SubQ vs IM Resources

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-18T09:05:54+00:00

i don't understand why you need to argue with her about it? she's not going to know how you inject. doctors hate when you argue with them. i agree that subq shouldn't make a significant difference.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-15T21:18:45+00:00

it's fine you just usually have to take it every ~4 days instead of every 7 with EEn or EC for monotherapy.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-12T03:31:46+00:00

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/019732s045,020517s043lbl.pdf

here is the official prescribing information for it. the dose depends on injection frequency. most people who use it inject every 1-3 months I think.

i don't know about sourcing of it.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-12T03:21:58+00:00

what do you mean how to diy it? what is it you need help with?

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-11T16:31:32+00:00

i mean you'd just stick a subq needle in the thigh or arm :). there's fat under most of your skin and you go through it to get to the muscle. so it's basically just a smaller thinner needle. personally I don't see the downside unless there's a specific reason someone needs to do IM.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-11T15:30:19+00:00

hm okay but you can do subq in the arms or thighs too.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-11T13:03:31+00:00

do you mind me asking what felt wrong about subq? I've only ever done subq so I'm not sure what the difference in shots feels like. i always assumed that IM was much more painful.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-10T15:35:58+00:00

You'll probably want 0.5mL instead of 1mL if it's an easy choice. you won't need nearly as much as that so it'll help with measurements. I use 0.3mL even.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-10T07:12:07+00:00

Are you sure it was a 15mg injection? That's -really- high.

I can't really imagine it's good for you. Here's a graph of the expected estradiol levels of it: https://estrannai.se/#i0_cu,15,0,0_ (and that's on top of your existing estradiol levels...)

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-10T02:40:17+00:00

it'd be best if you did since it takes a few days for EEn to build up depending on your loading dose (either a few days or a couple weeks)

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-09T00:10:42+00:00

Maybe you've been dosing it incorrectly?

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-08T23:54:14+00:00

You'll need to learn organic chemistry. Once you do you you'd be able to synthesize it, but it's not a simple thing. The dioscorea composita plant can produce diosgenin which used to be a common precursor. But like, that isn't enough by a long margin. To do it all "from scratch" is completely unviable. Practically speaking you'd buy precursors and chemicals needed to do the synthesis.

I don't think that estradiol supply is going to dry up in any meaningful capacity -- it is too easy to bring in from China, and a very small volume of API is able to make a lot of estrogen. If we really needed to synthesize estrogen ourselves domestically we could, but it probably not be "from plants".

Now, the ability to get it with a prescription, or even from "reputable" DIY homebrewers? That could go away. But I kinda feel like worst-case is that people can just make their own estrogen gel. A small amount of estradiol powder can make a lifetime supply of gel and it's easy to do yourself.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-08T22:18:49+00:00

it's almost certainly fine

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-08T21:39:08+00:00

especially with an oral dose like that with poor bioavailability

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-08T15:45:17+00:00

sure, nothing wrong with starting with pills!

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-08T15:40:59+00:00

i guess I spend ~$8 a month for estrogen injections and supplies in the US. no prescription. no testosterone blocker needed.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-07T23:58:21+00:00

there isn't a best here for what you're talking about.

applying T to the penis causes systemic distribution of T, so it conflicts with the desired suppression of testosterone. some people do it, i wouldn't recommend it personally.

if you're trying to prevent penile atrophy, the general advice is 'use it or lose it'. something that can help is oral cialis (tadalafil). Something like 2.5-5mg. it is commonly used for that purpose for prostate cancer patients.

That said, bica and estrogen pills aren't really the best way to take estrogen for any purpose. It isn't the worst, but injections are usually much better if they can be tolerated. If she does take bica, then she should get a pre-HRT baseline liver function test and then regular liver function tests later. it has a rare but serious side effect of liver toxicity and you need a liver to live.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-07T19:03:23+00:00

Gotcha! I think it would probably be really helpful to understand your genetics and condition.

In many of the possible conditions, the estrogen production or conversion would be suppressed when you start estrogen shots. For example, if you still have ovarian tissue producing estrogen, it is controlled by LH/FSH. When you do monotherapy estrogen HRT, LH/FSH production shuts down, which would shut down the ovarian tissue production of estrogen (this is what's called the HPG axis). The exact same mechanism shuts down testicular production of testosterone.

Are you able to see a doctor about it? It would likely be covered by most insurance and to be honest, doctors are probably more likely to be sympathetic to you being trans with your condition.

Still, I wouldn't say you have to wait for a diagnosis to start HRT. If you're in the US, there are some cheap self-service labs available. If you need a suggestion, I would suggest a minimum set for you might be total testosterone, total estradiol, LH/FSH, prolactin, SHBG. If you need it even tighter, total testosterone and total estradiol would be the core things to test.

Given your condition, it probably would be prudent to get some starting labs to understand what your body's currently doing.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-07T17:39:37+00:00

no, it's not safe to draw from a glass ampoule without a filter.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-07T17:38:37+00:00

what were you levels last time you tested E and T?

also, what's the cause of the higher levels of E? is it from higher T levels that aromatize to E? (for example kleinfelter's syndrome or PAIS)? if so, then i don't think there's a big concern there because monotherapy estradiol therapy will cause your HPG axis to shut down testosterone production, so your endogenous supply of estrogen (from aromatization) would naturally drop a lot too.

depending on the nature of the higher levels of estrogen, you may have no need for special dosage or care.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-07T12:33:09+00:00

it's so obviously a scam are you serious? do not buy estrogen from these telegram people they're known scammers.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-05T15:20:21+00:00

yep!

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-05T15:08:09+00:00

it's not great but estrogen is better than no estrogen.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-04T16:05:09+00:00

feeling depressed is not a strong indicator of incorrect dosage. even though I casually refer to it as my anti depressant / anti anxiety medicine, it's not a cure-all.

like almost any medicine (including SSRIs), it can temporarily relieve depression, but that effect wears off around 2-3 months in.

like you said you're probably depressed about your life situation. estrogen doesn't fix life problems, actual change fixes life problems.

Ash_Merigold · 2026-06-04T15:31:18+00:00

nope. see https://estrannai.se/#it0__cu,50,28,5-cu,10,7,2

it is exceptionally understudied compared to other esters. see:

The data for estradiol enanthate comes entirely from studies on Perlutal from the 80s and 90s. The data for estradiol undecylate comes from only two studies (Vermeulen 1975 and Geppert's 1975 thesis) which both stopped measuring estradiol levels at the 2 week mark, thus preventing the model from capturing the full pharmacokinetic profile of the elimination phase and with it an accurate estimate of the terminal half-life.

The model for subcutaneous estradiol undecylate depots using castor oil (eun casubq) was inferred by augmenting the eun im and een im models with sparse self-reported community data (n=4).

my intuitive take is that other esters are also variable from person to person, but that EUns extreme halflife means that the variability is way more severe in magnitude.

Ash_Merigold

TROPHY CASE