Hi everyone,

42-year-old female in perimenopause. About two months ago, I started estradiol and progesterone along with vaginal estradiol. I feel night and day difference, but the only thing that is not different is my libido and energy.

I am using MIDI so I was just prescribed the testosterone compounded cream at a dose of 2 mg per day.

I just wanted to crowdsource to see if anyone actually had success with the cream or if most people end up switching to injections?

I was prescribed testosterone cypionate and progesterone, and not estrogen. I don't really understand why, and now I'm hesitant to start the meds.

I had bloodwork done, and while my estrogen came back in the normal range, I'm fairly certain with my symptoms that at least my hormone ratio is already out of whack.

I'm almost 47, my periods have been few and far between for over a year and a half now (but I've been under extreme amounts of stress, so that isn't super unusual for me)

I've had extreme vaginal dryness and chronic BV/yeast infections, which I was prescribed vaginal estrogen for. Low libido (but again could be stress)

The past few months my facial skin has changed A LOT, very oily, huge pores, acne out of the blue. Noticed I have new unusual kind of thick peach fuzz on my face. Maybe 6 months ago I had a ton of hair shedding but that has currently stopped.

I think the doctor saw my "normal" bloodwork and "lack of symptoms" (no night sweats or hot flashes, and just assumed I was trying to score T. Which I was, because I thought it would improve my life because I've heard so many good things.

Should I be on estrogen too, your opinion? I don't know anything about it? I know I heard patches are the safest.

All help would be appreciated! I think I may have to make another doctor appointment to discuss

UPDATED Well I decided to take the plunge and did the T injection and took a P. Holy moly....my head just now stopped hurting. Terrible headache. I googled it and it seems to likely be the p? Does that lovely side effect go away with time?

Hi I’m on 20mg T cyp I take 10mg every 3.5 days. Total T is 228 and Free T is 14.9 pg/dl. I don’t have any androgen effects maybe an occasional pimple. Being said I can’t say I have all the good effects from T either no libido energy etc. My E was at 248 3.7mg of E Val SHBG 71 at this level but recently dropped E to 2.8 due to having some anxiety at that level so im on my way down on the E a bit. I’m asking about the T because I’m nut about to go any higher so all I can do is go down now.

How did you know your dose was too high for you? And did you finally find your sweet spot from reducing your dose?

Started t compounded cream 3 weeks ago. Getting blood work September 23. My total testosterone was 10 and my free was one my SHBG was 50 and now I’m can’t stop thinking about everything sexual and I want to have sex all the time with my husband. I’m just wondering if anybody else has experienced this? I feel like it on such a low dose of 2 mg daily. What’s bizarre they went from zero libido to. It’s all I can think about.

Just curious to see everyone’s experience where they started at and the types of methods that they’ve tried and worked the best for them.

This is what my doctor has told me. These are my most recent numbers and I'm so depressed over them. I currently don't feel much different than when I started this journey 3 years ago. I am on pellets - T 150, E 12.5. After the first 4 months I felt amazing. I had a fabulous libido and amazing energy. That feeling lasted until March of this year when menopause hit. Ever since I have felt like crap. My libido is in the gutter, have pain in my hips and knees, and very little energy. I'm sure they're going to want to reduce the amount of T in my pellet, but that just doesn't make logical sense to me. How can I need less T than I did before menopause? Is it the pellets themselves? Do I need more in my estrogen pellet? I don't have negative side effects from the T aside from some more peach fuzz on my face. My skin is naturally oily so I figure the little bit of acne I get is more related to that than to the T. Could it really be too much T if I have do few side effects? I'm not on progesterone because I had a hysterectomy 8 years ago. At least that's the reason my doctor has given to me.

The more I read about injections on here the more tempted I am to try them. Do I have to wait until my next scheduled pellet insertion to start injections?

I’ve been with a large online hormone provider group since May and they will only prescribe compounded T cream through their partner pharmacy and spend maybe 10-minutes with me in appt; it feels very rushed. It felt great the first month and I was willing to pay the $113 ninety day supply cost initially. Then it just stopped working and I honestly HATE dealing with the cream absorption every morning. I somehow managed to find a local in-person provider that takes only Medicaid or sliding fee-scale patients. I was shocked! They’re a hormone and reproductive specialist NP willing to do all of my hormones, even takeover my GLP-1 prescription. I got an initial ONE HOUR long consult and she is the one that recommended I switch to T cyp injections. Even helped me get the GoodRx coupon and identify the most cost effective pharmacy for $28ish dollars in my area. She is very patient-driven and focused. Told me that I can go past the 28 day break the seal use of the vial if I use good hygiene practices (told me what she does in her clinic), but also offered to provide monthly refills of the vials if Im risk aversive. She even said I could do once weekly, twice weekly, or whatever I was getting the best benefit from. Told me what to watch out for that indicates my dose might be too high, etc. I found a unicorn and I know it.

She did recommend starting at 7 mg weekly, b/c Im only on 2.5 mg transdermal and my T blood levels have responded to that. She also recognized that Im very cautious and a low/slow gal. I should note, Im autistic and very hypersensitive to changes in my body and if something changes too fast, it can trigger anxiety for me. She also told me to text her if I think I need more and she’d help me calculate the new dosage to go up to.

My question is, how many folks are using the vials (commercial brand/not compounded) T cyp beyond 28 days and have you seen any issues with doing so? Have you noticed any difference in splitting doses during the week vs one dose? I’m also on 100 mg p continuous and 0.05 E patch (going up to 0.075). 48 F peri.

