Hi everyone,

I recently started testosterone, and was started at the standard half dose.  About six hours after using it, I experienced some very alarming side effects: severe headache with stabbing pain, especially on the left side, muscle pain, severe pain in my left tricep and reduced sensitivity/ tingling in my left arm.  I felt like I was having a stroke.  My doctor evaluated me the next day and suggested that I go on a lower dose, which I have, but I'm wondering if anyone has experienced these side-effects and what, if anything, did your doctors conclude happened? 

Thanks in advance.

Ian,
you did the right thing by having a Dr. evaluate you after you had what appears to be a reaction. There are all kinds of reactions that can occur as a result of a sensitivity to a medication, and not all of them are dangerous.

The first time I had a testosterone injection, I had severe muscle pain in my deltoid muscle where it was given. That happened in about the same time frame as yours did. The other things I did not experience. Among possible reactions are migraines, which are severe, one sided headaches, but your Dr. would have to evaluate that. If your Dr. did not seem alarmed, then he probably either thought it wasn't a side effect or the side effect was not dangerous, such as an anaphylaxis reaction. While you have a clear memory, write down what you felt and how long after the injection the onset came as well as how long the reaction lasted. The next time you inject, see if you have the same reaction.

There is more than one way to get testosterone into you, and some don't cause the same reaction. For instance, Several years ago, every time I injected T, I would start to cough and feel the beginnings of an anaphylaxis reaction. My Dr. changed me to patches, and the reaction no longer happened. Sometimes its not a reaction to the T, but rather the carrier it comes in. Most T injections are in either cotton seed or sesame seed oil. That is what makes it so thick.

If you experience the same reaction the next time, you may need a different method of getting your T in. In the meantime, don't get too upset over it. You have options, and it doesn't mean you can't take T anymore.

sam1234

I also had very severe soreness in my leg after my first injection. I freaked out bc i thought i had given it wrong. I gave it in my upper thigh and the soreness migrated down to my knee that i could barely bend and had a limp for the better part of the week. It was pretty awful, my second injection in my other thigh got sore but not near as bad. I didnt get any other side effects though.

Sometimes you'll find that you injected too close to a nerve. It causes pain and swelling, even to the knee as was mentioned. After a while you learn what areas to stay away from and which are more comfortable.

sam1234

Could you have accidentally hit a vein perhaps?