this might be a stupid question, but i am brand new here and i have no idea. i HATE shots. (even though I'm covered in tattoos, I still have an irrational fear of needles).
Just wondering. Thanks!

Quote from: Preston on September 01, 2011, 04:32:53 PM
this might be a stupid question, but i am brand new here and i have no idea. i HATE shots. (even though I'm covered in tattoos, I still have an irrational fear of needles).
Just wondering. Thanks!

no you can also get it in pills and T in cream.
I use a cream I put on everyday.

I think the reason why so many use injection is because you dont need to take it that often (compared to the cream you have to use every day)
and that it works more natural than pills (not an expect but thats what I think.)

T is most common and usually more affordable in the injection but is available in gels, creams, and patches.

Quote from: Nygeel on September 01, 2011, 05:42:34 PM
T is most common and usually more affordable in the injection but is available in gels, creams, and patches.

And also pellets.

Thanks! So, is it just a therapist I have to see first? Regarding only the testosterone? Or would my psychiatrist I've been seeing for five years be able to write the note?

Do you have an endo?  If not call around, see if they treat trans patients and if so what they require to start you on testosterone. 

Thanks, I will! I'll do that tomorrow. I'd like to get started asap.

If I was you I would try to get over the needle phobia. Cream/gel seems like a pain in the ass. You have to slather it on every day, wait for it to dry. You have to worry about it getting on your clothes and can't have close contact with others to provent transferring it. With patches you have to rotate sites. Having to shave little areas of your body sounds like an even bigger pain in the ass. I never heard of anyone actually using pills, heard it messes up the liver. Injection is the cheapest. I believe a lot of guys grow to look forward to doing it. I  know I'm looking forward to stabbing myself in the leg.

Gels and creams can't be used around little kids and you have to be careful of women, especially pregnant ones who live with you when you use them.

Your psychiatrist can write your letter for T.  I think he can also write the script, or is that  a psychologist?

My psychiatrist fills my prescriptions for me. She's way cool and she knows me better than any therapist I've ever been to.

Once you get your method down injections aren't that bad.  It's only a small prick once every week or every two weeks depending on what  you and your doctor set your schedule to be. 

Thanks!! I'll be seeing my doc in a couple weeks so I'll let you know what she says. 

Quote from: LordKAT on September 02, 2011, 12:58:07 AM
Gels and creams can't be used around little kids and you have to be careful of women, especially pregnant ones who live with you when you use them.

Your psychiatrist can write your letter for T.  I think he can also write the script, or is that  a psychologist?

well of corse you have to be carefull but its not as bad as it sound, if your having it on your stomach and put up a shirt over it then there pretty much no risk, and even if a person is leaning up on the naked spot you had put it on, it would still ba a pretty low dose and the person should be like laying on you for a longer period for something big to happent.

I guess it depends on what you want, I personally would actually prefern neddles because as said, it can be a pain in the ass to put on a new spot everyday.
it dosent sound that bad but it kinda complicated at times, you should be clean every time you put it on so take a shower everyday before the injection or just wash yourself, then put it on, wait to your dry, put it on, wait for it to dry, before you can take on your clothes, and be carefull noone ells touch it, bla bla..
some days your just too tired and just feel like going to sleep, and sometimes you might not be able to get it, like if your on a trip and cant get the usual rotine with a bath and then injection and then close on, so on so on,
not to mention if your busy it will also take away some of your time.
I do love having my dose everyday, but I must also say it can be kinda troublesome and exhausting to remembering it EVERY SINGLE day,

if your really cant get over with needles then I think patches are better, it seams to me more simple and where you dont need to fear the contact the same way but I dont know.

you might also start with it and if your getting tired of it/ feel its not a good way you could chance the method, here its like you first get Gel/cream the first time you trie it, because its easy to stop in caise you dont like it/you feel its giving you bad reactions, but if its working fine then you can switch, or opposite if its not working then you can stop or try see what ells to get.

Gel gets a lot of hate but I have had no issues with it. It dries by the time I finish washing my hands. However, it is prohibitively expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it (200 dollars a month for some people).

Quote from: LordKAT on September 02, 2011, 12:58:07 AM
Gels and creams can't be used around little kids and you have to be careful of women, especially pregnant ones who live with you when you use them.

Your psychiatrist can write your letter for T.  I think he can also write the script, or is that  a psychologist?

Good point.  I think a lot of people forget that about gels/creams.

Psychiatrists can write the letters and scripts for psychiatric medications (anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc).  Even though they are MDs, they can't write scripts for medical purposes like blood pressure medications (that aren't used for anxiety), diabetic meds, hormones, etc.  In theory, a psychiatrist could write the prescription, but I doubt most would.  It isn't their specialty and they have no real means of monitoring you beyond your mental health and some labs.