Guest guest Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Yes you should do labs after starting on it in 2 weeks to be sure your levels are going up. Most men start on a low 5 grams dose if in 2 weeks your labs are still low of even lower up the dose. Do labs in 8 weeks if still to low switch to shots starting with 100 mgs per week. Co-Moderator Phil > From: bsquared20 <no_reply > > Subject: Androgel > > Date: Monday, November 23, 2009, 9:15 AM > Hello, I have gotten some nice > feedback regarding why I feel worse on Androgel. I am > going to speak with my doctor about increasing my > dosage. Is this the normal course of action after only > a month on it? > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I have a pituitary problem it's called Hypopituitary do to a head injury do read my story and the heart update at this link. http://forums.realthyroidhelp.com/viewtopic.php?f=5 & t=9239 What I have found is this I for yrs had many hormones in the low normal range Dr.'s would tell me I am good OK I am in the normal range don't let Dr.'s do this crap to you with a pituitary problem. I have low Testosterone this is the one thing they test 27 yrs ago that was below normal levels so the treated it and told me I am Primary meaning my testis don't work they were wrong. Now that we know I am Hypopituitary they treat all my hormones that have for 20 yrs been low normal. Corisol with Cortef 30 mgs a day taken 4x's a day for a total of 30 mgs. Thyroid with Armour I do 4 grains a day 2 in the morning and 1 at noon and dinner. Because my Thyroid is low gels don't work my skin is thick do to this and gels don't get through. So I just shots with HCG the HCH keeps my testis working. I have low Ferritin so I am on Iron pills and I feel dehydrated all the time and have low Aldosterone levels and take .1 mgs of Florinef and I take pink sea salt in my water with this to keep my body from dumping my sodium. I have had low IGF-1 levels for many yrs 5 yrs ago my Dr. told me I need Growth Hormone I read up on it and did not like the sides it had. Because this was low so long my heart Dr. feels this did my heart in. Now I am on Gorwth Hormone been on it 2 weeks now. I also have high levels of estradiol E2 do to being on TRT so I take ..25 mgs or 1/4 of a pill every 2 to 3 days to keep this down it's this when high that kills your sex life. When I got my E2 levels down I got my night time and morning wood back for the first time in over 35 yrs. I had BPH it's gone getting E2 levels down and I had ED for many yrs this is not a problem any more. Here is what I tell men that start on gels and don't do well. ========================================================================== Yes this happens a lot you start on a low starting dose 5 grams when your brain sees the testosterone in your blood even just a little it slows down even stops sending the LH and FSH message to your testis to make the Testosterone you were making. So lets say your labs for Total T were 350 you add this dose of gel your brain sees this and you lose the base level you had before the gel. Now lets say you need more then 5 grams most do so now all your left with is what the gel is doing so lets say it's doing 200 so you lost 150. The reason you feel good is your levels go up that 200 the gel is doing in the first 2 weeks so your levels go up to 550 in theory. The brain sees this and you fall back. Why can this happen it might be how your putting on the gel with Androgel you need to spread it over your upper arms and shoulders and down your back as far as you can reach this is half of your dose then do the other side. Just spread it over the area but don't rub it in. The other thing is it's not getting through your skin good so you need more. If you have a thyroid problem your skin will become thicker and gels and creams don't get through the skin and you need to switch to shots. I tell men when they go on Gels to retest in 2 weeks because you can end up feeling worse. Most me just need more gel. Dr.'s that tell men to go on 5 grams of gel and come back in 8 to 12 weeks for labs don't know much about the use of gels. Dr.'s that treat a lot of men for low T on gels see this happen and test them again in 2 weeks. Call your Dr. and tell him this and that your not feeling good you were but fell back. =========================================================================== And if they go on arimidex to get there E2 levels down I tell them this so they don't go to low. ========================================================================== What I found is if you go to low taking arimidex, it's the length of time your to low, if your too low say for 8 weeks it can take your body a longer time to make more Estradiol. Bottom line is to know how not to go to low. Keep a log on your dose and how you feel men going to low can't get it up taking Viagra. I went to low when I first tried Arimidex and did not know