Having never used any form of hormone therapy, I have some concerns about starting testosterone.  I also wondered what experiences others have had with what forms of testosterone, i.e., creams, gels, injections, brands, generics, etc.  I did a search for my biggest concern and didn't find anything about it, hence this post.

My biggest concern, and one that my mother loves to tell me about constantly, is increased heart rate.  Possibly even tachycardia and palpitations.  This worries me because I have an anxiety disorder from hell.  Not sure which circle, but it's definitely from a dark, horrible place.  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had experienced this, how bad it was, and what could be done to counter it?

I'm also curious if there are any natural - and safe - ways to increase one's testosterone levels.  Have your physicians ever recommended any products or supplements?  If so, did you find them effective?

Hm, well I have been on gel and injections. Gel really didn't do all that much for me - my levels just didn't get high enough and I wasn't willing to shell out even more than I already was for a higher dose. I also could barely cover my body with the smaller dose, a double dose wouldn't have even stayed on my skin.

I was concerned about the effects of injections (like the up and down nature of them) for my mental health too. Before hormones, I had major issues with my emotions going all over the map for the course of a day. That was more pronounced when my hormones (old hormones, not T) were in flux, too. So I thought that I would have issues with the injections, but the gel just wasn't doing it for me and I hated how sticky it was so I switched over. For the first 2 or 3 shots I did, at the end I felt horrible. But then I got used to it and I really don't experience any problems at any point in the hormone cycle.

As for the heart problems, I really haven't noticed anything with my own heart rate or anything. If I drink a lot of caffeine I sometimes feel little flutters in my heart that I never had before.

I've never tried natural supplements but I have seen people (irl and in videos) who have used them and I'll be honest, they simply don't do anything, even after like a year. Maybe a few dark hairs pop up here and there, but really, that's not going to give the amount of masculization most guys are looking for. Plus, the supplements, if they do work for anyone, would only work for cis men who have their testicles producing larger amounts of T on their own. The female body, for the most part, just can't produce that much testosterone.

I've not heard of increased heart rate as a problem.

Personally, I use injectable T. T has greatly reduced anxiety and all that goes with it, so if that is the issue, it helps, not hurts.

T boosters are a waste of money, you haven't the natural T to boost really. T is inexpensive as injection and very effective.

I use the injection, I like it, no negative effects for me, honestly I feel the same lol well calmer but I think that's cause I feel like I'm on the right hormones now, but emotion wise and stuff, I feel the same to me, still the same person, few changes that I noticed so far like muscle gain and sex drive

Never heard of increased heart rate/tachycardia being a direct result of taking T.  It *can* affect high blood pressure, though.

I have a congenital heart condition and T has never affected it in the slightest.  I'm on tri-weekly injections.

As a person who has already suffered with tachycardia, I personally didn't notice anything to be any different in terms of the condition occurring more. By the way, the main reason for my heart palpitation is due to stress and social anxiety. But then again, I am at a low dose gel.

One thing I noticed after taking T though was an awkward constant chest pain (probably in the breast?) that literally lasts an entire day but I can't pinpoint what the actual cause is. Even the doctor couldn't determine it.

I can't thank you enough.  This has really calmed my fears about HRT.  I think I need to keep reminding myself that my mother is [1] not a doctor and should stop pretending she's a bloody expert on all things endocrinology, and [2] she tends to resent me because I'm doing what I want with my life and not bowing to social/family pressures.

That said, let me move this soapbox elsewhere.  There we go...

So, no one's noticed any increased heart rate, palpitations, tachycardia?  That's wonderful.  That really is.  And now I think of it, T would probably just level me out, make me feel normal.  I wonder if it might even relieve some of my anxiety.  Can't hurt to try, right?

I have just been diagnosed with hypertension/high blood pressure at age 30, and it's probably from a combination of family heritage, testosterone, and psych meds. The specialist said there wasn't a whole lot more I could do because I eat as well as I can on a budget and exercise an hour a day, so I'm on blood pressure medication.

Quote from: makipu on June 19, 2014, 04:52:38 PM

One thing I noticed after taking T though was an awkward constant chest pain (probably in the breast?) that literally lasts an entire day but I can't pinpoint what the actual cause is. Even the doctor couldn't determine it.

I suffered from this too and it lasted two-three months but the first one was the worst. I figured out it had to do with pectoral muscle growth; felt like I was being subject to electric shocks. It eventually subsided as my body caught up muscle mass wise.

Really annoying though. I couldn't even sleep normally for a while because I had to stretch out my arms or I felt highly uncomfortable while lying down.

I think this happens if your body reacts very strongly to T or if the dose is high.

Quote from: Kreuzfidel on June 18, 2014, 11:24:40 PM
I'm on tri-weekly injections.

Tri-weekly? Why so frequent? I've only ever heard of injecting T weekly at most.

Quote from: Ephemeral on July 01, 2014, 12:21:33 PM
I suffered from this too and it lasted two-three months but the first one was the worst. I figured out it had to do with pectoral muscle growth; felt like I was being subject to electric shocks. It eventually subsided as my body caught up muscle mass wise.

Really annoying though. I couldn't even sleep normally for a while because I had to stretch out my arms or I felt highly uncomfortable while lying down.

I think this happens if your body reacts very strongly to T or if the dose is high.

Thanks for the info. So I am not the only one here.  Currently I am not on T though and the pain is STILL occurring...

