why don't any of you use the androderm patch?

[rightone]

I see lots of threads on the androgel and one on this new pill. Why don't any on you use the androderm patch? It is so convenient and effective.

Also, can an anobolic steroid like testosterone enthanate be used as a replacement therapy. Test enth has a half life of three and a half weeks so technically you could inject your self 15 times a year and be done with it. no gel no worries no nothing? any thoughts on this.

[stitch]

I've done both patch and gel....

I prefer the gel. It's easier to adjust the dosage and I found the patch could sometimes come off in hot weather when I was sweating. I've also read (not sure if it's true) that it's easier and faster to get your T up into the theraputic range with the gel.
Test Enanthate is sometimes used in the same manner as Testosterone Cypionate for replacement therapy. They are very similar but I think Enanthate is slightly more expensive. I believe sometimes its used if the patient is allergic to the oil that cypionate is suspended in, (and vice versa).

[huckchef]

i use ethanate and have been for about 9 months. i take it bi-weekly and it seems to be ok. sometimes it fades in and out. i went about 4 days past my normal dosage day and it seemed to take me longer to get it back to normal. so i'm hoping not to miss anymore and maybe things will stay normal. i have an appointment with a endo on the 20th and i'm very curious what he has to say. i'm having a hard time shaking some extra weight off i gained. my onc said she felt there were alot other issues to be concerned with other than just my testosterone levels! i'll soon see!

[rightone]

That is good to know. I was just curious. I use the patch and have not had that much difficulty with it but I am always open to other options.
With regards to the test enth. do you get like a vial and inect yourself or does the doc do it for you and how much are you injecting. Like how many mg's of test enth per inj.?
I think your doc is dead wrong by the way about you having other things more important to worry about. While you may have other issues this one is still very important to your physical and mental health and goes a long way to helping you heal and recover and improve your attitude through out this whole ordeal. Having a low test count for me was miserable. I swear to god I thought I was going crazy. For over a year I really thought I was going insane and became very paranoid. It practically ruined my marriage. My new doc immediately tested my levels and determined it was low and prescribed the patch. My marriage has never been better, I am back to my old self almost over night. so I wouldn't ever let anyone put this issue on the back burner on you.
That is very interesting about the test enth though. please keep me/ us informe dof what you endo says. I am very curious about this subject as I am a very active 28 year old. I am an ex marine, ex ocean lifeguard, triathelete, etc. So the thought of haveing a deficiency after all that I have beeen through almost makes me shudder. I digress. As for trying to lose that extra weight are you working out? I lift weights 4-5 times a week and try to cardio for atleast 20 min a day 4-5 times per weeks also. I had the same problem at first but now I have lost 35 lbs. and I look alot like I did when I was in the marine corps. anyways good luck at the endo and thanks for the responses ya'll.

[huckchef]

yeah i'm doing cardio at least 5 times a week for 45 minutes to and hour. i havent lifted weights since i played ball in college. i'm really thinking hard about starting back with a light high rep workout. as for the test injections, my wife gives it to me every other week. i take 300 cc which is prescribed to me in a vile and i get two dosages out of it. it seems to work ok but i may try the patch or gel when i visit the endo. as for my onc, she is very prevalent on my test levels and only thought that the weight thing if not addressed could lead to other things as expected. but i know exactly what your talking about when you levels are low. its amazing how it affects you. i'll follow up after the going to the endo. i cant get the old song by snoop dog out of my mind.....smoking hendoo, sipping on gin and juice...laid back...with my mind on my money and my money on my mind. i'll have to change it to ...going to the endo ....hahaha...i'll have to work on it. thanks for the commments

[rightone]

cool. thanks for the reply. good info. I look forward to hearing from you and good luck at the endo.

[rightone]

oh yeah another question. I know that test enth comes in like a 20 ml vial @ 250 mg per cc. you said you are taking 3 cc's at a time. Does that mean you are taking 750 mg of test every other week?

[huckchef]

yeah i take 3 cc every two weeks. now your questioning has me concerned as though this is two much? i'm calling to make sure i'm right. which i believe i am because my insurance will only cover a 30 day supply and i use it up every month. i checked my insurance and if i switch to androgel it will cost me 35 a month instead of five dollars for ethanate. i'm gonna try it if the endo says ok! will soon see!

[rightone]

awesome let me know what you find out? I use the patch but would rather use the enthanate and I am curious as to what your dosage is? I have seen 20 ml vials of enthanante that are 250 mg per ml.

