I read the sticky by KSman, and it was started back to 2009. I didnt sift thru all the posts to present. I just started T replacement 2 weeks ago. The first two shots have caused a pain type ache in both my thighs. I am doing IM injections and read how some guys were saying in 2009 that SC may work just as good. I am also getting HCG which is SC I believe. The second week I started injecting myself under the supervision of the PA.
I would appreciate some opinions on if the practice of SC injections for testosterone injections works. Maybe it is something that varies with people. I will be talking to the PA also.
Thanks for all the people who contribute to helping each other better their lives.
Hey boss, I’m three weeks into my trt protocol. I did read hours upon hours of articles, posts, and bloodwork before I decided to go straight to subq injections. I didn’t want to play around with older methodology when there were obvious benefits with subq. I do not have bloodwork yet but based on symptoms (or lack there of) I believe it’s working quite well. It has taken some getting used to but I’m feeling very confident. I’m sure we will be tweaking things a bit but I know I’m on the right track. If you haven’t yet, check out Dr John Crisler from Michigan. Outspoken advocate for subq administration and does consultation via Skype. Lots of YouTube videos.
I just watched the video by Dr. Crisler, dude is pretty ripped for an older guy. I am actually 45 but his face looks 55+ but upper body is impressive. I will definitely be talking to the PA. I am going to a clinic that specializes in men’s health so I am trusting they are on top of new methods but maybe I need to enlighten them. I am in WA State.
Welcome to the wonderful world of trt. Just like anything in this world there are lots of opinions that go this way or that way. It’s a minefield of information. I my humble opinion you won’t be going wrong either way (IM VS SQ). It’s really easy and virtually painless subq. The only “pain” I feel is when I press an alcohol swab on the injection site after I have taken out the needle. That burns a little on the ol love handle. Gets a little pink for about 45 minutes then goes away.
My clinic has me self inject, they only believe in IM once a week, I had to convince them to go twice a week, now I’m going to go back and ask them if I can go EOD subq, curious as to what they will say.
So I’ve been doing IM because when I tried SC it took way too much effort to push the oil through a slin pin. My first few IM hurt too man, I totally understand. But I got used to it pretty quickly (and I started off being very bad with needles; like panic attacks because of them) and now it’s painless.
I say test out SC and see if you like it. Find what works for you. Best of luck man.
I can 2nd what @iron_yuppie said about pushing the oil out of a slin pen. I’m using a 29 gauge and it’s SLOW. I’m getting the hang of it though. I had mild panic attack first couple shots. Heavy breathing. Hands shaking. Now I’m leveled out and the shots are smooth and steady. Really only takes a couple minutes. My wife thought I dropped the whole thing and stopped taking shots because she had no idea I was doing them.
I’ve always injected SubQ with a 30g Insulin pin. Zero pain, zero problems. Only “downside” is that it takes a few minutes to draw, but this is hardly a downside. I’d much rather subcutaneous than injecting into and scarring the muscles thousands of times over your lifetime.
Totally agree. At some point I’m going to have to revisit SC as a method because it just makes more sense in the long term. If my compound pharmacy would make my test with GSO it would make pushing through a slin much easier.
@iron_yuppie, yes sir I’m absolutely sure it would help. I’ve checked with multiple pharmacies and the largest gauge they carry is 29 gauge insulin syringes. I will openly admit that I’m challenged when it comes to online shopping. I prefer to walk in a store and put my hands on something before I buy it. I have 50 luer lock 20 gauge 1.5" syringes the doc gave me. All I need are the half inch replacement needles for them. I’m sure that would go smoothly. I will try it in the future. Just gonna use what I have on hand right now.
In my state a pharmacy won’t sell needles without an rx, but you can order them online and have them shipped to you and it’s legal. So in the past I have tried 23g instead of the 21g that my doc gave me. It actually caused more pain because even though the actual puncture hole was smaller the added pressure of pushing the oil gave me some irritation for a few days. Realistically I just need to be patient with a slin, backfill it, then do SC very slowly. The more we talk about it the more I think I should give it another try. Seems like a better way to go.
I did my injection at 430am this morning and there is just nothing to it. Almost to easy. It does take patience and a relatively steady hand but easy easy easy. I’m sitting here rubbing my side and can’t even tell I did an injection this morning.