Hey fellas, after a 3.5 year roller coaster on injections I will be trying test cream (200mg/g). The doc recommends 2 clicks twice a day… AM/PM (50mg per click 200mg total). Is this a good protocol or too much? Would 1 click once a day work? I want to feel better soon but don’t want to worry about high E2. I’m a low SHBG guy so I’m thinking I’ll do well with cream, just trying to decide on a good starting dose and the best frequency (all in the AM or PM, once or twice a day etc). I will be applying to the scrotum since all the research I’ve read shows it has a higher absorption.
Anyone have any guidance or tips on how I can make this method a success? I saw a post from @enackers giving kudos to this method
I don’t think having low SHBG is going to matter, it will depend if your body is able to absorb enough of their Test otherwise your levels will be on a roller coaster with really big peaks and troughs within hours rather than across days like when on the injectables.
Twice daily is ideal since the half-life is so short. Your doc seems like he’s giving you the right protocol. If you find your levels are crazy high on the scrotum application and reducing the dosage fails to achieve desired results, the inner thigh shouldn’t absorb as much as the scrotum application.
So my low SHBG shouldn’t be a concern? Are there things I can do to maximize absorption through scrotum as much as possible? Also, is it fair to say I’ll feel great again very very quickly since I don’t have to wait 6-8 weeks for levels to rise like injections?
Absorption isn’t something you can control, you’ll either absorb enough or you won’t. The T cream works very fast, testosterone cream reaches a stable state in 5 half lives.
I did 2 clicks at 6am and 1 around 10pm, no way I was waking up at 2am just to slather some cream on
I ended up going back to injections, got tired of putting something on 2x a day and worrying about if it had been long enough to not transfer to my wife and blah blah blah. Levels wise it’s the highest I’ve been so it def works as far as that goes imo. It had me around 40 free T and total T was beyond whatever the test would measure
@ncsugrad2002 oh ok how long were you on cream? That’s great you had such high levels! Did you feel great too? In your opinion, do I have anything to worry about with absorption? I’m going to do scrotum application
If you hit the little pencil/edit icon near the top right of his post you’ll be able to read what was posted for the next 24 hours. He deleted it for whatever reason.
I’m ball parking but I think I used cream for about 3 months? I remember week 7 or 8 I finally felt good then I was tired of dealing with cream every day so I switched not too long after that.
I think you’ll be fine levels wise. It usually absorbs pretty well there and gives a DHT bump that a lot of people like. I felt better on it but never spectacular or anything (which is more or less the same as how I have been on injections–I need to start going to the gym, I think that’s why I haven’t gotten the super awesome T feeling that a lot of people get)
Personally, I love the cream I honestly feel I have better energy and libido vs the injections I was on. I think I really needed to inject every day or EOD for best results, but man I hate needles so twice a week was the best I could do.
Also, I’m using the MedQuest 200/20% Versa base cream. I just received topi-click dispensers number 7,8,9 So far the product has be very uniform when I do my lab test total T results have been within 150 points each time at 4-5 hours after last application. I’ll test again in about 5 weeks.
There are several different types of bases you can use. I was very interested in the AtrevisTM Hydrogel also. That said the versa gel has given me zero issues I absorb it really well and fast. So unless there becomes a issue I stick with versa base because it’s been working well for me.
Body wise at 2 clicks AM and PM my T levels 5 hours after application are normally 1250-1400. I stay pretty lean muscle and veiny looking (work out 5 days a week doing something) until I push my levels over 1700+ 3 clicks AM and 2 clicks PM
Then I start to see negatives like water retention, acne and even itchy scalp which tells me to back off to perfect symptom relief 2 and 2 without causing any issues there.
Application wise the cream hasn’t been a big deal for me I apply in mornings after shower takes 1 minute . It’s basically just routine now just like brushing my teeth every morning.
Evening is the wild card because I could be home early or 11pm. I’ve found it’s not really a big deal if you vary a few hours time to time or even miss one dose. I can’t feel any different honesty. A
@fiddleback1 appreciate your repost lol. Glad to see cream is a success for you! Hope to share in that. I’m trying to decided on a dose. My cream is from Empower and the doc prescribed 2 clicks AM and 2 clicks PM (200mg a day) I will apply to scrotum. I want to feel great (and very very quickly) but don’t want to overshoot my levels.
How do I know if/when I need to scale back my cream dose? @ncsugrad2002
Everyone is different. For me the only negative from too much testosterone was that my libido lowered a bit from my peak. Adding a small dose of arimidex fixed that. I literally feel the same on 220mg/week + 0.25mg arimidex as I do on 150mg/week with no arimidex. You just need to start a protocol. Preferably just one drug, and see how you feel after 6 weeks. Then adjust something if needed. Don’t over think it.
I did not use scrotal application; however, in my experience, even though I showered etc… my wife’s levels were elevated so I stopped. It gets on bedsheets, towels etc… I was relatively careful… I think she must have had better absorption than I did! I would suggest washing your bedsheets daily if concerned… Just my experience.
Good question. It’s absorbed fairly quickly and I would guess four to six hours would be plenty. However, I have seen more than one woman come in wanting to do BHRT as their husbands are on TRT, only to find that they themselves are also on testosterone. His.
was trying to edit.