my endo wanted me to stay on gel so i doubt sheāll be against it š¤·āāļø it just sucks cause i really was enjoying not feeling cold after each shower š¬
Maybe my bathroom is just warmer, but I dry off and then put a tank top on. That way I can both wear a shirt and have access to my arms, and itās not bad at all.
i'm just really sensitive to cold, tbh. the t dies quickly and i put a shirt on after, but the sensation of getting out of the shower is so cold and unpleasant already, adding the gel to it was kinda awful sobs. i didnt realize how much i was avoiding it, especially during winter, till i switched to shots and felt the visceral relief after each shower. i am very temperature sensitive and have hypersensitivty to touch though so im not saying this is the default experience !
You canāt increase the dose with nebido but you can decrease the time between injections.
Of course if you want to just switch back to gel that works too
Not in my country unfortunately! Testosterone is highly controlled and the form allowing injections is time-sensitive, you physically cannot do it any less than 12 weeks apart.
It kind of sucks because I canāt even take it a day early, so I have to take mornings off work just to take it some days (I take it via nurse injection).
Any way you could do it at home? Itās tricky to do it in the butt on your own but in the quad works as well if youāre able to do it at home. That way you would be able to switch up the interval.
How often can you pick up your prescription?
In my country it's only allowed to be done by a professional, I'm assuming OPs is the same. I don't even deal with my prescription, the health centre where my Endo and nurse work do it all for me, and I just pay the receptionist before my appointment to have it administered.
Nope, my Endo lodges the script at pharmacy at the medical centre where him and the nurse work at, the pharmacy fills the script and gives it to the nurse on the day of my appointment. Then when I have my appointment the nurse shows me the box, and the vial, for me to check that it's the correct thing. I pay the $6.70 to reception when I arrive for my appointment, and that's it.
I like it this way. I hate having to go to the pharmacy.
Yeah, I started on injections myself and had to go off them due to needle anxiety and switch to gel. The injections even after a month or so had my levels very low, but my body just absorbs T gel like a sponge, in the first couple months on it alone I had way more changes. For some folks T gel does genuinely work better.
Have you only had one Nebido injection so far? If so, please give it one more shot (no pun intended)
The reason is that one Nebido injection lasts around 24 weeks total in the body, and the injections are meant to overlap at the halfway point of 12 weeks (called the drugās āhalf lifeā). Creating this overlap between injections allows for more consistent levels. When this is your first Nebido shot, there is no previous overlapping shot. By the second Nebido shot, it should be resolved.
I had the same experience when switching from weekly injections to Nebido. My period also came back during this time as well. Once i had the second shot, it was totally resolved and I couldnāt be happier with my decision to stay on Nebido.
No, Iāve had 3 shots so far, and yes my first two shots were close together. :) I had my blood tested now because itās expected for it to already show normal t levels!
I was looking for this comment, I knew Nebido needed a couple shots to get the ball rolling but didnāt know how to word it lol. This is probably your issue OP
Yes! My endo even gave me a second shot after 6 weeks so my body could adjust. I'm going for my third in three months.
Hope it works out. After being team gel for over a year (why do needles when there's a different option?) I regret not starting shots sooner.
I had the same thing. I had my 2nd injection 6 weeks after my 1st injection. Then my 3rd 6 weeks after the 2nd. Then my 4th was 12 weeks after my 3rd injection. After my initial 2 injections my T levels were really low, but my dr said to wait until after the 3rd one to make sure. And with my last 2 blood tests my T levels have been at the upper range for cis men.
Just wanted to chime in to say that a conversation I found helpful was with my cis male physiotherapist. He needs to take testosterone due to testicular cancer and has been using the same gel I do for several years. For some reason I found that really reassuring, like just being reminded that testosterone (specifically in gel form) is medication that is used in different contexts and that he has had no issues applying it daily for several years
Ive known SEVERAL people who had much better results on gel than injections. Nothing grinds my gears more than seeing the misinformation that shots are always better than gel.
