Not that I’m afraid of needles, but pills are easier. Any suggestions on best in pill form? Any disadvantages to them over injection?
I believe there’s only one real option and it’s brand new. Test undecanoate in oral form. Forget the name but you can google it. If you don’t like needles best bet may be creams. Cheaper and easier to get.
Liver failure. 
I find injecting twice a week is easier than trying to remember swallowing pills twice a day.
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If OP is talking about cycles (so not TRT) then the difference is
- substantial hepatotoxicity
- extreme lipid strain
- orals tend to be harsher on gut flora, can induce chronic heartburn
- harsher on BP (typically)
and more
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If you’re looking just for TRT, scrotal cream is rather popular. But I believe it’s applied twice daily, and you’ve gotten keep your ball bag smooth year round. I’m too lazy for that, rather pin twice a week. Oh, and I had EXTREME phobia of needles for 30 years. Frequent injections actually helps with phobia, it’s essentially a form of CBT.
I’ve never understood this phobia surrounding needles. So many kids within my cohort back in HS would talk about how they hated getting vaccinated due to needles, they’d squirm/visibly seem distressed if a film on TV would show IV drug use/needles as a generalisation.
I’m sitting back thinking “haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”.
I don’t know where mine came from. Never a bad experience to point back on. For me, I had this image in my head of a needle putting a dent in my skin before it pierced through, and then making a pop as it went through the skin. It always just had me worked up and terrified. Watching people on TV get shots made me squirm. I had to listen to music and BLAST it every time I needed a vaccination.
Running my first cycle i was terrified. My wife would laugh at me and call me a little bitch, before she’d pin my glute. I got over it quickly, and slowly began to crave it (well the effects).
I started subq as I was afraid of IM. Now pinning delts. I would be freeked out if I had to do an IV shot in myself.
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Let me save you the time. Needles or nothing. Sub Q is virtually painless and easy
I tried sub Q when going from my blast to cruise dose and got a painful lump that lasted almost a week. I since went back to IM with no problems.
It’s also inferior to IM. It’s definitely better than not injecting testosterone but IM is superior (and also painless if you use the same insulin syringes you’re using for sub-q). I did sub-q for a long time.
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I don’t believe there is data to support the notion that SQ is inferior to IM
SQ injections tend to prolong the HL of injectable T, lower peak, higher nadir (cavg probably very similar). I wasn’t a fan of SQ T as it’d leave long lasting knots around the site of injection. In terms of mere replacement, SQ shots could supposedly provide more hormonal stability, the absence of a supraphysiologic peak would make excess erythrocytosis less likely in prone individuals (typically the elderly/those with predisposition). One can only donate/opt for therapeutic phlebotomy until their ferritin/iron stores tank, after which you’ll feel rather sluggish. Iron deficiency absent of anaemia can still induce clinical symptomatology.
There is a marketed formulation of testosterone out on the market (xyosted I believe) that has been designed specifically for sub Q injection. I believe the product is a waste of time, it’s an autojector (branded xyosted) and would theoretically be far more expensive to acquire compared to a proportional dose of generic testosterone cypionate/enanthate. If they made xyosted generic and marketed it in Australia I’d most certainly be willing to give it a go
I already pay like 35$ for 3ml of pharm grade T (when you’re a student on a budget this can be irritating)… Still better than the 90$/3ml I had to pay when testosterone enanthate was “out”.
It depends on your goals. For example, in my case I get low E2 symptoms on IM after a while (all other variables constant) very similar to crashed E2 (cannot retain water, no pumps, depression, joint pains). On SubQ those symptoms are completely alleviated. I have yet to do side by side bloods to test, but it looks like I aromatise very poorly on IM. ( I also have a very low natural BF% not sure if this plays a part on why this is so)
So for me, SubQ is superior. There may be plenty of other reasons why one or the other is better suited to a particular individual.
If your goal is to feel like you’re on testosterone than IM is superior. If you want to be on testosterone but not feel like you are then sub-q is your best bet. Sub-q feels like you’re taking a time release version of an already time release medication. Even when my T levels were at 2000 constantly on sub-q I didn’t feel anything. I went 6 months thinking I must be doing something wrong until I got lab results back. I went another 4-6 months before switching to IM and it’s much better for wellbeing. If there wasn’t 50 other people who have all said the same thing after switching to IM I might think it was just my opinion.
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I think you’re experience is purely anecdotal, though I could be wrong. According to the clinical data that exists, sub Q t is generally just as effective at warding off symptoms of hypogonadism.
Not sure if a difference exists when crossing over into pharmacological territory… No data on that
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My experience has pretty much mirrored yours. I ‘notice’ the effects of T more with IM
@dextermorgan and @unreal24278 this is a very interesting discussion. My doc in the UK, who is a top level TRT specialist, believes massively in sub q daily pinning for the most stable T levels requiring minimal dosages. I for example had 30% over the high normal range with only 95mg a week of test Cyp and 1/4 aromasin (6.25mg) every 3 days.
He believes it is the best option for regular stable levels. Daily pinning is a bit of a pain, but my TRT protocol once dialled in has been very consistent.
One thing I have noticed on rare occasion is an immense sense of well-being or an immense feeling of gratefulness for what I have in life. This hasn’t happened often (maybe 6 or 7 times in the last 9 months) but when it does happen, man it feels great. I wish it could happen more often. It is as if a cloud of depression has been completely lifted and life is great.
I am two weeks into my first blast and this feeling hasn’t yet happened and this is with 200mg a week sub q (split in daily injections) and 300mg weekly IM (blasted every 3 days). I am a little disappointed by that tbh.
That sense of well-being is absolutely amazing, although it has been allusive and rare for me.
Yes, cycles. This is enough to not make me want to take pills. I’ve had heartburn issues in the past, not looking for any to return. Thanks for this info!
Dr Crisler was big into sub-q. Mine was 100+% over the high normal range doing 185mg sub-q and didn’t feel anything great. Same dose IM has me feeling amazing erry day. I switched from sub-q to IM because of the threads stating how much better IM made them feel at the same dosage.