I can deal with minor chest pain.  What has worried me is when guys say they have increased energy.  My first thought is "What, like you just drank five Red Bulls or...?"  Because caffeine and I do not get along.  Big bag of NOPE there.  No stimulants for me!

As for blood pressure, I'm already on a beta blocker to help with my anxiety, so that should help keep things in the normal range.

Welp, appointment on 17 July.  I'll talk to my new doctor and hopefully the blood analysis will cover hormones as well.  [I've got a weird thyroid thing, so I'm sure she'll check my TSH levels straight away.]

Thanks again, everyone!

Quote from: Amadeus on July 02, 2014, 04:09:30 PM
I can deal with minor chest pain.  What has worried me is when guys say they have increased energy.  My first thought is "What, like you just drank five Red Bulls or...?"  Because caffeine and I do not get along.  Big bag of NOPE there.  No stimulants for me!

It's nothing like that. At least not in my experience. I just find my energy more consistent throughout the day.

Quote from: BrotherBen on July 02, 2014, 02:27:58 PM
Tri-weekly? Why so frequent? I've only ever heard of injecting T weekly at most.

Heh, don't you mean "infrequent"?

I knew a guy who was on a twenty-day cycle at a low dose because his doctor was pretty paranoid. I know another guy who, last time I talked to him, was doing a triweekly maintenance dose. So BrotherBen's cycle isn't completely bizarre.

I used to suffer from extreme anxiety. Having higher testosterone levels has calmed me down significantly. In my opinion, stress is more dangerous than just about all the potential side-effects testosterone can have. If your biggest concern is heart rate, rest assured that you can - under your doctor's guidance - stop hormone treatments if that becomes an issue, though I've never heard of it before. Injecting testosterone is the safest method, which is why I do it in spite of hating needles. Any "natural" ways to boost your testosterone are actually far more dangerous than going the typical medical route since your liver will be affected and your blood will not be monitored.

Quote from: Arch on July 04, 2014, 12:57:47 AM
Heh, don't you mean "infrequent"?

Dang, I even googled it because I second-guessed myself. I didn't notice that there were two completely different definitions. What's the point of that, anyway?

http://i.word.com/idictionary/triweekly

Quote from: birkin on July 04, 2014, 12:06:56 AM
It's nothing like that. At least not in my experience. I just find my energy more consistent throughout the day.

That's definitely made me feel better.  Thank you for sharing!

QuoteI used to suffer from extreme anxiety. Having higher testosterone levels has calmed me down significantly. In my opinion, stress is more dangerous than just about all the potential side-effects testosterone can have. If your biggest concern is heart rate, rest assured that you can - under your doctor's guidance - stop hormone treatments if that becomes an issue, though I've never heard of it before. Injecting testosterone is the safest method, which is why I do it in spite of hating needles. Any "natural" ways to boost your testosterone are actually far more dangerous than going the typical medical route since your liver will be affected and your blood will not be monitored.

See, that's what I wonder, is if I'll start feeling calmer once I've got the right hormones pumping through my body.  If I lose some weight as well, that'll definitely help.  Thanks for adding your 2¢!

I've had mixed characteristics. I am more impulsive but am usually able to keep it in check. I am less patient but can usually control it. I get angry more easily and have a harder time simmering down.

I have a shorter attention span and am more restive than before T. On the other hand, I have more, I don't know, reserve energy that I can call on when I have a particularly awful amount of work to do. I can become the Energizer Bunny as long as I don't try to keep it up for weeks.

Now that I finally have stable employment, I'll have to see what happens to my general anxiety level.

I just find myself being a bit more extreme in my emotions like when I feel happy I feel really happy or sad I feel really sad. There's less inbetween. Other than that, I just experience myself as being the same. I was already becoming more aggressive and explosive prior of starting T, and I think that is because I was always like that but I have suffered from chronic depression and it likely made me more numb and withdrawn in general so these traits were largely suppressed.

Overall, I would say that my personality hasn't changed that much. I think a lot of personality changes people report, especially stuff like becoming more logical etc, is due to forer effect rather than these changes really occurring. I have a hard time seeing how T would somehow make you more logical on its own, for example. Seems more related to adopting to gender roles. If anything, I feel like T made me more emotional just that they are more black and white.

I don't feel like T really gave me more energy though, but I think that is more related to my general mood in that depression saps the energy from anyone, male or female. It did however make me ten times more hornier lol.

Quote from: BrotherBen on July 04, 2014, 05:10:30 PM
Dang, I even googled it because I second-guessed myself. I didn't notice that there were two completely different definitions. What's the point of that, anyway?

I suspect that the definitions were once quite distinct but that the meaning became ambiguous because of misuse. In my experience, that's usually the case. It's why so many people now pronounce forte with two distinct syllables when they actually mean the one-syllable definition (as in, a strong point). People just misused it into common usage. The two-syllable version even appears in dictionaries now, much to my chagrin. "Biweekly" and "triweekly" are probably in the same boat.

I recommend to my students that they simply say "thrice weekly" (or "three times a week") or "every three weeks," depending on what they mean. But we should be able to use "triweekly" without any fear of misunderstandings!

A tricycle has three wheels, so it basically means "three wheels," not "a third of a wheel." So "triweekly" should basically mean "three weeks." But the adverbial form also throws in an additional monkey wrench, sigh.