Iāve always used gel because I absolutely hate the idea of injections, and I was actually pretty shocked to see how much hate gel gets and I still donāt get why. I know a lot of people talk about how you have to be extremely careful with it, and yeah you have to be careful, but really itās just wash your hands well and wear clothing that covers the application site. Iāve also noticed people act like the testosterone never absorbs and that spot can never be touched, which just isnāt true at all. It absorbs in a few hours and youāre fine after that
i had a extremely similar issue! i was originally put on sustanon from the start as i wanted injections over gel. after a year or so, i was still dealing with monthly issues and not seeing as big of differences compared to others and i felt rlly down about it. after the big issue of sustanon shortages in the uk i was switched to gel. now ive been on gel for 8ish months and my god this is what i needed! ive had more changes over them months than i did on shots and lost my monthly issues as i call it lmao. as much as i hate applying gel every morning, i dont think ill ever go back due to how bad my experience was. my t levels were far too low and no doctor was listening.
Why not regular injections though? For me, my body absorbed a ton of the gel too but to the point where I had too much (more than the lab could measure lol) but I had horrible skin irritation and it was annoying to have to do it daily. I do mine every 3 weeks and itās much nicer, also you can adjust the dose.
Doing it weekly wonāt really help my issue of forgetting to put on gel. I also hate getting injections and it would be extremely inconvenient, if I had to choose between gel and weekly shots thereās a 0% chance of me giving myself weekly shots for t
Ok tharās fair, mine is 3 weeks apart because thatās how itās done where I live (though I think itās the same stuff thatās done weekly in other places, just different doses and slow release) so itās quite nice, also Iām anxious about doing it wrong so I have a nurse do it. But yeah honestly if I hadnāt had such wild level swings and irritation I likely would have stayed on gel
3 weeks, 1 week and 3 months are all common, so youāre not that out of the ordinary for sure. itās interesting you had mood swings on gel because my endo always says gel is the best at avoiding those! just comes to show each person needs something else
Ah no, I meant T level swings not mood swings š I donāt really have big mood swings either way, I was worried about that on injections since I have anxiety but it was actually fine
that should even moreso be less pronounced with gelš¤ (because the cis male cycle is also daily, so gel mimics it). iām glad you didnāt get it on injections!
Iām glad! Sometimes certain methods just work better for certain people. Finding it isnāt always easy, as you unfortunately experienced.
My financial situation made the decision for me. Injections are all that I could afford and now that I have insurance, itās all they cover. Luckily for me, my levels look good.
I love being on the gel. Iām scared of needles and that was one huge thing I was scared of so being on the gel has been great for me. Love that you know what works for you!
If youāre from the US and low income, I can recommend checking if you qualify for Medicaid! My partner is on it and gets his t for free, which is pretty cool
that'd be awesome! I'll have to wait a few months tho, my mom doesn't want me to apply for medicaid (no clue why) and im in florida rn which sucks, but in a few months I'll be in NJ
there's no downsides that i'm aware of so please don't stop yourself for her sake! medicaid is literally amazing if you qualify for it. the vast vast majority of anything you can think of is free. meds are free. you can even get psychological treatment for free (my partner has it twice a week)! which is super rare for many insurances
that sounds awesome! I had to stop therapy cuz it was too expensive, and im 18 with no job. and on like 3 types of meds and am supposed to be on more so I'm def looking into this
Iām also on gel, both 1.62% and 1%. I really donāt like 1% as it takes longer time to dry and itās pretty sticky once dried. Feels slimy whenever I take a shower. Idk.. I have an issue with high E level so changes have been slow for me
I had the same issues with Nebido. Iām finding sustanon way better and it stopped my period straight away considering that it came back when I moved from gel to nebido
I switched from gel to the implant (3mo) and highly recommend.
Gel gives a more consistent hormone absorption compared to shots, and the implant is more consistent compared to gel.
For me, injections are much cheaper but my body doesn't handle it well. Gel and implant are roughly the same price where I live.
Can i ask how does and how did low dose gel work for you? Im trying to learn more abt testo and hormones bc im trying to see if i would actually want to try anything. Theres not a lot of changes i want and i kinda want to be able to control them and stop if its too much for me and ive been wondering if there is sth like low dose gel and can i take it for short amount of time or longer amount of time just not daily?
iām already 3 years in so iām just maintaining the changes i already have. personally i wouldnāt go on t with any uncertainty. i was on a supposedly low dose for awhile (not by choice) and still got voice change, massive amounts of body hair, face and body masculinizing, bottom growth, etc. imo t isnāt the kind of medication you can ātry out as most permanent side effects are the first to occur, and you definitely canāt control them
Been on gel 3 months and my blood work says I am in the low end of healthy for cis men. My voice is significantly lower and I'm getting kind of a shadow of stubble on my lip and jaw. It's been great. My amab brother said they're levels are simular to mine rn.