This patch is convenient but I think it puts me on a roller coaster ride. sometimes I break out in cold sweats for no reason. etc. I would like to solve the problem. this is all new to me. I am 28 and hopefully have a long life ahead of me so i want to get this under wraps. alright I'll check with ya'll later.
Oh yeah congrats on becoming a new dad

[RealDeal]

I had a low total testosterone test level(232) about 4 months ago.I had TC 6 years ago so I don't think 1 test is conclusive about the low Testosterone? I Had gotten TC when I was 30.I am now 36 and for the last 2 years I have noticed an increase of bodyfat% and also a minor decrease in strength but could be just age and loss of interest with the weights?I have always lifted weights about 4-5 times a week mostly for muscle growth.Now I am working towards increasing my strength levels and if all goes well i might be trying a sport that I always loved, which is Boxing.Even at 36 I still feel young enough and strong enough.The only thing is the endurance part of the sport.I don't feel like I need HRT because I don't feel that much different from when I was 25.Im just bigger now(6'1 225lbs) then when I was 25.I am going to get a repeat test in a few months to make sure that my Testosterone levels are not low once again.

[huckchef]

yeah real ...i think you need to have those checked more often. even if you feel fine and dont have any symptoms of low levels you may still be low and osteoporosis is a factor later in life. i'm currently working out alot with cardio and have started doing low carb eating trying to get excess weight off. i think alot has been stress and a low metabolism. i believe i had problems stemming back as far as a year and half before my diagnoses. i started putting on weight with no real explanation of why. no changes in habits or activity. always been very active but no matter what i just couldnt shake the few extra pounds. i had my first surgery in march and i didnt start any HRT until late june and i had put on about 20 lbs. i'm now at 30 post diagnoses but its slowly coming back off with the help. i hope more to come!! its tough but im going to get it off and be who i need to be!!! i got alot to look forard to and i dont need this excess burden to slow me down. good luck with everything and i'll be posting soon from the endo!god bless, brian

[nickohs]

Interesting struff guys.

Rightone, the reason many men do not use the patch is because of its numerous downsides. It is considered outdated by the experts. Problems associated with skin irritation, patches dropping off in sweaty times and stuff like that.

Huckchef, yes, I think you are on an overdose. I am a bilateral Seminoma too and, although a little smaller than you, I found injecting 200ml every two weeks or so gave me adequate results, though nothing like a daily gel does.
Those I know on injections tend to inject 100ml weekly as it smoothes the peak and trough effect.

Adjusting the injection frequency is the normal way to cope with our differing metabolisms. I ended up injecting every twelve days to eliminate the darkest part of the trough so to speak. I have a long-distance bilateral running pal in Australia who gets by on half that dose every week. Long distance runners tend to have lower T levels than other men.

The good news about the expensive gels is that Watson Pharma have been granted FDA approval for a generic gel. This should reduce costs in North America.

I hope it helps,

Nick

[nickohs]

!q!

Actually, when it comes to TC, one test is normally conclusive. There is research warning of "latent Testosterone Deficiency" in TC cases.

The increase in body fat is an indication of lowering T levels. Many men become frustrated at the lack of abdominal muscle despite regular excercise.
Lethargy is also a feature of low Testosterone.

I see no reason to wait a few months before being re-tested, however, prior to starting TRT sperm banking should be considered.

I certainly wouldn't want to enter a boxing ring with low levels of Testosterone.

Good luck!

Nick

[huckchef]

alright.............. went to the endo yesterday and not alot was done! i switched from the injections to the gel. he started me on the 7.5 a day which is 6 pumps. i did the first this morning. i am very excited to see changes. i asked him about my dosage of ethanate and he didnt think it was out of line. he will do some blood testing in 6 weeks but really wasnt concerned with anything but getting a good base line testosterone level. im sure once this is established alot of things will fall into place. i had lost twelve pounds since my last doctor visit on dec. 28th. i was really stoked about that!!!! i just hope these constant levels of test will help me lose more.
i've since been worried about liver function while doing HRT but he said not to worry that i wouldnt have any problems and he was very ademate about that. all i know is thats alot of gel to rub in!!!! hope all is well and god bless, brian!

[huckchef]

well i thnk i see a more base line level this week. i'm curiuos as to what nest week holds since this is my first few days on the gel. i believe its going to be better! my wife seems to think so too!!!! last night we were grabbing a quick bite to eat at a "chain restaurant" and was having extremly poor service. i knew not to stay when the hostess said give your waitress a little time. anyway long story short my wife wanted to leave and i didnt. which is generally the opposite lately. she said .."it really must be working, you havent even said a word about sitting here for ten minutes w/o even a drink in hand". so maybe this is a sign of good things to come! hope all is well and have a great weekend! brian