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question from a user

I am: 42 yo male, 5'11" 280 lbs with a BMI of 40 and 42% body fat. Pre trt blood work: TESTOSTERONE, TOTAL, MS 242 L TESTOSTERONE, FREE 35.7 I started 1% gel/2 pumps/40 mgs daily 2.5 weeks ago. First few days I felt great, then I felt worse than before, now I feel probably the same as I did before. I was having labs done unrelated two days ago, and asked them to throw T levels and estradiol in there just out of curiosity. Total T came in as the same levels as before starting, and they did the wrong test for T, (not LC/MS/MC) so my free and bio came back as unr adable since I came back as total under 250. Is it normal to have those levels? I assume that my normal production readjusted to the same levels as what I had before. Problem is that my endo doesn't want to see me for 3 months, nor wants to test me before then. Should I push him? I'm ready to try higher doses, even if just a little bit. Also considering going with Patches or injections because im paranoid about transferring to my 8 and 6 yo girls or my wife. We all sometimes sleeping the same bed. Am I overthinking that. What are the drawbacks for the patch other than possible skin irritation?

AlphaMD's Answer

In most cases we would want a patient to wait at least past the 6-7 week mark before adjusting dosages because that's around the point that your body truly accepts the extra Testosterone as its own. That said, it would be good to give some pushback to be seen in ~6 weeks from now.

The likelihood of transfer are pretty low for creams if you're doing it right. For us, we always ask that men use their scrotum because the skin is so thin there it's incredibly good for absorption & also not very likely that family members will be brushing that. Doing so would also increase the effectiveness of your treatment, but I would still consult with your endo over any change as he is managing you.

The main drawbacks to patches and creams in our eyes is that they're expensive, somewhat inconsistent if people sweat or fail to maintain their routine, but most importantly is that they're weak. They do work, don't get me wrong, but they do pale in comparison to the results and overall lower costs of injectable Testosterone. Injectables can be dialed in very effectively & it's pretty hard for people to mess up the dosage based on not letting it sit long enough or getting hot & sweating.

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