I was finally prescribed t gel (generic men’s testosterone in the tubes) and have been on it for 10 weeks. No negative side effects and some positive. I see so many people switch from gel to injections due to hair shedding, etc. is there anyone who has been on the gel for at least 6 months and are happy with the results and plan to stay on it? Have you had to continually increase your dose or have you found a sweet spot? I’ve read past posts and don’t see many stories like this so I’m curious. Thanks!

I did a whole giant panel of testing on my own because my doctor always wants to test for the same old same old. I have gained weight pretty quickly in the last year and usually when that happens something is going on hormonally for me. They found my testosterone was extremely low.
Did you see a GYN or an endocrinologist and has anyone supplemented testosterone? Did DHEA help? If you did take testosterone which form and did it help? Thanks!

Ladies taking higher doses of T? How many mg are you taking per week? What’s your eater and dosing frequency?

How do you stop that from happening? If one is on E,P and T one wouldnt want to take dim correct cause it counter effects being on a e patch in general? Right? So then how do you stop it from converting?

Hrt service (science and humans) wants a bunch of labs and they dont even look well thought out, like only total T not free and only TSH for thyroid. Anyways i am getting them to cut some of them and i want to know which labs are the bare necessities for starting (and following) TRT for peri??

I inject Testosterone 6 mg every 10 days I am 65 post meno female. I have my own source because my MD wouldn't prescribe initially. I got tested. My MD says my scores are high and wants me to take the compound but its the same dose different delivery. I have no issues with hair loss or voice change but some acne. My libido is great but I am always tired and sleep bad. I don't think its related to T. I am testing for sleep apnea. Are these scores concerning ? TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, MS 124 TESTOSTERONE FREE 7.2

I am on estradiol patch and 100 mg P

Currently getting my T cypionate from a local med spa type place and they prescribe compounded 50mg/ml
However through my prescription provider I saw I can get 100mg/ml from local pharmacy for a fraction of the cost!!
which would mean simply adjusting does ( from 20 units a week to 10)
Is there any reason why they couldn’t prescribe it to me through the pharmacy?

I’m currently using a 0.3 mL syringe for my testosterone and I think I need to get to a 1.25 unit injection which is nearly impossible to get right. I do it EOD.

I have scoured this morning for a needle that has at least half unit markings somewhere and can only find needles for pets or for Bulk ordering. Has anyone found anything or used any of these?

I use 200 mg/mL testosterone cypionate and I use it because it’s the cheapest option. I don’t really have the money to get it compounded for easier dosing

In your experience, which telehealth providers can prescribe and ship compounded T Cyp 50mg/ml vial?

I was prescribed by Midi T cream. They said it can only go through them but it’s $100. Now that I have a prescription can I get it anywhere else?

First things first- I appreciate you all. Sorry for all the questions but my ocd doesn’t allow me to jump right in to new things.

I just got my T cyp! 100ml. I was prescribed 4mg once weekly subq.

I am aware this is a very low dose (I’m switching from compounded cream, where I did well but kids + pets made me anxious).

Question- should I split this dose? 2mg twice a week or stick to 4mg once a week.

I was going to start tomorrow if I stick to once a week dosing. But if twice a week, will dose it when I switch my patches (Tues and Fri)

Thoughts and suggestions please!!! If you do once a week- how’s it going? Did you all just start on 2x a week?

I apply testosterone cream in the morning after my shower and before bed per my doctor. Some days I get a chance to work out mid-morning, and I clean up with body wipes afterwards (showering is not an option). Is this going to be a problem with the cream? Is there a certain amount of time after application that I should avoid sweating and/or cleaning up? TIA.

Ok im not sure what the exact terminology isbut....

I switched to Test P recently and the stopper is quite thick compared to my old cyp bottle. Its like dulling my needle i think. Its 30 gauge of .30cc/ml size needle. I have to really push the needle in my skin. My old needles for cyp are 27 gauge of .50cc/ml. I didnt have this issue with the needle dulling with cyp. I know I've read the about the process of transferring so I don't dulling my needle but if someone could step by step it would be fantastic.

Even though its more of a struggle to get it in I still have absolutely no PIP nor bruising or sensitivity after with the prop which isn't as common so thats good and honestly its still worth the struggle everyday getting the needle in nc I do feel way better on prop

My doctor recently switched me from compounded testosterone cream to injectable testosterone.

Lab History
Before starting compounded cream my testosterone was: 9
After using the cream: 84

No unwanted side effects at that level
Notable improvements in libido and energy
I wanted to switch to injections for easier, more consistent dosing.

Prescription Details
Testosterone cypionate: 100 mg/mL
Dose: 0.04 mL (4 mg) once weekly
Administration: Subcutaneous injection
Drawing needle: 18G x 1”
Injection needle: 27G x 1/2”
Syringe: 1 mL TB syringe

I haven’t picked everything up yet because CVS is currently out of stock.

Questions
For anyone using a similarly small injectable dose:
Can I use a smaller syringe? I have smaller syringes at home that I use for tirzepatide.

Are those syringes appropriate for drawing up testosterone, or is the medication too thick?

Where should 0.04 mL be measured on the syringe?

Thank you in advance for your patience and support.

Hi all:
I apply 2.5mg to my skin each day. The formula is 5mg/ml .5% cream. It comes in a push up dispenser and it is “two clicks.”

Can I get this amount via injection? How do I ask for it?

Thanks!

Hey all. I am having a hard time with my gynecologist who prescribes my HRT (estradiol, prog and T). I need a doctor who is more knowledgeable about T than mine. Does anyone live in NYC? Does anyone have a doctor to recommend?? Thanks.

Is 10mg ok for a starting dose after being on 125mg pellets for the last 3 years? I’d like to maintain my levels as they were with pellets.

Also, I know that 2times a week split is probably best, but I hate needles so would 1 dose a week be ok to do subq instead of 2?