventy but I don't mind, plus I use a lot of hand sanitiser so I'm used to the rubbing lol. Hope it goes well from here :S
Many women will ask Sevan what 'perfume' ze is wearing that they love the scent. That makes Sevan and I exchange a knowing glance and after we walk away we will giggle that the wmans heterosexuality has been confirmed.
The scent that Testim gives off when combined with ones natural pheremones is very powerful stuff I have noticed over the years. People who are attracted to men will find the blended scent almost like a perfume and those who are not attracted to men tend to be very put off by the scent.
Quote from: cynthialee on June 26, 2012, 11:54:47 AM
Many women will ask Sevan what 'perfume' ze is wearing that they love the scent. That makes Sevan and I exchange a knowing glance and after we walk away we will giggle that the wmans heterosexuality has been confirmed.
The scent that Testim gives off when combined with ones natural pheremones is very powerful stuff I have noticed over the years. People who are attracted to men will find the blended scent almost like a perfume and those who are not attracted to men tend to be very put off by the scent.
Since I am attacted to men I don't know what to make of that... Maybe I really like solvents!
So which is better to use? Testim or Androgel? If Testim is harder to get it to rub into the skin, then would Androgel be better?
I have no kinds of insurance to pay for either and it would be coming out of pocket.
I've used both, and I think what is "better" depends on the individual. I prefer Androgel, as it only takes about a minute or so for it to dry on my skin and it doesn't feel sticky or oily after. Some folks seem to like Testim, but again, it's a matter of preference. Either way you have gel and will likely do fine as long as you apply it to a fatty area(I use my thighs/stomach), let it dry before you put clothes on, and give it ample time to absorb into your system(I've been told to allow 6-8 hours to let the T into my system before washing it off).