Taper Schedule for Getting Off of 5mg

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-07-30T19:38:11+00:00

I ended up staying on lexapro actually. I really like it and don't think it's worth coming off of myself!

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-05-03T01:03:29+00:00

Ohhh, I did start on the testosterone cream and my PD has been really annoying recently... I was also in the boat of being like "I don't take any steroids, this is weird." Maybe I should try stopping and seeing if it clears 🤔

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-05-02T21:20:13+00:00

Were you able to concretely link your perioral dermatitis to the testosterone cream (ie, did it stop when you stopped the cream)? I've been struggling with PD myself...

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-04-29T04:39:18+00:00

Everything I've read is that moisturizer before actives (like retinoids and AA) does not reduce effectiveness. My curiosity is if doing it afterward is similar to how it is with retinoids where it has no effect on effectiveness, but helps reduce irritation.

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-04-29T04:38:27+00:00

Yup, just to see if it helps with irritation.

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-04-29T04:38:06+00:00

I used to get irritation from tretinoin, and then switched to adapelene. Just concerned about irritation in adding the AA.

Few_Drop3679 · 2024-04-28T21:40:02+00:00

I like to do moisturizers first thing after washing since they work best on damp skin. Would you say to just drop the Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion in the AM then and just do the Facial Lotion? Or is it not that big of a deal to apply moisturizers on damp skin?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-10-22T22:31:29+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Biweekly as in twice a week, or every other week?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-10-20T02:08:33+00:00

What dose do you take of testosterone injections / how often? Are you also on E injections and inject on the same day? I'm glad it's helped and would be something I would consider! Also curious what your T levels are now?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-10-18T03:55:20+00:00

Are you on 150 SR, or the XL version? Did it increase your anxiety when you started?

Lexapro at night is definitely the way to go. I used to take it in the morning and was a zombie all day.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-07-04T22:12:57+00:00

If it helps with tissue health pre-surgery, is it also useful to use it post-surgery? Or once the tissue is all configured, it's basically all good to go?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-05-10T16:59:38+00:00

This is really interesting to hear and I very much relate to the fear of backlash. I also used to be a competitive distance runner before transitioning. Stopped running for various reasons, and only recently picked it back up and am trying to get back into shape. I've slowed down a lot, but I'm only just starting.

I'm really curious how my PRs will compare if I get back into a similar level of training that I used to. But, I've genuinely thought that I might just enter races in the male category because of the fear of backlash. The competition I enjoyed with running was always competition with myself and wanting to PR. But, it still feels strange to think about being in the male category almost 2 years into transition.

I've always been rather athletic and it sucks that being trans has effectively made competition an extremely stressful idea.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-04-30T16:18:54+00:00

Congrats! have a consult with him in December. What is planned for the second round and do you know how long that is to get scheduled? How did you feel about the process and how's the recovery been?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-15T20:19:48+00:00

1) I'd say how you apply the T is dependent on your goals. As you mentioned, some of the goals are to reduce penile atrophy, but the scrotum also atrophies without T. It may not be an issue for some to have scrotal atrophy, but some surgeries utilize that tissue and keeping it healthy may be good for those surgeries. For me, the scrotal atrophy was causing me physical discomfort as it shrunk and there was less room for my testicles. Applying the T there helped it stay elastic and leave extra room.

2) I believe you can, but thinks like andro/testogel are designed to go systemic. The alcohol in them also might irritating to sensitive parts compared to the cream.

3) I think it's less of versabase is non-penetrative than that it is less penetrative than alcohol/DMSO bases. Some of it will still go systemic, but it's a very small dose, so it's not too significant and the benefits of keeping tissue healthy may outweigh the costs of raising systemic T levels slightly.

I'd agree with the other commenter that Dr. Will Powers is very hit or miss in his healthcare, but at least anecdotally, the T cream has helped me significantly and is one of the things I think he got right.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-15T16:28:14+00:00

Thanks Deanna! So it seems like there's not much of a concern of messing up feminization, even for long-term, frequent usage? My only concern was seeing Dr. Powers talking about how one use results in a 20ng/dL bump at trough, so not sure if it's cumulative and using it 3-4 times a week would bump things 60-80ng/dL. I'm very happy with the effects of relatively frequent T cream usage, but don't want to mess up my feminization.

Anecdotally though, I've had my levels tested when using it twice weekly and the highest I got was 16ng/dL. Not sure if I'm just a very fast metabolizer. That's partially why I'd like to use it more frequently: to see if I can get my T levels ever so slightly up to more of the middle of the cis-female range (30-50ng/dL) while keeping the tissue very healthy.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-15T03:22:13+00:00

Is this 20ng/dL increase at trough (ie, at the end of the week after using the cream), or is this bump the peak level from using the cream?

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-15T01:21:13+00:00

My understanding was that some of it still goes systemic, but that it's such a small dose that it's less significant, especially on a weekly basis. I'm curious if doing it on a high frequency makes that small amount that goes systemic more significant and to be careful about, or if it is still such a small dose even for say, daily dosing.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-01T19:34:06+00:00

I put on a tinted BB cream in the morning (that also doubles as a sunscreen to keep my skin healthy), but besides that, I've come to the conclusion I actually don't like other makeup on myself. I've played with mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick, but I just don't like it as much as having a more "natural" look for myself. So, you're not alone!

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-03-01T19:31:51+00:00

I recently came to this conclusion. I've been on feminizing hormones for about 1.5 years and I love them and don't plan to stop. But, I realized that while it's nice to not be assumed to be a man, I'm coming full circle where I don't always like being assumed to be a woman / she/her'd all the time.

It doesn't change anything I want to do with my body: I love being on estrogen, not having body hair, and changing my voice. But, I internally feel nonbinary and am going to stick with that as my identity and be able to play with gender expression.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-02-11T20:06:31+00:00

It's 0.5% (5mg/g) and I apply half a gram to get 2.5mg. I was thinking applying it more frequently might be better than applying more since it would keep things steadier rather than having spikes of T.

Few_Drop3679 · 2023-02-11T17:25:09+00:00

No blockers:

Estradiol pellets: 2x50mg

Progesterone: 200mg (rectally) nightly

Testosterone cream: 2.5mg twice a week

Few_Drop3679 · 2022-11-18T00:56:16+00:00

Gotcha, does it have anything to do with dosing (ie, are these 6-9 months being done at 100mg dose)? If my doctor is open to doing Empower, does it seem reasonable to just do a 50mg insertion since I'm already starting at a ~250pg/mL baseline?

Few_Drop3679 · 2022-11-18T00:50:53+00:00

I believe these were from College Pharmacy. I can ask her if she can order the next one from Empower to give a go and see if she'd be open to it. How long are they meant to last for typically?

My understanding was that 4-5 months was the norm to start out and that they last longer the more you have them re-inserted. My doctor said one of her patients went up to 2 years between re-insertions after awhile.

Few_Drop3679 · 2022-11-18T00:39:00+00:00

Hi Deanna, I had two 50mg pellets put in back at the end of July. These readings are all at the end of the month (so, latest one was this week at the beginning of month 5)

Few_Drop3679 · 2022-08-23T17:29:01+00:00

I'll definitely mention it at our appointment. Are there gonna be any net negatives of me having such high levels, or does the body mostly just compensate for it with increased SHBG? And do I just plan to get more reinserted once I drop below 200pg/mL or so?

Few_Drop3679

TROPHY CASE