about going to low or how one feels to low, so I was low a good 8 weeks. I did not know I was low until my next labs. The best gage I have found to control your Estradiol levels is to gage your night time and morning wood. At good levels or what I call the sweet spot you get your night time and morning wood back so strong it will wake you up and you can hang a coat on it. Most men do good taking .25 mgs or 1/4 of a 1mg. pill, I use a pill cutter to cut the small pill in half then I stand it on the cut end and use a single edge razor to cut this in half. A good way to take arimidex is by how high your levels are. I tested over 90 pg/ml so we tried doing .5 mgs every other day after 8 weeks my next set of labs showed it did not move below 90, test said >90. So we did .5 mgs. every day in about 2 weeks I got some strong night time and morning wood back after not having them for many yrs. I kept doing this dose and in 8 weeks my next set of labs said <20 back in the day labs were like this they did not have to good labs we have today they could not read lower the 20. My Dr. told me this looks to low to stop taking the Arimidex. The one thing I noticed was my wood stopped and stopping the Arimidex my wood came back in about 7 weeks my next test at 8 weeks was 24 pg/ml. So we went back on the Arimidex but the Dr. told me to take .5 mgs every 3 days I was on this dose not a week and lost wood. This is when I figured out going to low you lose wood. And the longer your too low the longer it takes to get levels back up. I stopped the arimidex right away and got my wood back in 4 days. I then after playing with the dose for a time found the best dose is .25mgs every 2 to 3 days. So lets say your labs are less the 50 pg/ml if your take .5 mgs you can go down so dam fast your miss the sweet spot of your wood and go to low. It's best with lower levels 50 and under to do less Arimidex .25mgs every 2 days if later your lose wood when it comes back go to every 3 days. I have found estradiol is the hardest hormone to control, it goes up or down from month to month some times I need .25mgs every 2 days other times I need ..25mgs everyday most of the time I do well on every 3 days. So between wood and labs I do great and so do most of the men I have told this to. I keep a log on how much I am taking and how I feel. Doing this and reading back in my log I was able to tell when I was going to high or to low my Dr. lets me dose my arimidex by how I feel. Over the yrs. I have posted this story until I am blue in the face. =========================================================================== You need to test all your hormones that are controled by the Pituitary and treat them to feel better and say healthy. You need to get your Testostrone levels up into the upper 1/3 of your labs range and to keep your E2 levels down to about 20 pg/ml. Then as you keep leveled and feel good your body will start to undo the damage down from low hormones and you will start feeling better a little everyday. It's a not over night thing it's a slow process. That can take 6 months to a yr. Co-Moderator Phil > From: gviceman77@... <gviceman77@...> > Subject: Androgel > > Cc: GVICEMAN77@... > Date: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 3:17 PM > My t level was 281 7 months ago and > 238 7 weeks ago. My Dr. prescribed > Androgel 5g and have been on it for 5 weeks. I do > not notice any difference > yet. > > Also a moderate case of BPH. > > I am almost 51, muscular build, weight training heavily for > the past 9 > months plus cardio. I could not lose the belly > fat. I had a MRI and have a > small lesion (tear) / tumor on my Pituitary gland. > > Realistically, when should I start to notice a > difference. I was told by > my Dr. that I will have good nights' sleep, strong > libido, and I will loose > weight. It sounds like a miracle drug. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Gentlemen, I was talking to a health advisor at Life Extension this pm. She advised me that I could expect better absorption of T if I applied the gel under my arms as opposed to shoulder, chest or abdomen. Comments??? Rob Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010  don't know??  I would shave my pits so that the gel didn't cling to that thick hair I have there.    From: rjamestemple@... <rjamestemple@...> Subject: Androgel Date: Monday, March 1, 2010, 1:41 PM  Gentlemen, I was talking to a health advisor at Life Extension this pm. She advised me that I could expect better absorption of T if I applied the gel under my arms as opposed to shoulder, chest or abdomen. Comments??? Rob Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Perhaps, but I have two thoughts: 1. It was formulated and allegedly tested for application on the upper arms/shoulders, and on the abdomen. I don't know if it would absorb better under the arms or not, but if it does, you may need a dosage adjustment, or you may experience a spike in T level because it gets absorbed more quickly. 