[quote]lookforbalance wrote:
Thank you for the replies. Yesterday afternoon I applied the gel after I filled the scrip and it’s hard to say if I felt anything. I did wake up this morning with morning wood however - coincidence? I applied the gel again this morning prior to leaving for work and I?m still not really sure I feel anything. I train in the middle of the day so I?ll see how that feels. Those that have tried different medications ? how long did your Doc wait before switching you? I?m not scheduled to see him again for two months. [/quote]
Congrats on the morning wood. The Testim would certainly contribute.
Physiologically, your body now has higher T levels than it did yesterday. What level? Impossible to say without testing, but a wild guess would be 700-ish. Right now your body is getting the 5 g of Testim, combined with the full 224 ng/dl of testicular T production.
What will happen over the next two months is your testicular T production will fall and stabilize at a low level, while your body absorbs the Testim. Your total T will drop below what it is right now (testicular T + Testim T), but will be higher than yesterday (testicular T only). So when you go back to your doctor in two months you will get a fairly accurate assessment of where you are and can expect to remain.
I cannot locate my Testim info, but I recall the typical patient at two months using 5 g stabilizes around 500 ng/dl. In my opinion that is too low, but you’ll have to decide for yourself based on how you feel.
In my own experience I perform best at about 850 ng/dl, which is where I am now. I got to that level after years of experimentation with different levels and drugs: Androderm, Androgel, Testim, compounded cream, injections; HRT T levels as low as 400 ng/dl and as high as 1800 ng/dl.
With Testim, I used 5 g and 10 g for a few months and was never really satisfied. I objected to the oily feel and musky smell of Testim in particular, and as with all gels and creams I objected to the inconvenience of daily application, risk of transfer, and high cost.
Currently I self inject 110 cc’s T Cyp-100 weekly and it seems to be the best balance of all factors: mental acuity, psychological well being, physical prowess, sexual drive, and ease of use. I am 38 years old, 6’2", 231 lbs, 22% BF, and have used HRT for 5 years.
Good luck!