I have been on HRT for a couple years. I get a testosterone cream from a compounding pharmacy in the US. My levels have remained in the low normal range. I read an article online about greatest absorption rate for test and in experiments it shows that scrotal skin absorption is many times more efficient. So I shaved my sac and started putting it on there daily. Sept 2018 my level was 241.
Doc doubled the amount of cream and I started putting it on the old man bag and rechecked this past Saturday and my free test level was 3000+. Just as a heads up for people that are going to do it anyway if the shift is that great it might be a useful option for those who are going to do it anyway and at least would be pharma grade. As soon as my doc approves the lab result I will copy and post proof of result
What was the time period between application to the nads and blood draw?
The general procedure is to apply at night for 3 nights then collect sample 8 to 14 hours after application. If you are using an alcohol based preparation, then most gets absorbed quickly.
If using a gel, please consider a liposomal delivery system applied to the forearm (and not to your sac). In the liposomal product, tesosterone is encased in a liposomal shell. It’s lipophillic and is readily absorbed into subcutaneous fat that serves as a reservoir, slowly metering T to the blood stream. Unless you are carrying a few layers of fat on your sac, there is only one place for the meds to go but your blood stream. That skin is very thin.
An alcohol based product dumps it’s load into the bloodstream over a few short hours, radically increasing the amplitude of Cmax (max concentration of serum testosterone).
Labs were done about 6 hrs after application that day. I have been applying it daily for about 5 months. I have lost a fair amount of body fat over that period but I thought it was due to my diet and increased exercise.
I have felt great honestly my hemoglobin is a bit high and I am going to donate blood to get that down. Going to get my cholesterol levels checked too.
Yeah not alcohol based and only about 525 mg per week. About 6 hrs after that days dose. I am honestly a little freaked out by the level being so high.
So what does your doc say about these levels? How high was your hemoglobin that you think you need to donate blood? I dont know enough about gels or creams to really comment on that.
Modern docs don’t see a problem with with higher RBCs. Its not polycythemia its erythrocytosis. Dr. Neal Rouzier makes the point that people with emphysema or COPD have higher RBC counts to compensate for their condition and they dont phlebotomize them. Just a thought.
My doc is trying for high physiologic levels of testosterone so he thinks the level is way to high. He would like my hemoglobin below 18. I was 18.5 when I donated blood. Family hx of heart disease so also would like to keep to that lower level and I accept that this might be overly cautious. Also no negative to helping someone out who needs a blood transfusion. I am going to do serial lab draws over the next week or two to see how long it takes to get back into physiologic range. I honestly felt great at that 3k level. If I know how long it takes to drop back to that level I guess I can always go back to scrotal application of the cream between blood draws. The cost of the cream is so damn cheap. Month supply with fedex shipping is only $43
We really aren’t concerned about peak levels (unless you are being treated for excessive testosterone levels) assuming they are at a reasonable level. Nearly everyone is getting treated because of a deficiency. If this is the case, then we are very concerned about trough levels.
With injectables, test just before your next dose. If you are using cream, switch to nightly application for three nights and then test 8 to 14 hours later (generally first thing in the morning).
If you are collecting at the wrong time it will throw off you doc, confuse him and possibly result in a non-representative sample.