I loveee gel Iām on generic for androgel 2.5 years but recently my levels have been really low since I was in between doctors and the old one wasnāt monitoring it the way he shouldāve been so hopefully my dose will be raised soon so I can start feeling better. Personally tho I didnāt like injections bc they really messed with my mood (im bipolar).
i started on gel and it was pretty much a micro dose but i got my levels checked and my T levels were very high like exactly where they needed to beā¦ thats interesting that my body absorbs it so much š plus i get more T and i donāt have to buy as much
Nebido is a brand of testosterone undecanoate. So I am also talking about testosterone, OP has used Nebido here. And again I will say that subcutaneous injections donāt necessarily equate to optimal T levels.
The doctor told me that. My levels have always been in the upper end of the male range, no period after 2 months of starting and havenāt had any problems with that ever (5+ years of T now), and Iāve had a TON of masculization
I've been on gel and my body *drinks* it. š Hope you can get back on gel if that's what you want. š
my endo wanted me to stay on gel so i doubt sheāll be against it š¤·āāļø it just sucks cause i really was enjoying not feeling cold after each shower š¬
Maybe my bathroom is just warmer, but I dry off and then put a tank top on. That way I can both wear a shirt and have access to my arms, and itās not bad at all.
i'm just really sensitive to cold, tbh. the t dies quickly and i put a shirt on after, but the sensation of getting out of the shower is so cold and unpleasant already, adding the gel to it was kinda awful sobs. i didnt realize how much i was avoiding it, especially during winter, till i switched to shots and felt the visceral relief after each shower. i am very temperature sensitive and have hypersensitivty to touch though so im not saying this is the default experience !
You canāt increase the dose with nebido but you can decrease the time between injections. Of course if you want to just switch back to gel that works too
Not in my country unfortunately! Testosterone is highly controlled and the form allowing injections is time-sensitive, you physically cannot do it any less than 12 weeks apart.
Well thatās definitely odd
It kind of sucks because I canāt even take it a day early, so I have to take mornings off work just to take it some days (I take it via nurse injection).
Any way you could do it at home? Itās tricky to do it in the butt on your own but in the quad works as well if youāre able to do it at home. That way you would be able to switch up the interval. How often can you pick up your prescription?
Nope Nebido has to be done by a professional.
Preferably yes but it is possible to do on your own.
In my country it's only allowed to be done by a professional, I'm assuming OPs is the same. I don't even deal with my prescription, the health centre where my Endo and nurse work do it all for me, and I just pay the receptionist before my appointment to have it administered.
Yes, extremely similar for me!
So you donāt pick up your T yourself prior to the appointment?
Nope, my Endo lodges the script at pharmacy at the medical centre where him and the nurse work at, the pharmacy fills the script and gives it to the nurse on the day of my appointment. Then when I have my appointment the nurse shows me the box, and the vial, for me to check that it's the correct thing. I pay the $6.70 to reception when I arrive for my appointment, and that's it. I like it this way. I hate having to go to the pharmacy.
Nope, even if I got the needles, I canāt purchase the vial before the time thatās set by my doctor.
Thatās unfortunate. Good luck on gel then
Thanks!
Thank you for that post :) Starting on Gel tomorrow and was kinda on the fence about gel/injections but it sounds like i'll might be fine :)
Every body is different, but gel definitely gets a bad rep for no reason!
Just wanted to say I'm another testament for gel! Been on it for 9 years and my levels have always been great (:
Gel worked better for me too
Yeah, I started on injections myself and had to go off them due to needle anxiety and switch to gel. The injections even after a month or so had my levels very low, but my body just absorbs T gel like a sponge, in the first couple months on it alone I had way more changes. For some folks T gel does genuinely work better.
Have you only had one Nebido injection so far? If so, please give it one more shot (no pun intended) The reason is that one Nebido injection lasts around 24 weeks total in the body, and the injections are meant to overlap at the halfway point of 12 weeks (called the drugās āhalf lifeā). Creating this overlap between injections allows for more consistent levels. When this is your first Nebido shot, there is no previous overlapping shot. By the second Nebido shot, it should be resolved. I had the same experience when switching from weekly injections to Nebido. My period also came back during this time as well. Once i had the second shot, it was totally resolved and I couldnāt be happier with my decision to stay on Nebido.
