HRT and Male Health

[jlc9292 (imported)]

I am on injections and have gone from one monthly to as often as twice weekly. Monthly injections will put you on a rollercoaster. The half life of testosterone injections is 8 days. You will spike within about 24 hours of your injection and then gradually drop. The drop is 50% every 8 days. I have found that weekly injections are very adequate to eliminate the highs and lows. Twice weekly is better but I did not see any significant difference between twice weekly or once a week. I give my own shots so frequency is not an issue. I would certainly not want to go more than two weeks between injections.

Be sure to monitor your Total T, Free T, E2 (Estradiol), Hematocrit, Hemoglobin and RBC on a regular basis. Total T, Free T, and E2 should be tested after 5 injection cycles with a "Trough" test taken in the morning just prior to an injection and a "Peak" test taken the next morning 24 hours after the injection.

Hope this helps... Good luck getting stable on shots.

Anyone getting injections? I have read that this is a bit of a rollercoaster ride in terms of levels. It is the only method of HRT offered here so that is what I would have to take or go without.

what kind of testing should be done? Countryside doctors are not up on all the city stuff yet.

Cheers

W

[Wellesley (imported)]

I am on injections and have gone from one monthly to as often as twice weekly. Monthly injections will put you on a rollercoaster. The half life of testosterone injections is 8 days. You will spike within about 24 hours of your injection and then gradually drop. The drop is 50% every 8 days. I have found that weekly injections are very adequate to eliminate the highs and lows. Twice weekly is better but I did not see any significant difference between twice weekly or once a week. I give my own shots so frequency is not an issue. I would certainly not want to go more than two weeks between injections.

Be sure to monitor your Total T, Free T, E2 (Estradiol), Hematocrit, Hemoglobin and RBC on a regular basis. Total T, Free T, and E2 should be tested after 5 injection cycles with a "Trough" test taken in the morning just prior to an injection and a "Peak" test taken the next morning 24 hours after the injection.

Hope this helps... Good luck getting stable on shots.

Thanks, I have noticed that. 8 days that gives me a starting place. So 16 days and I am essentially empty yeah I get that too.

The first time I got injected in the arm, I think it got absorbed quickly and I spiked and bottomed out.

Second shot was in the butt. Seems more stable that way, but then again I was running on empty at that point.

Once weekly is not so bad, I will get my wife to give me the shots in the future (MD) and she will have her own clinic next September so I can get any blood work done. Now it is a pain cause the blood tests take 5 - 7 days to get results so the lag between injections can be a week, thus I will get blood draws every Monday for the next few months. Once I have baseline information dosing should be easier?

RBC? Why is that? Hmmm I understand the idea of a peak test 24 hours after. I will try that next time. Doctors around here are pretty clueless for hormone issues. So I am having to do a lot of my own research.

LH (lutropin) and FSH levels are take as part of the test.

What about liver function? I understand that liver issues are a side effect of the injection therapy?

Also what range of T is good to try to hold or is that really a personal choice?

Cheers

PM me if you want

[iBorg317 (imported)]

I first had shots in the buttocks. It was difficult to rely on someone else to give the shots and keep on schedule. About two months ago I started doing them myself using my thigh. The info is from here:

http://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/B_E ... 07779.html

Thanks to Mr. T and Speedvogel for very helpful links. THis is from an earlier post I did (

http://www.eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1769

2 ).

I find that I don't utilize the T nearly as well if injected in the butt as the thigh or it could be I'm more regular doing it myself. To help me stay regular, I set up on my iPod a calendar showing which side to shoot and a reminder. Overall it seems much less painful than the butt and I actually seem pretty regular in mood and ability to sexually perform. I also don't feel so weak. I am very suspectable to major mood swings when my T is low which are much better controlled. My wife wouldn't say I'm great but she would agree I'm better.

Good luck and as has already been stated, pay attention, you'll figure out how often and how much you need to inject.

[Wellesley (imported)]

Thanks,

Good information, I will try to get on a weekly program. The uro that did the surgery and was running the follow up is not all that interested in my case, the language barrier (Japanese versus my middling Japanese and English) does not help much.

I am trying to get my wife to take over my case and treatment even though it is not her area. She does the blood work now so asking her to do the injections as well should not be too much of a stretch.