Thanks to anyone who can offer some advice.
I'm 48 and my relevant labs are all in the "normal" range, except my DHEA which has been low for years (chronic Lyme disease).
Testosterone: 441 ng/dl
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin: 1153 ng/dl
Free Testosterone: 77.6 pg/ml
Bioavailable Testosterone 1.99 ng/ml
I started with testosterone cream a week ago after my doctor, who's a bit of an HRT enthusiast, suggested it. He gave me a high daily dose that I could decrease as I saw fit (120 mg in the AM, and 80 mg in the PM). There is also 25 mg of DHEA in the preparation.
My doctor, himself, applies testosterone rectally in the morning and scrotally at night. I thought the latter sounded better so I did that both in the morning and at night for a week. I've since read up a little and learned that scrotal application can increase absorption eight-fold over applying the cream to other areas. As such I believe I've given myself a whopping dose in the last week. Now my nipples are sore, perky, and kind of swollen. I understand this is most likely due to aromatization to estrogen and/prolactin.
How do I make this go away? I don't like the way it looks, and it feels like sadists have been tweaking my nipples for days. This is simply unacceptable to me as a side effect. Might things normalize if I just apply the cream to my traps and shoulders, perhaps at a smaller dose? Can I stop the cream abruptly? How long for hormone levels to settle down to what they were before I started TRT? What's the risk of gyno and how long does that take to develop? I've read it happens relatively early in TRT for those who are susceptible.
I'm leaving on a month long trip eight days from now. I'd love to not be dealing with this at that point.
Thanks
I'm 48 and my relevant labs are all in the "normal" range, except my DHEA which has been low for years (chronic Lyme disease).
Testosterone: 441 ng/dl
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin: 1153 ng/dl
Free Testosterone: 77.6 pg/ml
Bioavailable Testosterone 1.99 ng/ml
I started with testosterone cream a week ago after my doctor, who's a bit of an HRT enthusiast, suggested it. He gave me a high daily dose that I could decrease as I saw fit (120 mg in the AM, and 80 mg in the PM). There is also 25 mg of DHEA in the preparation.
My doctor, himself, applies testosterone rectally in the morning and scrotally at night. I thought the latter sounded better so I did that both in the morning and at night for a week. I've since read up a little and learned that scrotal application can increase absorption eight-fold over applying the cream to other areas. As such I believe I've given myself a whopping dose in the last week. Now my nipples are sore, perky, and kind of swollen. I understand this is most likely due to aromatization to estrogen and/prolactin.
How do I make this go away? I don't like the way it looks, and it feels like sadists have been tweaking my nipples for days. This is simply unacceptable to me as a side effect. Might things normalize if I just apply the cream to my traps and shoulders, perhaps at a smaller dose? Can I stop the cream abruptly? How long for hormone levels to settle down to what they were before I started TRT? What's the risk of gyno and how long does that take to develop? I've read it happens relatively early in TRT for those who are susceptible.
I'm leaving on a month long trip eight days from now. I'd love to not be dealing with this at that point.
Thanks
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