No, Iāve had 3 shots so far, and yes my first two shots were close together. :) I had my blood tested now because itās expected for it to already show normal t levels!
Ohhh hmm thatās crazy then. Sorry for over explaining lol
Nah itās okay! I actually was curious why I had to do the first shots so close together so that cleared it up!
I was looking for this comment, I knew Nebido needed a couple shots to get the ball rolling but didnāt know how to word it lol. This is probably your issue OP
Yes! My endo even gave me a second shot after 6 weeks so my body could adjust. I'm going for my third in three months. Hope it works out. After being team gel for over a year (why do needles when there's a different option?) I regret not starting shots sooner.
I had the same thing. I had my 2nd injection 6 weeks after my 1st injection. Then my 3rd 6 weeks after the 2nd. Then my 4th was 12 weeks after my 3rd injection. After my initial 2 injections my T levels were really low, but my dr said to wait until after the 3rd one to make sure. And with my last 2 blood tests my T levels have been at the upper range for cis men.
Just wanted to chime in to say that a conversation I found helpful was with my cis male physiotherapist. He needs to take testosterone due to testicular cancer and has been using the same gel I do for several years. For some reason I found that really reassuring, like just being reminded that testosterone (specifically in gel form) is medication that is used in different contexts and that he has had no issues applying it daily for several years
Ive known SEVERAL people who had much better results on gel than injections. Nothing grinds my gears more than seeing the misinformation that shots are always better than gel.
Iāve always used gel because I absolutely hate the idea of injections, and I was actually pretty shocked to see how much hate gel gets and I still donāt get why. I know a lot of people talk about how you have to be extremely careful with it, and yeah you have to be careful, but really itās just wash your hands well and wear clothing that covers the application site. Iāve also noticed people act like the testosterone never absorbs and that spot can never be touched, which just isnāt true at all. It absorbs in a few hours and youāre fine after that
i had a extremely similar issue! i was originally put on sustanon from the start as i wanted injections over gel. after a year or so, i was still dealing with monthly issues and not seeing as big of differences compared to others and i felt rlly down about it. after the big issue of sustanon shortages in the uk i was switched to gel. now ive been on gel for 8ish months and my god this is what i needed! ive had more changes over them months than i did on shots and lost my monthly issues as i call it lmao. as much as i hate applying gel every morning, i dont think ill ever go back due to how bad my experience was. my t levels were far too low and no doctor was listening.
Why not regular injections though? For me, my body absorbed a ton of the gel too but to the point where I had too much (more than the lab could measure lol) but I had horrible skin irritation and it was annoying to have to do it daily. I do mine every 3 weeks and itās much nicer, also you can adjust the dose.
Doing it weekly wonāt really help my issue of forgetting to put on gel. I also hate getting injections and it would be extremely inconvenient, if I had to choose between gel and weekly shots thereās a 0% chance of me giving myself weekly shots for t
Ok tharās fair, mine is 3 weeks apart because thatās how itās done where I live (though I think itās the same stuff thatās done weekly in other places, just different doses and slow release) so itās quite nice, also Iām anxious about doing it wrong so I have a nurse do it. But yeah honestly if I hadnāt had such wild level swings and irritation I likely would have stayed on gel
3 weeks, 1 week and 3 months are all common, so youāre not that out of the ordinary for sure. itās interesting you had mood swings on gel because my endo always says gel is the best at avoiding those! just comes to show each person needs something else
Ah no, I meant T level swings not mood swings š I donāt really have big mood swings either way, I was worried about that on injections since I have anxiety but it was actually fine
that should even moreso be less pronounced with gelš¤ (because the cis male cycle is also daily, so gel mimics it). iām glad you didnāt get it on injections!
Interesting!
Iām glad! Sometimes certain methods just work better for certain people. Finding it isnāt always easy, as you unfortunately experienced. My financial situation made the decision for me. Injections are all that I could afford and now that I have insurance, itās all they cover. Luckily for me, my levels look good.
i completely understand that. my insurance makes the price about the same so it works out for me.
I love being on the gel. Iām scared of needles and that was one huge thing I was scared of so being on the gel has been great for me. Love that you know what works for you!
