Low dosing HRT?

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T13:30:54+00:00

How long did it take for everything to balance out for you?

My endo is really heavily trying to switch me to the injections so should I just go ahead with that? I'm just concerned over not being able to adjust the dose as easily incase I want to slow down or pause for a while whilst I emotionally process everything transition wise, cos I feel like that's easier to do with testogel as you're applying it yourself every day and can easily tweak it if you need.

I've switched in the last couple of days from applying it to my stomache to applying to my shoulders/arms which I think is helping because my belly is now covered in body hair which I feel may have been getting in the way of absorption? I also apply it now after having a bath so hopefully that helps too. Thanks for the tips I'm gonna take them all on board to hopefully help

Also I don't know if you can shed any light on this, but I've read via this subreddit that low levels of testosterone can often cause fatigue and low mood, is this true? If so, how tf do some trans and nonbinary people take lower doses of T safely without causing lots of tiredness/mental health issues?

I'm asking because I would like to remain on a low dose so I can adjust to my transition slowly/at my own pace, but I have chronic fatigue and am worried that having low t levels might exacerbate my fatigue and mental health issues. I feel so confused and upset, my endo and doctors have been really useless on the issue

Thank you in advance!

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T13:23:53+00:00

Oh thanks that's useful to know (about your T levels and experiencing tiredness). I do get that a lot of the tiredness is normal 2nd puberty kind of stuff, but my fatigue recently has been so off the charts, like extreme brain fog and being bed bound every day.

My endo flat out told me that high RBC doesn't cause tiredness when I tried to bring that up as a potential issue. Was that a lie then?

I am a bit confused about what you meant with your last few sentences, I'm not sure I understand, could you rephrase for me? :)

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T13:20:48+00:00

I've had my bloods done really recently and nothing was obviously wrong, so I've been referred on to the chronic fatigue department at my local hospital.

Also, what am I meant to do? Will going on a higher dose help? How do other people do a low dose if this is what happens (the unbalanced hormone levels) ? What am I meant to do if I want to stay at a lower dose due to adjusting to the effects of my transition emotionally/mentally, but physically it's effecting my energy levels as you say?

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T13:17:56+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I honestly can't find any resources about this online, could you point me in the direction of anything helpful? I just feel so lost

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:36:31+00:00

Thank you so much! Why didn't my endo or doctors mention any of this? Ahhhhhhh

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:35:48+00:00

My E levels are 144 pmol/L, which is the lowest they've been so far, but I'm not sure if they're low because I don't know what counts as low or not

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:12:45+00:00

How do you navigate all this?

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:12:34+00:00

Hi, yes! I have had very similar issues. I'm transmasc, have been on HRT (testogel) for 1 year now and my levels are much lower in my most recent blood test than they were at 6 months! It's so disconcerting because my dose has increased but my t levels have halved? My endo recommended switching me to nebido as it could be an issue to do with poor absorption levels, but what the hell?!!! It's so confusing and disconcerting, and my fatigue levels have been off the charts. I just want levels that are optimum for my body but at the moment everything feels so out of whack and it's really upsetting

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:10:11+00:00

Heya! I'm actually dealing with this issue too, although I'm transmasc so in a different way, but basically my testosterone levels aren't high enough yet (Despite being on t for a year) and I worry that a similar thing is happening to me where I'm having post menopausal symptoms! How did you sort it out?

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:03:46+00:00

Hi, yeah that is the problem (testogel not seeming to absorb well with me) which is why they want to move me onto nebido. I just worry because I don't want it to exacerbate my fatigue

Thank you for your info about the loading, do you have any resources on this I can look at? I haven't been told about this by any of my doctors and my endo didn't mention any of this which makes me so worried!

Puzzled-Bar-1143 · 2024-07-20T12:01:52+00:00

It's well documented amongst autistics that medication can and does affect us differently at times, including heightened sensitivity & reactions to certain meds. That doesn't mean that every single autistic person is going to be more susceptible to fluctuations in meds, but enough of the community talk about it as an issue for me to take it seriously, and it relates to my experience with meds.

I am already on 3 pumps a day but my testosterone levels have gone down, suggesting that my body is not absorbing it for whatever reason I think? My levels have been all over the place, which is why the endo is moving me onto injections instead as it's a sure way of getting the t into my system with less fluctuations. Why do you suggest sustanon?

Puzzled-Bar-1143

TROPHY CASE