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Going in tomorrow for follow-up lab work. It'll give the doctor something to compare. First test showed low (they didn't provide numbers) 'T' levels. If it's low this time they'll put me on AndroGel. Woot!

Info Side Note: My ins is set up for 90 day supplies, with 3 added refills for drugs. In Indiana, maybe elsewhere, limits are set for 90 days and one added refill. Might check on your rules, the limit raises drug costs for me.

Goofproof wrote:Info Side Note: My ins is set up for 90 day supplies, with 3 added refills for drugs. In Indiana, maybe elsewhere, limits are set for 90 days and one added refill. Might check on your rules, the limit raises drug costs for me.

Yep, a 90 day refill is what I can get here too. The Doc may want to see me every 90 days at first just to monitor its effectiveness. Then, I hope to move it up to 180 days.

I did the gel replacement for 5 years after testing low... used Androgel 1% which I liked a lot better than Testim, which was substituted a few times (the Testim also remains sticky on the arm which I hated)...

After going on cpap and losing weight, I decided to go off the T replacement as well to see how I'd do without it, and I'm doing great (so far - I've been off the gel after doing a taper for 8 months now). My doctor tests now for Free Testosterone as well, to see how much is available in my body at a given time, and it's not a bad number, considering. I also feel a lot better at 75 pounds lighter, and exercising 4-5 times a week.

As I think was said above, poor sleep, inflammation in the body and belly fat can reduce T levels... to do it all again, I would NOT have started T replacement. While it did raise my T levels as far as testing goes, I never experienced a burst of energy from T replacement, either before or after cpap, and no noticeable increase in libido. But I stuck with it for 5 years anyway.

It's important to remember that your body will stop making any testosterone once you start replacing... I've heard that if you go off T replacement later that sometimes the body never does restart on its own, but I wanted to try.

Some have said that the injections are far more effective, but I never tried them.

RandyJ wrote:Some have said that the injections are far more effective, but I never tried them.

A co-worker swears by the injection. I think I'll stick with the AndroGel (if that's what I get). Just what I need ... another prescription.

Injection is, hands down, the best delivery method. This is not disputed.

Other options are out there (such as the gel) because a lot of people don't like needles. With injections, you get 100% of the administered dose. With things like gels, you only absorb about 50-60% of the testosterone.

So, if you want accuracy of dosage, go with the injections.

digitalepiphany wrote:Injection is, hands down, the best delivery method. This is not disputed.

Other options are out there (such as the gel) because a lot of people don't like needles. With injections, you get 100% of the administered dose. With things like gels, you only absorb about 50-60% of the testosterone.

So, if you want accuracy of dosage, go with the injections.

The only negative I've read about was the potential for a small chance of infection.

I like the idea of self injectable application. Simple and no oder.

Joe

There's a small chance of infection with anything you do. But, do you think insulin-dependent diabetics get infections very often from injecting? Nope. The odds of infection from a testosterone injection are no greater than from injecting insulin. If that's your only concern, don't worry about it. Injection is the best way to go with testosterone. Most doctors won't allow you to self-administer though. Find one who will. Otherwise, you'll get hit with co-pays every week you go in for an injection.

Self injection is the only way I would go. I mentioned the possibility of infection only because it was mentioned in WebMD. It's not a concern of mine.