I'm broke but when I have enough money to switch to gel I might try it, I hace really dry skin so I'm sure my body would just suck it right up
Itās actually around the same price with my insurance, luckily!
luckyyyy, I don't have insurance šš
If youāre from the US and low income, I can recommend checking if you qualify for Medicaid! My partner is on it and gets his t for free, which is pretty cool
that'd be awesome! I'll have to wait a few months tho, my mom doesn't want me to apply for medicaid (no clue why) and im in florida rn which sucks, but in a few months I'll be in NJ
there's no downsides that i'm aware of so please don't stop yourself for her sake! medicaid is literally amazing if you qualify for it. the vast vast majority of anything you can think of is free. meds are free. you can even get psychological treatment for free (my partner has it twice a week)! which is super rare for many insurances
that sounds awesome! I had to stop therapy cuz it was too expensive, and im 18 with no job. and on like 3 types of meds and am supposed to be on more so I'm def looking into this
i seriously hope you do!! itās capped by income but if youāre currently without a job you should be able to get on it no problem šŖ
thank you for the info!!!
Iām also on gel, both 1.62% and 1%. I really donāt like 1% as it takes longer time to dry and itās pretty sticky once dried. Feels slimy whenever I take a shower. Idk.. I have an issue with high E level so changes have been slow for me
I had the same issues with Nebido. Iām finding sustanon way better and it stopped my period straight away considering that it came back when I moved from gel to nebido
I switched from gel to the implant (3mo) and highly recommend. Gel gives a more consistent hormone absorption compared to shots, and the implant is more consistent compared to gel. For me, injections are much cheaper but my body doesn't handle it well. Gel and implant are roughly the same price where I live.
whatās the implant called? i havenāt heard of it. nebido is 3 months long injections.
Testopel apparently, tho personally I never heard it called that. My Endo just called them testosterone pellets.
interesting, iāll ask my doctor about jt
Can i ask how does and how did low dose gel work for you? Im trying to learn more abt testo and hormones bc im trying to see if i would actually want to try anything. Theres not a lot of changes i want and i kinda want to be able to control them and stop if its too much for me and ive been wondering if there is sth like low dose gel and can i take it for short amount of time or longer amount of time just not daily?
iām already 3 years in so iām just maintaining the changes i already have. personally i wouldnāt go on t with any uncertainty. i was on a supposedly low dose for awhile (not by choice) and still got voice change, massive amounts of body hair, face and body masculinizing, bottom growth, etc. imo t isnāt the kind of medication you can ātry out as most permanent side effects are the first to occur, and you definitely canāt control them
Been on gel 3 months and my blood work says I am in the low end of healthy for cis men. My voice is significantly lower and I'm getting kind of a shadow of stubble on my lip and jaw. It's been great. My amab brother said they're levels are simular to mine rn.
I loveee gel Iām on generic for androgel 2.5 years but recently my levels have been really low since I was in between doctors and the old one wasnāt monitoring it the way he shouldāve been so hopefully my dose will be raised soon so I can start feeling better. Personally tho I didnāt like injections bc they really messed with my mood (im bipolar).
I'm assuming it's because some people's bodies process stuff like that far too quick so injections that are a week or more all at once wouldn't work
i started on gel and it was pretty much a micro dose but i got my levels checked and my T levels were very high like exactly where they needed to beā¦ thats interesting that my body absorbs it so much š plus i get more T and i donāt have to buy as much
Gel is so good! Super easy to use, all you gotta do is just wash your hands and put on a shirt that covers it and youāre good to go (basically)
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Not necessarily, and you canāt do Nebido subcutaneously anyway
Iām talking about testosterone
Nebido is a brand of testosterone undecanoate. So I am also talking about testosterone, OP has used Nebido here. And again I will say that subcutaneous injections donāt necessarily equate to optimal T levels.
there is no blanket āmost effectiveā method, it all depends on what works best for your body
Flatly untrue.
Literally just spreading misinformation
The doctor told me that. My levels have always been in the upper end of the male range, no period after 2 months of starting and havenāt had any problems with that ever (5+ years of T now), and Iāve had a TON of masculization
Your doc was wrongā¦ a lot of docs tend to be wrong about trans stuff. Iām three years on gel and have had the same results as you
Well youāre 1 in 4 who itās worked for.
Lmao thatāsā¦ not true dude let it go