2. If your levels are not at a good place when applied as directed, you may benefit from a compounded gel or from switching to shots. I have read a few place that people have tried using Androgel on the scrotum. Scrotal skin is thinner and does absorb better, but application on the scrotum causes big spikes in T level because the Androgel is absorbed more quickly than intended. I don't know if it is true just what I have read. The insert specifically says not to apply to the genitals. I'm not sure if it mentions the underarms. _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of rjamestemple@... Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 2:42 PM Subject: Androgel Gentlemen, I was talking to a health advisor at Life Extension this pm. She advised me that I could expect better absorption of T if I applied the gel under my arms as opposed to shoulder, chest or abdomen. Comments??? Rob Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I apply Testim on my underarms but avoid the area with hair. I had read about or watched a video of an A4M lecture that discussed this application area... I believe it was a doctor from Ireland. The doctor had said that the absorption rate is greater underarm. It works for me since my levels are higher then the norm with 5 gms Testim. That said I still apply to the shoulders, upper chest, and upper arms since the gel spreads so much. The important thing is to be consistent with the application area selected so that your lab results measure the normal absorption of the prescribed amount. Applying to the scrotum is said to more readily increase DHT. > > Gentlemen, > > I was talking to a health advisor at Life Extension this pm. She advised me that I could expect better absorption of T if I applied the gel under my arms as opposed to shoulder, chest or abdomen. > Comments??? > > Rob > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hi Rodeny and Welcome, You need to redo labs in 2 weeks to be sure your levels are going up read this file I made. =================================================== Starting on Androgel or Testim. Yes this happens a lot you start on a low starting dose 5 grams when your brain sees the testosterone in your blood even just a little it slows down even stops sending the LH and FSH message to your testis to make the Testosterone you were making. So lets say your labs for Total T were 350 you add this dose of gel your brain sees this and you lose the base level you had before the gel. Now lets say you need more then 5 grams most do so now all your left with is what the gel is doing so lets say it's doing 200 so you lost 150. The reason you feel good is your levels go up that 200 the gel is doing in the first 2 weeks so your levels go up to 550 in theory. The brain sees this and you fall back. Why can this happen it might be how your putting on the gel with Androgel you need to spread it over your upper arms and shoulders and down your back as far as you can reach this is half of your dose then do the other side. Just spread it over the area but don't rub it in. The other thing is it's not getting through your skin good so you need more. If you have a thyroid problem your skin will become thicker and gels and creams don't get through the skin and you need to switch to shots. I tell men when they go on Gels to retest in 2 weeks because you can end up feeling worse. Most men just need more gel. Dr.'s that tell men to go on 5 grams of gel and come back in 8 to 12 weeks for labs don't know much about the use of gels. Dr.'s that treat a lot of men for low T on gels see this happen and test them again in 2 weeks. When you go to do labs get up and shower that morning go do your labs and then put in the gel after your blood test so you don’t spike up your labs. If you can’t do labs in the morning shower put on the gel but don’t get any gel on the spot they take the blood from. Do your labs about 6 hrs later. Call your Dr. and tell him this and that your not feeling good you were but fell back. Co-Moderator Phil > From: rodneyatkins@... <rodneyatkins@...> > Subject: Androgel > > Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 3:24 PM > I've been on androgel for three > weeks. Was wondering if any androgel users could give > a timeline of the positive effects they got from > androgel. Three weeks in now and I can feel a positive > change in my energy levels and well being. As far as > libido I have not really changed since the first day. > I am 38 and was prescribed androgel after complaining to my > gp of fatigue and loss of libido. Blood test revealed > a total testosterone of 241. I was prescribed 5 grams > daily and follow the application directions as > ordered. No other hormones have been tested at the > moment. > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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