Lab Results to Start Testosterone

[Btoledo85]

I am about to start compound cream 150mg daily, with two pumps in the morning and one evening application, and HCG twice weekly.
Are these testosterone initiation dosages considered safe?

I have been waiting for lab results to begin, as I am aware of my very low testosterone levels already.

Should I start today or wait until tomorrow, given concerns about side effects and tomorrow have go in work off today.

 

[Vince]

I am about to start compound cream 150mg daily, with two pumps in the morning and one evening application, and HCG twice weekly.
Are these testosterone initiation dosages considered safe?

I have been waiting for lab results to begin, as I am aware of my very low testosterone levels already.

Should I start today or wait until tomorrow, given concerns about side effects and tomorrow have go in work off today.

Why cream and not injections?

 

[Btoledo85]

Since me rbc and hemo little high already

 

[Cataceous]

Since me rbc and hemo little high already

It's all about dose and frequency. If you absorb your cream at the nominal 10% rate then that's equivalent to injecting 150 mg of testosterone cypionate per week in divided doses. Despite the wishful thinking of many in the TRT community, this is a high, non-physiological dose, which comes with a significant risk of side effects, such as excess levels of the aforementioned blood parameters.

I believe that data from the low-concentration testosterone gels give the impression that topical testosterone is preferable to injections with respect to these problems. But these products are often not well absorbed; they appear safer because it's harder to achieve high serum testosterone with them. My impression is that this is not the case with high-concentration compounded topical testosterone products. These more readily result in high levels and attendant side effects. Because it comes down to how much testosterone you take in, I favor injections due to the precise control over the dose. Furthermore, with injections you can blend testosterone esters to achieve a diurnal rhythm in levels, allowing lower dosing and further risk reduction.

 

[Btoledo85]

It's all about dose and frequency. If you absorb your cream at the nominal 10% rate then that's equivalent to injecting 150 mg of testosterone cypionate per week in divided doses. Despite the wishful thinking of many in the TRT community, this is a high, non-physiological dose, which comes with a significant risk of side effects, such as excess levels of the aforementioned blood parameters.

I believe that data from the low-concentration testosterone gels give the impression that topical testosterone is preferable to injections with respect to these problems. But these products are often not well absorbed; they appear safer because it's harder to achieve high serum testosterone with them. My impression is that this is not the case with high-concentration compounded topical testosterone products. These more readily result in high levels and attendant side effects. Because it comes down to how much testosterone you take in, I favor injections due the precise control over the dose. Furthermore, with injections you can blend testosterone esters to achieve a diurnal rhythm in levels, allowing lower dosing and further risk reduction.

I’m gonna only do 100mg of the cream as I already have couple months supply. I don’t wanna start on 150 feel it’s to high

 

[Cataceous]

I’m gonna only do 100mg of the cream as I already have couple months supply. I don’t wanna start on 150 feel it’s to high

That's a reasonable reduction, though at 50 mg per pump your product virtually precludes a low-and-low approach to dosing. Due to individual variability you'll still need to rely on lab tests. I believe the recommendation for topical products is to test four hours after application. If you absorb this product at the nominal rate then you may still find results to be on the high side; it's still more testosterone than almost all men make naturally. If you respond well to the hCG then testosterone will be pushed up even more.

 

[Btoledo85]

That's a reasonable reduction, though at 50 mg per pump your product virtually precludes a low-and-low approach to dosing. Due to individual variability you'll still need to rely on lab tests. I believe the recommendation for topical products is to test four hours after application. If you absorb this product at the nominal rate then you may still find results to be on the high side; it's still more testosterone than almost all men make naturally. If you respond well to the hCG then testosterone will be pushed up even more.

So what dosage should I start with?

 

[Cataceous]

So what dosage should I start with?

As I suggested, you don't have good options with this product. Again assuming 10% absorption, your choices are in getting 5, 10 or 15 mg of testosterone daily, unless you're going to attempt fractional pumps, which won't be very accurate. The problem is that normal healthy production is more like 6-7 mg per day, making 7.5 mg a more reasonable starting dose, and in fact close to the one set for the Zyosted injectable product. You could try one pump each morning, but there's a significant chance of being too low by the next morning—it depends on how fast you absorb it. In a perfect world I'd have you start by applying 50 mg in the morning and 25 mg later in the day. But if this is not practical then try the one AM pump and one PM pump and see where you end up. Most likely it will be high, but if absorption is below average then you could be ok.

 

[Btoledo85]

20% not 10% one I have

 

[Btoledo85]

And I already have a three month supply kinda stuck as I can’t switch

 

[Vince]

Be careful not to contaminate your loved ones.

 

[Systemlord]

Are these testosterone initiation dosages considered safe?

The FDA recently removed the black label warnings on testosterone products. Testosterone is safe.

Your fear of your prescribed starting dose is unwarranted, because the shorter the half-life, the higher the dose you need to maintain healthy levels.

When I was on Jatenzo, which has the same half-life (6 hours) as the cream, I was taking 484 mg per day. If I try to take that much on injections with a 5 to 7 day half-life, my levels would be many times over the normal ranges.

Results from the TRAVERSE trial were submitted in 2023, concluding that there was no increase in the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in men using testosterone for hypogonadism.

Thread 'FDA issues class-wide labeling changes for testosterone products'

Feb 28, 2025

FDA issues class-wide labeling changes for testosterone products

FDA issues class-wide labeling changes for testosterone products

www.fda.gov

[2/28/2025] Today, FDA informed sponsors of testosterone products about new labeling changes following the agency’s review of the findings from the Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Assessment of Long-term Vascular Events and Efficacy Response in Hypogonadal Men (TRAVERSE) clinical trial External Link Disclaimer and the results from required postmarket ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) studies.

Led by the...

• madman
• hypogonadism; t-therapy; cvd; fda
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Testosterone and Men's Health Articles

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